Don't step in bird shit

A warning about tourists not stepping in bird shit where backyard farming is allowed found in the Nation letters.

Published on August 10, 2006

Re: "Use of illegal vaccines may mask flu symptoms", News, August 9.


Bird flu is back in Thailand and several other neighbouring countries. Without effective vaccines and medication, we have very few options besides prevention.


I live by the military barracks, and my house shares part of its mile-long fence. When I drive past the Army camp, I often see chickens strolling on the street, and I have to try hard not to kill any of them.


I don't understand why backyard chicken farming is still allowed near the heart of the city of a big province when a bird-flu pandemic is looming. I recall that there were several bird-flu deaths in Indonesia that doctors suspected were the result of inhaling the virus from dried chicken faeces. This raises an important question. All cars passing through these streets with backyard chickens running around pooping run a big risk of carrying the excrement back home, or to the barracks if they are Army vehicles. It will be big news when the very fit young soldiers get infected with bird flu without any contact with dead birds. It would be even bigger international news if tourists happen to step on the excrement that potentially carries the virus and takes it back to their hotels, infecting themselves and perhaps others staying there.


Is it possible to ban all small household backyard chicken farming like Vietnam has banned duck raising as a drastic control measure? Or at least ban people from allowing their chickens to roam through the streets and endanger the lives of others. This is something for those trying to control bird flu in Thailand to consider.

[Aunty]

I think if bird flu could actually be transmitted in that way to humans, then many more people who have had no contact with sick birds would have become infected by now. And to the best of my knowledge, no one has become infected unless they have either been in close contact with sick birds or a person who has the virus. If this really was a route of human infection I think you'd find that the W.H.O and C.D.C would have issued alerts to that effect.

One would hope so, given the number of uncovered public and private swimming pools.

This sounds like the sort of urban myth that TeePee/WowPow is fond of posting whenever someone reports a new Internet virus or worm. It has no foundation in medicine or science