04/06 | Katrina could be a mirror for the effects of a Bird Flu outbreak in the US

Link to yesterday's thread: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=192347

Human Cases

Since January, 2004 WHO has reported human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the following countries:

* East Asia and the Pacific:
o Cambodia
o China
o Indonesia
o Thailand
o Vietnam

* Europe & Eurasia:
o Azerbaijan
(see update)
o Turkey

* Near East:
o Egypt
o Iraq

For additional information about these reports, visit the
World Health Organization Web Site.

Updated April 3, 2006

Animal Cases

Since December 2003, avian influenza A (H5N1) infections in poultry or wild birds have been reported in the following countries:

* Africa:
o Burkina Faso
o Cameroon
o Niger
o Nigeria
* East Asia & the Pacific:
o Cambodia
o China
o Hong Kong (SARPRC)
o Indonesia
o Japan
o Laos
o Malaysia
o Mongolia
o Myanmar (Burma)
o Thailand
o Vietnam
* South Asia:
o Afghanistan
o India
o Kazakhstan
o Pakistan
* Near East:
o Egypt
o Iraq (H5)
o Iran
o Israel
o Jordan

* Europe & Eurasia:
o Albania
o Austria
o Azerbaijan
o Bosnia & Herzegovina
o Bulgaria
o Croatia
o Czech Republic (H5)
o Denmark
o France
o Georgia
o Germany
o Greece
o Hungary
o Italy
o Poland
o Romania
o Russia
o Serbia & Montenegro
o Slovak Republic
o Slovenia
o Sweden
o Switzerland
o Turkey
o Ukraine


For additional information about these reports, visit the
World Organization for Animal Health Web Site.

Updated April 5, 2006

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/outbreaks/current.htm

WHO, Avian Flu Timeline in .pdf: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/timeline.pdf

Posted on Wed, Apr. 05, 2006

Bird flu outbreak could remind of Katrina, officials say​

JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The delayed response for medical help after Hurricane Katrina could be a mirror for the effects of a bird flu outbreak in the United States, officials at a medical conference said Wednesday.

"At the local level, the response (to a bird flu outbreak) is not going to be what it needs to be. While it will rise to the occasion eventually, it will require outside help, and it's going to take time for that help to get there," said Dr. Chris Farmer, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Farmer was one of several speakers Wednesday who addressed about 50 health care professionals at a conference on preparing for the bird flu. The two-day meeting was sponsored by the Texas A&M University Health Science Center Office of Homeland Security.

The hospital system in New Orleans was overwhelmed after Katrina flooded the area last summer. Just after the storm hit, patients had to be evacuated because Katrina left most hospitals inoperable. According to government auditors, New Orleans currently has 456 staffed hospital beds now, compared with 2,269 before Katrina.

The same thing could happen to a hospital system in a U.S. city hit by a bird flu outbreak, Farmer said.

"When you look at other hospitals across the country, (Katrina) was something that was on the six o'clock news," he said. "I just don't know how much these places have internalized (that) these things can happen where they are. It may not be a flood, but it may by avian flu. If your facility is overrun, what's the difference?"

Bird flu resurfaced in Asia in 2003 and has killed at least 108 people. It remains hard for humans to catch, but health experts fear it will mutate into a form easily spread among people, potentially sparking a pandemic.

While no cases have been reported in the United States, experts say it is only a matter of time before that happens.

The federal government says up to 90 million Americans would become sick with the virus and 2 million would die during a worldwide flu pandemic.

Paul Carlton, director of the Texas A&M Health Science Center Office of Homeland Security, said simple solutions, such as educating medical workers not to be afraid to treat patients or a new mask for employees, can help hospitals handle such an outbreak.

"I think our federal government is doing the things they need to do in terms of research, vaccination programs. But we're not as prepared as we can be, and that's what we're focusing on with this conference," Carlton said.

Bird flu is "not the boogeyman," he said. "We need to all understand it so that we're not frightened when the first case happens in the United States."

Col. Matthew Dolan, chief consultant for infectious diseases to the U.S. Air Force surgeon general, said response plans that were in place at different government levels when Katrina hit contributed to the slow response in offering medical and other help to victims.

"If developing separate plans was clearly recognized as wrong for Katrina, wouldn't we assume it would likewise not be the best answer for pandemic flu? I know there are people at the state and federal level struggling with how to put together the best answer. It's not something we should be paralyzed with fear in facing," he said.

When it comes to dealing with a potential bird flu outbreak, the situation is not hopeless, Farmer said.

"Our ultimate success will depend on the spirit of humanity to rise to the occasion and do what they need to do," he said.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/14272520.htm

JohnGaltfla said:

I would suggest everyone look at this brief video of a computer simulation of the spread of the H5N1 flu. If this is the pattern or similar, it's going to be a lot worse than imagined....

Click to expand...

I'll 2nd that!

It should be right up there with the most reccomended linked posts for TBers to look at... http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=192347 Post #27

Thanks PC Viking. Your excellent work on these threads can never get enough kudos. I wanted to post a link to that simulation so the main pagers (those that never click anywhere else here) might get a chance to watch it. It's terrifying.

Interesting computer simulation vid but was'nt completely sure what the color changes meant, kinda reminded me of some visions that I had.

April 06, 2006

Outbreaks cause Europe to lose taste for poultry​

By Will Pavia

IF GOVERNMENT scientists confirm today that the swan discovered on the Scottish coast died of H5N1, Britain will be the latest in a string of European countries to report the disease in recent weeks.

The arrival of bird flu in Europe has prompted panic among poultry farmers. The consumer reaction has been equally fraught.

In Italy chicken sales plummeted by 80 per cent. In France the decline was 40 per cent. In Germany, even before yesterday’s announcement that the disease had entered the country’s domestic fowl population, sales had slumped by 30 per cent.

The German outbreak, at a large poultry farm, is the second instance of H5N1 in domestic fowl in the European Union after an outbreak in France in late February.

Culling on the farm, which houses more than 16,000 turkey, geese and chickens, began last night.

“This is the first case of H5N1 in domestic fowl [in Germany] and this makes it somewhat explosive,” Helma Orosz, the Minister of Social Affairs for Saxony, said. “Tonight we will start to kill all the birds [at the farm].”

A suspected outbreak of H5N1 at a farm in Sweden remained unconfirmed last night.

The European Commission has issued guidelines for management of exclusion zones after outbreaks. Poultry must be kept indoors, movement of poultry is banned except directly to the slaughterhouse and movement of meat outside the zone is highly restricted.

Hunting of wild birds is banned and the Commission says that poultry owners and their families should be given disease awareness training.

Countries have differed on whether to vaccinate poultry flocks, however.

The Netherlands launched preventative vaccination on March 16 for its backyard poultry population of between one and three million, plus about five million free-range birds. France also moved to vaccinate its domestic flock. Thirty-two cases of the disease have been found in wild birds in Switzerland. Greece has confirmed 32 cases in swans and geese. Since February, 274 wild birds have been infected with the disease in seven of Germany’s states.

In Britain, vaccination is not the preferred response to an outbreak — experts in any case doubt that there are sufficient supplies of the vaccine.

British consumers are not expected to panic, however. Spring is a slow period for poultry sales but it is believed that the British have been inured by outbreaks in livestock such as BSE and foot-and-mouth disease to react to such situations more calmly.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2121382,00.html

I am wondering when the sheeple will figure out they are on their OWN! why anyone expects the government to be able to do anything anymore is beyond me. My view is we will have several more category 5 hurricanes hit florida and the gulf coast before the bird flu tanks the USA in the October to February time frame.

Egypt

Posted on Wed, Apr. 05, 2006

Egypt reports 9th human case of bird flu​

Associated Press

CAIRO, Egypt - An Egyptian toddler has been infected with the virulent strain of bird flu, bringing the number of human cases in the country to nine, the Health Ministry said Wednesday.

Health Minister Hatem el-Gabaly said in a report by the state-run Middle East News Agency that the 16-month-old girl, from the southern city of Sohag, showed symptoms of the disease and was admitted to a hospital on Sunday in stable condition. Tests proved positive on Tuesday.

El-Gabaly said the girl's mother bred chickens in the house, and some of them were found dead. Other members of the family were being checked to see if anyone was infected with the virus.

Nine people in Egypt have been stricken with the deadly H5N1 virus since early March. Two of them - both women in their 30s - died; two others have recovered and the rest are still being treated in hospitals.

The deadly bird flu virus has been detected in fowl in nineteen of Egypt's 26 provinces, the agency said. Egypt is on a main route for migratory birds, at the crossroads between Asia and Africa.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu, its most aggressive form, has killed over 100 people worldwide and led to the culling of million of birds.

In other developments around the world Wednesday:

_ A 12-year-old boy died from suspected bird flu in Cambodia. If confirmed by the World Health Organization, he would be the country's sixth victim from the deadly H5N1 virus, health officials said.

_ German authorities confirmed the nation's first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain in domestic fowl, saying the virus was found at a poultry farm in the east of the country.

_ British authorities confirmed bird flu in a dead swan found in a Scottish village, but more tests were needed to determine whether it was the H5N1 strain.

_ Half a million chickens in Gaza must be slaughtered because of exposure to bird flu, United Nations officials said. A quarter of a million chickens have already been killed. Bird flu was discovered in Israeli villages nearby last month, before spreading to Gaza. Almost 1 million birds have been slaughtered in Israel.

_ The European Union extended until the end of July restrictions on poultry imports from Turkey, Romania and Croatia because of concern over bird flu.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/14272531.htm

Germany

UPDATED: 08:31, April 06, 2006

Bird flu discovered at turkey farm in Germany​

German authorities planned on Wednesday to cull 15,000 turkeys after bird flu virus was detected at a poultry farm in the east of the country, local report said in Berlin.

Scientists said they had detected the H5 subtype of the virus in at least one dead bird at the farm in the state of Saxony.

Further tests were needed to determine whether it was the deadly H5N1 strain, German new agency DPA quoted the scientists as saying.

This was the first case of bird flu at a commercial poultry farm in Germany, where hundreds of wild birds and two kinds of mammal have died of the virus since it was discovered in early February.

The strain was first detected among wild birds on the German island of Ruegen in the Baltic Sea, but it has rapidly affected six states.

The German government announced at the end of last month that it would spend 60 million euros (73 million US dollars) on bird flu research in the next four years, hoping to develop a vaccine for humans soon.

The H5N1 strain has killed more than a hundred people globally.

Source: Xinhua

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200604/06/eng20060406_256289.html

Interesting......"mass evacuation of major cities".......(end of article)........where would these evacuatees go?? Flood the country side?? Hmmm......wonder if the U.S. has the same plan?



http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,,1748024,00.html#article_continue

Britain braced for threat from virus

Controls on movement of animals in protection zone as tests go on

Alok Jha, James Meikle and Sarah Hall
Thursday April 6, 2006
The Guardian

The discovery of a strain of bird flu found in a dead swan in Scotland yesterday brought the potential threat of the deadly H5N1 to Britain for the first time. It also triggered a number of responses which are in place to deal with any outbreak of the strain which can be fatal to humans if they come into contact with it.

A sample from the dead swan tested positive for "highly pathogenic H5 avian flu". H5 is a contagious strain and can be fatal to birds.

Article continues
While further tests are being carried out to see if the bird was infected with the H5N1 strain, the first steps to reduce the danger posed to other birds and people were being put in place. Results from the further tests are expected today.

Protection zone

Once the virus in the swan was identified as a type of H5 avian influenza, a 1.8 mile (3km) protection zone was set up around Cellardyke, a small coastal town in Fife, nine miles from St Andrews, the area where the carcass had been found, according to the European Commission .

The virus will undergo further tests at the Veterinary Laboratory Agency in Weybridge, Surrey to identify exactly which type of the highly pathogenic H5 virus it is.

"We don't know exactly when that's going to come through," said Freda Scott-Park, president of the British Veterinary Association.

While the VLA carries out its tests, which could take up to 24 hours, the area of Fife where the bird was found will be monitored.

"The most important thing is the movements of birds and animals are going to be controlled in that protection zone. It's key that we don't have any spread of the virus beyond where the swan was found," said Dr Scott-Park.

"It comes down to looking for the forensics of the disease. They need to know if there are other birds affected. They'll have a good idea of the poultry in the area and we gather it's not an area that's got lots of poultry in it."

What no one knows is how many small flocks of birds there are in the are in the area. Vets will be going into the area immediately to make sure they know exactly where all the birds are. While the waiting is going on there will be a lot of activity going on to make sure the virus doesn't spread," said Dr Scott-Park. "That's identifying at-risk birds, giving advice to people who live in that area and making sure we all take our responsibilities seriously and act proportionately."

If the virus is confirmed as H5N1, the exclusion zone will be extended by six miles and movements of birds in the area might be halted, with farmers told to keep their animals inside. Because the virus was found in a wild bird, farmers can probably rest easier that their flocks are not in danger of being culled.

"It would be very unlikely not to be N1 but there is a possibility that it might be one of the other strains," said Dr Scott-Park. "H5N1 is the most likely one."

Around the country free range and organic producers have been told for weeks that they should be ready in just such an emergency and tests on poultry farms are likely to be stepped up.

Anyone who keeps birds within the protection zone round where the wild swan was found have already been told to take such precautions, and keep food and water sources protected, but far wider restrictions are likely if the case is confirmed.

For the moment only movement of poultry and eggs from farms within six miles of the suspect case is being banned but this could widen considerably if the European Union considers it necessary. Decisions will also have to be made on whether culling might be necessary.

The government has said this will be ordered where the risk of infection is high, while in lower risk areas premises will be placed under restriction for 21 days with regular veterinary inspections. For the moment however, it stressed the virus had not been found in any domestic birds.

Limited risk

Ministers will try to quell alarm pointing out that the virus is at present only limited to a case in a wild bird and that eating poultry still poses no risk to public health. Sales have plummeted in many countries where bird flu has been reported and with firms in the UK providing 850m birds for food each year and 9.6bn eggs the industry will be nervous of a BSE-like effect on production.

Poultry workers may be offered both seasonal flu vaccine and antiviral drugs to minimise the risk that the virus could mutate into a type more dangerous to humans. The government only completed a register of poultry owners last month and it is not certain it knows where all the farms are since those with flocks of fewer than 50 birds did not have to comply.

But avian flu is not easily spread, requiring extremely close contact with infected birds, particularly faeces.

Culling of wild birds is not an option, since shooting might well disperse flocks further. Culling poultry, if necessary, is likely to be done by gas on large battery farms, and mobile units could be sent round other farms. On some small units however, birds might have to be killed by wringing their necks.

The government has powers to vaccinate flocks as a precautionary measure, and many organic and free-range owners have been pressing for just such a move. But ministers are resisting the idea on scientific advice that it is too difficult, and it can take up to three weeks for birds to deliver immunity and some birds require two doses.

Quite apart from the huge practical difficulties, the vaccination will not stop birds being infected and shedding the virus. It might therefore mask the disease.

Two million vaccine doses have been ordered to protect zoo and other exotic birds. Defra said last night: "There is currently no indication that it is necessary to use vaccines."

The government's chief scientific adviser earlier ruled out the use of currently available bird flu vaccines in the event of a UK outbreak. Professor Sir David King said rare breeds of birds kept in zoos would be the only cases where vaccines would be feasible. The inoculation of organic or free range birds would not be recommended. Speaking after the National Farmers Union's annual conference in February, he said: "I would be very concerned about the spread with the current vaccine. What it means is that every time you vaccinate you have to increase surveillance because signs of the disease are not very obvious."

Campaign

In the aftermath of the discovery of the dead swan the government insisted there was no public health risk but officials have planned a campaign of reassurance in case the deadly bird flu virus reaches Britain.

Ministers and the chief veterinary officer will unleash a media offensive in which they will seek to calm public anxiety by stressing the relative difficulty of humans catching H5N1 strain of the disease. But they will also warn that no one should handle dead birds.

Last night Dr Lesley Macdonald, NHS Fife director of public health, also sought to play down the health risk: "Whilst avian influenza cannot be ruled out at this stage, there is no reason for public health concern. Avian influenza is a disease of birds and whilst it can pass, with difficulty, to humans this requires extremely close contact with infected poultry, particularly faeces."

Those who have come into contact with infected birds - either members of the public who handle dead wild ones, or poultry workers - will be offered the seasonal flu vaccine to minimise the risk of infection. The belief is that those affected with the seasonal flu virus are more susceptible to other flu bugs; the vaccine reduces the risk of H5N1 crossing over.

The antiviral drug, Tamiflu, will also be given because it acts, after exposure, as a prophylaxis. Five million doses have been stockpiled so far, in the event of a pandemic, and a total of 14.6m - enough for a quarter of the population; the number predicted to be affected - will be in place by August.

Those who come into contact will be strongly advised to accept the vaccine but will not be automatically admitted to hospital. Instead, they will be urged to be on the lookout for symptoms, which are similar to other strains - fever, sore throats, coughs and muscle ache - as well as eye infections and pneumonia.

Anyone who presents with these symptoms, will be put in isolation in hospital, and samples sent to the Health Protection Agency's laboratory in Colindale, north London. There scientists will determine if it is a high or low pathogenic strain. The high strain is the one to have affected humans in the far east and Turkey.

The government has come up with a plan for mass evacuation of major cities if the strain mutates and passes from human to human.

JohnGaltfla said:

I would suggest everyone look at this brief video of a computer simulation of the spread of the H5N1 flu. If this is the pattern or similar, it's going to be a lot worse than imagined....

Click to expand...

I clicked on it but nothing happened.

okie medicvet said:

I clicked on it but nothing happened.

Click to expand...

You'll need the "quicktime" video player plugin...

India

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Bird flu spreads to more villages in western India ​

Reuters

Mumbai, April 6: More poultry samples have tested positive for H5 avian influenza in Maharashtra, which has been struggling to contain bird flu since February, officials said on Wednesday.

The latest outbreak has hit 14 new villages in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, near the site of two earlier outbreaks, Maharashtra's Health Director T.P. Doke said.

Officials said they suspected that further tests would confirm the virus was the H5N1 strain which had already struck the area.

"Laboratory tests have shown it is H5, which is bird flu. We suspect it will also turn out to be H5N1 because the new outbreak is in the same area," said Uttam Khobragade, Maharashtra's top Animal Husbandry Official.

Besides Maharashtra, the virus has struck poultry in Burhanpur district of Madhya Pradesh, close to Jalgaon.

Authorities have sought to play down subsequent outbreaks since the first one in mid-February, saying they should not be treated as fresh cases because the new infections were being reported from an area earlier identified as a bird flu zone.

"Dozens of samples from poultry had been collected after the first outbreak," said Bijay Kumar, Maharashtra's Animal Husbandry Commissioner. "The results of those are coming out in phases," he added.

In Jalgaon, veterinary and civic workers were identifying a 10-km radius around the newly affected villages where all poultry would be culled.

Health officials will also simultaneously begin a now-familiar exercise of monitoring people for flu-like symptoms.

India has culled over 500,000 birds and monitored hundreds of thousands of people to contain the spread of bird flu, but the virus has continued to strike poultry.

Infection in humans has not been reported.

URL: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=65605

Bird flu kills third Egyptian​

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsA...C_0_US-BIRDFLU-EGYPT-DEATH.xml&archived=False

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian girl died from bird flu on Thursday, taking to three the country's human death toll from the virus, the official MENA news agency reported.

The latest death was a 16-year-old girl from a province north of Cairo, who was admitted to hospital on Wednesday.

"Iman Mohamed Abdel Gawad, a 16-year-old girl from Monoufiya, died after being infected by bird flu," MENA said, quoting official information.

Late on the Wednesday the health minister said a 16-year-old girl from the same province had been admitted to hospital with bird flu after handling dead birds, taking to 11 the number of people the Egyptian government says have caught the virus.

The World Health Organization has so far confirmed four of those cases as the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, including the previous two people who died.

The avian flu virus has so far not been transmitted from human to human, but can be caught from infected birds.

The disease, which has killed at least 108 people worldwide, was first detected in birds in Egypt in February and has since devastated the poultry industry.

The government has banned the domestic rearing of fowl, but many Egyptians ignore the ban because they are too poor to slaughter their birds.

Although difficult for humans to catch, scientists fear bird flu could mutate into a form that can pass easily between humans, causing a pandemic.

UK Bird Flu Alert - Tests Underway

Health experts are carrying out more tests on a swan found dead in Scotland that tested positive for bird flu.

The EU's bird flu laboratory in Surrey is expected to confirm if the UK has its first case in a wild bird of the H5N1 strain, blamed for human deaths.

A 1.8-mile protection zone to prevent poultry being moved is in place around Cellardyke in Fife, where the bird was found eight days ago.

The government's national emergency committee has met to discuss the issue.

The Scottish Executive said further restrictions may be put in place if the strain is found to be H5N1, but officials stressed there was no reason for public health concern.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4881850.stm

The ironic thing is this was found whilst in the middle of the first major excercise of its type....and they end up finding the real thing..

Tests are expected to reveal today whether a dead swan found in Scotland has the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

The Scottish Executive confirmed the bird - discovered in the Cellardyke area of Fife eight days ago- had "highly pathogenic H5 avian flu".

Scientists worked though the night to discover if it had H5N1, which can be deadly to humans.

The Executive, in a statement, said: "The exact strain of the virus is not yet known, tests are continuing and a further result is expected today.

"In accordance with a recent EU decision the Scottish Executive is putting in place a protection zone of a minimum of 3km radius and a surveillance zone of 10km."

Keepers of birds inside the protection zone must take them indoors where they can to prevent them coming into contact with wild birds.

The movement of poultry, eggs and related products from the area is now being restricted.
Police have thrown up a 3km cordon in Fife
Police have thrown up a 3km cordon in Fife

If the disease is confirmed as H5N1, further controls may be put in place.

The Executive's statement added: "There is no reason for public health concern.

"Avian influenza is a disease of birds and whilst it can pass very rarely and with difficulty to humans this requires extremely close contact with infected birds."

Scotland's Chief Veterinary Officer Charles Milne defended the time it took to confirm the infection in the swan.

He said: "The procedures were followed fully and the timeline could not have been tighter."

Researcher Dan Brown, who first reported the swan to the authorities, said it appeared to have been "pecked at or eaten by something. It was torn open".

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed more than 100 people worldwide.

Experts fear that if it mutates into a form transmissible between people, millions could die across the globe.

Sky

Many THANKS to you PC Viking for these daily threads - making it possible to find the important updates without hours of searching and reading. You're doing a very organized and great work. Lv

BREAKING NEWS: UK has H5N1.....it was only a matter of time.....


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060406/hl_afp/healthflubritainh5n1

Dead swan in Scotland had H5N1 bird flu: Sky News

51 minutes ago

LONDON (AFP) - A wild swan found dead in Scotland had the H5N1 strain of bird flu that is fatal to humans, Sky News television reported, quoting unnamed sources in London.

European Union's bird flu laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey, southeast England, was expected to confirm later Thursday whether or not the bird -- found in the Cellardyke area of Fife -- was carrying the H5N1 strain.

Bird flu itself is common among birds, but the H5N1 strain is of particular concern, having claimed the lives of more than 100 people -- mainly in Asia -- since 2003.

Official confirmation that the swan had H5N1 would make Britain the 13th country in the 25-nation European Union to find the virus in wild birds, the
European Commission has said.

It would also trigger measures to prevent its spread amongst poultry.

It's official.....UK has H5N1

BREAKING NEWS:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060406...flubritainh5n1

Dead swan in Scotland had H5N1 bird flu: Sky News

51 minutes ago

LONDON (AFP) - A wild swan found dead in Scotland had the H5N1 strain of bird flu that is fatal to humans, Sky News television reported, quoting unnamed sources in London.

European Union's bird flu laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey, southeast England, was expected to confirm later Thursday whether or not the bird -- found in the Cellardyke area of Fife -- was carrying the H5N1 strain.

Bird flu itself is common among birds, but the H5N1 strain is of particular concern, having claimed the lives of more than 100 people -- mainly in Asia -- since 2003.

Official confirmation that the swan had H5N1 would make Britain the 13th country in the 25-nation European Union to find the virus in wild birds, the
European Commission has said.

It would also trigger measures to prevent its spread amongst poultry.
__________________

http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk...-calm-after-bird-flu-discovery-name_page.html



Call for calm after bird flu discovery

Apr 6 2006



PRIME Minister Tony Blair today urged members of the public not to panic following the case of bird flu in Scotland.

After a swan was found in Fife with a strain of the influenza, the Prime Minister said Northern Ireland and the public needed to fully understand that it had implications only for poultry and those handling poultry.

"The Scottish Executive and ourselves will take the measures that are appropriate as indeed has been done cordoning off of the area and we will act accordingly to the advice that we get," Mr Blair said in Armagh.

"I do just emphasise one thing. It is very important that people understand this. This is not a human-to-human virus, it is something that is transmitted to poultry.

"It is only if humans are in direct and very intensive contact with poultry that there is any risk involved. So it is important just that people understand that.


Story continues Continue story
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"As other countries have had to cope with this and take these preventative measures, we will do so. We will act accordingly to the best advice. But it is very important that people recognise that essential truth about the nature of what has happened."

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/04/06/story252843.html#


Dead swans tested in Antrim
06/04/2006 - 13:54:41

Six dead swans were today reported to authorities in the North in the wake of a confirmed case of bird flu in Scotland.

The British government said four carcasses were recovered in Portglenone, Co Antrim, and two in Moira, Co Down, this morning.

The remains will be tested at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s headquarters in Belfast in a move that has been standard practice for some time.

Bert Houston, chief veterinary officer for DARD, confirmed officials were working closely with their Scottish counterparts following the positive test in Fife.

But he forecast the North would be able to cope if the virus crosses the Irish Sea.

Mr Houston said: “We have good contingency plans in place and have implemented all the EU requirements.”

He added: “I am confident that if avian influenza did come to Northern Ireland we would be able to handle it.”

Mr Houston confirmed that the department’s helpline had been very busy this morning but said that was to be expected in light of the media coverage.

He said the worst case scenario would be an outbreak which would affect the commercial poultry industry.

But he said the position in the North was completely different to that in the Far East, where the industry was less advanced.

Liam McKibben, DARD’s director of animal health and welfare, said 350 dead and live-bird samples were tested between October and December last year.

This year, 25 wild bird carcasses have been submitted for tests.

All the results have come back negative.

Interesting bit of information buried in this article:

'The CDC estimates there will be a one-to-six-month-warning once the virus begins to spread among humans.'


http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/2606130.shtml


Pandemic preparedness plan aired at FMH

By BETTY JESPERSEN
Staff Writer

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

Today's Top Headlines
from the Kennebec Journal

FARMINGTON -- Franklin Community Health Network unveiled a Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan Tuesday created to ensure an efficient and immediate response in the unlikely event of a local bird flu outbreak.

The Health Network, which includes Franklin Memorial Hospital, is among the first hospital networks in Maine to develop such a plan after a state pandemic flu conference was held in December.

On April 26, community agencies, businesses, churches and residents will be invited to an all-day Pandemic Influenza Summit at the hospital that will be cosponsored by the Franklin County Emergency Management.

"The difference between a pandemic flu plan and other disease plans is that in a pandemic, we assume there will not be any external resources to count on," said Leah Binder, vice president the Health Network and emergency preparedness committee co-chairwoman along with Randy Gauvin.

"We won't be able to ship patients out to other facilities and we will have to assume the whole country will be under a similar level of stress. We will have to use all the resources in our community for this plan to work," Binder said.

The plan looks at how the hospital will deal with a "surge" of emergency room patients, which the Centers for Disease Control estimates will triple current numbers. It also covers education and training, patient triage, admissions, medicine, psychosocial and mortuary issues and outlines roles, responsibilities and key activities before, during, and following the outbreak.

"But the heart and soul of the plan is the communications piece so we can help the public take care of themselves," Binder said. "The key to making it all work will be in the fundamental units of a community -- the home, family and neighbors." The hospital will become an important source of critical health information that will be accessible from home computers and through a 24-hour hot-line phone to be staffed by Health Community Coalition staff, she said.

Bird flu is an infection caused by avian influenza viruses, which occur naturally among birds and can cause some domestic birds, including chickens, to be very ill or die. Bird flu viruses do not usually infect humans but the expectation is that it will cross over and, in this age of world travel, will spread rapidly worldwide, according to the plan.

There have been 192 cases of bird-to-human contact-based transmission in Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa and 107 people have died -- a fatality rate of more than 50 percent.

Experts expect avian flu could arrive in this country as early as the end of the year or next year, spread by migratory birds. The CDC estimates there will be a one-to-six-month-warning once the virus begins to spread among humans. "Although it remains very unlikely that a pandemic outbreak would occur in our community, it is nonetheless very important for us all to be prepared," said Richard Batt, president of Franklin Community Health Network.

More good news.......NOT!

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_...d=15929&sid=7386045&con_type=1&d_str=20060406

Bird flu risk to pets is underrated


Thursday, April 06, 2006

A leading team of European virologists has appealed for health authorities to step up vigilance about household pets, saying cats and possibly dogs too are at risk from bird flu.

Albert Osterhaus and colleagues at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam said the international agencies have underestimated the risk from cats.

They point to several documented cases in Thailand, Indonesia and Germany in which domestic cats, farmyard cats and zoo felines have fallen sick or died after eating H5N1-infected chickens or wild birds, including the death of 147 tigers at a Thai zoo in 2004.

They said tests prove cats can catch the virus in several ways - either from eating infected chicks, through contact with infected birds or by the virus administered into the respiratory tract.

"Cats are more than collateral damage in avian flu's deadly global spread and may play a greater role in the epidemiology of the virus than previously thought," the Dutch experts said.

The team said no one knows if an infected cat can pass on H5N1 to humans and if an animal can help it mutate into a pandemic form.

They recommend that steps be taken to prevent contact between cats and infected birds or their droppings, that cats suspected of such contacts should be quarantined, and in temperate climates where there has been an outbreak that cats should be kept indoors.

Surveillance should also be boosted among dogs, foxes, weasels, stoats and seals as "the virus has the ability to infect an unprecedented range of hosts, including carnivores," the experts said. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060406-011131-8946r


Russia readies bird flu vaccines

MOSCOW, April 6 (UPI) -- Russia is conducting clinical trials of bird flu vaccines by which it hopes to avoid a bird-flu pandemic that could affect up to one-third of the population.

Gennady Onishchenko, Russia's chief medical officer, told a board session of the Health and Social Development Ministry Wednesday that up to 50 million people could contract the disease during the first wave of a possible bird-flu pandemic, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

He said Russia would need 170,000 doctors to cope with 1 million patients in hospitals if a pandemic hit the country.

Onishchenko expressed concern over an outbreak in the neighboring nation of Azerbaijan, where seven confirmed human cases, including five fatalities, have been reported.

Mikhail Zurabov, Russia's health minister, said Wednesday that clinical trials of three vaccines based on the H5N1 strain could be completed within three months.

He said Russia would be able to produce more than 8 million doses of bird flu vaccine a month once the testing is over and it would take no more than five weeks to modify the new vaccines, should the H5N1 strain mutate.

Some 190 people in more than 50 countries have been infected so far and 107 of them have died.

From what I'm reading.....the poultry that has the virus is kept indoors.....not out....which makes this very serious. Poultry indoors was suppose to be in the 'safe zone.'

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L05344535.htm


Germany says H5N1 in domestic fowl highly pathogenic
05 Apr 2006 16:16:22 GMT
Source: Reuters


BERLIN, April 5 (Reuters) - The H5N1 bird flu virus found in domestic fowl in the eastern German state of Saxony was the highly pathogenic strain, the state's social affairs ministry said on Wednesday.

"We're dealing with the highly pathogenic variety here," a spokesman for the ministry said.

The confirmation of bird flu at a large German poultry farm was the second instance of H5N1 in domestic fowl in the European Union after an outbreak in France in late February.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200604/06/eng20060406_256297.html


Merkel says bird flu situation in Germany serious


German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed in Berlin concern Wednesday over the bird flu situation in her country after the virus was detected in a commercial turkey farm in eastern Germany.

Scientists at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute of animal health confirmed earlier on the day the H5N1 strain of the avian flu virus was found in the state of Saxony.

"It is a serious situation," Merkel told a press conference, expressing concern that the no previous bird flu cases had been reported in the state.

German authorities planned on Wednesday to cull 16,000 birds, including 8000 turkeys, 5,000 geese and 3,000 chickens to stop the spread of the disease.

An exclusion zone imposed over a radius of three kilometers around the site of the infection.

This was the first case of bird flu at a commercial poultry farm in Germany, where hundreds of wild birds and three domestic cats have died of the virus since it was discovered in early February.

The strain was first detected among wild birds on the German island of Ruegen in the Baltic Sea, but it has rapidly affected six states.

The German government announced at the end of last month that it would spend 60 million euros (73 million US dollars) on bird flu research in the next four years, hoping to develop a vaccine for humans soon.

The H5N1 strain has killed more than a hundred people globally.

Anybody wanna wager how long it's gonna take before it jumps the pond to CONUS?

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/59624.html


Fears children played near swan

WILLIAM TINNING and TOM GORDON

THE owner of the biggest poultry farm near the Scottish fishing village where bird flu was found in a dead swan last night expressed concern and anger that he had received no official contact about the health scare.
Donald Peddie, who keeps 22,000 hens at Kingsbarns, near St Andrews, in Fife, spoke as villagers in Cellardyke, near Anstruther, said the first they heard of the case was on television news.
Members of the community claimed the dead swan was found on the cobbled slipway of the ancient Cellardyke harbour at the end of last week.
Scott Forsyth, 36, a gardener, whose flat overlooks the harbour, said he had seen the bird as recently as Tuesday and that children had been playing on the beach close to it over the weekend. He said: "I had thought about going to take some feathers off it to use as fly ties for fishing but I thought better of it. I think everyone is concerned about this."
Kilduncan Poultry Farm, run by Mr Peddie's family for almost 45 years, is about 10 miles from Cellardyke but is outwith the protection zone drawn up by the Scottish Executive.
The farm has 22,000 caged hens supplying local shops and restaurants with eggs.
Until a few weeks ago the farm also had about 300 free range hens but Mr Peddie said the chickens were slaughtered because they were almost at the end of their laying period and were not worth the risk of keeping in light of the threat of avian flu.
After the Scottish Executive's announcement last night that bird flu had been found nearby, he said: "Obviously we are very worried about our livelihoods. But we are more than a bit irritated that we have had no official contact about the outbreak and have only learned what we know through reports on television.
"I have been trying to contact Defra (the Department of Food and Rural Affairs) and other official organisations all night and have left numerous messages on helplines. But no-one has got back to me with any official statement or instructions. It is inexcusable, to put it mildly."
Mr Peddie said the swan was washed up on the shore in Cellardyke, where his brother, Andrew, operates a pig farm.
Mr Peddie said: "The chances of it ever having touched land in Fife are reasonably low. The dangers of it being part of a larger infection in Fife are still low I hope. But I speak as an optimistic farmer."
He said he had a "large programme" of preventative measures in place at his poultry farm, where he employs four full-time workers and some weekend workers. "We have large supplies of protective clothing and disinfectant on site. People know what to do with that in the morning."
Last night the small fishing community of Cellardyke, where Henry McLeish, the former first minister, has a home, was deserted.
Residents reported that a small notice had been erected warning people not to touch the bird after it was found on the cobbled slipway but otherwise there had been no sign of official action.
One villager, 40-year-old Maureen MacDonald, said that she had been phoned by her husband, who was on his way back to Scotland from Thailand, about the possible outbreak.
She said: "There was nothing thought of it, the dead swan, because there are always dead birds washed up there."
At the Haven pub and restaurant overlooking the harbour, locals last night expressed amazement that their community was the focus of a major health outbreak.
Catherine Richardson, a barmaid, said she first knew about it was when phoned by a newspaper.
Janette Mizrak, who is the manager of the nearby Boat Tavern, said: "If I had not had the news on I would not have known. We never heard a thing."
Robin Forsyth, a 38-year-old Cellardyke resident, said he was worried the virus could have spread to seagulls which were seen dive-bombing and pecking at the dead swan.
"The birds were bombing the bird and eating it. it had obviously been there for a few days," he said.
Martin Dibley, a local community councillor, said: "I am rather surprised if not shocked.
"We have a lot of farmland and farms in the area but I've not heard of too many swans. I am surprised at it being a swan and will be interested to know how it got here.
"We are about nine miles from St Andrews and have a community of about 4000 in the East Neuk of Fife. It's mainly small fishing villages and we have an income from tourism."
Late last night police officers were stopping drivers on the road near Crail and asking them if they worked with, or transported poultry.
Defra could not comment on Mr Peddie's concerns last night.
THE owner of the biggest poultry farm near the Scottish fishing village where bird flu was found in a dead swan last night expressed concern and anger that he had received no official contact about the health scare.
Donald Peddie, who keeps 22,000 hens at Kingsbarns, near St Andrews, in Fife, spoke as villagers in Cellardyke, near Anstruther, said the first they heard of the case was on television news.
Members of the community claimed the dead swan was found on the cobbled slipway of the ancient Cellardyke harbour at the end of last week.
Scott Forsyth, 36, a gardener, whose flat overlooks the harbour, said he had seen the bird as recently as Tuesday and that children had been playing on the beach close to it over the weekend. He said: "I had thought about going to take some feathers off it to use as fly ties for fishing but I thought better of it. I think everyone is concerned about this."
Kilduncan Poultry Farm, run by Mr Peddie's family for almost 45 years, is about 10 miles from Cellardyke but is outwith the protection zone drawn up by the Scottish Executive.
The farm has 22,000 caged hens supplying local shops and restaurants with eggs.
Until a few weeks ago the farm also had about 300 free range hens but Mr Peddie said the chickens were slaughtered because they were almost at the end of their laying period and were not worth the risk of keeping in light of the threat of avian flu.
After the Scottish Executive's announcement last night that bird flu had been found nearby, he said: "Obviously we are very worried about our livelihoods. But we are more than a bit irritated that we have had no official contact about the outbreak and have only learned what we know through reports on television.
"I have been trying to contact Defra (the Department of Food and Rural Affairs) and other official organisations all night and have left numerous messages on helplines. But no-one has got back to me with any official statement or instructions. It is inexcusable, to put it mildly."
Mr Peddie said the swan was washed up on the shore in Cellardyke, where his brother, Andrew, operates a pig farm.
Mr Peddie said: "The chances of it ever having touched land in Fife are reasonably low. The dangers of it being part of a larger infection in Fife are still low I hope. But I speak as an optimistic farmer."
He said he had a "large programme" of preventative measures in place at his poultry farm, where he employs four full-time workers and some weekend workers. "We have large supplies of protective clothing and disinfectant on site. People know what to do with that in the morning."
Last night the small fishing community of Cellardyke, where Henry McLeish, the former first minister, has a home, was deserted.
Residents reported that a small notice had been erected warning people not to touch the bird after it was found on the cobbled slipway but otherwise there had been no sign of official action.
One villager, 40-year-old Maureen MacDonald, said that she had been phoned by her husband, who was on his way back to Scotland from Thailand, about the possible outbreak.
She said: "There was nothing thought of it, the dead swan, because there are always dead birds washed up there."
At the Haven pub and restaurant overlooking the harbour, locals last night expressed amazement that their community was the focus of a major health outbreak.
Catherine Richardson, a barmaid, said she first knew about it was when phoned by a newspaper.
Janette Mizrak, who is the manager of the nearby Boat Tavern, said: "If I had not had the news on I would not have known. We never heard a thing."
Robin Forsyth, a 38-year-old Cellardyke resident, said he was worried the virus could have spread to seagulls which were seen dive-bombing and pecking at the dead swan.
"The birds were bombing the bird and eating it. it had obviously been there for a few days," he said.
Martin Dibley, a local community councillor, said: "I am rather surprised if not shocked.
"We have a lot of farmland and farms in the area but I've not heard of too many swans. I am surprised at it being a swan and will be interested to know how it got here.
"We are about nine miles from St Andrews and have a community of about 4000 in the East Neuk of Fife. It's mainly small fishing villages and we have an income from tourism."
Late last night police officers were stopping drivers on the road near Crail and asking them if they worked with, or transported poultry.
Defra could not comment on Mr Peddie's concerns last night.
THE owner of the biggest poultry farm near the Scottish fishing village where bird flu was found in a dead swan last night expressed concern and anger that he had received no official contact about the health scare.
Donald Peddie, who keeps 22,000 hens at Kingsbarns, near St Andrews, in Fife, spoke as villagers in Cellardyke, near Anstruther, said the first they heard of the case was on television news.
Members of the community claimed the dead swan was found on the cobbled slipway of the ancient Cellardyke harbour at the end of last week.
Scott Forsyth, 36, a gardener, whose flat overlooks the harbour, said he had seen the bird as recently as Tuesday and that children had been playing on the beach close to it over the weekend. He said: "I had thought about going to take some feathers off it to use as fly ties for fishing but I thought better of it. I think everyone is concerned about this."
Kilduncan Poultry Farm, run by Mr Peddie's family for almost 45 years, is about 10 miles from Cellardyke but is outwith the protection zone drawn up by the Scottish Executive.
The farm has 22,000 caged hens supplying local shops and restaurants with eggs.
Until a few weeks ago the farm also had about 300 free range hens but Mr Peddie said the chickens were slaughtered because they were almost at the end of their laying period and were not worth the risk of keeping in light of the threat of avian flu.
After the Scottish Executive's announcement last night that bird flu had been found nearby, he said: "Obviously we are very worried about our livelihoods. But we are more than a bit irritated that we have had no official contact about the outbreak

d that we have had no official contact about the outbreak and have only learned what we know through reports on television.
"I have been trying to contact Defra (the Department of Food and Rural Affairs) and other official organisations all night and have left numerous messages on helplines. But no-one has got back to me with any official statement or instructions. It is inexcusable, to put it mildly."
Mr Peddie said the swan was washed up on the shore in Cellardyke, where his brother, Andrew, operates a pig farm.
Mr Peddie said: "The chances of it ever having touched land in Fife are reasonably low. The dangers of it being part of a larger infection in Fife are still low I hope. But I speak as an optimistic farmer."
He said he had a "large programme" of preventative measures in place at his poultry farm, where he employs four full-time workers and some weekend workers. "We have large supplies of protective clothing and disinfectant on site. People know what to do with that in the morning."
Last night the small fishing community of Cellardyke, where Henry McLeish, the former first minister, has a home, was deserted.
Residents reported that a small notice had been erected warning people not to touch the bird after it was found on the cobbled slipway but otherwise there had been no sign of official action.
One villager, 40-year-old Maureen MacDonald, said that she had been phoned by her husband, who was on his way back to Scotland from Thailand, about the possible outbreak.
She said: "There was nothing thought of it, the dead swan, because there are always dead birds washed up there."
At the Haven pub and restaurant overlooking the harbour, locals last night expressed amazement that their community was the focus of a major health outbreak.
Catherine Richardson, a barmaid, said she first knew about it was when phoned by a newspaper.
Janette Mizrak, who is the manager of the nearby Boat Tavern, said: "If I had not had the news on I would not have known. We never heard a thing."
Robin Forsyth, a 38-year-old Cellardyke resident, said he was worried the virus could have spread to seagulls which were seen dive-bombing and pecking at the dead swan.
"The birds were bombing the bird and eating it. it had obviously been there for a few days," he said.
Martin Dibley, a local community councillor, said: "I am rather surprised if not shocked.
"We have a lot of farmland and farms in the area but I've not heard of too many swans. I am surprised at it being a swan and will be interested to know how it got here.
"We are about nine miles from St Andrews and have a community of about 4000 in the East Neuk of Fife. It's mainly small fishing villages and we have an income from tourism."
Late last night police officers were stopping drivers on the road near Crail and asking them if they worked with, or transported poultry.
Defra could not comment on Mr Peddie's concerns last night.
THE owner of the biggest poultry farm near the Scottish fishing village where bird flu was found in a dead swan last night expressed concern and anger that he had received no official contact about the health scare.
Donald Peddie, who keeps 22,000 hens at Kingsbarns, near St Andrews, in Fife, spoke as villagers in Cellardyke, near Anstruther, said the first they heard of the case was on television news.
Members of the community claimed the dead swan was found on the cobbled slipway of the ancient Cellardyke harbour at the end of last week.
Scott Forsyth, 36, a gardener, whose flat overlooks the harbour, said he had seen the bird as recently as Tuesday and that children had been playing on the beach close to it over the weekend. He said: "I had thought about going to take some feathers off it to use as fly ties for fishing but I thought better of it. I think everyone is concerned about this."
Kilduncan Poultry Farm, run by Mr Peddie's family for almost 45 years, is about 10 miles from Cellardyke but is outwith the protection zone drawn up by the Scottish Executive.
The farm has 22,000 caged hens supplying local shops and restaurants with eggs.
Until a few weeks ago the farm also had about 300 free range hens but Mr Peddie said the chickens were slaughtered because they were almost at the end of their laying period and were not worth the risk of keeping in light of the threat of avian flu.
After the Scottish Executive's announcement last night that bird flu had been found nearby, he said: "Obviously we are very worried about our livelihoods. But we are more than a bit irritated that we have had no official contact about the outbreak and have only learned what we know through reports on television.
"I have been trying to contact Defra (the Department of Food and Rural Affairs) and other official organisations all night and have left numerous messages on helplines. But no-one has got back to me with any official statement or instructions. It is inexcusable, to put it mildly."
Mr Peddie said the swan was washed up on the shore in Cellardyke, where his brother, Andrew, operates a pig farm.
Mr Peddie said: "The chances of it ever having touched land in Fife are reasonably low. The dangers of it being part of a larger infection in Fife are still low I hope. But I speak as an optimistic farmer."
He said he had a "large programme" of preventative measures in place at his poultry farm, where he employs four full-time workers and some weekend workers. "We have large supplies of protective clothing and disinfectant on site. People know what to do with that in the morning."
Last night the small fishing community of Cellardyke, where Henry McLeish, the former first minister, has a home, was deserted.
Residents reported that a small notice had been erected warning people not to touch the bird after it was found on the cobbled slipway but otherwise there had been no sign of official action.
One villager, 40-year-old Maureen MacDonald, said that she had been phoned by her husband, who was on his way back to Scotland from Thailand, about the possible outbreak.
She said: "There was nothing thought of it, the dead swan, because there are always dead birds washed up there."
At the Haven pub and restaurant overlooking the harbour, locals last night expressed amazement that their community was the focus of a major health outbreak.
Catherine Richardson, a barmaid, said she first knew about it was when phoned by a newspaper.
Janette Mizrak, who is the manager of the nearby Boat Tavern, said: "If I had not had the news on I would not have known. We never heard a thing."
Robin Forsyth, a 38-year-old Cellardyke resident, said he was worried the virus could have spread to seagulls which were seen dive-bombing and pecking at the dead swan.
"The birds were bombing the bird and eating it. it had obviously been there for a few days," he said.
Martin Dibley, a local community councillor, said: "I am rather surprised if not shocked.
"We have a lot of farmland and farms in the area but I've not heard of too many swans. I am surprised at it being a swan and will be interested to know how it got here.
"We are about nine miles from St Andrews and have a community of about 4000 in the East Neuk of Fife. It's mainly small fishing villages and we have an income from tourism."
Late last night police officers were stopping drivers on the road near Crail and asking them if they worked with, or transported poultry.
Defra could not comment on Mr Peddie's concerns last night.
THE owner of the biggest poultry farm near the Scottish fishing village where bird flu was found in a dead swan last night expressed concern and anger that he had received no official contact about the health scare.
Donald Peddie, who keeps 22,000 hens at Kingsbarns, near St Andrews, in Fife, spoke as villagers in Cellardyke, near Anstruther, said the first they heard of the case was on television news.
Members of the community claimed the dead swan was found on the cobbled slipway of the ancient Cellardyke harbour at the end of last week.
Scott Forsyth, 36, a gardener, whose flat overlooks the harbour, said he had seen the bird as recently as Tuesday and that children had been playing on the beach close to it over the weekend. He said: "I had thought about going to take some feathers off it to use as fly ties for fishing but I thought better of it. I think everyone is concerned about this."
Kilduncan Poultry Farm, run by Mr Peddie's family for almost 45 years, is about 10 miles from Cellardyke but is outwith the protection zone drawn up by the Scottish Executive.
The farm has 22,000 caged hens supplying local shops and restaurants with eggs.
Until a few weeks ago the farm also had about 300 free range hens but Mr Peddie said the chickens were slaughtered because they were almost at the end of their laying period and were not worth the risk of keeping in light of the threat of avian flu.
After the Scottish Executive's announcement last night that bird flu had been found nearby, he said: "Obviously we are very worried about our livelihoods. But we are more than a bit irritated that we have had no official contact about the outbreak and have only learned what we know through reports on television.
"I have been trying to contact Defra (the Department of Food and Rural Affairs) and other official organisations all night and have left numerous messages on helplines. But no-one has got back to me with any official statement or instructions. It is inexcusable, to put it mildly."
Mr Peddie said the swan was washed up on the shore in Cellardyke, where his brother, Andrew, operates a pig farm.
Mr Peddie said: "The chances of it ever having touched land in Fife are reasonably low. The dangers of it being part of a larger infection in Fife are still low I hope. But I speak as an optimistic farmer."
He said he had a "large programme" of preventative measures in place at his poultry farm, where he employs four full-time workers and some weekend workers. "We have large supplies of protective clothing and disinfectant on site. People know what to do with that in the morning."
Last night the small fishing community of Cellardyke, where Henry McLeish, the former first minister, has a home, was deserted.
Residents reported that a small notice had been erected warning people not to touch the bird after it was found on the cobbled slipway but otherwise there had been no sign of official action.
One villager, 40-year-old Maureen MacDonald, said that she had been phoned by her husband, who was on his way back to Scotland from Thailand, about the possible outbreak.
She said: "There was nothing thought of it, the dead swan, because there are always dead birds washed up there."
At the Haven pub and........(click on above link for rest of story)

Bird Flu in Scotland

Swan did have deadly strain of bird flu

The swan which died of bird flu in Scotland has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, the RSPB has revealed.

Two more swans have since been found dead sparking fears that the bird flu virus has spread.

The dead bird was discovered last week on a harbour slipway in the coastal village of Cellardyke in Fife.

Further tests were carried out today to confirm if the swan had the strain which can be fatal to humans.

Dr Paul Walton, species and habitat policy officer for the RSPB, said at Cellardyke Harbour: "We've heard from government scientists that it is confirmed H5N1, which is the same type as has been spreading westwards across Europe in recent months."

The two latest birds, recovered by rangers in the last 24 hours in Richmond Park, Glasgow, have been sent to a veterinary centre for tests to determine whether they had the deadly HN51 strain of the virus. They were reported to Glasgow City Council by a member of the public.

Meanwhile, six dead swans were today reported to authorities in Northern Ireland in the wake of a confirmed case of bird flu in Scotland.

The Government said four carcasses were recovered in Portglenone, Co Antrim, and two in Moira, Co Down, this morning.

The remains will be tested at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's headquarters in Belfast in a move that has been standard practice for some time.

Bert Houston, chief veterinary officer for DARD, confirmed officials were working closely with their Scottish counterparts following the positive test in Fife.

A spokesman for Defra in Scotland said: "We are aware two birds were reported by a member of the public and they are being tested for bird flu.

"I would point out that we have been publicising the helpline number that people should contact."

The swans were of the mute variety and likely to be part of Glasgow's swan population, a council spokesman said.

Hundreds of birds are thought to make their home in the city.

Following the discovery, the council announced it was cordoning off pond areas in parks across the city.

It had earlier been planning to close five parks and two water areas which were home to large numbers of wildfowl but the plans were changed on expert advice.

The parks that are affected are Richmond, Victoria, Queens, Springburn and Alexandra parks, as well as Bingham's Pond and Hogganfield Loch.

A spokesman for the council said: "These are simply precautionary measures, with absolutely no risk to the public or wider poultry industry.

"This is a prudent step to take while there is a risk that highly pathogenic avian influenza has reached Scotland.

"We would urge anyone who finds a dead or injured bird not to handle the animal, but to inform the relevant authorities."

Other closures could follow, the council said. Edinburgh and Aberdeen city councils said none of its parks or open spaces were being closed off at the moment.


Find this story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=382151&in_page_id=1770
©2006 Associated New Media

dupe


http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=192511

Vietnam finds bird flu in poultry from China​

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HAN199404.htm

HANOI, April 6 (Reuters) - Vietnam has found the deadly bird flu virus in chickens smuggled from China, the first case in poultry since December, a state-run newspaper said on Thursday.

The Vietnam Economic Times reported that the Animal Health Institute said tests confirmed the presence of the H5 virus component in chickens seized in northern Lang Son province, 154 km (96 miles) north of Hanoi.

The paper said further bird flu tests were under way on samples taken from 40 smuggled chickens seized in Quang Ninh province, which also borders China.

Vietnam is tightening measures to prevent a resurgence of bird flu by imposing more strict border controls, officials said on Wednesday. They said Vietnam, which has the highest toll worldwide from the disease, saw threats from an increase in smuggled chickens from China.

The country of 83 million people has not recorded a human case of avian flu since November 2005. The World Health Organization has confirmed 42 deaths in Vietnam since avian flu struck Southeast Asia in late 2003.

=

Multiple "Swan dead from H5N1" threads merged with The Daily H5N1 thread...

Fuzzychick said:

Anybody wanna wager how long it's gonna take before it jumps the pond to CONUS?

Click to expand...

As fast as migrating birds can fly.

New Zealand has passed this new law......possible 'signs to come' in the US?????


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10376449

Jail among bird-flu measures



07.04.06
By Ainsley Thomson

Police will be able to use force to detain people suspected of suffering from bird flu under legislation to prepare New Zealand for a future pandemic.

The Law Reform Epidemic Preparedness Bill, introduced to Parliament yesterday, adds pandemic influenza to the list of quarantinable diseases. At present, quarantine powers apply only to yellow fever, cholera and the plague.

Health Minister Pete Hodgson said there was no current pandemic threat to New Zealand, but the Government had to be prepared.

The 1918-19 Spanish flu infected 40 per cent of New Zealand's population and killed about 8000 people.

It has been predicted that if a bird flu pandemic, equally virulent and novel to the human immune system, struck the country it could infect about 1.6 million people - 40 per cent of the population - and kill 33,000 in eight weeks.

The bill gives medical officers of health the power to detain people suffering from pandemic flu and keep them under surveillance for up to 28 days.

People suspected of suffering from the disease will be put under "surveillance at large", meaning they will stay in the community but have to report, usually daily, to a doctor.

People who refuse to follow medical officers' orders could be arrested and imprisoned for six months or fined up to $4000.

Ministry of Health chief legal adviser Grant Adam said police would be given the power to use force to back up orders from medical officers.

"In the unlikely event of resistance to medical officers in exercising their duties to manage the disease, the police will be able to assist. This hasn't been possible in the past."

Mr Adam said the bill tried to balanced an infected person's rights to freedom against a person's right not to be infected.

Medical officers of health will be able to commandeer land, buildings and vehicles to deal with a pandemic outbreak.

Mr Hodgson said the legislation fixed the gaps in current laws and improved the Government's ability to respond to an outbreak of pandemic flu or a similar disease.

"If a pandemic reaches New Zealand we have to be ready to deal with some of the most serious social and economic challenges we've faced in over a generation."

The bill mainly makes amendments to the 50-year-old Health Act, but also updates about nine non-health acts including the Parole Act and Immigration Act.

Mr Hodgson said the bill should be passed into law by August but would be fast-tracked if necessary.

The Law Reform Epidemic Preparedness Bill:

* Makes pandemic flu a quarantinable disease.

* Allows people to be detained for up to 28 days if they are infected.

* Gives the police powers to use force to assist medical officers of health.

* Makes people who refuse to follow medical officers' orders liable to be jailed for six months or fined up to $4000.

http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2006/03apr06/03burma.html

AIDS, TB, Malaria, Bird Flu Go Unchecked in Burma

Public health experts say diseases pose threat to regional and global health

By Tim Parsons
School of Public Health

Government policies in Burma that restrict public health and humanitarian aid have created an environment where AIDS, drug-resistant tuberculosis, malaria and bird flu (H5N1) are spreading unchecked, according to a report by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

In that report authors Chris Beyrer, director of the Bloomberg School's Center for Public Health and Human Rights; Luke Mullany, Voravit Suwanvanichkij and Nicole Franck document the spread of these infectious diseases, which if left unchecked could pose a serious health threat to other Southeast Asia nations and the world.

They believe international cooperation and policies are needed to restore humanitarian assistance to the Burmese people but caution that new restrictions imposed by the military junta are making such efforts more difficult. The full report was presented at a briefing for State Department officials on March 24 and is available from the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights at www .jhsph.edu/burma. The report is also under review for publication with the journal Public Library of Science Medicine.

The report states that Burma reported its first cases of bird flu among poultry to the World Health Organization on March 8. However, the ruling junta censored reports of the outbreak to its own public until March 17, by which time the outbreak had killed 10,000 more birds, and 41,000 needed to be culled to stem further spreading.

The report documents a long-standing and severe underfunding of health and education programs in Burma. Health expenditures in Burma are among the lowest globally, including an annual budget of less than $22,000 for the prevention and treatment of HIV among a total population of 43 million people. Much of the country lacks basic laboratory facilities to carry out a CD4 blood test, the minimum standard for clinical monitoring of AIDS care. In 2005, 34 percent of tuberculosis cases in Burma were resistant to any one of the four standard first-line drug treatments, which is double the rate of drug-resistant cases in neighboring countries. Nearly half of all deaths from malaria in Asia occur in Burma. The report also reveals that 70 percent of anti-malarial pills sold in Burma contain substandard amounts of active ingredients, which increases the risk of drug resistance.

"There is a growing humanitarian crisis in Burma. In our report, we document how the ruling government's policies have restricted nearly all aid and allowed serious infectious diseases to spread unchecked," said Beyrer, who is also an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Bloomberg School. "With the global spread of bird flu, there is a fear that if a human form of H5N1 were to take hold in Burma, it could potentially spread unchecked for weeks or months before anyone knew about it. Uncontrolled spread of any disease, especially an emerging disease like H5N1, poses a serious health threat to Burma's populous neighbors, like China and India, as well as the rest of the world."

The report also documents threats and restrictions to foreign relief workers and relief groups, including the Red Cross. Because of the deteriorating situation, the United Nations Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was forced to withdraw its five-year $96 million grant agreement with Burma. Backpack Health Worker Team, an aid group that provides primary health care services in rural areas of Eastern Burma and Thailand, is also raising concerns about its ability to monitor and contain outbreaks of bird flu and other diseases.

"The Burmese junta is increasing restrictions on humanitarian assistance and public health while the health of Burmese people deteriorates, posing a widening threat to Burma and her neighbors," Beyrer said.

The report was funded by the Center for Public Health and Human Rights and the Bill and Melinda Gates Population and Family Health Institute.

"Twelve more swans and two other birds, all from Scotland, are now being tested for the virus..."



Quote in middle of article:

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13517643,00.html

How awful is this?????

http://allafrica.com/stories/200604060230.html


Nigeria: Villagers Arrested for Eating Carcasses of Bird Flu Chickens


April 6, 2006
Posted to the web April 6, 2006

Starving villagers in Jos, Plateau state, who exhumed and ate the carcasses of bird-flu infected chickens were arrested by the police, government officials said yesterday.

The Chairman, Sub-committee on Sanitation and Transportation of the Plateau State Bird Flu Committee, Mr Joseph Pate, expressed shock that some villagers of Dong in Jos North local government area, had gone to the dump site to exhume the infected birds to form part of their meals.

Pate said the infected birds were from a farm in Jos and had been buried on Monday after they were conf-irmed to have died of the flu.

The chairman said the action of the people has exposed them and others to the deadly virus, noting that it could lead to death.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Isa Adejoh, was not available to comment on the arrests.

An official of the Ministry of Health, Mr Iliya Azi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the villagers' action was condemnable.

Azi said the consumers of the carcasses stand the risk of being infected because the cells in the dead chickens had the bird flu virus.

New Zealand & Canada.... new laws

New Freedom said:

New Zealand has passed this new law......possible 'signs to come' in the US?????


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10376449

Jail among bird-flu measures



07.04.06
By Ainsley Thomson

Police will be able to use force to detain people suspected of suffering from bird flu under legislation to prepare New Zealand for a future pandemic.


...

The bill gives medical officers of health the power to detain people suffering from pandemic flu and keep them under surveillance for up to 28 days.

...

People who refuse to follow medical officers' orders could be arrested and imprisoned for six months or fined up to $4000.


...

Medical officers of health will be able to commandeer land, buildings and vehicles to deal with a pandemic outbreak.

...

The Law Reform Epidemic Preparedness Bill:

* Makes pandemic flu a quarantinable disease.

* Allows people to be detained for up to 28 days if they are infected.

* Gives the police powers to use force to assist medical officers of health.

* Makes people who refuse to follow medical officers' orders liable to be jailed for six months or fined up to $4000.

Click to expand...

Now isn't that a comfort

Legislation like this is usualy test marketed somewhere first...

A month ago in the daily BF there was an similar article relating to Canada:

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=188588 Post #2 said:

Pandemic bill raises alarm
Health-care workers could face fines of up to $100,000 and jail if they refuse to work.​

By JOHN MINER, FREE PRESS HEALTH REPORTER

Sweeping new Ontario emergency legislation has health-care workers afraid they may be forced to choose between protecting their families and a jail sentence if a flu pandemic hits the province.

Bill 56 has raised alarms with doctors, nurses and other health-care workers because it contains a clause that gives the Ontario cabinet power to "authorize" any person reasonably qualified to provide services in a declared emergency.

The penalty for violating the proposed law is a fine of up to $100,000 and a year in jail for each day the order isn't obeyed.

"That's a big stick," said Goderich emergency department doctor Ken Milne.

Milne said yesterday doctors and other health-care workers want to care for people but shouldn't be forced to work if anti-viral drugs aren't available to them and their families.

"What happens when you come home at night and you have a tickle in your throat. Do you want to expose your wife, your kids to something because you have answered the call?

"It is one thing to lose your dad or your mother, it is another thing to bring it home and wipe out your family," he said.

Dr. Merrilee Fullerton of Kanata, near Ottawa, said as a mother her first duty is to her dependent children, even in the face of a flu pandemic.

"I have already given the best years of my life training to become a physician and in providing care. Now that I have a family, do not ask me to sacrifice myself in a pandemic for which most medical treatments will be useless anyway, and in which health-care resources like respirators are likely to be overwhelmed," she wrote in an e-mail to The Free Press.

In introducing the legislation in December, Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter said he wanted the bill passed by June.

Kwinter said the law will give the government the ability to say to people: "No, you can't leave. We need you to do this job."

Responding to members' concern about being "conscripted," the Ontario Medical Association has raised the issue with Kwinter's ministry and the Health Ministry.

Association president Dr. Greg Flynn said he's been assured the legislation isn't meant to let government force health professionals to work against their will.

Yesterday, the Health Ministry referred questions about the bill to Kwinter's ministry, which didn't return calls.

A spokesperson for the Ontario Nurses Association said its legal analysts are still studying the bill's meaning.

"We have great concerns about the bill," said Vicki McKenna, first vice-president of the ONA.

"The reality is, our nurses are on the front lines, at the bedside and they are the ones at the highest risk of exposure."

Nurses are prepared to provide care but want the proper protective gear such as the correct masks when a flu pandemic hits, McKenna said.

"We aren't getting those assurances at this time," she said.

Tim Carrie, chairperson of the Canadian Auto Workers union, Local 27, which represents registered practical nurses at London hospitals, said Bill 56 fits with other legislation from Dalton McGuinty's Liberal government, which gives it all sorts of arbitrary powers.

"It obviously gives us concern. It looks like they are trying to centralize power at Queen's Park," he said.

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/CityandRegion/2006/03/01/1467449-sun.html

Click to expand...

NF, Thanks for your catch... just another case of the cure being as bad as the posion... at least when it comes to legislators run amok.

I would love to see legislators becoming hands on when the SHTF! Unfortunately it will be up to us healthcare workers to make our own decisions. At this point it's being a friendly opportunity to come out and help out, WTSTF in a serious way I'm afraid it will be mandated. I've thought about it long and hard, alot of soul searching in alot of things these days, blessed I think...I'm gonna stay on, I've earned some wings these last few years, I think the angels may well smile upon me again. I honestly wouldn't blame others if they chose not too, my best friend has 3 small children and vehemently stated come hell or high water she's not chancing it. It's a personal decision people that entered the healthcare arena must make. JMHO.