gemfyre: (BJ tongue)
gemfyre ([personal profile] gemfyre) wrote2005-10-28 02:42 pm
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Spare me

For Chrissakes people you are not going to get bird flu from LOOKING at birds. It is a disease most potent among high density poultry farms, not wild passerines or low density migratory waders.

Geez.

Just explained to a visitor that the blue and white flycatcher - a bird seen here, which was one of the 3 sightings for Australia - is from south-east Asia. Her response "Oh you know what THEY carry!" *rolls eyes*
I just had to say, "Well if it sneezes on you then start worrying."

[identity profile] darcerin.livejournal.com 2005-10-28 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
I take the media in the U.S. with a grain of salt, that said, all they're basically telling over here is that people are contracting it from migratory birds and chickens, but they aren't telling us HOW they're contracting it. Obviously, if you LOOK at a bird, you aren't going to get it, but I'm certainly not going to be going to feed pigeons any time soon, either. *shrug*

[identity profile] firvulag.livejournal.com 2005-10-28 07:42 am (UTC)(link)
all comercial media interests should be taken with a grain of salt. often with a bucket full as a chaser

[identity profile] miwasatoshi.livejournal.com 2005-10-28 07:11 am (UTC)(link)
Ugh, ignorant people.

Blue-and-white Flycatchers are gorgeous, at least breeding plumage males. Saw several in Japan this summer :)

[identity profile] firvulag.livejournal.com 2005-10-28 07:41 am (UTC)(link)
yeah, well that's what the sensationalist media would have you believe. If the bird could possibly have passed asia in the last decade, and you're inside the same state as it, then you're going to be at risk!

(oh yeah, and of course, the pandemic is coming!)

hahahaha

[identity profile] natsuchan.livejournal.com 2005-10-28 10:56 am (UTC)(link)
Admittedly that's a fairly stupid and ignorant thing to say but when you have major current affair programs dancing around squealing that a minimum of 2 million people will die (in Australia)if the virus (is it a virus?) mutates so it can be passed directly from person to person, people tend to filter out the important bit and get worried. Yep it's scaremongering but that sort of thing is going make the average person just a bit antsy.

[identity profile] redmalice.livejournal.com 2005-10-28 11:10 am (UTC)(link)
A lady came in the other day and wasn't sure if she should buy the chicken breasts incase of bird flu. She asked if they were okay and everything and was full on worried. :/

[identity profile] stawberi.livejournal.com 2005-10-29 12:14 pm (UTC)(link)
It's mainly passed on by their poo, according to the consular advice and ACICIS. And it's not even a big thing in Indonesia yet, so Australia has no need to worry.