Dead Ducks In Idaho - Death toll now at 3400

It was confirmed that some ducks in Chilliwack carried the H5 strain. But I am a bit confused as to what killed them. Was it a mould, was it a virus was it a bacteria was it a chemical agent??

Now did all 3400 of the now deceased ducks pass through Alberta or BC?

How can you be certain that they ALL went through Alberta?

Isn't it a bit odd that BC has ducks dying left and right, no conclusive report as to cause of death but that's somehow unrelated to the ducks dead in Idaho?

In Alberta the only thing I can find about dead ducks was an older article about duck plague (enteritis) from April 1976...

BC has had a huge number of ducks found dead and dying.

I'm not a migratory expert but it stands to reason, that if the dots are connected we get ducks traveling down through BC and on into the USA. Yes quite a lot pass through Alberta and Saskatchewan even... how do we know where these ducks have passed through conclusively though? I haven't read any report stating that banded birds have been tracked through Alberta to Idaho...likewise the same can be said about birds in BC...

2004 we were hit (Fraser Valley) with bird flu and scores of birds had to be destroyed...

BC has a history. Sadly, I think the most obvious place to look is here in our backyard

In Chilliwack the suspect in the deaths is tainted grain that the ducks grazed on in a farmer's field.

Alberta has had a very low death count of Mallards/birds in general.

I think it's very unlikely that the dead ducks in Idaho picked up anything in Alberta and even more unlikely that all 3400 birds now dead went through only Alberta on their way.

Back in 2005 there were death of foul due to avian flu(s) both H5 and N1 seperately were suspect. Though they did not suspect that the birds carried nor died from the deadly combination H5N1.

From Recombinomics.com

Dual H5N1 Bird Flu Infections in North America
Commentary
September 3, 2006

It is possible that these birds were not infected with an H5N1 strain, but instead with two separate avian influenza viruses, one containing H5 and the other containing N1. The confirmatory testing underway at USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories will clarify whether one or more strains of the virus are present, the specific subtype, as well as confirm the pathogenicity.

The above comments raise the possibility of dual or multiple infections in the H5N1 positive mallards, which is a distinct possibility. However, the cloned H5N1 from a mute swan in Michigan was H5N1 and sequence data from mallards in Maryland and Pennsylvania indicate that the H5 positive samples in those states are similar to the H5N1 detected in Michigan. Thus, although the isolates from Maryland and Pennsylvania may be mixtures, both samples likely include H5N1.

The finding of the H5N1 serotypes in all three states is unexpected based on results from southern Canada in 2005. The Canadian tests found H5 in 218 birds, and the vast majority, 187, was in mallards. However, most of these isolates were not H5N1. Most of the H5 positives were in British Columbia, where H5N2 and H5N9 serotypes were identified. The second highest total was in Quebec, where H5N3 was found. The initial reports indicated H5N1 was only detected in Manitoba. Only three birds in Ontario were H5 positives, even though three of the collection sites were near the northern shores of Lake Erie.

Alberta doesn't even factor in.
In 2003 an Alberta duck (Italian Mallard) tested positive for H2N3. Prior to that was 2002 - H2N4.

While Alberta has it's share of migratory birds including Mallards they haven't experienced the level of infection other areas have and indeed nowhere near what BC has recorded.

IMO it's more likely that the dead Mallards in Idaho migrated through BC.

Recombinomics.com has a huge wealth of info on viral outbreaks and tracking in the various wild fowl populations.

Originally posted by justgeneric
It was confirmed that some ducks in Chilliwack carried the H5 strain. But I am a bit confused as to what killed them. Was it a mould, was it a virus was it a bacteria was it a chemical agent??

Our planet's biological rules have changed - it could be all of the above, and more.

See: Beyond Bird Flu: The Perfect Microbial Storm.

Now did all 3400 of the now deceased ducks pass through Alberta or BC?

How can you be certain that they ALL went through Alberta?

According to a Reuters report:

Reuters. 14 Dec 2006

Most mallards that winter in Idaho originate from Alberta, Canada, with a smaller percentage from the Northwest Territories, said Tom Keegan, regional wildlife manager with Idaho Fish and Game.

I think it's very unlikely that the dead ducks in Idaho picked up anything in Alberta and even more unlikely that all 3400 birds now dead went through only Alberta on their way.

...IMO it's more likely that the dead Mallards in Idaho migrated through BC.

Feel free to inform the authorities of your opinions and sources.

Back in 2005 there were death of foul due to avian flu(s) both H5 and N1 seperately were suspect. Though they did not suspect that the birds carried nor died from the deadly combination H5N1.

From Recombinomics.com

Dual H5N1 Bird Flu Infections in North America
Commentary
September 3, 2006

It is possible that these birds were not infected with an H5N1 strain, but instead with two separate avian influenza viruses, one containing H5 and the other containing N1. The confirmatory testing underway at USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories will clarify whether one or more strains of the virus are present, the specific subtype, as well as confirm the pathogenicity.

The above comments raise the possibility of dual or multiple infections in the H5N1 positive mallards, which is a distinct possibility. However, the cloned H5N1 from a mute swan in Michigan was H5N1 and sequence data from mallards in Maryland and Pennsylvania indicate that the H5 positive samples in those states are similar to the H5N1 detected in Michigan. Thus, although the isolates from Maryland and Pennsylvania may be mixtures, both samples likely include H5N1.

The finding of the H5N1 serotypes in all three states is unexpected based on results from southern Canada in 2005. The Canadian tests found H5 in 218 birds, and the vast majority, 187, was in mallards. However, most of these isolates were not H5N1. Most of the H5 positives were in British Columbia, where H5N2 and H5N9 serotypes were identified. The second highest total was in Quebec, where H5N3 was found. The initial reports indicated H5N1 was only detected in Manitoba. Only three birds in Ontario were H5 positives, even though three of the collection sites were near the northern shores of Lake Erie.

Alberta doesn't even factor in.

You seem to have missed the most critical implications of the recombinomics report. ...The geographic locations are relatively unimportant, and the lack of findings in Alberta may simply reflect a lack of testing.

The most important point recombinomics makes is this:

"It is possible that these birds (were infected) ...with two separate avian influenza viruses, one containing H5 and the other containing N1. ...The above comments raise the possibility of dual or multiple infections in the H5N1 positive mallards, which is a distinct possibility.

...This tells us that several other viruses, bacteria and/or microbes infected the birds - are positioned to cross-breed - and create never-seen-before hybrids.

Again, we're probably looking at the beginnings of The Perfect Microbial Storm, in a regional setting.

Birds and animals from different locations will create unique hybrids, depending on their particular exposures. It will start to get really interesting when the hybrids start to cross-breed.

There is no doubt a pandemic is coming. What is unknown is when, and what, exactly, it will be. While it's fairly certain that the flu virus will be one factor/component - the rest is pretty open.

So yeah, maybe we're looking at a flu-aspergillus hybrid here, with a dash of Hantavirus and West Nile.

Testing dead birds might help us to identify what's coming down the pandemic pike - if we can figure out how to identify and test for the new bug(s), and if we can contain it before it mutates again.

Hopefully we will be told the truth. Before we're buried, I mean.

My advice? Don't panic; be prepared. Get ready to start "social distancing" soon. Stockpile, and be prepared to hunker down for 3 months at a time.


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Hey I'm not trying to start an argument...I'm pointing out some overlooked facts. My sources include Ducks Unlimited, The UBC, CDC, CFDA, Oklahoma Satellite Bird Tracking, U of Alberta, U of Saskatchewan...

Reuters isn't the only source of information.

But I'll leave you to it as you have it well under control.

Alberta has done extensive tests by the way, and they have dedicated resources as do all provinces since H5 for testing...including monitoring a slough of other bird carried pathogens, bacteria and virus'.

Sorry to post will go off on my merry way now

Considering this has been going on for several days, just how long does it take to come out and say the ducks tested negative for H5N1? How long does it take to go from saying "likely or maybe" to saying aspergillosis "definitely" killed the ducks?

Maybe they are just stalling for time and hoping public interest dies off too.

Is Dick Cheney anywhere near Idaho? No wait that's lawyers and old friends he shoots.

The current explanations are quite amusing in terms of official contradictions and scientific implausibility:

Fungus Causes Bacterial Lesions in Mallards, Claims Bush Admin Biologist