Expect H5N1 virus in North America soon: UN-Updated
- From: vanbussche@xxxxxx
- Date: 9 Mar 2006 06:32:52 -0800
The dangerous H5N1 form of the bird flu virus could reach North America
within six to 12 months, according to the United Nations' top avian flu
preparedness official.
Dr. David Nabarro said Wednesday that wild birds will likely carry the
virus from West Africa across the North Atlantic into the Arctic this
spring.
Migratory birds flying south for the winter will then spread the virus
into the rest of North America and eventually South America, Nabarro
told a briefing in New York.
"Frankly, there will be a pandemic, sooner or later," he said. "It
might be due to H5N1 or to some other influenza virus and it could
start any time."
Deadly outbreak has claimed 96 lives
The deadly form of bird flu first showed up in Asia more than two years
ago.
Since then, there have been 175 documented cases of the disease passing
from infected birds to humans, usually in cases where people were
living or working in close contact with domestic poultry.
A total of 96 people have died, mostly in Southeast Asia and China,
according to a World Health Organization tally being updated daily.
If the virus mixes with a human flu virus to make it more contagious
among people, the death toll could rise quickly, UN health officials
have warned.
In a related development Thursday, a German lab said it had confirmed
the presence of H5N1 in a stone marten, a weasel-like animal known to
feed on wild birds.
The infected animal was found on the island of Ruegen in northern
Germany one week ago, the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute said.
The virus has previously been detected in cats, tigers and leopards,
including three cats recently found dead in Germany who were thought to
have eaten the carcasses of infected wild birds. It is not known to
have cropped up in any other mammal.
The Serbian agriculture minister also said the deadly form of the virus
has been detected in a swan found dead in Serbia.
Animal shelters seeing influx of cats
Meanwhile, fear of family pets picking up the virus from eating wild
birds has led to a flood of abandoned cats in France as people act on
what experts are describing as an "avian flu psychosis."
Gino Bardet, the manager of a shelter in Brignais, near Lyon, says 50
cats were abandoned in the past two days, more than twice the usual
number.
"People have to stop bringing their cats to shelters because shelters
are already overcrowded," he told CBC News. "And also, people have to
come adopt cats as soon as possible."
French farm unions say poultry sales have dropped 15 per cent in the
wake of news that one farm had tested positive for the virus, leading
to quarantines in the region that raises the famous Bresse chickens.
France's agriculture minister has put out a statement saying the risk
of catching bird flu from a domestic cat is negligible, and eating
well-cooked poultry is thought to pose no risk.
.
- Prev by Date: Create your favourite website, automatically
- Next by Date: Re: Some people need killing
- Previous by thread: Create your favourite website, automatically
- Next by thread: Fwd: Priceless
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
