Posted on 02/16/2006 11:01:47 AM PST by presidio9
Scientists and veterinary experts were today discussing how to reinforce the European Union's protection against the avian flu virus, which has evaded existing measures to spread into five member states.
Germany and Austria last night became the latest countries to report that preliminary tests on dead swans had revealed presence of the fatal H5N1 strain, which has killed about 80 people in South East Asia and Turkey.
Tests to confirm the German and Austrian results were continuing at the EU’s monitoring laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey.
The strain - which scientists fear could mutate into a virus capable of being passed between humans - has also been found in wild birds in Greece, Italy, and Slovenia in the past few days as migrating swans are driven south by freezing weather in northern Europe.
The German samples were recovered from two dead swans found on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen, off the German coast. Authorities in Austria have also recorded the presence of the highly pathogenic strain in the southern city of Graz.
All five affected countries instantly introduced the EU's defence measures, which involve a halt to poultry movements in the affected region, and the construction of a two-mile protection zone and four-mile surveillance zone around the site of the disease.
In the protection zone, all poultry must be kept indoors and cannot be transported except to slaughterhouses. Hunting wild fowl is banned.
Authorities in Sweden and Denmark have also ordered all poultry and tame birds to be kept indoors as bird flu rapidly approaches their borders.
Experts on the EU’s Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health were beginning two days of talks to examine what other precautionary and surveillance measures, if any, could be taken. This morning, they agreed to back enhanced aid packages for better surveillance of wild birds and a ban on imports of untreated feathers.
They are also assessing the potential for far more discoveries of the virus during the spring migration season, when wild birds fly north.
Two children have died from H5N1 infection in Turkey this year. The virus has killed at least 91 people in Asia and Turkey since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation. Almost all the human deaths have been linked to contact with infected poultry.
As the virus continued to march west into Europe, scientists in Indonesia reported that it appeared to be becoming more potent: victims are dying more quickly and in greater numbers.
Anton Apriyantono, the Indonesian Agriculture Minister, said: "This means the virus is getting more ferocious," as he announced plans to step up surveillance.
Mr Apriyantono provided no data to back up the assertion, but World Health Organisation figures for this year show eight human cases of bird flu in Indonesia, seven of which were fatal. In 2005, there were 17 cases and 11 deaths.
Anyone have stock in the vaccine? Unfortunately, its effectiveness is limited--
Welcome to The Stand!
Swine flu.
I find I'm still meeting reports of the Bird Flu with yawns. It's something the media drags out when it's a slow news day.
Ping!
...also not a good sign that the flu has finally turned up in Africa...noting that Zimbabwe's populace pretty much all own at least one chicken.
i think this is for real...unfortunately
NO French / chicken jokes.
How many dead white Europeans yet?........
Coq au vin!.......
Is that your measurement for deciding when it becomes important?
Let me understand.
This virus, in its present form, can be transmitted from bird-to-bird and from bird-to-human, but not human-to-human (yet). Is this correct?
I really miss the summer of 2001. Do you remember when shark attacks were a major concern and SARS was still a scary word?
I suppose when the public gets tired of waiting for an epidemic that never happens, these writers can always go back to writing about doomsday asteroids or something.
Seasons don't fear the Reaper...
If the world had more men like Dick Cheney there would be less birds to carry this darn flu.
Paging Capt. Trip, Paging Capt Trip.
Colonel Sanders, on the other hand, has very good reasons to worry.
Yep.
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