BELGIUM: Bird experts at odds over whether bird migration is to blame for the spread of avian flu

Record ID: 567103

  • Title: BELGIUM: Bird experts at odds over whether bird migration is to blame for the spread of avian flu
  • Date: 22nd October 2005
  • Summary: (BN15) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 21, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) DIDIER VANGELUWE, ORNITHOLOGIST AT THE INSTITUTE OF NATURAL SCIENCE ORNITHOLOGIST WITH COMPUTER (SOUNDBITE) (French) DIDIER VANGELUWE, ORNITHOLOGIST AT THE INSTITUTE OF NATURAL SCIENCE, SAYING: "For example, with the winter teal, which have come by here from the Caspian sea. We have birds from northern Siberia, from the eastern Urals" MAP ON COMPUTER SHOWING MIGRATION OF WINTER TEALS IN EUROPE (SOUNDBITE) (French) DIDIER VANGELUWE, ORNITHOLOGIST AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF NATURAL SCIENCE, SAYING: "This shows that there are, indeed, some connections. However, there's connection and there's transmission. Let us remember two things, up until now we have never observed healthy carriers, (by that I mean) living birds which are capable of flying for thousands of kilometres whilst carrying in them the highly pathogenic source of the virus, and secondly, up until now, no human has been contaminated by a wild bird." ROYAL INSTITUTE OF NATURAL SCIENCE
  • Embargoed: 6th November 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Health
  • Reuters ID: LVAA16X82FN28BCR0Q34L49UTQ7R
  • Story Text: The Royal Belgian League for the Protection of Birds (LRBPO), said on Friday (October 21) migrating birds shouldn't be blamed for the spread of avian flu.
    "The world of protection associations and of ornithologists, and even a part of the scientific world, are a little shocked, if not outraged by the way wild birds, and especially migratory birds, are being held up as the one great potentially responsible for introducing H5N1 in the European Union," the league's director Hugues Fanal said.
    Fanal said countries like Belgium have nothing to fear as they were not even situated on a route linked to a place where bird flu has already spread.
    "Migratory routes...do not go from east to west but from north to south so all the birds passing their winters in our countries or flying over them come from countries which are absolutely not contaminated", Fanal added, saying that journalists or politicians were confusing the general public using migrating birds as scapegoats.,
    But a Belgian leading ornithologist immediately contradicted some of the Leagues's assertions.
    Didier Vangeluwe, an ornithologist at the Royal Institute of Natural Science in Brussels told Reuters that Belgium was indeed situated on migrating routes linked to bird flu affected regions.
    "For example, with the winter teal, which have come by here from the Caspian sea. We have birds from northern Siberia, from the eastern Urals," he said, showing a clear migration route on a map on a computer.
    The issue of bird migration and its possible role in spreading avian flu has undoubtfully confused many so far. And it looks that even bird experts can't agree.
    Many European governments have already recommended or ordered all poultry to be raised indoors until mid-December to avoid any possible contact with avian flu-carrying migratory birds .
    Belgium said this protection measure was only designed for poultry farms situated in a zone of one kilometre around identified bird migration routes. But the country has failed so far to identify these zones. The Belgian government said on Friday specialists were still working on it together with the National Geographic Centre.
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