Avian flu originates where wildlife meets livestock
Steve Osofsky said, "We're working very hard to understand the role of migratory birds in relationship to avian flu, and to understand the intervention strategies and the surveillance that's needed. And right now, what we're seeing is that the emphasis really needs to be on poultry biosecurity, on making sure that poultry is well-cared for and does not get exposed to the disease."
JB: This is Earth and Sky. All over the world, human populations have reached areas that were formerly wilderness.
Steve Osofsky: People and their animals are coming into more and more intimate contact with wildlife. This can only lead to increased incidence of disease transmission.
DB: That was Steve Osofsky, Senior Policy Advisor for Wildlife Health at the Wildlife Conservation Society. Osofsky told us that several devastating diseases, such as avian flu, have their roots in what he calls the wildlife/livestock interface.
Steve Osofsky: I think that avian flu is a classic example of what we could describe as an interface disease. We’re working very hard right now with both the U.S. government as well as international authorities on better understanding the relationships between the virus, as it affects migratory birds, as it gets into poultry, and the risks to people.
JB: Osofsky said these diseases can’t be seen as the purview of the human medical community, or the animal health community. They’re both.
Steve Osofsky: I think that maybe the silver lining is that situations that we’re seeing here, with avian influenza, are forcing the type of collaboration that’s needed among the public health and veterinary communities.
DB: And that’s our show. Special thanks today to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.
Read Earth & Sky’s interview with Steve Ososfsky.
Our thanks to:
Steve Osofsky
Senior Policy Advisor for Wildlife Health
Wildlife Conservation Society
