On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 13:03:01 +0000, Alan Holmes wrote:


"Bill Hewitt" wrote in message
...

Is there an indication of which species of birds can catch/spread bird flu
?
I assume that the attention to poultry/fowl is that they are more likely
to
enter the food chain.
Should I be worried if I come into contact with faeces of any kind of bird
or just poultry/fowl ?
For example on trips to the Farne Islands I've been well and truly
contaminated with Tern poo. Sitting in a boat under Bass Rock, it's
difficult
not to be contaminated with Gannet poo. What about seaguls ?

I reallise that at the moment, infection levels in the UK are probably
pretty
low, but as someone who seeks out wild brds, what should my concerns be ?

Best advice for the situation described above is to buy a large and sturdy
umbrella.

If I read the news correctly infection levels in humans are very low and
infection generally occurs where humans live in very close proximity to
birds (like in the same building).

The real danger is not from individuals in the UK catching flu from birds,
but from a strain migrating to humans anywhere in the world which will
successfully pass directly from human to human.

At that point the only safe course is to prevent all human migration.
However nobody will be able to prevent people from fleeing from a killer
outbreak of flu.

Happy Easter.

Dave R