Scary thing to say!

[Stasia]

Ok, so I can be a bit overly anxious sometimes and am looking for some comforting words!

I was attacked by two different birds today at the bird refuge I volunteer at. One cockatoo (he has a history of this, didn't get any bites in) and another who has bitten me before who just got faster than my hands could get his food dish out. The little one (meyer's parrot) got me really good. 4 bites that drew blood and 2 more minor ones. He's a little stinker and just won't let go once he's got you and he just really digs in and pulls back. I have been bitten by him before and just washed with hydrogen peroxide, used neosporin and bandages and healed up very quickly so I wasn't concerned.

later that day when a co-worker of mine asks what happened she said very seriously "oh, you should maybe go to your dr. and make sure you didn't get the avian flu' !!!!

This is of course ridiculous.......right? (you see my anxiety coming into play here!) No birds in this country have this disease yet right? These birds all stay in the shelter and were all tested upon entry to the center. Even though he drew blood, I don't see how that could have happened. So a few posts to tell me this person is dead wrong and that is crazy would be very comforting..... unless of course she isn't and I should call an ambulance right now! Haha (insert nervous laugh here)

Stasia

[Monica]

IMO, you shouldn't be worried, and the only human cases that I have heard about avian flu were in Asia? and very few that were actually exposed died from the disease... it was mostly farmers who lived in close quarters to their animals that contacted the disease... I do not know of avian flu here in the US, though the media, like always, OVER EMPHASISES these diseases it's horrible... I remember it was so bad last year with END that state officials would go into homes and gas the birds to death, with or without the permission of the owners or even with papers stating that they could... It's ridiculous!

When the meyers bites you however, try pushing INTO the bite, to startle him and if it works, it might help stop the bite, or at least throw him off guard so that the bite doesn't hurt as much...