Editor's note: You can find more news and information on our avian flu Web site.

UC Davis experts on avian influenza will headline a daylong symposium April 15 on the threat of a global epidemic, with particular emphasis on the role that wild birds might play in spreading the infection to humans.

The symposium, to be held in downtown Davis, has been organized by the Yolo Audubon Society for all interested members of the public.

Avian influenza viruses are common in domestic poultry, such as ducks, geese and chickens, and in wild birds. Occasionally, an outbreak of avian influenza kills isolated flocks of domestic or wild birds. But in recent months, a particularly dangerous strain of avian flu called H5N1 has spread from Asia west and south into Europe and Africa, infecting humans as well as birds.

Nearly 180 people have been identified as infected with the H5N1 virus and 98 of them have died since the onset of the current outbreak in December 2003, according to the World Health Organization. In addition, tens of millions of domestic birds have been killed (many to stop the spread of infection) as well as a small, unknown number of wild birds.

This symposium will explore the roles that wild birds and other wildlife could play in a widespread epidemic, or pandemic. In some countries, officials have proposed killing wild waterfowl and draining wetlands to reduce human health risks. In California, which is home to or a migratory stopover for millions of wild birds, people have asked if they should take down their bird feeders or stop hunting.

The opening speaker will be UC Davis Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw, an expert in viral diseases, particularly influenzas. Other UC Davis faculty members who will speak are: Wildlife Health Center director Walter Boyce, on wild birds; extension veterinarian and associate professor Carol Cardona, on poultry; and infectious disease specialist Christian Sandrock, on the human health threat and federal and state planning.

Some of the other speakers are: biologist John Takekawa of the U.S. Geological Survey, on the movement of waterfowl around the Pacific Rim; Bob McLandress, president of the California Waterfowl Association, on wetlands management; and Diane Colborn, chief consultant to the California Assembly's Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife.

The schedule includes opportunities for questions and comments from the audience.

For the complete list of speakers, schedule and registration information, see: http://www.yoloaudubon.org. Registration is limited to 280 people; the deadline is April 5. The cost is $15 and includes lunch. (Registration for news media is complimentary; R.S.V.P. to Sylvia Wright, below.)

The Yolo Audubon Society symposium "Avian Influenza: Wildlife and Public Health Issues" will be held at the Davis Senior Center, 646 A St., on Saturday, April 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

UC Davis is a co-sponsor, with Audubon California, the California Waterfowl Association, Abbey Road Press, the city of Davis and the Sacramento consulting firms of Environmental Stewardship and Planning, and Padre Associates.