BIRD FLU KILLS CAT

A news article from the UK. The article has a slightly
hysterical tone, talks about the following and how
close this is to the UK. Clearly bird flu as such
will arrive in the UK. The problem is to prepare
for it.

"Meanwhile, dozens of dead turkeys were yesterday
found on a French farm near the English Channel,
sparking fears that the disease was on its way to Britain."



http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16758102&method=full&siteid=66
633&headline=bird-flu-kills-cat-as-fears-spread--name_page.html

BIRD FLU KILLS CAT AS FEARS SPREAD
First animal in Europe dies
By Mark Ellis

A CAT is the first mammal in Europe to die of bird flu, it was revealed
yesterday.

Now scientists fear the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus is spreading faster
across Europe.

It's thought the cat ate an infected bird. It was found dead at the weekend
on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, where most of Germany's 100 bird flu
cases have been found.

Maria Cheng, of the World Health Organisation, said: "We know mammals can
become infected with H5N1 - but we don't know what this means for humans."

Two years ago in Thailand, the virus killed tigers and snow leopards that
were fed infected chicken carcasses in a zoo.

Cheng said that scientists are particularly worried about pigs becoming
infected with bird flu.

The fear is that the two viruses could swap genetic material and create a
new virus and set off a human pandemic that is more deadly than normal flu
epidemics.

Meanwhile, dozens of dead turkeys were yesterday found on a French farm near
the English Channel, sparking fears that the disease was on its way to
Britain.

Experts were last night trying to verify whether the H5N1 strain was present
in the carcasses found in the village of Ruyaulcourt, near Lille.

The French city, less than 50 miles from the coast, is also on the Eurostar
train line to London.

Scores of the 15000 turkeys on the farm have died over the past fortnight.

Fears were growing last night that freezing temperatures in northern France
would force migratory birds who might be carrying the disease across the
Channel to Britain.

America yesterday became the latest country to ban poultry imports from
another bird flu-plagued area of France - putting increasing pressure on
Britain to follow suit.

The US Department of Agriculture called a temporary halt to the arrival of
any poultry, live birds, hatching eggs or unprocessed avian products from
Ain, where the H5N1 strain has been confirmed.

At least 30 countries, including Japan, Hong Kong, Morocco, Egypt, Thailand
and North Korea are now banning poultry imports from anywhere in France.

The nation is the fourth-biggest poultry exporter in the world, after the
US, China and Brazil. It has 30,600 poultry farms, producing 700million
birds a year, with total annual revenues of £4billion.

Meanwhile, two dead ducks were found in Sweden, making it the ninth EU
country with confirmed bird flu cases.

Samples from the birds were sent to the EU laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey,
for tests to check for H5N1.

The deadly strain of the virus has now been confirmed in Greece, Italy,
Austria, Hungary, Germany, Slovenia, France and Slovakia.

It has killed 90 people in southeast Asia and two kids in Turkey.

All the victims caught the disease from direct contact with infected birds.
There is still no evidence it can be transmitted between humans.

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