Should wild birds be culled to stop the disease spreading?
No. The United Nations World Health Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and OIE (the World Organisation for Animal Health) agree that control of avian influenza in wild birds by culling is not feasible, and should not be attempted. Juan Lubroth, FAO senior officer responsible for infectious animal diseases, has commented: “[Culling] is unlikely to make any significant contribution to the protection of humans against avian influenza. There are other, much more important measures to be considered that deserve priority attention.” In the event that wild birds were found to be carrying HPAI H5N1, any attempts at culling would probably spread the virus more widely, as survivors dispersed to new places, and healthy birds became stressed and more prone to infection.
This would be a highly misguided response. The World Health Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation and OIE (the World Organisation for Animal Health) agree that control of avian influenza in wild birds by culling is not feasible, and should not be attempted. Juan Lubroth, FAO senior officer responsible for infectious animal diseases, has commented: “[Culling] is unlikely to make any significant contribution to the protection of humans against avian influenza. There are other, much more important measures to be considered that deserve priority attention.” In the event that wild birds were found to be carrying HPAI H5N1, any attempts at culling would spread the virus more widely, as survivors dispersed to new places, and healthy birds became stressed and more prone to infection.
Related Questions
- What is the latency period for H5N1 in wild birds, i.e. how long could they harbour the disease (and presumably travel) without showing symptoms?
- Is the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) the only agency testing wild birds for the disease in this state?
- Should wild birds be culled to stop the disease spreading?
