More thoughts on avian flu

[boatmike]

Just posted on Scuttlebutt regarding the risks of catching avian flu from bird poo.
Then thought those most at risk might be those cleaning up bird poo on their boats in Greece / Turkey etc. where the wild birds might well carry it. Just a thought if no one had thought of it for themselves......

 

[Swagman]

Is it not a virus?

For if it is - you'd only be at risk if you were sniffing up a fairly warm / recent dollop off your foredeck.

I'm not sure many sailors will be doing this - but guess you never know.............

JOHN

 

[davidbains]

At the moment it's BIRD flu and you have to be actually living with
infected poultry to be at even a small risk.
The worry is that it MAY mutate into a human to human pathogen,
by which time you'll probably be safer living on a boat!!

 

[boatmike]

The post on scuttlebutt was useful in that it answered a lot of questions and you are generally correct. A virus can only live outside the host for short periods so if bird poo is say 24 hours old it is no risk. So false alarm it seems. Apologies.