Whats spreading bird flu?
The H5N1 virus appears to be moving around the world several ways, and not all its paths are well understood. Basically, the two major known routes are the highway and the flyway. Highway: Poultry farmers who move infected live birds, dead birds, chicken feces, contaminated crates, or even feathers and farm equipment can spread the virus. That may be why some outbreaks have been seen along major trade routes in Asia. Flyway: Migrating wild birds also are moving the virus, although it is still not clear which birds are most involved. Also, bird migration isn’t very well understood, and it can be very hard to track viral movement in the wild. Q: If bird flu starts circulating among poultry in North America and Europe, is there any reason to believe that outbreaks in humans might be less likely? A: That’s possible. Poultry production in developed countries is quite secure and can be made even more secure if H5N1 shows up to any great extent. Farms are enclosed, so that contact with migrat
