We don't know what it is but we are positive its not bird Flu.
Bob has a new Job...
Posted on 10/16/2005 2:22:14 PM PDT by HAL9000
An unknown disease has caused the deaths of thousands of wild Teal ducks in north-western Iran, but a government official said today the cause was not the bird flu strain that has killed birds in Romania and neighbouring Turkey.Behrouz Yasemi, an official with Iran's State Veterinary Organisation, blamed a "mysterious disease" for the deaths of 3,692 wild ducks.
"We were looking for bird flu [but] medical tests have definitely ruled out flu," Yasemi said. "Experts are now in the process of diagnosing this mysterious disease. We may be able to diagnose it in the next few days."
The Poldasht marshland region on north-western Iran's border with Azerbaijan, where the dead birds were discovered, has been placed under quarantine, and wildlife officials are carrying out disinfection operations, said Mansour Sayari, head of Iran's veterinary organisation. Sayari said Iran had notified the World Health Organisation of the bird deaths.
Similar mysterious bird deaths have also been detected in Russia, said Yasemi, who had no details of how many birds had died there.
During the summer, Russian authorities said an outbreak of the virus killed more than 11,000 birds, prompting officials to slaughter 127,000 others to halt the spread. No human cases were registered there.
At the time, Gennady Onishchenko, Rusia's public health chief, warned that the virus, believed to be carried by migratory birds from Siberia, could reach the Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions this northern autumn. Iran lies on the southern shores of the Caspian.
Sayari suspected infected migratory birds were spreading the mysterious disease and Iran was taking precautionary measures to halt it, but other migratory birds such as flamingos and herons have not been infected.
"We are seriously worried about the spread of bird flu to Iran," said Yasemi, who is also the spokesman of the National Committee Fighting Bird Flu.
Iran is conducting various control measures, including screening and disinfection and has distributed more than 2,000 booklets among bird breeders to teach them to recognise and deal with bird flu.
The Common Teal is a migratory species scientifically known as Anas Crecca. In Iran it is referred to as the Khodka. The Teal and its subspecies have a huge range, including North America, Europe and Central Asia, with a global population beyond 6.5 million, according to the website of BirdLife International.
The EU has banned poultry imports from Turkey and Romania, where bird flu was detected this week. Officials in the two infected countries slaughtered more fowl yesterday.
The WHO moved to calm fears about bird flu by stressing that the risk of people becoming infected is very low.
Since the outbreak began in Asia two years ago, 117 people have become infected and 60 have died, mostly poultry farmers and others involved in plucking and preparing sick birds, handling cockfights or playing with ducks and drinking duck blood.
We don't know what it is but we are positive its not bird Flu.
Bob has a new Job...
Maybe radiation poisoning?
That settles it! No more drinking duck blood!
I just came in from a choral concert and saw a dead bird at an Episcopal church entrance
That's it! I'm not drinking any more duck blood, I might get sick.
I just came from my refirgerator where I saw a dead bird laying on its back.... [/smirk]
Sometimes no comment can do justice, ya know what I'm saying?
Or .. does this mean that Iran is messing around with chemical or biological weapons ..?? That's my suspicion.
Laying what?
/Grammar nanny mode
It's Allah's will.
Unless, of course, it's you know who's fault.
Must be a Jewish plot......
Maybe the bird flew into something and broke its neck.
Duck season opened.
No "Bush's fault!" text yet!!!!! ;)
Oh yes. Post 11. Get your FR decoder ring set to the current protocol, please.
drinking in nuke pond
I was using my palistinian decoder ring ;) Should have used a good Israeli one :)
3,692 That's a mighty exact count!
I would check the whereabouts of Elmer Fudd.
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