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I am the only person concerned about the avian flu epidemic. Reports indicate that it is headed to Europe. Look at the restrictions already in place by the Dutch. Our Government were drastic over Foot and Mouth and that does not kill Humans. I believe that Pigeons would be in the cull. I wondered what other folk felt and that perhaps Johhnysfarm, Hyacinth slugmonkey etc and anyone from Europe could let us know what is happening

yeah did cross my mind!! does it effect pigeons?

Dont know but there is evidence that other animals are infected and wild Birds AND HUMANS DIED IN ASIA

When avian flu was wide spread in holland and belgium all pigeons were resticted to their lofts and racing was stopped for a while but there were no reported incidents of pigeons catching the virus. Lets hope this strain of flu is not capable of spreading too far fron Asia. If we have to keep the birds confined maybe it will be a good thing at least a few hawks will die through starvation.
fly hard fly fair.

yeah think we will be fine here somthing happend before & we had to stop flying over the channel some years ago mind i remember one member talking about it last year

thay say today, that, we will be in for the ourbreak not sure when, it has spead to russia, & the reason we will get it is because of "Migrating Birds,,thats what i heard in the radio today,leys hope its later then sooner ah.Speckled.The reason speedbird we stopped racing over the channel,was the foot & mouth outbreack i think.Speckled

yeah i heard that lets hope if it does come here its before the season restarts nxt year which i think it will this way will hardly affect us even if we have to leave em in dont hink it was foot & mouth it was somthings to do with pigeons

yes its frightening ,,,   for the humans

What about me chicken. down here speedbird the reason we never went across the channal was for that reason,& that was 2001, as we raced out of the east.Speckled

IT WAS FOOT AND MOUTH< MORE TO DO WITH THE TRANSPORTERS WHICH HAD TO BE WASHED DOWN ON ENTERING AND LEAVING CERTAIN AREAS, IT WAS THIS THAT STOPPED US GETTING INTO FRANCE< BUT IF I REMEMBER I THINK WE WERE GOING TO TRY RACING FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE AS IT WAS FRANCE WHICH PUT THE STOP TO PIGEONS< I AM SURE THIS IS CORRECT???

cant remember what it was but it was well before the foot & mouth will do ome research & ask sum members who wer talking about it

Hi guys. This subject was discussed on the old forum and Hyacinth posted this copy letter. I thought it would be worthwhile seeing it again:-

"To: 'Gord Chalmers'  
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 3:33 PM
Subject: RE: Avian Influenza


Dear Dr. Chalmers

 

Dr. Kaleta recently published review of Avian Influenza (AI) in pigeons and concluded, as I also believe, that pigeons are resistant to avian influenza viruses and have not been a reservoir or vector of the virus. DTW.Deutsche.tierarztliche.Wochenschrift 111(12):467-472, 2004.

 

Other studies have support the resistance of pigeons to AI virus infections. Some people have confused die-offs in pigeons to avian influenza when paramyxovirus type 1 is a common cause of neurological disease and death in pigeons and not avian influenza.

 

We have conducted experimental studies in pigeons using viruses isolated from dead pigeons in Thailand. Even direct inoculation of these viruses into nasal cavity of pigeons caused limited infections with between 60-80% of the pigeons not becoming infected. This suggests the mortality from H5N1 HPAI virus in pigeons may have resulted from synergy between AI infection and some other pathogen.

 

The "illness in school children" is an unsubstantiated rumor. No AI virus was isolated from the children and I am unaware of any evidence of infection.  

 

With this scientific information, it is unlikely that banning pigeons will have any impact on AI ecology and will not reduce the risk AI infections of poultry or humans. The primary species that have natural infections with AI viruses are wild ducks and shorebird (turnstones, gulls, etc.). Columbiformes and passerines are not reservoirs and they are rarely incidental hosts following spill-over of the viruses from infected domestic poultry.  

 

Regards

 

David E. Swayne, DVM, PhD  
Laboratory Director  
Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory  
USDA/ARS  
934 College Station Road  
Athens, Georgia  
Telephone: 706-546-3433  
Fax: 706-546-3161 "


I think the important sections here are "that pigeons are resistant to avian influenza viruses and have not been a reservoir or vector of the virus" and "Columbiformes and passerines are not reservoirs and they are rarely incidental hosts."

If this is right and can be proved to DEFRA and SERAD then we should have nothing to fear. However, someone in the RPRA or SHU should be making moves on this at the moment to ensure that our sport is protected.

Please do.as it seems to be well, before 2001 then speedbird ah Speckled

Sometime over the off season I remember seeing a report of Avain Flu being found in a flock of pigeons in Thailand. I think they were feral birds. Hope it was a false alarm and the above (letter) is true.

You can take the content of the above letter as being Being very true.

If I were you lot, I would be pressing the RPRA SHU WHU IHU NEHU AND NWHU To contact Ms Karen Clifton of The American Racing Pigeon Union who has very good documentation supporting the case that racing pigeons do not carry Avian Indluenza I am sure she would be only too pleased to share it with The Unions of The United Kingdom

During an attack of avian influenza in the Frazier Valley of British Columbia Canada, my friend Kevin Ball and Dr. Gordon Chalmers took on the Canadian Federal Government when they condemed all bird life in the Frazier Valley to death, they won their case and saved the Racing Pigeons

thats worth knowing

Without wishing to panic anyone.
I asked Hyacinth to post up that Canada outbreak. Still waiting. If it is or was Bird Flu over there (funny how the media or WHO didn't mention it) then the UK is at risk on two fronts: Migrating birds (geese?) from the West, and migrating birds from Russia and one of the K'stans in the East.
The likely arrival of the virus in the UK is winter 2006.
Speckled - for your hens, the simple solution seems to be to keep them inside in a wild bird-proof shed. Don't see a problem short-term with that solution with the pigeons either.
And again without wishing to be alarmist, the virus has been found in pigeons. Spread is through saliva and droppings. All the normal precautions and good pigeon and personal hygiene should help keep us all safe.
And it is humans that are most at risk - we are the only vessel where human flu and bird flu are likely to meet - and mutate.

Heard couple of reports on lunch time news the last couple days and the Financial Times yesterday had it as front page news the articles were on their website yesterday regarding Avian Flu by the bits i have heard and seen it is waterfowl that are the hosts mainly of it eg geese there has been no mention of what i have heard or read mentioning pigeons  by all accounts it has been found in lions as well as humans and i think the main concern is a mutation of the virus which would be much more deadly than what we have at the moment a form of it has been found before in pigs and horses a few years back I believe Roche have produced some kind of vaccination for it but it will not be available in any quantity for months and goverments are trying to stockpile it so obviously they are taking it seriously  I think the Dutch have been told to take in all chickens and by what I did here I think probably it will be suggested to farmers to do that as well over here

The Roche thing is tamiflu antiviral tablets, Rose. UK stocked up in February this year with millions, but not enough to do the whole population.  The latest on Roche is that they have donated 3 million tablets to the World Health Organisation to 'contain' any new outbreak amongst humans (and it is humans we should concern ourselves with for the time being because we are (I THINK) more likely to get this than the pigeons). The plan is to swamp the outbreak area with a medical task force recruited and on standby in countries around the world, the Roche donation is part of that plan.

Just heard on the radio coming back from the club there has been a confirmed out break of avian flu in Finland the bird is a seagull. hope it stays the other side of the water.