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One of ongoing debates in the world of avian influenza is over exactly how much of a role migratory birds play in the spread of highly pathogenic avian flu viruses.
Bird enthusiasts tend to point to the poorly regulated poultry trade as being the main source of the spread of bird flu while those in the poultry industry are often quick to blame migratory birds.
Over the years we’ve studies that either implicate migratory birds in the spread of the virus, or minimizes their role.
In 2009, in India: The Role Of Migratory Birds In Spreading Bird Flu, we saw an expert committee declare that migratory birds were not responsible for the spreading of H5N1 in India and neighboring countries. While in Another Migratory Bird Study, a paper appeared in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology in 2010, that claimed that the global spread of the H5N1 virus through migratory birds was possible . . . but unlikely.
Despite these statements, there have been plenty of other reports that strongly associate migratory birds with the spread of avian flu viruses. A few include:
Korea: Migratory Birds Behind Spread Of H5N1
EID Journal: H5N1 Branching Out
Japan: Hooded Crane Positive For H5N1
FAO: On The Trail Of Avian Influenza
Since I don’t have a bird in this fight, I readily concede that both are probably significant contributing factors in the spread of the virus. I see no reason why they should be mutually exclusive.
Today, after examining the data from more than 2 million wild bird, poultry, and environmental samples taken over the past three years in Korea – and finding zero instances of the H5N8 virus – a committee has announced that migratory birds are the likely source of this new avian virus.
First an excerpt from the official report (machine translated) released by Korea’s MAFRA, then a news report from the Korea Times.
HPAI The past, have occurred in the country is the H5N1, H5N8 type does not exist in the country, the most
Results of AI research always test you conducted in the poultry, wild migratory birds of all the country in three years near
According to the result, there is no possibility that the H5N8 type virus was detected from the test sample all of the 2.05 million points.
※ AI research test performance
- 2011 fiscal year: 8,104 locations, 725,973 points, 172,545 reviews (all negative H5N8)
- 2012 fiscal year: 7,347 locations, 664,306 points, 172,768 reviews (all negative H5N8)
- 2013 fiscal year: 680,805 points, 165,598 reviews (all negative H5N8)
Add generation farmer and (North Jeolla Province KoTakashi-gun) generation farmers ② first place in the vicinity of migratory birds brought over land
The position has been, affected regions is biased on the west coast area of winter migratory birds wintering in Japan.
The introduction of migratory birds near the same virus (H5N8) virus that HPAI has been detected from ③ generation farmer
And also detected from the migratory birds waste corpse (Donglin (Donrimu) reservoir) of the earth, some areas
(Gochang Donglin reservoir, Gunsan (Kunsan) City, Seocheon (Sochon) County, HajimeHanamizuumi (Shifa
Detection (Baikal Teal, bean goose, coot, from feces) sample and various e))
Epidemiological study committee present at the meeting, was is estimated that the AI occurrence of this has flowed from migratory birds
Updated Outbreak Map – Credit http://www.maff.go.jp
Experts conclude migratory birds responsible
A committee of experts announced Tuesday that it assumes migratory birds were responsible for this year’s outbreak of avian influenza.The dynamics-investigation committee of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (QIA) said the H5N8 strain of bird flu was likely introduced to Korea by migratory birds because the viral subtype had not been found in Korea before.
“The highly pathogenic avian influenza that broke out in Korea in the past was the H5N1 strain, nor the H5N8,” the agriculture ministry said in a statement based on the committee’s findings.
The committee has examined more than 2 million samples from poultry and migratory birds over the past three years and has not detected H5N8.
(Continue . . . )
