Restoring the tens of thousands of lost and degraded wetlands could go a long way towards reducing the threat of avian flu pandemics. The loss of wetlands around the globe is forcing many wild birds onto alternative sites like farm ponds and paddy fields, bringing them into direct contact with chickens, ducks, geese, and other domesticated fowl.
These were the findings made in a report 'Avian influenza and the environment: an eco-health perspective', commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), disclosed sources here on Thursday.
The report focuses on the environmental factors underpinning the re-emergence of old diseases and which are likely to be triggering the rise of new ones like highly virulent avian influenza or H5N1.
In respect to wetlands, the report says that wetland depletion has direct implications for migrating wild birds. Wetland habitat world-wide continues to decline (owing to agricultural expansion and urban development), resulting in fewer staging areas for wild migrating birds, it added.
According to the report, close contact of wild birds and poultry species is believed to be a major cause behind the spread of avian influenza. Clearing intensive poultry rearing units from the flyways of migratory birds would also be prudent. Intensive poultry operations along migratory wild bird routes are incompatible with protecting the health of ecosystems that birds depend upon. They also increase the risks of transfer of pathogens between migrating birds and domestic, says the study.
The report's preliminary findings concludes that current efforts focusing on isolation, quarantine, culls and medications are likely to be quick fixes offering limited short term benefits. It recommends that governments, the United Nations and public health experts back the environmental measures in order to counter the spread of diseases like H5N1 over the medium and long term.
Other possibly more controversial suggestions, aimed at reducing contact between wild birds and poultry, include shifting livestock production away from humans and other mammals such as pigs.