The only thing that is spreading faster than bird flu at the moment is misinformation about it. A great example of this was the meeting this week at Ashfield council in the inner west of Sydney where the deputy mayor advocated the extermination of all pigeons should an Avian influenza outbreak occur.
NICK ADAMS: Ashfield should be inhospitable to pigeons. Avian influenza does not respect borders.
In the report on the ABC news (not in the radio transcript), he went on with a chain of logic reminiscent of the witch scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The deputy mayor’s version went (approximately) “Pigeons are rats of the air. Rats can carry plague. Pigeons can spread bird flu like rats spread bubonic plague.”
Now eradicating pigeons might be a worthy goal in itself, however if an outbreak of Avian flu occurs here, it seems likely the flu will do a good job of eradication for us.
Nick Adams of course misses the point. The danger posed to humanity by avian flu is by it mutating and becoming transmissible human to human. Until this occurs it remains only a threat to those who are handling and living in close proximity with birds. In suburban Ashfield council these people are very few in number.
The prospect of Avian flu spreading world wide is something we need to be worried about. Comparisons to rats and bubonic plague however is sheer hysteria. Perhaps I’m expecting too much from local councillors, but since we now have this thing called the internet, and information is easy to come by, perhaps at least reading the WHO FAQ before making bubonic plague comparisons might retain some sanity in the debate.
Update: Apparently some are living in fear of their neighbour’s budgies!
Prof Doneley, from the University of Queensland’s veterinary school, said “anti-bird paranoia” was gripping the public. His West Toowoomba vet surgery was being swamped with inquiries from panicked bird owners, he said. He said “three or four” people were calling daily wanting to know if they should move house because of their neighbours’ parrots, finches and budgies. “The chances of getting bird flu off a pet bird or your neighbour’s birds are so infinitesimally small,” Prof Doneley said. “You’re more likely to have a light plane hit by a meteor and fall on your head than somebody getting bird flu off their cockatiel”
From what I have observed (I have some dealings in that area) Nick Adams is an ambitious Liberal tyke without much of a clue. From memory at his first council meeting he announced that he wanted to use council as a mere stepping stone into state or federal politics, or some such. Needless to say he seems to have a few tickets on himself.
I wasn’t sure what side he came from but was pretty sure he looked like a party hack. He managed to get himself both TV and radio coverage so he probably thinks its a win.
Nick Adams was elected last year at the age of 19. He’s a student at NIDA. I don’t think he was being all that serious about anything much other than media exposure…….
Did he speak in pidgin?
Madness! Suddenly birds become public enemy number one on the basis of a possible mutation!
Of course the more merciful might want to spend the same billions George Bush has just promised for any US human threat, trying to irradicate the virus rather than the ‘carrier’.
We will determine which birds fly into Ashfield and in what circumstances!
At least I now understand that the reason the pool clears when I wear my budgie smuglers its because of the bird flu fear and nothing to do with me!
Steve, that’s a corker.
World’s first educational bird flu movies launched by Goalfinder
Goalfinder has been at the forefront of developing easy to understand science & technology animations for understanding phenomenon and applications, for the purpose of educating the masses about bird flu , we have developed 6 animations. These are interactive animated comic book style simple explanations for bird flu, for so many of those around who are confused about it. Also there is a bird flu map that can be downloaded for free, it tracks the instances of bird flu around the globe.
1) Surviving bird flu movie (1 hour 15 minute film) or
http://www.goalfinder.com/product.asp?productid=79
2) Protecting poultry and pets from bird flu movie ( 55 minute film) or
http://www.goalfinder.com/product.asp?productid=80
3) Bird flu - the virus Part 1 movie ( 45 minute film) or
http://www.goalfinder.com/product.asp?productid=81
4) Bird flu - the virus Part 2 movie (40 minute film) or
http://www.goalfinder.com/product.asp?productid=82
5) Bird flu -Seminar movie ( 40 minute film) or
http://www.goalfinder.com/product.asp?productid=83
6) Bird flu - Map (Free) or
http://www.goalfinder.com/product.asp?productid=84
You can see their description in detail by downloading two flash files from our site, these can be freely distributed around.
1) Bird flu movie details and other science animations in flash format (285KB): http://www.goalfinder.com/Details-bird-flu-movies.swf
2) Only Bird flu movie information in flash format (145KB) : http://www.goalfinder.com/Goalfinder-bird-flu-movies.swf
If you want to download each movies’ animated previews of around 8 minutes each, in flash format, click to go to the download area.
Pigeons are pests. They spread disease. Getting the bird flu and the pigeons in one go is like killing two birds with one stone, mind the pun.
The Deputy Mayor Nick Adams should be commended. My grandmother who had cancer last year had her death expedited because pigeon droppings and cancer do not get on.
Jim, as I said eradicating pigeons might be a worthy goal in itself, just little to do with bird flu. Also I don’t mean to be heartless, but I’m curious as to how pigeon droppings effect cancer patients?
Nick Adams, the Deputy Mayor of Ashfield Council, is spot on.
Our health is not something that we can possibly gamble with. If or when, the bird flu hits our shores, Nick Adams will be hailed as an amazing prophet. He’ll be adored!
Pigeons are a pain in the arse. Pigeons are full of disease… because more so than any other domestic pet, we are in closest contact- they live in our rooves- so I don’t think it is farcicial to suggest that they would be most likely to spread the disease.
Well it seems the message is really getting out there.
Ok, I’ll say it again. The real risk bird flu poses to people is not by catching it from birds, but from it mutating to a form that spreads human to human.
Yes people have died by getting it from birds, but out of hundreds of millions of people living in daily contact with their chickens in SE asia, 60 have died over several years. Not great I admit but not the scare we are worried about if it mutates to a human to human form when it will likely kill millions.
Killing all the pidgeons in Ashfield isn’t going to do a damn thing to stop bird flu.
Look, I really think a few things need to be addressed here.
I don’t think you can possibly risk something as important as our health on creatures as painful and worthless as pigeons. Steve Edney concedes 60 people have died as a result of contact with birds, a figure I actually didn’t know- I thought it might be less. Sixty people- almost six soccer teams- dead, and you want to mock an idea put forward?! This website had ridiculed this motion by the Deputy Mayor of Ashfield, Nick Adams, and it is a disgrace.
I can understand that some people may disagree with the idea- but pigeons are a health risk, anyway- they carry hundreds of diseases- people have died from pigeons! And with the bird flu- you want to risk life- I couldn’t give two hoots if the likelihood is incredibly remote- it’s still there!!! Michael Hughes is absolutely right- if the bird flu does come here, courtesy of pigeons or otherwise, Nick Adams will be regarded as Prime Minister material. Everywhere in the world, people hate pigeons and care for their health.
The Greens and the animal rights lobby might not like it, but this idea, while obviously quite basic, has the correct intentions- it serves to protect our health. All of you will have egg on your face if/when the bird flu does start killing people in Australia, particularly Ashfield.