Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
"Air conditioners can be disease-spreaders" |
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Posted: March 27 2006 at 3:29pm |
A/Cs Can Be Disease-Spreaders, Warns Jeddah Vet
EDDAH, 28 March 2006 — Those who work with birds or come into contact with them regularly are mindful of the risk the H5N1 avian flu virus poses, as it is they that have been infected the most. As the virus made its way across the farms of Asia, Europe and the Middle East, suburban dwellers and those who don’t handle birds were lulled into a “false sense of security,” as one prominent Jeddah veterinarian told Arab News. “Those who live in the city also need to take measures. Most city dwellers don’t realize how much feces surround them everyday,” Dr. Deborah Zahid, owner of Tahlia International Veterinary Clinic, said on Sunday. Zahid is not referring to the occasional dropping splashed across the windshield or on a clothing item whilst outdoors. She is referring to piles of it that have accumulated over time in a place most don’t even consider. “The majority of air conditioners in the country are the window-type, which protrude through the wall,” she said. “When a female pigeon lands on the outside of the unit, a male usually follows. Wanting to mate, he presses the female up against the wall, while he turns circles around himself. As he does this he defecates all over the top, the back and the sides of the A/C. “As time passes, and more pigeons perch there, the feces accumulate. As the A/C is turned on, any airborne avian pathogens that may be present in the feces are sucked into the A/C and spread throughout the room. If a bird infected with the Newcastle virus defecates on your A/C, then you may end up with a mild case of conjunctivitis, but if it’s infected with H5N1, things could be much worse,” Zahid explained. The solution, according to Zahid, is to place something against the wall on top of the air-conditioner from the outside that would prevent the birds from landing. “Birds don’t like perching at an angle, especially when they cannot grip. By using something that is smooth and angled, and covers the entire top of the A/C, pigeons and other birds will no longer be able to make their deposits on your A/C,” Zahid said. |
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News to me!
But... UV exposure kills this virus. It is not a threat that lasts indefinitely. The virus also dies a natural death. Timing is dependent on temperature and humidity. The cooler/colder and the damper/wetter the longer lived the virus is. High temps and low humidity... H5N1 is toast pretty quickly.
Guess I'll be bleaching my air exchanger every evening!!! Need to get that pool chlorine Bruss has so kindly told us about and I keep forgetting to get!!!
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Siameselade
Adviser Group Joined: March 22 2006 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 414 |
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yeck we have central air.
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Siam
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Amethyst
Valued Member Joined: March 14 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 203 |
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I have a window AC unit in my apartment and have been worried about something like this. There is no easy way to remove it.
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I have seen sharp wire mess on light fixtures I quess you could put something on on a air conditioner to make it uncomfortable to perch there
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Fiddlerdave
Valued Member Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 259 |
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Actually, air conditioners in buildings, homes and cars do even more. They distill moisture from the air, and stay wet inside, sometimes NEVER drying out depending on your weather, humidity, and usage pattern. This dark, dust filled area is a FANTASTIC microbe breeding area. Legionaires' disease has killed many like this. Nasal infections and allergies are aggravated alot. In your car, if you leave it on always while driving, when you stop your car the water in the A/C cooler core and filters stays there, and the dampness can grow some great mold, fungus, bacteria and virus.
In your car, turn the A/C off a little in advance of getting where you are going (keep the air on to dry it out) at least once in a while. (If your heater choice is set to DEFROST, the A/C is on even if you don't press the A/C button on your dash, to clear mist. Don't put it on defrost unless yo actually want to defrost the wisndsheld (saves gas, too).)
For your wall and home, run it with fan but no A/C sometimes too, in the driest parts of the day, or especially if you are going to shut it off for a day, run it A/C off and fan on so it can dry. Replace the filters regularly. Home A/C can be cleaned, and get your ducts cleaned every few years too. (The moisture does condense on the inside of your ducts, so the dust and mold in them will grow when wet.)
By doing this, the A/C cooler and ducts dries out inside now and then, this interrupts the cycle of breeding, and microbes have to start over again.
FORGET THE (in my opinion) ALMOST WORTHLESS "IONIC BREEZE" JUNK and get a central electrostatic cleaner on your home central air and REALLY have clean air.
Someday, I'll be rich enough to live in a place with central A/C, with my luck, they'll be no power!
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Dave
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for us"! |
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Amethyst
Valued Member Joined: March 14 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 203 |
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I can't wait to be able to afford a place with central air. And yeah, with my luck, it'd be right around the time there's no power due to the pandemic or something else. |
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