Guest Posted January 11, 2006 Report Posted January 11, 2006 Killer Avian Virus Strikes In China Wednesday January 11, 07:43 AM Two more people have died from bird flu in China, authorities have revealed.The news comes as Turkey continues to cull some 300,000 birds to stop the spread of the virus.Three children have already died from the virus in the east of the country. In China, authorities said a 10-year-old girl and a 35-year-old man died last month from complications from bird flu. The virus has now killed five people on the country's mainland. Thousands of birds in China are being culled to stem any further outbreaks. Bird flu has swept across vast parts of Asia, decimating poultry populations and killing at least 74 people in the region since 2003. Most of the human infections have been linked to direct contact with sick poultry. But experts are concerned the virus could mutate into a form that would be easily transmitted between people. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/11012006/140/killer-avian-virus-strikes-china.html
Guest Posted January 11, 2006 Report Posted January 11, 2006 Turkey claims bird flu is under control Wednesday January 11, 09:02 AM Health experts in Turkey have claimed an outbreak of bird flu is now under control. The authorities are continuing with a culling campaign of birds in an attempt to stem the spread of the disease following complaints hospitals were slow to respond to the outbreak. In Istanbul, certain districts are under quarantine with any cars leaving the area sprayed with disinfectant. So far, fifteen people in the country have been diagnosed with the H5N1 strain of the virus and three children have died. Head of the World Health Organisation's investigation team, Guenael Rodier, said all countries in the region need to be on high alert. "Any countries in the region which have situations in the rural areas similar to what we have here in Turkey could have some diseases in animals and potentially in humans," he said. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/11012006/356/turkey-claims-bird-flu-under-control.html
Guest Posted January 11, 2006 Report Posted January 11, 2006 Turks battle to weaken grip of bird flu Wednesday January 11, 01:50 PM ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey stepped up efforts on Wednesday to halt an outbreak of deadly bird flu as a U.N. body warned that the virus risked becoming firmly established there and posed a serious threat to neighbouring countries. The virus has been found in birds in a third of Turkish provinces, killed at least two children and infected more than a dozen people. The Turkish victims are the first human cases reported outside east Asia since H5N1 avian influenza reemerged in 2003. Two more people in China are now known to have died from bird flu last month, bringing the death toll there to five. Indonesian authorities said a 29-year-old woman in Jakarta had been diagnosed as suffering from the virus after contact with dead chickens. "There is a necessity for a global answer to this crisis," World Health Organisation (WHO) European Regional Director Marc Danzon said in Ankara. Scientists fear H5N1, which is known to have killed 78 people, could mutate into a form that can spread easily between humans, leading to a pandemic. European authorities are stepping up precautions and Turkish health officials will travel to Luxembourg to meet European Commission officials on Thursday. WHO doctors said on Wednesday there was no sign of human-to-human transmission in the Turkish outbreak. They also said there was no reason for people not to visit Turkey. However, experts from another U.N. body, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said the virus risked becoming a constant problem in Turkey as it is in poultry in parts of Asia. "The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 could become endemic in Turkey," the FAO said in a statement. Juan Lubroth, senior FAO animal health officer, said the virus may be spreading despite the measures taken to combat it and urged neighbouring countries to be on high alert. The world animal healthy body OIE said Ankara should consider poultry vaccination in addition to culling birds. SPREAD OF VIRUS Two teenagers died last week from bird flu in eastern Turkey. Their dead sister is also a suspected victim. The virus has rapidly infected birds in some 30 out of 81 provinces, including Turkey's key tourism region near the Aegean coast, Ankara and Istanbul. Authorities have stepped up the culling of poultry, with over 300,000 birds killed. The WHO said that human victims have contracted the disease from close contact with infected poultry, in most cases children play with birds or helping families kill them for food or sale. Dr. Guenael Rodier, head of the WHO mission to Turkey, said the case of two Turkish boys who tested positive for bird flu without developing symptoms provided a chance to learn more about the virus. "The normal flu virus is always at its most virulent at the start of the process, but you don't necessarily exhibit the symptoms at that stage," he said, suggesting a possible similarity between avian influenza and the normal flu virus. "If so, we have diagnosed the H5N1 virus at the very early stages (in the boys). We hope to study this case carefully. This is an opportunity to learn about the disease." The two children contracted the virus after playing with two dead birds they found near their home in the central Turkish town of Beypazari, west of the capital Ankara. BIRDS BROUGHT INDOORS Authorities believe many poor families in the east brought their sick birds into houses when winter hit, increasing the chances of humans catching the deadly virus. More than 70 people are suspected of having bird flu and are being tested, although a majority of them are not thought to have H5N1. None of the positive cases are life-threatening. In eastern city of Van, where some 40 people are being treated for suspected bird flu, locals complained that officials had failed to take away chickens running freely in the roads where children play. "I'm worried for our children. I have been calling people for three days asking them to take the chickens away," Cengiz Isik, a 34-year-old waiter, told Reuters. (Additional reporting by Daren Butler in Van, Ankara, Istanbul, Rome, Beijing, Paris and Jakarta bureaux) http://uk.news.yahoo.com/11012006/325/turks-battle-weaken-grip-bird-flu.html
Guest Posted January 11, 2006 Report Posted January 11, 2006 Turkey's Neighbours At Risk From Virus Wednesday January 11, 03:31 PM Bird flu infections in Turkey are posing a serious risk to neighbouring countries, United Nations officials have said.The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation said the virus could become "endemic" in the country.Juan Lubroth, senior FAO animal health officer, said the virus may be spreading despite containment measures. "Far more human and animal exposure to the virus will occur if strict containment does not isolate all known and unknown locations where the bird flu virus is currently present," he said. The warning came as Turkey continued to cull some 300,000 birds. Two children, out of the 15 Turks infected, have already died. But the World Health Organisation insisted the country was taking appropriate measures to handle an outbreak. Two more people have died from bird flu in China, authorities have revealed. The deaths of a 10-year-old girl and a 35-year-old man brought the country's mainland death toll to five. China is also culling thousands of birds. The virus has swept across vast parts of Asia, decimating poultry populations and killing at least 74 people in the region since 2003. Most of the human infections have been linked to direct contact with sick poultry. But experts are concerned the virus could mutate into a form that would be easily transmitted between people. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/11012006/140/turkey-s-neighbours-risk-virus.html
Guest Posted January 11, 2006 Report Posted January 11, 2006 http://uk.news.yahoo.com/11012006/325/photo/turkish-veterinary.html
alliance Posted January 11, 2006 Report Posted January 11, 2006 http://hometown.aol.co.uk/chemicalalliance/myhomepage/business.html
Guest Posted January 11, 2006 Report Posted January 11, 2006 Bit of nasty footage on ITN Channel 3 evening news tonight on the bird flu problems in Turkey: Footage showed men in white space suits removing live pigeons from a back garden loft and throwing them into a large 'bin'. Mobile 'tank-like' machine then shot disinfectant spray into the loft.
celtic Posted January 11, 2006 Report Posted January 11, 2006 Seen it...it did,nt come across well at all for pigeon fanciers.
mealybar Posted January 12, 2006 Report Posted January 12, 2006 Saw the same on Channel 4, looked like tipplers or tumblers :-/
Guest Posted January 12, 2006 Report Posted January 12, 2006 Indonesia's latest bird flu patient dies: hospital Thursday January 12, 03:55 AM JAKARTA (Reuters) - A 29-year-old Indonesian woman who had bird flu according to a local test result has died, a hospital spokesman said on Thursday. Ilham Patu from Jakarta's Sulianti Saroso hospital said the woman died late on Wednesday after her condition worsened. Officials had announced she was positive for bird flu only hours earlier. Foreign laboratories recognised by the World Health Advertisement Organisation have so far confirmed 11 deaths and five other cases in Indonesia where patients survived. The woman's results have been sent to a Hong Kong laboratory. Local tests also show a 39-year-old Indonesian man died of bird flu earlier this month, although there has been no confirmation yet of that result, officials said this week. Officials at the Sulianti Saroso hospital, designated to treat bird flu patients in Jakarta, have said the woman had contact with dead chickens. The H5N1 virus cannot pass easily between humans at the moment, but experts fear it could develop that ability and set off a global pandemic which might kill millions of people. It has killed 76 people in Southeast Asia and China since 2003. Cases have also emerged in Turkey, the first human infections outside East Asia. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/12012006/325/indonesia-s-latest-bird-flu-patient-dies-hospital.html
Guest Posted January 12, 2006 Report Posted January 12, 2006 Bird flu growing but stoppable - WHO Thursday January 12, 06:52 AM TOKYO (Reuters) - The threat of a bird flu pandemic is growing daily, but an outbreak among humans is not inevitable if countries and health bodies can respond quickly enough, a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official said on Thursday. Fears have been growing about the H5N1 avian flu virus spreading to more countries after a spate of infections in Turkey, the first cases in humans outside Advertisement East Asia. "As the new cases of human infection with the H5N1 virus in Turkey show, the situation is worsening with each passing month and the threat of an influenza pandemic is continuing to grow every day," said Shigeru Omi, WHO's regional director for the Western Pacific. He was addressing a gathering of Asian countries and international organisations holding two days of talks in Tokyo that began on Thursday. "We must try to ensure that we will be ready to respond instantly with all the weapons at our disposal should the early signs of an influenza pandemic appear," Omi said, noting that Asia was still the epicentre of the threat to global health. "If we can achieve this rapid response, we may have a good chance of halting the spread of the virus before the situation becomes uncontrollable, or at least of slowing it down. But if we fail, the consequences for societies, economies and global public health could be immeasurable," he added. At least 78 people are confirmed to have died of bird flu since late 2003, with the majority of cases in Southeast Asia and China. But it has killed at least two children in Turkey and infected more than a dozen people there in little more than a week, triggering a huge effort to contain the virus. Scientists say the H5N1 virus remains relatively hard for people to catch and is spread almost exclusively through contact with birds, but there are fears it could mutate into a pandemic form which could kill millions of people. POSSIBLE SCENARIO At the conference, the WHO presented a hypothetical scenario of a human pandemic and necessary responses to it, emphasising the need to strengthen detection and reporting methods. The WHO believes that a weak surveillance system was one of the factors behind the sudden outbreak of the disease in Turkey and sees early warning as vital in preventing a human pandemic. "The way we are doing this now is too late," Hitoshi Oshitani, a medical doctor and a WHO consultant, said in presenting the scenario. "We must shorten the duration between detection and reporting so we can contain the virus," he said, adding that in recent cases, it has taken an average of over two weeks for local authorities to notify the WHO of a bird flu outbreak. He also said distribution of anti-viral drugs and quarantine of affected areas would be effective in containing a pandemic. But Omi cautioned delegates about relying on the drugs, such as Tamiflu made by Roche AG, or on vaccines that scientists around the world are now working on. "Vaccines and anti-viral drugs are very effective. But they are not panaceas," he said, adding that countries must build the capacity to respond quickly and that such a system is a prerequisite to tackling a pandemic. WHO officials have said richer nations must lend a hand to developing countries, where most of the cases have emerged, but Omi told Reuters on Wednesday that no new financial pledges were expected at the Tokyo conference. In addition to Asian nations, those taking part in the meeting are several rich nations from outside the region, including Britain and the United States, as well as aid bodies such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. But Omi said he expected potential donor nations to come up with promises for fresh assistance at a meeting in Beijing next week. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/12012006/325/bird-flu-growing-stoppable.html
Guest Posted January 12, 2006 Report Posted January 12, 2006 UN says flu pandemic threat grows Thursday January 12, 07:19 AM ANKARA (Reuters) - The threat of a bird flu pandemic is growing daily, a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official said on Thursday, as Turkish officials stepped up efforts to halt outbreaks in people and poultry. Shigeru Omi, the WHO's regional director for the Western Pacific, said Asia was still the epicentre of the threat to global health but that a pandemic was not inevitable if countries and health bodies responded quickly. "As the new cases of human infection with the H5N1 virus in Turkey show, the situation is worsening with each passing month and the threat of an influenza pandemic is continuing to grow every day," he told a two-day meeting of Asian countries and international organisations on bird flu in Tokyo. Experts say the H5N1 virus could become more active in the colder months in affected regions, and spread in east Asia as people slaughter chickens for Lunar New Year celebrations. The more it becomes entrenched in poultry flocks, the greater the risk that more humans will become infected. So far, the virus is reported to have infected about 150 people, killing 78 of them in six countries. Indonesia said on Thursday a 29-year-old woman who had bird flu, according to a local test result, had died. While it remains essentially a disease in birds, scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could spread easily between humans, causing a pandemic in which millions could die. While there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission in Turkey, the large and rapid rise in the number of cases has worried experts. The H5N1 virus has been found in wild birds and poultry in a third of Turkish provinces. It has killed at least two children and infected more than a dozen people in little more than a week. "The pace of fatalities appears to have fallen off quickly. But it is as yet unclear whether this is because the virus has modified or Turkey's approach has been successful," David Nabarro, the U.N.'s senior coordinator for avian influenza, said on Wednesday. He also said the virus appeared to be spreading via wild birds. "It does look as though it is the work of migrating birds. But once in an area, it spreads locally," leading to occasional human infections, he said. MUST DO MORE The WHO says countries must do more to prepare for a pandemic and Nabarro said it would cost international donors about $1.4 billion to finance the next phase of the global campaign against the virus. This included gearing up veterinary services and preparing expert teams for quick deployment to outbreaks. He was confident delegates to next week's bird flu conference in Beijing would pledge the needed amount. The virus has rapidly infected birds across Turkey, including Ankara, Istanbul and the tourism region near the Aegean coast. Authorities, criticised for an initial slow response, have killed more than 300,000 birds. Nabarro cautioned against mass vaccination of poultry. "This is done as a secondary step, when initial measures fail to stem the disease's spread. When a bird is vaccinated, it can still get infected, but just have a lower virus load, so it can still be a carrier while escaping detection." Turkish officials have been stressing that relatively few people there have died, compared to Asia, where H5N1 has had about a 50-percent mortality rate. The WHO said there is no evidence the virus has changed greatly and says patients have been infected by close contact with sick poultry -- in most cases children playing with birds or helping families kill them. "Compared to the numbers in Asia, we do not have too many deaths at the moment," said Dr. Guenael Rodier, head of the WHO mission to Turkey, told a news conference. In East Asia, officials are bracing for a possible jump in bird flu cases in people and poultry during the Lunar New Year period at the end of this month when chicken will be standard fare on dining tables and millions of people will be on the move. "We are afraid of the risks, with more imports, the risks of infected chickens coming in will be greater. And if that happens, the risks of human beings getting infected will go up," said Leo Poon, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong. Eating well-cooked chicken poses no danger but slaughtering and handling infected chickens does. (Additional reporting by Irwin Arieff in New York, George Nishiyama in Tokyo, Tan Ee Lyn in Hong Kong and Ade Rina in Jakarta) http://uk.news.yahoo.com/12012006/325/un-says-flu-pandemic-threat-grows.html
Guest Posted January 12, 2006 Report Posted January 12, 2006 Bird flu pandemic 'not inevitable' Thursday January 12, 09:44 AM The possiblity of a bird flu pandemic among humans is growing but can be avoided if countries can repond quickly to an oubreak, a World Health Organisation official has said. Fears have been growing about the H5N1 avian flu virus spreading to more countries after a spate of infections in Turkey, the first cases in humans outside East Asia. Addressing two-day talks on bird flu in Tokyo, WHO's Shigeru Omi said: "As the new cases of human infection with the H5N1 virus in Turkey show, the situation is worsening with each passing month and the threat of an influenza pandemic is continuing to grow every day." He continued: "We must try to ensure that we will be ready to respond instantly with all the weapons at our disposal should the early signs of an influenza pandemic appear." "If we can achieve this rapid response, we may have a good chance of halting the spread of the virus before the situation becomes uncontrollable, or at least of slowing it down. But if we fail, the consequences for societies, economies and global public health could be immeasurable," he added. At least 78 people are confirmed to have died of bird flu since late 2003, with the majority of cases in Southeast Asia and China. Scientists say the H5N1 virus remains relatively hard for people to catch and is spread almost exclusively through contact with birds, but there are fears it could mutate into a pandemic form which could kill millions of people. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/12012006/356/bird-flu-pandemic-inevitable.html
Guest Posted January 12, 2006 Report Posted January 12, 2006 Bird flu virus found in 3rd dead Turkish child Thursday January 12, 12:23 PM ANKARA (Reuters) - Tests have shown that the H5N1 virus was in the lungs of a Turkish child who died last week and who had originally tested negative for bird flu, the state Anatolian news agency said on Thursday. The elder brother and sister of Hulya Kocyigit, 11, were the first confirmed cases of bird flu among human beings outside China and Southeast Asia. Mehmet Ali Kocyigit died on January 1 and Fatma on January 5. Hulya died on January 6. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/12012006/325/bird-flu-virus-found-3rd-dead-turkish-child.html
Guest Posted January 12, 2006 Report Posted January 12, 2006 UN highlights flu pandemic threat as Turkey fights on Thursday January 12, 12:29 PM ANKARA (Reuters) - The threat of a bird flu pandemic is growing daily, a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official said on Thursday, as Turkey reported more cases of people infected with the deadly virus. Shigeru Omi, the WHO's regional director for the Western Pacific, said Asia remained the epicentre of the threat to global health but that a pandemic was not inevitable if countries and health Advertisement bodies responded quickly. "As the new cases of human infection with the H5N1 virus in Turkey show, the situation is worsening with each passing month and the threat of an influenza pandemic is continuing to grow every day," he told a two-day meeting of Asian countries and international organisations on bird flu in Tokyo. Experts say the H5N1 virus could become more active in the colder months in affected regions, and spread in east Asia as people slaughter chickens for Lunar New Year celebrations. The more it becomes entrenched in poultry flocks, the greater the risk that more humans will become infected. So far, the virus is reported to have infected about 150 people, killing at least 78 in six countries. While it remains essentially a disease in birds, scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could spread easily between humans, causing a pandemic in which millions could die. While there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission in Turkey, the large and rapid rise in the number of cases has worried experts. The H5N1 virus has been found in wild birds and poultry across large parts of Turkey, particularly in poor villages stretching from Istanbul at the gates of Europe to Van near the Iranian and Iraqi borders. It has killed at least two children. Tests have shown that the virus was in the lungs of a third Turkish child who died last week, the sister of the two dead teenagers confirmed as bird flu victims, the state Anatolian news agency said on Thursday. Turkey's NTV television said a total of 18 people had now been confirmed as infected with the virus, including those who had died. Turkey had previously confirmed 15 cases. TURKISH CASES STUDIED Health experts are studying the outbreak in Turkey for clues as to how to combat the virus. The mortality rate in Turkey is lower than in east Asia where around one in every two victims has died. "The pace of fatalities appears to have fallen off quickly. But it is as yet unclear whether this is because the virus has modified or Turkey's approach has been successful," said David Nabarro, the U.N.'s senior coordinator for avian influenza. He said the virus appeared to be spreading via wild birds. "It does look as though it is the work of migrating birds. But once in an area, it spreads locally," he said. The WHO says countries must do more to prepare for a pandemic and Nabarro said it would cost donors about $1.4 billion to finance the next phase of the global campaign against the virus. This included gearing up veterinary services and preparing expert teams for quick deployment to outbreaks. He was confident delegates to a bird flu conference in Beijing next week would pledge the needed amount. The virus has rapidly infected birds across Turkey, including Ankara, Istanbul and the tourism region near the Aegean coast. Authorities have killed more than 350,000 birds in the past two weeks. FIGHTING THE VIRUS The authorities have been criticised for dropping their guard after bird flu first appeared in October. Turkish Agriculture Minister Hehdi Eker said there were no plans for a mass vaccination of poultry. Health officials in protective suits were going from house to house to search for infected birds and disinfect houses. A 3-km (2-mile) quarantine zone had been set up around infected areas, vans fitted with loudspeakers were sent out and television broadcasters ran advertisements on measures to be taken. "We take the battle very seriously. It's ongoing," Eker said, adding that most of the infected chickens had been found in poor villages and often in peoples' backyards. "Children are most at risk. We call on parents to play a bigger role." (Additional reporting by Irwin Arieff in New York, George Nishiyama in Tokyo, Tan Ee Lyn in Hong Kong and Ade Rina in Jakarta) http://uk.news.yahoo.com/12012006/325/un-highlights-flu-pandemic-threat-turkey-fights.html
Guest Posted January 12, 2006 Report Posted January 12, 2006 Turkish veterinarian workers disinfect a square as pigeons fly in the western city of Izmir, January 12, 2006. REUTERS/Stringer
Guest Posted January 13, 2006 Report Posted January 13, 2006 I have recently put an aviary up for my birds to go out into when I pair them up, but have also recently had a leaflet from the council saying if anyone has any birds in aviarys or outdoor cages etc, can they contact them about it. What do you lot think I should do, let them out into it or keep them confined to the loft?
AlanWilkins Posted January 13, 2006 Report Posted January 13, 2006 Dont know what council your under but my misses works in the I.T department of ours so ive rung here to see what the council is saying .They dont know any thing about locking birds up or locating birds in avariys
Guest Posted January 13, 2006 Report Posted January 13, 2006 This is the most current report on WHO website and of particular interest is what scientists EXPECT to discover on the strain of virus in Turkey: mutations which appear to make us humans more susceptible. Antivirals ARE effective against it. Avian influenza – situation in Turkey - update 4 Sequencing of human virus 12 January 2006 Laboratory tests conducted in Turkey have confirmed detection of the H5 subtype of avian influenza virus in samples from an additional two patients. The patients are residents of Sanliurfa Province, near the southern border with Syria, and Siirt Province, which is adjacent to Van in the eastern part of the country. Human cases have now been reported from nine of the country’s 81 provinces. Both patients are young children, aged four and six years, and both have a documented history of direct contact with diseased birds. In Sanliurfa Province, outbreaks in backyard poultry are now thought to date back to late November 2005. Altogether, agricultural officials have confirmed poultry outbreaks in 11 provinces and are investigating possible outbreaks in an additional 14 provinces across the country. Laboratory tests completed today in Turkey have detected the H5 virus subtype in post-mortem specimens taken from a 12-year-old girl, from Agri Province, who died 7 January. The child was the sibling of two other patients who died earlier. Their infection with the H5N1 virus was subsequently confirmed by a WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Health is now reporting 18 laboratory-confirmed cases, of which three, all from the same family, have been fatal. Arrangements have been made to send specimens from several patients to the UK collaborating laboratory for further analysis. Due to official holidays in Turkey, specimens are not expected to arrive in the UK before Monday. The head of the collaborating laboratory is now in Ankara to support diagnostic work at the country’s national influenza centre. Ways are being sought to expedite the testing of patient samples. High awareness of the disease in the Turkish population, combined with almost daily reports of poultry outbreaks in new areas, has resulted in a large number of people concerned about exposure and seeking reassurance. The rapid assessment of patients with a possible exposure history is providing a unique opportunity to learn more about the disease in humans. It is also generating data that can be used to assess the efficacy of antiviral drugs, as most people with an exposure history or respiratory symptoms are receiving oseltamivir either prophylactically or very early after the onset of symptoms. Members of the international teams, in Van Province and Ankara, are today working with local experts to plan relevant studies. These studies should deepen understanding of the epidemiology of the disease, including the possibility that any human-to-human transmission may have occurred, the vulnerability to infection of health care workers and other occupationally-exposed groups, and the possibility that milder forms of the disease might be occurring in the general population. All available evidence indicates that no sustained human-to-human transmission has occurred. As in Asia, contact with infected birds is the principal source of infection. The risk of infection for travellers to Turkey is negligible provided direct contact with dead or diseased domestic and wild birds is avoided. Gene sequencing information on human viruses The WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on influenza at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill, London, has today completed genetic and antigenic analyses of viruses recovered from the first two fatal human cases in the Turkish outbreak. Information provided to WHO indicates that these viruses are very similar to current avian H5N1 viruses isolated from birds in Turkey. They are also closely related to viruses isolated from the large outbreak in migratory birds that occurred at the Qinghai Lake nature reserve in China, beginning in late April of last year. These analyses indicate that the Turkish viruses are sensitive to both classes of antiviral drugs, including oseltamivir and amantadine. WHO and collaborating experts will review the data on amantadine sensitivity. Oseltamivir remains the drug of first choice recommended by WHO. Virus from one of the patients shows mutations at the receptor-binding site. One of the mutations has been seen previously in viruses isolated from a small outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003 (two cases, one of which was fatal) and from the 2005 outbreak in Viet Nam. Research has indicated that the Hong Kong 2003 viruses bind preferentially to human cell receptors more so than to avian cell receptors. Researchers at the Mill Hill laboratory anticipate that the Turkish virus will also have this characteristic. Interpretation of the significance of this finding for human health will depend on clinical and epidemiological data now being gathered in Turkey. All available evidence indicates that no sustained human-to-human transmission is occurring in any country experiencing human cases. The present WHO level of pandemic alert remains at phase 3: human infections with a new virus subtype are occurring, but the vast majority of these infections are acquired directly from animals.
Guest Posted January 13, 2006 Report Posted January 13, 2006 I have recently put an aviary up for my birds to go out into when I pair them up, but have also recently had a leaflet from the council saying if anyone has any birds in aviarys or outdoor cages etc, can they contact them about it. What do you lot think I should do, let them out into it or keep them confined to the loft? Don't see any reason for not letting birds into aviary, sbelbin. Interesting development, which Council department and do they say why they want the info?
Guest Posted January 14, 2006 Report Posted January 14, 2006 Maybe there is some concern about birds housed in aviaries picking something up from droppings of migratory birds.
Guest Posted January 14, 2006 Report Posted January 14, 2006 Maybe there is some concern about birds housed in aviaries picking something up from droppings of migratory birds. Take your point, Hyacinth. Not sure really that this is anything to do with avian flu. If it was, would't have thought it would have fallen to local councils to collect the data, and / or would have expected ALL councils to be involved rather than one. What is significant is that this is a NE of England council, and worrying from the point of view of the 'no pigeons' stances shown in the planning permission cases posted elsewhere. On avian flu & aviaries, the Germans (followed later by the Dutch) did a similar thing in 2005 with their free range poultry, enclosing them outdoors, in wild-bird proof cages. So, provided the aviary has a solid roof and is wild-bird proof, and you follow good hygeine guidelines, you have a reasonable case of 'EU precedent' to answer 'council' enquiries / concerns on 'avian flu prevention'.
Guest Posted January 15, 2006 Report Posted January 15, 2006 False Alaram "Belgiun Bird Flu" http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1209087,00.html
Guest Posted January 15, 2006 Report Posted January 15, 2006 Extract from current Avian flu animal infections statistics for Turkey (OIE Website) shows a small number of dead WILD pigeons have been confirmed as infected with the H5 virus: Adilcevaz/BÝTLÝS Bornova Veterinary Control and Research Instýtute : 2 Pigeons 06.01.2006 AI-H5 ERZINCAN Bornova Veterinary Control and Research Instýtute : 3 Pigeons 06.01.2006 AI-H5 This may explain why feral pigeons figured prominantly in the ITN newscasts of 11th January, bolstered by Speight's picture of 'spraying' in a square full of pigeons on 12th January.
Guest Posted January 18, 2006 Report Posted January 18, 2006 OIE website gives an update on animal infections in Turkey as at 17th January. Of interest: Another case of H5N1 in a feral pigeon in Aydin on 9th; and 931,923 poultry have been slaughtered since December. Much of the country has had outbreaks - the map on pages 7, 8 & 9 of this document show the stark reality: http://www.oie.int/downld/AVIAN%20INFLUENZA/Turkey%20Follow-up%20report%2020060117.pdf
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