Senior Ducks Unlimited (DU) biologists met recently with Dr. Webster to learn from the flu expert and to coordinate its message with the WHO to provide the best available science on the issue to the waterfowl hunting community and the general public.

Webster is director of the WHO Collaborating Center on the Ecology of Influenza Viruses in Lower Animals and Birds at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. and a world-recognized leading authority on influenza. The Center is the world's only WHO collaborating laboratory designed to study influenza at the animal-human interface.

The virulent strain of H5N1 avian flu that is concerning the worldwide medical community has established itself in several Asian countries and was most recently found in Eastern Europe. It's especially deadly to domestic poultry and fowl, and authorities have killed millions of these birds throughout Asia in an attempt to control the spread of the virus.

It is rare for this type of flu to infect humans. According to the WHO, 184 people have been infected by this flu between January 2004 and March 21, 2006, but, of those, 103 have died, creating worldwide concern about the possibility of a global pandemic if the virus was to mutate enough to easily move from human to human.

Ducks Unlimited shares these concerns, especially those of the waterfowling community. Such pandemics occur irregularly, but typically two to three times each century. The emergence of the highly pathogenic Asian strain of H5N1 avian influenza now has the world's attention focused on this ever-present risk.

It is important to note that the human cases now present in Asia represent an unusual event where humans contracted the flu directly from domestic birds. Those individuals are all thought to have contracted the flu because of direct contact with infected domestic poultry flocks. There is no evidence for sustained human-to-human spread of this flu, but a limited number of possible human-to-human transmissions have been reported.

Unfortunately, unwarranted fears and concerns about the Asian strain of H5N1 avian influenza are causing some over-reactions. DU has heard of individuals canceling duck hunting trips or deciding not to duck hunt this season due to concerns about H5N1 avian flu. We are sensitive to these concerns but hope the following facts provide the necessary information to make rational decisions based on facts, not fear.

As with any wild game and the diseases some carry, hunters can protect themselves by wearing disposable surgical latex gloves when handling or cleaning any game animals or birds. And Dr. Webster says what we learned in kindergarten still makes sense today when it comes to protecting ourselves from all flu viruses. Clean up after yourself, and wash your hands regularly.

"It's amazing what the simple act of washing your hands regularly can do to protect you," Dr. Webster said.

Understanding peoples' desire to have as much knowledge as possible about issues that can affect their health, Ducks Unlimited is providing the information below to address the most frequently asked questions about bird flu that we're hearing from duck hunters, people who enjoy feeding birds at bird feeders and others who might come in contact with wild birds. We encourage hunters to continue enjoying the sport they love without fear or concern.

To provide you with the best information possible, Ducks Unlimited will continue its relationship with Dr. Webster and the WHO Collaborating Center on the Ecology of Influenza Viruses in Lower Animals and Birds, as well as authorities and agencies that are actively monitoring the situation. We'll provide updates on the situation as it relates to wildlife, duck hunters and other outdoorsmen as relevant, new information is produced.

Bird Flu: Questions & Answers

What is Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)?

Avian influenza, or bird flu, is a common, naturally occurring virus in birds that has many forms or subtypes. Scientists believe all birds are susceptible to infection by some form of avian influenza, but some birds, like waterfowl, can be infected with influenza but develop no signs of illness from it. In addition, the potency (virulence) varies greatly among the influenza subtypes.

Virulence is classified as either low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) or high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Most avian influenza subtypes are LPAI and cause little or no signs of illness in domestic or wild birds and pose no threat to human health. These subtypes are found every year in waterfowl and cause no disease in birds or in humans. HPAI subtypes include two of the 16 subtypes (H5 and H7). Some members of the H5 and H7 subtypes are extremely infectious and fatal to domestic poultry, sometimes posing a threat to human health.

What is the Asian H5N1 avian influenza virus?

The Asian H5N1 virus is a particularly virulent strain of avian influenza that was first detected in Southeast Asia in 1997.

Is the Asian H5N1 strain of avian influenza a risk to humans?

In addition to resulting in the deaths of more than 150 million domestic birds, the Asian H5N1 virus has infected more than 184 humans and is responsible for 103 human deaths in the region. To date, there has been little human-to-human transmission of the Asian H5N1 strain of avian flu. Yes, there is a risk to humans who are handling infected domestic birds or infected wild birds in Asia . This virus is not yet present in the Americas.

How did people get the Asian strain of the H5N1 virus?

Transmission from domestic poultry (contact with infected birds, contaminated surfaces or feces) is the principle way the Asian H5N1 virus infected humans.

Do migratory waterfowl disperse the Asian H5N1 virus?

The available evidence supports the contention that migrating birds carried the Asian H5N1 virus to Russia, Turkey and Croatia. However, thousands of wild birds have been sampled in North America, and officials haven't found any infected with the highly pathogenic Asian H5N1 virus. While Asian H5N1 virus kills some waterfowl species, (e.g., geese), ducks aren't consistently killed and can continue to migrate. Intensive monitoring of wild birds is continuing worldwide in order to follow the spread of Asian H5N1 in Europe and Africa. The good news is that H5N1 Asian influenza is not yet in the Americas.

Where has the H5N1 virus been detected?

It is important to note that to date (3/06/06), the Asian H5N1 strain has not been detected in the Americas.
The World Organization for Animal Health maintains a Web page devoted to reporting all laboratory confirmed cases of subtype H5 avian influenza in animals based on location .

The World Health Organization maintains a Web page devoted to reporting all laboratory confirmed cases of H5N1 in humans by location .

What is being done to monitor for Asian H5N1 in North America ?

Because some waterfowl and shorebird species migrate between Alaska and Asia, authorities in the wildlife conservation, hunting and medical communities are taking steps to monitor the situation closely and take action if necessary. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center and others are diligently monitoring migratory birds in Alaska. To date, thousands of waterfowl and shorebird samples from Alaska have been collected, and the Asian virus has not yet been found.

Why has the Asian H5N1 strain of the virus received so much attention from the medical community and the media?

A much greater concern than the negligible risk of widespread Asian H5N1 transmission from wild birds directly to the human population is the risk that Asian H5N1 could change and acquire the ability to efficiently jump from human to human. Experts are concerned that under these conditions, the virus could spread rapidly among humans resulting in a global pandemic (in other words, infection occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population). The virus has not mutated to that point.

Are North American waterfowl hunters at risk of contracting Asian H5N1 while waterfowl hunting?

Until the Asian strain of H5N1 is present in birds in North America, there is no risk of contracting the virus from birds in North America. In fact, the risk of contracting the virus from birds in areas where the virus is currently found is low and has been, so far, highest in individuals who had close contact with infected domestic poultry or fowl.

Should hunters take the precautions seen on some Web sites about how to handle wild birds?

Ducks Unlimited encourages hunters to heed the standard precautions offered by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center for protecting themselves against any wildlife related diseases. There is always a low probability of transmission when handling infected harvested animals:

1) Do not handle birds that are obviously sick or found dead.
2) Keep your game birds cool, clean and dry.
3) Do not eat, drink or smoke while cleaning your birds.
4) Use disposable, surgical latex gloves when cleaning game, and properly dispose of them when done.
5) Wash your hands with soap and water or alcohol wipes after dressing birds.
6) Clean all tools and surfaces immediately afterwards. Use hot soapy water, then disinfect with a 10-percent chlorine bleach solution.

Is it ok to eat ducks?

Yes. The standard recommendation for ensuring that any wild game is safely cooked is to cook all types of meat thoroughly (155-165 degrees F) to kill disease organisms and parasites.

What should I do if I find an unusual number of dead ducks or geese while hunting?

It's not uncommon to see dead ducks or geese while in the field. However, if you should notice an unusual number of dead ducks or geese, you should call the nearest office of your state fish and wildlife agency, and report what you have seen. Do not assume that any form of bird flu killed the ducks or geese, because these birds can die from many other causes.

Where can I obtain more information about Bird Flu?

The U.S. Geological Survey is the home of the National Wildlife Health Center, a primary source of information about avian influenza and wildlife .

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization are excellent starting points for information about every aspect of H5N1, particularly as relates to human health.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides a portal to a wealth of information about the risks to poultry, monitoring programs, and other aspects of avian influenza .

For general background on avian influenza as it most commonly occurs in nature, Chapter 22 in the " Field Manual of Wildlife Diseases " provides an excellent summary.

Although not focused specifically on avian influenza, The Ducks Unlimited Canada magazine, the Conservator, published an article in 2005 on the topic of " Invisible Threat: the Impacts of Disease on Wild Duck Populations " that is interesting reading.