H5N1 in mammal in Europe

[conestogo_flood]

Tests show German cat had bird flu
Last Updated Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:50:07 EST
CBC News
A deadly strain of bird flu has been confirmed in a dead cat in northern Germany, marking the first time the H5N1 virus has been found in a mammal in the European Union.


INDEPTH: Avian Flu

The cat was discovered dead over the weekend on the northern island of Ruegen, where about 100 wild birds were also infected with the H5N1 virus.

Maria Cheng of the World Health Organization said researchers don't know whether bird flu can be passed between cats and humans.

"We know that mammals can be infected by H5N1, but we don't know what this means for humans," she said.

Tigers and leopards have been infected by the virus in Thailand after being fed chicken carcasses in a zoo.

Dutch researchers have shown in laboratory studies that cats fed infected chicks become infected with the virus and can spread it to other cats.

Sweden, meanwhile, has reported an outbreak of bird flu. Officials believe two wild ducks found dead will likely be confirmed as having been infected by the H5N1 strain.

Health experts are also investigating the unexplained deaths of birds on the southern Bahamas island of Inagua.

Over the past two days, 15 flamingos, five roseate spoonbills and one cormorant have been found dead with no apparent injuries.

[James]

This is starting to get ever more unsettling.

[TexasStooge]

Oh, dear!!

[Cookiely]

Cat's bird flu death raises human fears
EBEN HARRELL

A DOMESTIC cat found dead in Germany tested positive for bird flu yesterday, the first time the virus has been found in a mammal in Europe, the World Health Organisation said.

The find increases concern that the virus could spread to other species in Europe as it has in other parts of the world.

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

"We don't know if they would play a role in transmitting the disease. We don't know how much virus the cats would excrete, how much people would need to be exposed to before they fell ill."

Several big cats in Asian zoos have died after being fed with infected birds, and domestic cats have been shown to be particularly vulnerable. So far, however, no human has been infected by a cat.

The cat was found dead on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, where most of 100-plus cases of H5N1-infected wild birds in Germany have been found. It is possible the cat ate a bird, Ms Cheng said.
THIS IS THE REAL CONCERN!

But scientists are particularly concerned about bird flu infecting pigs, because swine can also become infected with human flu virus. The fear is that the two viruses could swap genetic material and create a new virus and a human pandemic.

Also yesterday, the US joined Japan in a ban of poultry shipments from France's Ain region, where bird flu was found in turkeys. Experts were also dispatched yesterday to the Bahamas to examine a spate of flamingo deaths. And Iraq said that it was carrying out checks for four suspected human cases of bird flu.
DO YOU HAVE YOUR GLOVES AND MASKS IN THE EVENT OF AN OUTBREAK? THEY WILL BE IN SHORT SUPPLY WHEN (NOT IF) AN OUTBREAK OCCURS, SO ITS A GOOD IDEA TO STOCK THEM NOW. I THINK ITS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME.

[wxmann_91]

We have masks but as long as H5N1 or any non-airbourne variations/mutations of it isn't going airbourne we should be fine.

[SamSagnella]

DrudgeReport is saying that 15 dead flamingoes in the Bahamas are being tested for H5N1 :!:

PlanetArk.org: Flamingo Deaths Spark Bird Flu Probe in Bahamas

[angelwing]

For those who might be interested:

Bird Flu Map:

http://www.recombinomics.com/H5N1_Map_2 ... ghaiL.html

If you go to the main page, it has the list of all the latest bird flu reports

[angelwing]

Also here is just a flu map for the US, you can check via state & zip also:

http://www.fluwatch.com/index2.html

Don't know if in the future they would include bird flu, but at least you have an idea now of what's what.

[MiamiensisWx]

DrudgeReport is saying that 15 dead flamingoes in the Bahamas are being tested for H5N1 :!:

PlanetArk.org: Flamingo Deaths Spark Bird Flu Probe in Bahamas

Uh-oh... does this mean it could reach Florida and the U.S. from the Bahamas?

[TexasStooge]

Already, authorities in Plano, TX are on alert for the Bird Flu.

[SouthFloridawx]

Bird Flu is BS ... i hate the media ... let's tackle some real concerns

[alicia-w]

and those real concerns would be......

[gtalum]

...anything but a made-up threat of bird-flu that's killed a few people worldwide.

[SouthFloridawx]

...anything but a made-up threat of bird-flu that's killed a few people worldwide.

yeah i agree I would have answered that other comment but, i think it would end up getting political and it doesn't belong on this site. Just making a simple complaint.

[TexasStooge]

How safe is chicken?

By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8

First it was beef and mad cow disease and now the bird flu has threatened to spoil America's appetite for chicken.

So, how safe is chicken?

Texas A&M University, along with the whole chicken industry, are monitoring bird flu outbreaks overseas on a daily basis.

A&M scientists breed chickens just a mile off campus and is the largest poultry science department at any American university.

"Our main concern is that a wild bird might bring this into the U.S. and cause us to depopulate a lot of birds," said Michael Davis, a poultry science professor.

Poultry companies said they have tightened security at factory farms and never expose the birds to the outside. They also test every flock before processing.

"If by chance they contracted avian influenza they would never see the poultry processing plant, much less the neighborhood supermarket," Davis said.

Scientists insist if an infected bird somehow still managed to make it to the kitchen, cooking kills the bird flu virus.

At Texas Christian University, some seniors learning to cook were more concerned about antibiotics in meat than the bird flu.

"I try to get foods that don't have as much additives to them and I buy a lot more organic foods," said student Adin Heller.

Four of the top 10 poultry producers, including Tyson's, have stopped using antibiotics to help chickens grow bigger and faster.

Many consumers worry about antibiotic resistance and even some restaurants are offering only "natural" chicken.

"We would like to see the other poultry companies follow suit in greatly reducing the use of medically important antibiotics," said Susan Prolman, Union of Concerned Scientists.

But for those in search of birds free of antibiotics and cramped conditions "natural" isn't the word to look for on the label. Label-conscious consumers should search for the word "organic" in that case.

But back to the bird flu, when it comes to that worry the industry said there isn't much to fret about.

"So how safe are chickens to eat? Very safe," Davis said.