<p>Just wondering what you bright people think of this incipient epidemic. Are you scared, resigned, disbelieving? Have you prepared? And how worried are you about your kids away at college? The fact son is in a quad dorm room gives me no comfort.How long will it take until it arrives? Just wondering about your opinions on this topic.</p>
<p>I’m not particular concerned about catching bird flu from my birds … I am more concerned about my birds (I currently have an inventory worth $4-5K) catching the flu from my customers.</p>
<p>As far as catching it from the birds at the feeder … NOT!</p>
<p>Avian influenza becoming an epidemic spread person to peron? That might be a problem. I do think we need to follow this carefully. Is it currently spreading person to person? I think it’s been shown to jump from an infected bird to a single human, but not the human to human transmission that will cause an epidemic. </p>
<p>(I’m not a vet, but play one at the request of customers who wish to avoid $50 office visits, and always with the caveat that I am NOT a vet.)</p>
<p>The people who have gotten bird flu appear (keeping in mind the poor reporting of third world countries) to be only those who were actually involved in slaughtering the birds. No person-to-person infections (yet) but scientists are worried because of structural similarities to the 1918 flu. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t have a bird feeder because of West Nile Virus (which is a known hazard), not because of this avian flu. However, I don’t generally like bird feeders in any case, because I don’t like the year-round committment they require. Instead I provide habitat by planting lots of stuff that produces bird-size berries and seeds, like huckleberry, blueberry, and various perennials. (Right now I’m getting hummingbirds attracted to my still-blooming pineapple sage and hardy fuschia.)</p>
<p>dmd77. Well down here in Salem, OR we live very near to the refuges, the Willamette R., living on a hill at flying elevation, and near ponds. On days low hanging clouds, like this morning, we can almost throw a rock at the geese.</p>
<p>By most scientific publications, including our Homeland Security, and nonscientific and Higher Intelligence, believing President, we could be in a real problem with the healthiest people suffering the most. GWB has requested a few weeks ago $8.5 billion against BFV, where is going to get the money? and doesn’t this go against his fundemental faith? and policy in lettting free enterprise manage the situation?</p>
<p>I have coffee with a german gentleman (98) looks to be 78, and he remembers the flu of 1918. His older sister then 25, came home to help his mother, and was dead 3 days later. He said he saw a “stream of wagons” on the road to the cemetary. </p>
<p>America lost more soldiers to the flu than in battle in WWI. </p>
<p>Its not going to be nice. </p>
<p>Has anyone read, Germs, Guns and Steel? </p>
<p>Q: Do geese poop in the air like humans do when flying?</p>
<p>I live in BC (wild birds with H5N1 have been found)…I have warned my ‘Hunting Cat’ Mr. Tubby (Siamese), NOT to catch, or eat any dead birds…cats are also vector animals for the virus…
He did not listen, and appeared minutes later at the back door with a bird in his mouth…</p>
<p>Bicentennial of the Corps of Discovery, arrival to the region of Oregon, Washington / Pacific Coast occur this month, 200 years ago. Lewis and Clark found that the Pacific Northwest was well populated. Thirty years later as the first settlers of the Oregon Trail arrived to the Willamette Valley, the native population plummeted to an estimated less than a thousand. And ten years more, at start of the Great Migration (Oregon Trail), to a couple of hundred. </p>
<p><a href=“Environment and Experience”>Environment and Experience;
<p><a href=“http://www.carnegielibrary.org/subject/health/avianflu.html[/url]”>http://www.carnegielibrary.org/subject/health/avianflu.html</a></p>
<p>GL</p>
<p>Right now, Bird Flu is something to keep an eye on but not spend time worrying about.</p>
<p>Bird Flu is a way to get the American People to forget about Iran. There are to date NO cases of human to human transmission. Unless you like to play with chickens you are OK.</p>
<p>We haven’t even filled the bird feeder yet! Mild weather has left foodstuffs around for the local birds to eat.</p>
<p>I wish my neighbor would… ;)</p>
<p>There have been a couple suspect cases in Asia where a child who did not handle poultry caught the disease and there was another person in the house who did handle the poultry had it. One doctor in Asia caught it. These are mystery cases. I could see how the folks in the N.W. should be on the lookout .</p>
<p>There would be dozens of problems I’d worry about more than bird flu. Of course, if the bug makes the jump to human-to-human transmission, we’re all in deep kim chee and I don’t have enough water stored in the garage to last six months.</p>
<p>Bird flu - it will happen, just a matter of time. BUT, how bad will it be, can any measures stop it? We don’t know. We don’t really know why the 1918 flu was so bad. Some of the virulence factors present in the virus have been identified, and the effects somewhat understood to explain why the young, healthy people died so fast, but we don’t know if with modern nutrition and medical care, will more people survive the same virulence factors.We also don’t know what the effects of air travel will be, and can an epidemic be contained.</p>
<p>I suspect that it will not be as bad as some of the doomsday scenarios shared with the public health people here, but outbreaks could be worse than anything we have seen before. I, like The Dad, have other things to worry about more.</p>
<p>After reading TheDad’s T-Giving Dinner story, I’m going to forget about storing water and stock up on wine! 
.</p>
<p>I’m not going to start worrying myself over this kind of stuff. After the freshman semester our family just had, we’re happy to know where everybody is. I just internally shake my head at the people we sing with who fold their arms and stare at those around them when the peace is passed in church, refusing to shake hands because they might catch something. (Ever hear of handwashing? It works against LOTS of things and can stop you worrying abouut most of them.)</p>
<p>BHM, I don’t have enough wine to last six months, either. Lessee…we have about 40 liters of bottled water on average and, ummph, maybe 25-30 bottles of wine. The water runs out first. After the hurricanes down South, I’ve been thinking we probably should get a week’s worth of non-perishable food to stash in the garage. Thought about it, haven’t done it yet. And if there were truly an epidemic, a week’s isolation would be nothing.</p>
<p>CTM, we don’t get many people being prissy about the Peace but an awful lot refuse the Cup. Karma sez I. I’d worry more about getting a fender bender in the church parking lot except that I’m prudently neurotic and park on the street.</p>