When and how will avian flu
arrive in the U.S.?
The H5N1 avian flu virus has not yet appeared in the United States. Experts
have differing opinions on when and how H5N1 avian flu will arrive in the
U.S. One theory predicts that migratory birds en route to America will carry
the virus with them from Asia or Europe between September 2006 and February
2007.
In Alaska, birds from Asia could mix with North American birds, such
as snow geese, that would then carry avian flu south during their fall
migration. Mass testing of birds in Alaska is already underway to watch for
the arrival of the virus.
In the past, mixing of Eurasian and North American strains of avian flu
viruses has been rare. Moreover, only a few species of birds migrate from
Asia to Alaska. Some experts suspect that the disease may reach the U.S.
through infected birds smuggled into the country rather than via migration
of a wild bird. Although there is already a ban on poultry and poultry
products from countries with avian flu outbreaks, illegal importation of
wildlife is second only to trafficking in arms and drugs. Thus, trade in
poultry and exotic birds are of concern.
It is important to remember that should the H5N1 virus appear in the U.S.,
it is still a disease of birds and its arrival does not mean the start of a
pandemic. |
