Veterinarians in the Seattle area are strongly advising cat owners to keep their pets indoors and avoid feeding them raw meat or milk.
I think it was The West Wing that made me aware of the āFriday news dumpā.
Yeah, this concerns me.
Given that apparently there is a vaccine for H5N1 available in small quantity, I think that they should make it available for people who work directly with poultry, wild birds, and cattle. While the vaccine might not be perfect with the current strain, it should confer some partial immunity. Part of my thought is that it is probably more effective to stop the jump to humans at the first step, and the first step will be people who work with infected animals.
And I will admit that I am biased in this regard.
And I am assuming that the vaccine is as safe as most flu vaccines.
Yes there is a vaccine. Finland started vaccinating those at highest riskā¦
UMass Amherst has determined that 2 geese found dead on campus were infected with bird flu.
Geese found dead on UMass Amherst campus test positive for bird flu - CBS Boston.
I just ordered some shelf-stable eggs. Even though they get fairly good reviews, I hope I donāt have to open them and can eventually give them to a food bank.
More news:
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Iāve got a bad feeling.
āInfectious disease experts are comparing that directive to disabling a smoke alarm.
The CDCās weekly report, which they have put out for more than 60 years, was not published in Trumpās first week in office, resulting in a new study on the bird flu not being reported by the CDC last week.ā
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But, truthfully, I havenāt really thought about it as a human thing. My concern has been about the food supply (What a metaphor for my life. Itās always the food!). Iāve seriously been flirting with becoming vegan, and this is just one more reason. Iām not a āprepperā but Itās easy to stock up on beans, grains, root veggies, and frozen fruits and veggies. Iāve been cleaning my freezer out of animal products (not throwing them out, but cooking them. Waste not want not) and restocking with plant-based options.
Unfortunately, humans will be increasingly affected if we just let it ravage birds. Mutations will occur and public health will be threatened.
But if we donāt test for bird flu, we will not have bird flu, right? The ostrich approach always worksā¦ or until the bird flu gets the ostrich.
Our 2024 response to H5N1 has us in a vulnerable position.
I have a confession. I was at Costco today and stocked up on some canned chicken. I like having it in the pantry and the BB date was 2 yrs out! I also bought a jar of Better Than Bouillon chicken base. I didnāt need eggs.
Page mentions that biosecurity measures that were successful about a decade ago are not working well enough today.
Vaccination of the chickens is a possibility, but that can make the chickens unexportable, since vaccinated chickens may have mild cases that are not noticed and can still spread.
On a run through the woods a few days ago, my husband sadly found a deceased red-tailed hawk on the forest floor, with no visible signs of injury. He tried to report the casualty in case the cause was a transmissible illness, but his calls to the authories were ignored. Perhaps there isnāt much concern with wild bird populations in our region.
Itās like children playing hide & seekāif I close my eyes no one can see me. If we donāt track bird flu, it will just be another ānormalā illness.
Just like before the end of 2020āstop testing and stop reporting COVID #s & deathsāmakes things look bad. Close your eyes and all is well.
I read in another article there are places to report dead and suspicious animals:
Report sick wild birds to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 850-488-4676. Report sick domestic birds to the Department of Agriculture at 850-410-0900.
If youāre in another state, perhaps you have a similar department?