Wild birds like pelicans, falcons help spread avian flu

For years, wildlife managers controlled new outbreaks of avian flu by culling infected domestic birds. But new research suggests these efforts may not be working to stymie the recent spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza because wild birds have now become carriers of the virus, spreading it to Europe, Africa and the Americas. In a study published recently in GeoHealth, researchers combined wildlife GIS tracking with epidemiology to better understand why the patterns of avian flu have shifted west from its southeast Asia hot spot since the 1990s. Analysis revealed where wild birds and poultry operations mixed, showing potential vectors for the spread of the disease. Whereas migrations of ducks, geese and swans may have caused earlier waves of avian flu, now other types of birds like cormorants, pelicans, buzzards, vultures, hawks and peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) are carrying it to new populations.

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