No danger in visiting bird sanctuaries
NST, The Star, 27 Nov 2005

TAINAN (Taiwan): Bird watchers are not in danger of contracting deadly avian flu from nomadic and migratory birds, an ornithologist and conservationists said at a conference.

A leading conservationist said there was no evidence migratory birds had passed the virus on to humans in South-East Asia where 60 people have died of the H5N1 strain since 2003.

“We now have no evidence to show that the highly pathogenic H5N1 infection in humans have been acquired from wild birds”, said Marco Lambertini from Birdlife International after the opening on Friday of a three-day seminar on water birds in the island’s southern city.

Birdife is a grouping of international nature organizations that try to conserve bird species and their habitats.

Lambertini said victims had contracted the virus from contact with infected chickens and other sick poultry. Bird watchers were not in such close contact with wild birds, he said.

Ornithologist Lesli A. Dierauf, director of the National Wildlife Health Centre attached to the US Geological Survey, said she saw “no reason” why people should stop visiting bird sanctuaries.  --- AFP.