Staten Island’s, NYC’s Turkeys Not Spreading Bird Flu, Rather “Wet Markets” (Live Animal Slaughterhouses) Have Spread Avian Flu To Humans, Could Breed Next Spanish Flu-Like Pandemic

Recently, we became aware of concerns about avian influenza being spread to humans from wild turkeys and other wild birds.  According to John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island and Duck Defenders, wild turkeys are not the infection vector that people need to be concerned with. 

Thus far, there has never been a case of a human acquiring bird flu from a wild turkey, a pigeon, or any other wild bird.  The only infections in humans thus far has been in factory farm workers or others who have come into close contact with animals in slaughterhouses or markets for slaughtered animals.  According to the CDC, there have been 70 confirmed human cases of avian influenza;  41 cases have been from exposure to sick cows, while the other 26 were from exposure to infected poultry.

There have also been cases of avian influenza infecting feral cats who had recently consumed raw carcasses of chickens.  If meat from chickens or cows is undercooked or not cooked properly, it is also possible that a human can become infected after consuming it.  This has not yet occurred during this outbreak, but it should also be remembered that eggs have been known to be infected with salmonella, both inside and out, so they should always be fully cooked in order to avoid this much more common contaminant.

Humane Long Island’s John Di Leonardo, along with Their Turn, NYCLASS, and former mayoral candidate and founder of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa, visited one of the wet markets in New York City.  We recently covered this inspection.  They found chickens with open wounds, cramped conditions, and a very unsanitary environment.  These animals are obtained from large factory farms across the country, where they house millions of animals on each farm.  They are kept in windowless sheds, and they are in such cramped and dirty conditions that there is a real concern that avian influenza can spread quickly between these animals.

The wet markets in New York City recently had chickens that tested positive for bird flu.  When this happened, they were ordered closed by order of the governor, and were supposed to undergo a  deep cleaning before reopening.  Unfortunately, the conditions had not improved when the group arrived to make an inspection.  There were birds in the cages that were visibly sick, and when they are sick, it usually goes unnoticed.  They also had clear wounds, and the conditions were filthy.  The places from which they are transported to these markets are even more unsanitary, and they pollute the surrounding areas in addition to spreading diseases among their bird flocks and among the humans who work there.

The most serious possibility is that avian flu will be transmitted to a human who has a different flu strain at the time of infection, then the virus will mutate, and then it can jump from human to human.  The Spanish flu, in fact, was a strain of avian influenza, and this particular virus had a 50% mortality rate.  Millions died from that virus in 1918, and the world is even more populous and global now, so it could easily become the next pandemic.

One issue that causes complications with regard to the spread of bird flu is that in all factory farms, there is an expected die-off rate.  It is only when a large number of the animals die at once that there is suspicion that an issue may exist.  Even then, there are no unannounced inspections that would discover this, and much of the time, it is overlooked.  While testing of animals for the virus is sometimes done, they are, in essence, regulating themselves.  The amount of testing, with resultant culling of the animals, is done in rare instances.  With recent office closures announced for the USDA, in the midst of an epidemic among farmed animals of this disease, it is unlikely that the situation will improve.

This was the main topic of the discussion with John Di Leonardo, in the video above.  The doctor from NY Presbyterian also mentioned this virus during the hospital’s measles outbreak update.

Banner Image: Bird Flu statistics. Image Credit – Their Turn