Authorities issue bird flu advisory, warn against touching or feeding wild birds

Singapore authorities are advising people not to touch or feed wild birds as a precaution against Aven flu or h5n1 no cases have been reported so far but they say the country has to stay vigilant also called bird flu it has infected humans in Australia and the US a different strain has killed a kid in India shelen checks out what steps are taken to prevent the virus from entering high up in this tree is a baby pied Imperial pigeon which has lost its nest an animal rescue service JK wild life is here to reunite it with Mom all in a day's work for the licensed National Parks Board contractor each week it handles around 15 dead or injured birds like this blue- winged Peter and this silky chicken but saving Birds is just one part of the job they also have to keep themselves safe handling animals there's always a risk of disease transmission and and things like that so uh our protocol is gloves up you must have gloves and then like pigeons and all we will wear masks usually we will use at95 masks and Fa Shield if needed and then after that we have to sanitize and we have to disinfect our equipment that's especially as h5n1 or bird flu is back in some countries no cases in Singapore so far but people are being advised not not to touch or feed wild birds including free roaming chickens the Animal Veterinary service and Singapore food agency say bird flu is endemic in the region the agencies are also reminding veterinarians and bird owners to be on the alert for any possible infection in birds and if any member of the public spots a suspected case they can report it to AVS via its website or hotline the country has multiple rings of defense against the virus which can cause severe disease or death for birds and flu like symptoms in humans for one imported fou can only come from approved sources these are banned if any h5n1 case is found so poultry Supply could fluctuate from time to time still migratory birds can fly above border controls bringing with them Aven viruses one expert tells me bir to human transmission is quite rare they do not really congregate in poultry farms in Singapore so these SPS they actually fly and probably stop at Open Water such as ponds and lakes or even reservoirs what we have in place is this concerted multitask agencies they have set up a surveillance network is to ensure that all these biocurity measures are in place to make sure that um this virus does not um you know come into Singapore so they have they will do checks you know on the maybe some of the Farms they will do check on the water birds like taking sand planes of the veal matters or migratory birds and they'll test to make sure that they're free from the virus meanwhile visiting bird paradise or the Singapore Zoo remains safe I asked Mandi Wildlife group about steps taken and it says these Parks have what it calls strict bio security measures which include disease screening and quarantines to ensure birds are healthy and for those going abroad be extra careful when visiting countries with reported cases the health Ministry is strongly advising Travelers Not to go to life bird markets or dairy farms when abroad no eating of uncooked meat or raw milk as well that's especially when other animals like cows can also catch the bird flu HS of cattle and several US states were detected with the virus last month at least three Dairy Farm Workers there got infected