Avian Flu No Cause For Alarm For Waterfowl Hunters

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Montana waterfowl hunters can rest assured that avian flu virus strain currently active in Asia and eastern Europe is not yet a problem here, state wildlife officials said today.

"There is no evidence we have the severe avian influenza currently circulating in Asia and Europe in Montana or anywhere in North America at this time," said Mark Atkinson, wildlife veterinarian for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in Bozeman. "It would be a shame if a Montana waterfowl hunter decided not to hunt this year based on these distant developments."

A ccording to the World Health Organization the deadly strain of the avian flu virus is most focused on domestic birds , but m igrating wild birds were recently implicated in the spread of H5N1 strain across Asia and into Europe. The role of wild birds in the spread of the disease, however, is not well understood.

Avian flu is spread among birds through contact with secretions and feces of infected birds. In Asia, most known cases of disease transmission to humans have been linked to direct handling of sick birds or infected carcasses. Evidence of the difficulty in transmitting the disease to humans is highlighted by the lack of human cases among poultry workers and those involved in clean-up operations of infected flocks.

Although avian influenza viruses are commonly found in wild bird populations, the deadly H5N1 strain has not shown up in any wild bird in North America.   In addition, the virus does not move easily across species and there are no known cases of human infection from wild birds.

"Some Montana hunters have inquired about the health of wild ducks, geese and other migratory birds," Atkinson said. "We’re confident the birds currently migrating through Montana are not affected by this illness."

To test for the presence of the disease in the Pacific Flyway, this summer in Alaska the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collected thousands of ducks, geese, swans and sandhill cranes.   None of the birds tested had avian flu.

Atkinson said federal officials have developed a waterfowl-monitoring program expected to start next fall to include nationwide waterfowl check stations. Montana will participate in this monitoring program.

As always, FWP further recommends that hunters use these common sense precautions when handling game:

• Do not handle dead birds or birds that appear sick
• Wear disposable gloves when dressing game birds and waterfowl
• Don’t eat, drink or smoke while handling game
• Wash hands with soap and water, and clean surfaces that come in contact with game
• Cook game meat thoroughly
• Properly dispose of remains of field-dressed birds