Bird flu: It's not just about the bottomline

I expected the Malaysian government's emphasis on commerce and manufacturing to gradually push the locals away from their agricultural roots, but I didn't expect the avian flu pandemic to be killing the people's lifestyle like this.

Three weeks ago, I brought my other half, of British and Australian descent, to the regions of northern Malaysia and Thailand for the first time. We drove down from Penang to a maritime disctrict called Lumut, home to the country's biggest naval base and to a huge shipping industry.

He was impressed by the quaint Malaysian villages, but wondered where on earth the chickens were. Except for one or two cows, there were no other animals to be seen alongside the village roads.

Well, the bird flu pandemic happened.

Up until four years ago, it was common for the locals, even those with office jobs, to keep poultry at home. Poultry was kept not only for consumption. My mother kept hers as pets. You might find it strange to have chickens as pets, but these birds - although not clever enough to perform various tricks like dogs - are very good at recognising their owners (they don't like to be fed by strangers), and that they are actually homing birds, like pigeons. You can let them out during the day, but they always come back to you in the evening. Even better, they lay you eggs. Dogs and cats can't do that.

Of course, the pandemic meant that many had to be culled. I never was keen on poultry - I used to be quite embarrassed by my mother's hobby - but I did feel sorry for her when she had to give away her geese. She didn't have the heart to kill them.

She will, however, be very glad to know that water fowls could be the culprits behind the spread of avian flu in Southeast Asia. It is just not wise to have them around the house.

Recently, we reported on an FAO research which finds that ducks in rice cultivation areas could be behind the spread of avian influenza in Southeast Asia (Animal Pharm, 7 April 2008).

"The researchers modeled how different factors contributed to the spread of the highly pathogenic virus in Thailand and Viet Nam. The numbers of ducks and people, along with the extent of rice cultivation, were the most significant factors, even though each country had pursued its own disease control strategy," according to our news report.

"Ducks graze on leftover rice grains in harvested paddy fields. In Thailand, the number of young ducks in flocks peaks in September to October, when rice paddies become a haven for wild birds. Ducks are slaughtered in late winter at the time of Chinese New Year, when sales-related duck movement is at its highest. The peaks in duck congregation increase the likelihood of virus transmission."

Imagine no ducks on Chinese New Year. Could you imagine Christmas without turkeys at all?

The veterinary industry's role is so much more than preventing diseases and curing sick animals. It's not simply about improving the agricultural bottomline by limiting the damages done to the economy.

In this part of the world, poultry and humans have lived side by side for centuries. It is a relationship that has defined their diet, and their ways of living. Some people keep horses or dogs; this lot prefers poultry. Advances in avian influenza research will save not just human lives, but also a people's culture.