I first spoke about bird flu on several forums about three years ago.
I pointed out then that this is like many non-human to human diseases. Confine many animals in domestication and have people around them… more intensive confinement is more rapid spread. In time, any animal disease will find a way to people under those conditions. Show me one example of someone getting CWD from deer. None. Show me an example of mad-cow to human. Many. There are thousands of examples of this in history (Jared Diamond talks about some of this in _Guns, Germs, and Steel_)
NOW, (I just heard on the news a bit ago …how insane!) the strategy to ‘prevent’ bird flu in the US is to MORE confine the captive birds. The industry is keeping, already ridiculously confined animals, confined even more. This is like the same kind of logic as we must 'wage war to prevent war." It is a terrible idea. Terrible. Will free range birds transmit bird flu? I doubt it. Would a good strategy be to move animal ag towards free range? Yes. Will confined birds spread disease quickly and to humans, as well. Yes. 1918 epidemic... http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza/
What are your thoughts?
I pointed out then that this is like many non-human to human diseases. Confine many animals in domestication and have people around them… more intensive confinement is more rapid spread. In time, any animal disease will find a way to people under those conditions. Show me one example of someone getting CWD from deer. None. Show me an example of mad-cow to human. Many. There are thousands of examples of this in history (Jared Diamond talks about some of this in _Guns, Germs, and Steel_)
NOW, (I just heard on the news a bit ago …how insane!) the strategy to ‘prevent’ bird flu in the US is to MORE confine the captive birds. The industry is keeping, already ridiculously confined animals, confined even more. This is like the same kind of logic as we must 'wage war to prevent war." It is a terrible idea. Terrible. Will free range birds transmit bird flu? I doubt it. Would a good strategy be to move animal ag towards free range? Yes. Will confined birds spread disease quickly and to humans, as well. Yes. 1918 epidemic... http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza/
What are your thoughts?
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