Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health Victims, Not Vectors — CFIA's Ostrich Cull Misses the Real Source of H5N1 Risk
Oct 8, 2025
The discussion centers on the controversial culling of ostriches following H5N1 detection, highlighting them as victims rather than vectors. New research indicates that industrial livestock operations are aerosolizing the virus, while evidence suggests that healthy birds should be spared from culling. The hosts argue for targeted environmental controls that focus on contaminated air and lagoons instead of small farms. They call for retesting immune survivors, proper wastewater treatment, and greater accountability in regulatory practices to better address the real sources of risk.
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Policy Treats Birds As Vectors
- CFIA depopulated an entire ostrich flock after two positives despite survivors showing months of health.
- The policy treats exposed birds as vectors rather than victims when environmental contamination likely seeded infection.
Test Upstream Environmental Sources First
- Test air and wastewater upstream before culling to identify environmental sources.
- Prioritize tracing contaminated aerosols, lagoons, and waste systems that may seed small farms.
Large Farms Can Recycle Virus Into Environment
- California dairy studies found infectious H5N1 in milking-parlor air and viral RNA in wastewater and lagoons.
- Large operations can aerosolize and concentrate virus, creating wildlife exposure points.