05/08 | Daily BF: USDA to test poultry for H5N1

Link to yesterday's thread: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=196361

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
o Sudan

* 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
o United Kingdom


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

Updated April 24, 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

5 May 2006 21:26 GMT

USDA Develops Test For Bird Flu In Poultry Meat ​

By Bill Tomson
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES


WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--A new test, just weeks from final readiness, will allow the government for the first time to test poultry meat for the deadly Asian H5N1 strain of bird flu, an added assurance for consumers that may be worried about eating chicken if the disease is found in the U.S.

Richard Raymond, the top food safety official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview Friday that major poultry companies have all promised to allow the government to do the testing if it's needed.

If there is an outbreak of H5N1 in a commercial poultry flock, Raymond said, the USDA will want to test the meat recently produced from birds raised where the infection occurred.

The USDA has "a plan with industry where they will voluntarily hold that product and we will test it," he said.

Raymond said he has spoken with representatives of the National Chicken Council, the National Turkey Federation and major companies such as Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN), Perdue Farms Inc. (PDU.XX), and Cargill Inc. (CRG.XX) about the plan.

"They all agree that the right thing to do is hold the product, test it so we can assure the American public that no infected product has entered the food chain," Raymond said.

Up until now, the USDA could only test birds for bird flu by examining secretions and body cavities, but USDA scientists are now in the final "validating" stage of readying the meat test, which was developed just this year.

Even without the test, though, Raymond said the possibility of bird flu virus showing up in poultry meat is "infinitesimal." And in that unlikely event, he said, cooking poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill the virus.

H5N1 has not been discovered in the U.S., but the government is preparing for the likelihood that it will be. In the meantime, the USDA is urging the media to carry the message that poultry is safe to eat and will continue to be safe even if the virus is found in U.S. flocks.

The USDA released several audio and video public service announcements Friday that it hopes radio and television broadcasters will use. One audio file, available on USDA's Web site, portrays a conversation in which a couple considering chicken for dinner discusses concerns over bird flu.

The H5N1 virus has spread through Asia, Europe and Africa and killed 114 people so far, although U.S. government officials maintain that it cannot yet be passed easily between humans. The inability of the virus to transmit easily between humans is the one thing that is preventing a pandemic, according to a November statement by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Julie Gerberding before a Senate committee.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 05, 2006 17:26 ET (21:26 GMT)

i wouldn't trust the USDA test
and i bet they shut everyone down but Tyson

Article Launched: 5/05/2006 01:00 AM
editorial

Sobering news on bird flu​

DenverPost.com

The federal government's first detailed look at a possible avian flu outbreak makes it clear who's in charge of responding: everybody.

The report, issued last week, admits that Washington can't - and shouldn't try to - completely manage the response to an epidemic that could start overseas, spread around the U.S. and run for months.

That conclusion may alarm some, but it's probably realistic.

The document underscores the oft-repeated message of recent weeks that state and local officials should be prepared to take major responsibility in an outbreak. The 227- page document outlined a detailed set of tasks the federal government will take but left out some critical details, such as how a vaccine would be distributed and who would get it first.

And there's some confusion about how the federal government will respond. The plan says the secretary for health and human services would lead the federal health and medical response, but that the secretary for homeland security "is responsible for coordination of federal operations and resources." There were marked breakdowns in communication between FEMA, homeland security and local officials during and after Hurricane Katrina.

Left for others to answer later are everyday questions of concern to all of us: How will we get around if gasoline stations are shuttered and the buses and trains aren't running? What will families do if day-care centers and schools are closed? What if stores run out of food and other supplies?

Overall, the report estimates a third of the U.S. population could be infected and that 200,000 to 2 million people could die. The document calls for the government to stockpile enough anti-viral medications and medical supplies to provide some protection while scientists figure out how to develop a pandemic-specific medicine. (On Thursday, the government issued $1 billion in contracts for vaccine development.)

Beyond advice from officials to stockpile food, medicine and water - basically the same preparations for any disaster - Colorado has not announced a detailed response plan. How would hospitals handle a horde of patients? How would health officials assist people in their homes if hospitals and clinics become overwhelmed?

It's daunting to plan for a disaster whose scope and severity is unknown. But all of us, governments and businesses especially, need to continue planning what to do.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_3786186

Don't count on food and water being provided by local government. I know we can't afford to stockpile supplies for our own workers - let alone the public.

WHO tests confirm 25th bird flu death in Indonesia: official​

http://nationmultimedia.com/worldhotnews/read.php?newsid=30003529

Jakarta - Indonesia's 25th bird flu death has been confirmed by World Health Organisation tests, a health ministry official said Monday.

"We were contacted by the WHO office in Jakarta yesterday over the laboratory results of the 30-year-old man who died on April 26, which came out positive," Joko Suyono, of the health ministry's bird flu information centre, told AFP.

"He is confirmed as Indonesia's 25th bird flu fatality."

Agence France Presse

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-04-flu-schools_x.htm


Bird flu emergency teaching plan gets skeptical reception

By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY

President Bush's plan to slow the spread of a deadly pandemic flu devotes seven of its 227 pages to what schools and colleges can do in case a 1918-style flu epidemic hits the USA.

Most of the recommendations, released Wednesday, are standard — communicate, figure out who's in charge, encourage kids to wash their hands.

But one suggestion is a showstopper: If massive absences occur, the plan says, schools should develop "alternative procedures to ensure continuity of instruction."

That is, find other ways to hold class — through the Internet, local TV, telephone trees or even sending lessons to students by U.S. mail.

Educators welcome the suggestion, but say it won't be easy.

"It's a good idea, but impractical," says Terry Hartle of the American Council on Education, a group that represents college presidents. Darryl Alexander, who handles health issues for the American Federation of Teachers, agrees. "On paper, I think it's a fantastic idea. But it's going to take a lot of resources and the federal government is not offering any."

The plan aims to slow the spread of a deadly H5N1 virus, should it mutate into a strain that easily jumps from person to person. In the event of a major pandemic, it predicts, communities could see six to eight weeks of active infections, with schools a prime location for transmission.

Alexander says the plan offers no incentives for teachers and students to stay home when they're sick. "This is what will spread an influenza pandemic rapidly," she says. "Nobody's going to come to school with 'pandemic flu' written across their forehead."

There's little chance schools will need to resort to tactics such as virtual instruction this spring, because most classes let out by the end of May. In the unlikely event of a pandemic this spring, they'd simply close early.

In the long term, officials say, most schools have a way to go to be able to teach kids who aren't sitting in the classroom.

"A lot of places aren't geared up, and there's no way they can gear up in a timely fashion," says Paul Houston, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators.

Over the past decade, many schools and colleges have begun offering coursework online. But what's envisioned in the bird flu plan goes far beyond anything educators ever envisioned.

"This is terra incognita," New York University spokesman John Beckman says.

At NYU, professors already put a lot of material online. Although officials there have long planned for a possible outbreak, Beckman says he's not sure how they could replicate the online system on a wide scale. Even if they could, he says, "That's not how we envision NYU's education generally."

Schools have been quietly planning for bird flu for months, but they could get a kick-start Wednesday, the morning after ABC-TV airs the bird flu "what if" drama Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America.

"I think that's going to raise everybody's anxiety levels," Houston says.

Don't remember hearing Mike Leavitt giving a time-frame before.....he usually is very vague when talking about BF....like something that 'might' happen 'someday,' way in the future...... NOW...he is giving an actual time-frame.....heads-up !

http://www.birdflubreakingnews.com/...ttp://www.todayonline.com/articles/117041.asp


US not prepared for bird flu pandemic: health secretary
Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 8-May-2006 02:10 hrs

A swan swims through a lake. The United States is not prepared for a bird flu pandemic, which could be just months away, US health secretary Mike Leavitt said.


The United States is not prepared for a bird flu pandemic, which could be just months away, US health secretary Mike Leavitt said.
.
"We're overdue for a pandemic but we're under prepared," he told CNN's "Late Edition."
.
The White House released last week a bird flu action plan, should the lethal H5N1 virus mutate into a version that could be transmitted from one person to another.
.
Leavitt told CNN the United States had found the virus "not in a human or in a bird" although over 50 countries have found it.
.
"There's no reason to believe that the United States will be exempt from that," he said.
.
"We will have a bird with the H5N1 virus on board enter the boundaries of the United States," he said.
.
"That will not be a crisis. It will only be a crisis if it begins to transmit between people," he said.
.
He compared such a pandemic to the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic, which killed some 50 million people worldwide.
.
While it was impossible to predict the flu's arrival, he told CNN, "It would not be a big surprise if we saw it even in the next few months."
.
The White House warned in its National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Limitation released last week: "a modern pandemic could lead to the deaths of 200,000 to two million people in the United States alone".
.
"The center of gravity of the pandemic response, however, will be in communities," Leavitt said.
.
"The federal government's support to any particular state, tribal nation or community will be limited," he said.
.
The White House plan falls short, said Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy.
.
"They have failed to invest in hospital surge capacity, in needed information technology systems, in the public health surveillance and in the training programs that are needed for an effective response," he said last week.
.
Late last year, Bush requested seven billion dollars to finance the plan. — AFP

The United States is not prepared for a bird flu pandemic, which could be just months away, US health secretary Mike Leavitt said.
.
"We're overdue for a pandemic but we're under prepared," he told CNN's "Late Edition."
.
The White House released last week a bird flu action plan, should the lethal H5N1 virus mutate into a version that could be transmitted from one person to another.
.
Leavitt told CNN the United States had found the virus "not in a human or in a bird" although over 50 countries have found it.
.
"There's no reason to believe that the United States will be exempt from that," he said.
.
"We will have a bird with the H5N1 virus on board enter the boundaries of the United States," he said.
.
"That will not be a crisis. It will only be a crisis if it begins to transmit between people," he said.
.
He compared such a pandemic to the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic, which killed some 50 million people worldwide.
.
While it was impossible to predict the flu's arrival, he told CNN, "It would not be a big surprise if we saw it even in the next few months."
.
The White House warned in its National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Limitation released last week: "a modern pandemic could lead to the deaths of 200,000 to two million people in the United States alone".
.
"The center of gravity of the pandemic response, however, will be in communities," Leavitt said.
.
"The federal government's support to any particular state, tribal nation or community will be limited," he said.
.
The White House plan falls short, said Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy.
.
"They have failed to invest in hospital surge capacity, in needed information technology systems, in the public health surveillance and in the training programs that are needed for an effective response," he said last week.
.
Late last year, Bush requested seven billion dollars to finance the plan. — AFP
The United States is not prepared for a bird flu pandemic, which could be just months away, US health secretary Mike Leavitt said.
.
"We're overdue for a pandemic but we're under prepared," he told CNN's "Late Edition."
.
The White House released last week a bird flu action plan, should the lethal H5N1 virus mutate into a version that could be transmitted from one person to another.
.
Leavitt told CNN the United States had found the virus "not in a human or in a bird" although over 50 countries have found it.
.
"There's no reason to believe that the United States will be exempt from that," he said.
.
"We will have a bird with the H5N1 virus on board enter the boundaries of the United States," he said.
.
"That will not be a crisis. It will only be a crisis if it begins to transmit between people," he said.
.
He compared such a pandemic to the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic, which killed some 50 million people worldwide.
.
While it was impossible to predict the flu's arrival, he told CNN, "It would not be a big surprise if we saw it even in the next few months."
.
The White House warned in its National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza

Experts: Start stockpiling supplies in case of bird flu pandemic

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:
by Davin White staff writer
Sunday, May 7, 2006 6:16 PM CDT


CLARKSBURG — In preparation of a possible pandemic flu or natural disaster, local homeland security and health experts aren’t specific on how long Americans should stockpile food, water and other basic necessities.

But they all agree: Just do it.

While the federal government has suggested families stockpile a two-week supply of non-perishable food and water, others say it’s difficult to determine how long to prepare for.

While she didn’t assign a specific length of time, Margaret Howe, nursing director for the Harrison-Clarksburg Health Department, believes two weeks may not be enough.

“There’s no real good way to say how long,” agreed Mark Fischer, assistant director for the Virtual Medical Campus/Homeland Security Programs at West Virginia University.

In a pandemic flu scenario, the goal is: Limit personal contact and level out the surge in demand on the health-care industry, he said.

Health experts fear the H5N1 virus, a strain of avian influenza, could mutate and be transmitted from person-to-person.

At the flu’s peak, up to 40 percent of a region’s work force could be absent (ill or caring for family) over an extended period of time, officials have predicted.

Those are the reasons adequate stockpiles may become necessary, Fischer said. For those who can, residents may need to confine themselves to their homes to avoid personal exposure.

That wouldn’t, of course, include healthy nurses, physicians, other caregivers, law enforcement and emergency personnel.

“Obviously if everybody gets sick at once, the hospital’s not going to be able to care for you,” Fischer said.

An appropriate stockpile depends on several factors, he said.

What if bird flu strikes during the regular flu season?

“Then it will further delay determining what it is,” he said.

Do you have certain dietary needs or a medical condition? Diabetics will need to stockpile insulin.

What can you afford, and how many are in your family, are questions to consider, added Dean Van Bibber, an associate professor in the criminal justice and homeland security programs at Fairmont State University.

It’s not possible for some to spend hundreds of dollars at once on necessities. Howe suggested frequently setting aside a couple of dollars for a stockpile.

Van Bibber also asked: How much storage space do you have available?

The U.S. government advises a 30-day supply of medications and medical supplies.

One problem: “A lot of the insurance companies won’t allow those folks to stockpile,” Fischer said.

Van Bibber even suggested patients request drug samples from their physician. Then again, he said, expiration dates come into play.

“Most of all is: Do you have a plan?” Van Bibber said.

He and Fischer agreed. Whether it’s pandemic flu, terrorism, flood, hurricane or another natural disaster, stockpiling ahead of time is just good common sense.

“I started stockpiling, really, after 9/11,” Van Bibber said.

If banks are closed, utilities like natural gas or water temporarily shut off and even convenience stores shut down, along with their gasoline pumps, stockpiles are essential, sources say.

In the event of a national pandemic, these possibilities must be taken seriously, Fischer said.

Van Bibber recommends non-perishable food, prescription drugs, a first-aid kit, bottled water, blankets and alternative fuel supplies, like a wood burner.

Other suggestions include radios (with an adequate battery supply), duct tape, common household items and utensils, and nonprescription drugs, like cough syrup and cold medicines, vitamins, and pain relievers, according to state and federal officials.

Local residents can visit the Harrison-Clarksburg Health Department for more information on emergency preparation.

http://www.cpubco.com/articles/2006/05/08/news/02.txt

Staff writer Davin White can be reached at 626-1447 or by e-mail at dwhite@exponent-telegram.com

US companies struggle with bird flu plans​

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=1935937

May 8, 2006 — By Ellen Wulfhorst

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Worrying how to cope if bird flu becomes a pandemic, U.S. companies are making contingency plans from telecommuting to letting workers sleep on the job.

Companies are struggling to design ways to combat what could be a highly infectious disease and make a third of the population sick, experts say. As many as 40 percent of workers could stay home during the peak of a pandemic wave, they say.

"There are those professionals saying nothing is going to happen, and there are those who are saying this is going to be bad," said Jack McKlveen, risk management manager at United Parcel Service Inc.

"You have to take that spectrum and plan across all scenarios, as you don't know which one is going to occur."

The Atlanta-based company with 407,000 employees is making plans for telecommuting, staggered shifts and purchasing huge quantities of hand sanitizer. Also, teaching employees how to prevent spread of disease is key, he said.

Companies face an array of potential problems, from employees staying home sick to employees coming to work sick, an overload of infrastructure due to telecommuting and supply shortages, said Beth Maldin, an associate at the Center for Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

"We're a 'just-in-time' society, and people aren't keeping stockpiles of goods," she said. "We need to think of all the interdependencies, of which there are a lot."

Among those making plans is Nypro Inc., of Clinton, Massachusetts, which learned its lesson during the SARS scare, spokesman Al Cotton said.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003 killed about 800 people, crippling air travel and tourism, particularly in Asia, and causing billions of dollars of losses.

NAP-TIME AT WORK?

To deal with SARS, the plastic molding company Nypro, with 8,000 employees in China, ran skeletal staffs, staggered shifts and closed its cafeteria, all to minimize personal contact, Cotton said.

"We even went so far as to set an hour with the lights out and let everyone take a nap," he said. "It allows you to stretch out the work day."

The U.S. government last week issued a new plan for dealing with a potential pandemic, suggesting travel restrictions and school closings and keeping workers three feet (one meter) apart. It also advised companies to set up policies for flexible working hours, rely less on public transportation, appoint a pandemic coordinator and cross-train staff.

Companies making plans are in the minority, however, according to a recent survey by human resources consultants Watson Wyatt Worldwide that showed only 15 percent of large U.S. companies have any bird-flu plan.

Companies that are not making plans tend to take one of two approaches, said Steven Ross, director of security and privacy services at Deloitte & Touche consultants.

"One is 'We've heard this hype before,"' he said. Or, he said, companies say, "We are all going to die. I can't even begin to plan."'

Maybe the topic is just too sensitive, said Paul Striedl, head of the Association of Contingency Planners.

"We look at losing a facility, losing our information technology, losing our people or losing our supply chain," he said. "When it comes to losing people, we're not good at that. I think it's because people struggle with documenting their own demise."

The H5N1 strain that is spreading among birds does not easily infect humans, but it has killed more than 100 people. Experts fear it could mutate into a form that could spread easily and quickly among people.

Until the virus mutates, said UPS' McKlveen, "there's an awful lot of unknowns. …. So there's a level of planning that has to be accounted for that you can't fully do yet."

Health authorities tighten monitoring in bird flu area​

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-05/08/content_584799.htm

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-05-08 21:32

Chinese health authorities have tightened health monitoring and controls in the northwestern Qinghai Province where a bird flu outbreak was reported during the May Day holiday.

The Ministry of Health said Monday it had instructed the provincial health department to take emergency measures to protect tourists during the week-long holiday as soon as the outbreak was confirmed.

Herdsmen in the Yushu County wetland area found a group of dead wild geese on April 23. The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the outbreak of bird flu on May 5 when the number of dead birds had risen to 123.

The area is 800 kilometers from the provincial capital Xining, and 60 kilometers from the county town. It is uninhabited due to its high altitude and harsh environment.

China has reported 36 outbreaks of bird flu and 18 human infections involving 12 fatalities since 2005.

The health ministry also said on Monday that no major public health incidents or serious food poisoning cases were reported during the holiday.

An Audio Press Conference May 8: Public Health Experts to Discuss The Pandemic Flu 'Fatal Contact; Movie And Administration's Plan was held today at 10:00 AM, (as noted in the press release below) - A replay of the audio conference will be available by dialing 1-888-266-2081, Participant Code 902681, from May 8 at 1 p.m. until May 9 at 11:59 p.m.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=65256

To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor, Health Reporter, Entertainment Reporter

Contact: Michael Earls, 202-223-9870, ext. 273 or Laura Segal, 202-223-9870, ext. 278

News Advisory:

Audio Press Conference Monday, May 8, 10 a.m.

Public Health Experts to Discuss Pandemic Flu "Fatal Contact" Movie And Administration's Plan

WHAT: Public health experts will be available via a media conference call to provide context and answer questions related to the content of the upcoming "Fatal

Contact: Bird Flu in America" movie, scheduled to air on Tuesday, May 9th. The experts will also discuss the Administration's newly released national pandemic plan.

WHEN: 10 a.m. Eastern, Monday, May 8

WHO:

Kim Elliott, M.A., deputy director, Trust for America's Health

Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D., M.P.H., Center for Infectious Disease and Research and Professor, University of Minnesota

John Barry, historian/author, The Great Influenza, and visiting scholar with Tulane University Health Sciences Center

Andrew Pavia, MD, chair of the National and Global Public Health Committee of the Infectious Diseases Society of America

HOW: Please call Michael Earls at 202-223-9870, ext. 273 or Laura Segal at 202-223-9870, ext. 278 at TFAH to reserve a line for the audio conference. The call is open to credentialed media only please.

Additional materials related to pandemic flu preparedness are available on http://www.pandemicfluandyou.org .

---

Trust for America's Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. http://www.healthyamericans.org

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Egypt

Human Bird-Flu Deaths Prevalent Among Breeders, Says Health Ministry ​

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
NEWS
May 8, 2006
Posted to the web May 8, 2006
Cairo

Human deaths caused by the potentially pathogenic avian virus H5N1 have resulted mostly from exposure to infected fowl kept domestically, according to a health ministry statement issued following a meeting of the Supreme National Committee to Combat Bird Flu.

"There were 11 cases that resulted from domestic breeding," read the statement. "Only two cases have been the result of labour in poultry farms."

The committee, which met on 6 May under the auspices of Minister of Environment Maged George, urged all those exposed to potentially infected poultry to "take the necessary precautions" when dealing with fowl.

However, the government does not intend to extend an urban ban on domestic breeding - introduced soon after the first reports of poultry infections - to rural areas, according to health ministry media official Sayyid al-Abbasi. "It remains an impracticable measure, in that the livelihoods of many rural Egyptians depend on domestic breeding," he said.

Avian flu was first reported among birds in mid-February, while the first human death occurred a month later. Out of 13 reported human cases, a total of five have died, the ministry statement noted.

Most recently, a 27-year-old woman from Menoufiya province, 80 km north of Cairo, died on 4 May after receiving unsuccessful treatment at a Cairo hospital. According to the ministry, the woman - who was infected following close contact with diseased birds - reported her case to the authorities too late for treatment to be effective. "She did not undergo medical checks following exposure to infected birds until the disease had entered its late stages," the health ministry statement read.

Nevertheless, health authorities say that measures enacted by the national committee were bearing fruit. "The situation is under control, as far as it can be, given the nature of the disease," said al-Abbasi. According to the ministry, the number of reports of infected poultry appears to be on the wane. "Reports from various governorates clearly indicate that the number of new infections among poultry is decreasing," read the statement.

At present, infections among poultry have been recorded in 20 of Egypt's 26 governorates. When an infection is found, all poultry within a 1km radius is culled, according to health ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahine.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200605080565.html

Link to tomorrows (5/9) Bird Flu thread: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=196696

In preparation of a possible pandemic flu or natural disaster, local homeland security and health experts aren’t specific on how long Americans should stockpile food, water and other basic necessities.

But they all agree: Just do it.

Click to expand...

Translation: You're on your own for 90 days unless you would like to participate in one of our "campouts" behind the barbed wire....

...