Scott McPherson's Web Presence

Study suggests migratory wildfowl may eventually bring bird flu to North America.

A study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) alongwith researchers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska and the University of Tokyo has confirmed the common transfer of avian influenza from Asia to North America via Alaska.

Migratory flyways with Asia and Alaska as their common points of intersection carry ducks back and forth among the two continents. Gene segments from Alaskan pintail ducks confirms gene segments from Asian low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) instead of American LPAI.

Northern pintails were selected because of their proclivity for acquiring LPAI. More than 1,400 pintails were tested and roughly half had gene segments from Asian LPAI.

"Although some previous research has led to speculation that intercontinental transfer of avian influenza viruses from Asia to North America via wild birds is rare, this study challenges that," said Chris Franson, a research wildlife biologist with the USGS National Wildlife Health Center and co-author of the study.

The complete article and links can be found at:

http://www.medindia.net/news/Movement-of-Bird-Flu-from-Asia-to-North-America-Via-Birds-Confirmed-43541-1.htm

These findings are huge in their implication.  First, it completely validates the importance of surveillance, and specifically the huge surveillance effort taking place in Alaska.  The surveillance effort is so detailed and comprehensive up north that even prison inmates have been trained on how to report dead birds found on prison grounds.

It also makes a very strong case for increased surveillance everywhere and along all flyways that lead from Asia and Eurpoe into North America. 

Finally, it validates all those maps and charts we use in our pandemic presentations regarding the migration of wildfowl and the eventual findings of H5N1. 

Fortress America -- the nation/continent protected from foreign enemies by the massive expanse of oceans -- was a myth first debunked the morning of 9/11/01.  Its second debunking will surely happen within the bellies and intestines of migrating birds coming from Siberia toward Alaska.