Experts have taken to Twitter to voice their alarm that the caregiver of a TikTok-famous emu has posted images and videos of himself caressing and cuddling the animal while infected with avian influenza, which may be fatal to humans.
This year, Emmanuel the emu, who lives on Knuckle Bump Farms in South Florida, rose to celebrity on TikTok when multiple videos showed him walking into frame and disrupting his caretaker Taylor Blake as she made films with other animals.
Blake’s stern answer to the bird, “Emmanuel, don’t do it!” gained millions of views and became a viral catchphrase among fans.
Blake said on Twitter on October 16 that a “huge tragedy” had befallen the farm after wild birds contaminated their captive chickens with avian flu.
She added, “Our farm was severely hit by AI-carrying wild geese, and we lost 99.9% of our birds.”
—eco sister (@hiitaylorblake)
15 October 2022
Blake stated on Twitter that Emmanuel was one of the birds infected with avian influenza who survived and is currently stable. Since then, she has shared updates on his status along with images and videos of Emmanuel, some of which depict her touching, cuddling, and kissing him.
In response, doctors and specialists have expressed alarm about the spread of bird flu to humans.
“Being face-to-face with an avian flu-infected bird is a poor idea – this is how zoonotic infections occur, and it’s the reason why entire farms cull sick birds. We face the prospect of pandemic influenza “In response to Blake’s thread, Dr. Boghuma Kabisen Titanji, a global health and infectious disease researcher at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, tweeted.
—BK Titanji #IAmAScientist🇨🇲 (@Boghuma)
16 October 2022
Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and research scientist of the Vaccine and Infection Disease Organization in Canada, tweeted, “I am a virologist and research scientist “Do not kiss your emu (or any other bird) if it has avian influenza. You should not cuddle it. Avoid touching it. The bird flu poses a grave threat to humans and other creatures. To prevent the spread of avian influenza, it is necessary to euthanize infected animals.”
Rasmussen also said that she “screamed” when she saw a photograph of Blake and Emmanuel kissing.
Each thread earned more than 6,000 likes. Additionally, scientists, professors, and other Twitter users have condemned Blake’s intimate interaction.
—Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie rasmussen)
16 October 2022
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), avian influenza (or bird flu) seldom infects humans, however it does so on occasion. This occurs “more frequently following unprotected contact with diseased birds or surfaces contaminated with bird flu viruses,” according to the report.
Between 2003 and March 2022, the World Health Organization reports that a total of 864 cases of avian influenza and 456 deaths were documented globally.
Blake responded to the criticism through Twitter: “We frequently disinfect and wash our hands, clothing, and bodies. When we approach Emmanuel while wearing a mask, he panics. He can not comprehend, which causes him severe worry. I will not add to his stress level.”
She said that the farm was on a 150-day quarantine and that she and her lover had not left the property since the outbreak.
Blake stated that she had “followed all FDA-recommended precautions.”
The FDA promotes the biosecurity measures developed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. In order to limit the danger of infectious diseases for both animals and humans, it is recommended that farmers wash their hands before and after contact with poultry, wear protective clothes, and disinfect footbaths.
In January, avian influenza was diagnosed in the state of Florida, where Blake’s farm is located, as well as in Kentucky, New York, Virginia, Delaware, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, and Nebraska.
According to the CDC, the severity of avian flu in humans can range from no symptoms or mild illness to severe disease leading to death.
Blake did not respond to Insider’s request for comment immediately.
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