What is being done to watch for avian influenza?
A. Around the world, public health officials, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are trying to prevent a pandemic by moving quickly to identify and contain influenza outbreaks. At UC Davis, experts in human and animal health are conducting their own research and education, and are also actively collaborating with colleagues at state agencies, such as the California Department of Health Services; Department of Fish and Game; and Department of Food and Agriculture. Wild bird surveillance: One place UC Davis is watching for dangerous strains of avian influenza is in wild birds. Infected wild birds in Asia could conceivably carry avian influenza to North America, as they migrate east from Asia to North America and then south. Or the virus could be passed through a series of birds from west to east and then north to south. So, in theory, the virus could show up
