The whole bird flu thing really interests me. I remember when I first pitched it as a potential story more than a year ago. I got some blank stares as I tried to explain why they should let me cover a story about a virus that loves to kill chickens in Asia. They trusted me.. and so it began. I've done multiple stories on bird flu and have learned a lot along the way. I always try to keep it logical and not sensational. This is something we need to be aware of, prepared for... but not freak out about.

Here are a few additional points from tonite's story to share with you.

Bird flu is not new. And there are many strains. The strain that gets so much airplay lately is called 'H5N1'.

Here is an image of H5N1 (in gold) that the CDC lets us use as long as we credit the agency and the photographer Cynthia Goldsmith.

The biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) says H5N1 is about a decade old or so and is now likely headed here.

Here is a link to the ODFW Fact sheet on bird flu:

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/avian-flu/

I've heard from the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) that people are worried about eating poultry. I'm happy to say that IF H5N1 bird flu made it to Oregon and IF it somehow got into commercial chicken houses and IF no one caught it and the poultry made it to your dinner table..... there is no risk to you if you properly cook your chicken (which is a good idea for lots of reasons).

Here's more from the ODA:

http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/AHID/animal_health/ai.shtml

And let me include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention take on bird flu:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm

Finally, one gentleman emailed me posing an interesting thought. I asked for a poultry expert's take on it. Here are both:

Email:

I cannot understand why the Dept of Ag insists on depopulating chicken
flocks that become infected with bird flu, when they are in controlled
conditions. The disease is not going away in the wild, it will always
be with us. A vaccine for chickens only allows a genetically
susceptible animal to resist infection--it does nothing to address that
susceptibility. Their strategy virtually guarantees this will be a
major problem for the forseeable future.

If they would allow the disease to run it's course in a flock, even
deliberately infecting it, certainly the virus would multiply, perhaps
contaminating that house forever. Every chicken that gets sick or dies
needs to be burned/buried. But in the way diseases always go, there
are certain to be a few birds that have an inherent, genetic resistance
or immunity. Those birds are crucial to breeding flocks which are
inherently secure from the current disease, and closely related strains
that the birds' immune system can identify.

Here is Jim Hermes' response. He's an Extention poultry expert.

Here are some of the possible reasons why depopulation is the typical
response to these virulent disease organisms. These are not in any
order of importance.

1. With very hot disease organisms, they kill so many animals from a
population that the genetic diversity, which is limited to begin with
will be even further reduced. This will initiate other problems
including the increased susceptibly to other disease organisms which
could then wipe out the strain. In virtually every case, during genetic
selection for a particular trait other beneficial traits are reduced or
lost.

2. During this process, survivors may be genetically inferior in some
economic traits which could make the poultry industry economical
noncompetitive.

3. Following selection, the surviving population may take years to
re-establish causing the industry to go bankrupt. (Profit margins in
poultry meat and eggs are very small)

4. If exposure is too high, even animals that are genetically resistant
may succumb to the organism further reducing the gene pool, and not
accurately selecting resistant birds.

5. Once the selection process is complete and we now have strains that
are resistant to the H5N1 virus, another High Path influenza virus (for
example; H7N2) will become prevalent and wipe out the "resistant"
strains. Influenza is particularly good at rapidly changing; this is
why we must get flu shots annually because the prevalent virus is
different than last year's.

Genetic selection has worked in poultry in the past. Salmonella
pullorum, a disease that would kill 30-40% of poultry annually in the
1930s was selected against by testing and breeding through the National
Poultry Improvement Plan, is now virtually extinct in commercial chicken
flocks. More recently, the J-virus (a herpes virus) was found in
broiler breeders. Through strict testing and breeding it is not now the
problem it has been in the past. In both of these cases, these are
relatively stable (genetically) organisms. Influenza is not.

Shoot me an email: sstricklen@kgw.com

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