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Bird Flu 2013/2014/15-16...

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September 24, 2017, 10:45:16 pm Psalm 51:17 says: The specific rule pertaining to the national anthem is found on pages A62-63 of the league rulebook. It states: “The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem. “During the National Anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking. The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition. It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country. Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.”
September 20, 2017, 04:32:32 am Christian40 says: "The most popular Hepatitis B vaccine is nothing short of a witch’s brew including aluminum, formaldehyde, yeast, amino acids, and soy. Aluminum is a known neurotoxin that destroys cellular metabolism and function. Hundreds of studies link to the ravaging effects of aluminum. The other proteins and formaldehyde serve to activate the immune system and open up the blood-brain barrier. This is NOT a good thing."
http://www.naturalnews.com/2017-08-11-new-fda-approved-hepatitis-b-vaccine-found-to-increase-heart-attack-risk-by-700.html
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Author Topic: Bird Flu 2013/2014/15-16...  (Read 11463 times)
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« Reply #60 on: January 15, 2014, 11:02:15 am »

1The 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

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« Reply #61 on: January 21, 2014, 09:13:01 pm »

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/could-cold-meds-help-spread-flu-2D11967299?ocid=msnhp&pos=3
Could cold meds help spread the flu?
1/21/14

Cold and flu drugs that bring down fevers and help patients feel better could be helping the spread of influenza, researchers reported on Tuesday.

People who take the fever-lowering drugs will feel better and may get out and about sooner than they would otherwise – and while they’re still infectious, the team at Canada’s McMaster University calculated.

It’s a controversial study, done using mathematical calculations and not by measuring the actual spread of disease. But it attempts to answer some of the questions that doctors have about the benefits of treating flu-like symptoms.

Their study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests that 1,000 more people may die from influenza in a typical year because of people taking over-the-counter cold and flu drugs containing ibuprofen, acetaminophen or other drugs and then going to work, school or shopping.

“We aren’t saying don’t take medication. That’s not the message,” David Earn, who specializes in mathematics and disease, said in a telephone interview. “Be aware that if you take this medication, there is this effective increase in transmission.”

So even if you feel better after taking a cold pill or a dose of syrup, it’s still best to stay home for a few days, infectious disease experts say. “The take-home message for the public is, if you are sick, stay home,” Dr. Arnold Monto of the University of Michigan advises.

Earn and colleagues took a batch of complicated factors and plugged them into a computer: How many people get a fever when they have flu, how many take cold medications, how much more likely someone is to transmit flu if their fever has been lowered, and how many flu cases there are overall.

Because fever can actually help lower the amount of virus in a sick person's body and reduce the chance of transmitting disease to others, taking drugs that reduce fever can increase transmission. We’ve discovered that this increase has significant effects when we scale up to the level of the whole population,” Earn said.

“It’s a substantial effect.” They calculate the widespread use of fever reducing drugs increases the number of flu cases by 5 percent in an average year in North America.

The study is highly theoretical, says Monto, who studies how flu spreads and who wasn’t involved in this research.

Cold and flu medications often contain fever reducers, which can also help the achy feeling that makes influenza so miserable. These drugs include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and acetaminophen, sold under brand names such as Motrin, Aleve and Tylenol.

They can really help patients feel better. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends treating fever.

“Bringing down a fever will make the person feel better and help patients rest,” the CDC advises on its website.

But fever is the body’s response to infection and many experts believe that it can kill viruses and bacteria, or at least reduce their ability to replicate in the body. Some studies done in animals suggest that lowering a fever can actually make a flu infection last longer, although this has not been shown in people.

“People often take — or give their kids — fever-reducing drugs so they can go to work or school,” Earn said. “They may think the risk of infecting others is lower because the fever is lower. In fact, the opposite may be true: the ill people may give off more virus because fever has been reduced.”

And just because you, or a child, has a mild case of flu doesn’t mean the person you infect will get a mild case, too. Influenza kills anywhere between 3,000 and 49,000 people a year.

“Maybe you’ll give your young child medication to make them feel better and because they feel better they might go jump in Granny’s lap and give her a hug and a kiss,” Earn said. But that flu that just makes the child feel low could make someone over 65 seriously ill.
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« Reply #62 on: January 22, 2014, 03:43:58 am »

Eugenicists playing word games.

Fever is not good. It is indeed the body reacting to illness. It has it's purpose but the body can't handle a fever for long before it starts causing problems, especially if it gets too high for too long.

But to say flu might be spread more from less fevers? That makes no medical sense. A fever is not what is infectious. It's the flu bug itself.
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« Reply #63 on: January 22, 2014, 05:57:27 am »

China reports two deaths from H7N9 avian flu

Chinese health authorities reported the deaths of two men, including a doctor, from H7N9 avian flu in Shanghai. The Shanghai municipal health commission Monday reported the 31-year-old doctor and a 77-year-old farmer died this past weekend.   

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2014/01/20/China-reports-two-deaths-from-H7N9-avian-flu/UPI-42591390275939/?spt=sh&or=3
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« Reply #64 on: January 28, 2014, 06:21:04 am »

H7N9 bird flu virus: Hong Kong culls 20,000 chickens


Hong Kong has begun culling 20,000 chickens after the H7N9 bird flu virus was found in poultry imported from mainland China. All chickens at the wholesale market where the positive test took place were to be destroyed, the government said. The government has also banned the import of live chickens from the mainland for three weeks.   

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-25923508
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« Reply #65 on: January 28, 2014, 10:25:16 am »

Rev 6:5  And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
Rev 6:6  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
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« Reply #66 on: February 05, 2014, 08:36:26 am »

Scientists warn of bird flu virus found in humans for first time

One woman died and another person has been diagnosed with an infection from a bird flu virus that has never been seen in humans before, according to a study released on Wednesday in British medical journal The Lancet. Chinese scientists cautioned in the journal about the pandemic potential of the new avian influenza H10N8 virus, citing the continued spread of other bird flu strains.   

http://www.lse.co.uk/AllNews.asp?code=p1x6gdig&headline=Scientists_warn_of_bird_flu_virus_found_in_humans_for_first_time
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« Reply #67 on: February 14, 2014, 01:10:43 pm »

http://www.infowars.com/is-fema-preparing-for-a-pandemic/
1/21/14
FEMA Accelerates Preparations For Pandemic

Federal agency seeks 40-yard dumpsters for bio-medical waste disposal during emergency


Paul Joseph Watson
 Infowars.com
 January 21, 2014

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is looking for contractors to supply 40-yard size dumpsters along with experts who can dispose of contaminated bio-medical waste during a national emergency.

The Request for Information (RFI) appears on the FedBizOpps website and asks for, “feedback from waste removal industry vendors that can potentially provide either dumpster service and/or bio-medical waste collection and removal services during emergency response events within the Continental United States (CONUS) area of responsibility.”

FEMA is intending to have one or more contractors provide them with the service as part of an indefinite contract that will initially have a base length of one year with four additional 12 month options.

The RFI states that contractors “must pick up regulated (infectious) waste daily” and an attached question page asks contractors if they can supply dumpsters of different sizes and how quickly they can be supplied.

FEMA will undoubtedly claim that this is merely part of routine preparations for national health emergencies which may or may not happen, although that hasn’t stopped some from expressing concerns that the federal agency is gearing up for a major pandemic such as the H7N9 bird flu virus to hit the United States.

One website linked the dumpster order to a previous FEMA solicitation seeking 100,000 “Doctor Scrubs” pants and shirts to be delivered within 48 hours to 1,000 tent hospitals nationwide. Contractors responded to the unusual request by stating that they were unable to fulfil such an “armageddon scenario.”

China is currently experiencing a surge in the H7N9 virus which has left dozens of people in critical condition, with several deaths.
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« Reply #68 on: April 11, 2014, 11:28:47 am »

Health officials concerned that deadly bird flu could soon pass easily between humans

All it would take is five gene mutations of the H5N1 avian influenza virus to potentially create havoc on a global scale. Dutch researchers are reporting that if those mutations happen, the virus would become transmissible via coughing or sneezing, just like regular flu viruses. Currently, most cases of H5N1 arise after a person has had contact with sick or dead infected poultry.

To give an idea of how deadly the avian flu virus is, scientists at one point stopped conducting research on H5N1 over concerns that in the wrong hands it could be used as a biological weapon by terrorists. Of the 650 people infected since H5N1 was first identified in Hong Kong 17 years ago, 60 percent died because of the disease.

Health officials have feared that H5N1 would evolve, but they are not sure if the virus is likely to mutate outside of a laboratory. "The biggest unknown is whether the viruses are likely to gain the critical mutations naturally," says Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. "If they can appear readily, then it is very worrisome. If not, then there's still a major hurdle that these viruses have to get over to become human-transmissible."

During the study, which was published Thursday in the journal Cell, researchers used ferrets as stand-ins for humans. They sprayed an altered version of the H5N1 virus into a ferret's nose, then put it in a special cage with a ferret who had not been exposed. The cage was constructed to allow shared airflow without direct contact, and when the healthy ferret exhibited signs of the flu (loss of appetite and energy, ruffled fur) they knew the virus had spread through the air.

http://theweek.com/article/index/259830/speedreads-health-officials-concerned-that-deadly-bird-flu-could-soon-pass-easily-between-humans
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« Reply #69 on: March 12, 2015, 05:38:48 am »

Mutating H7N9 bird flu may pose pandemic threat, scientists warn

A wave of H7N9 bird flu in China that has spread into people may have the potential to emerge as a pandemic strain in humans, scientists said on Wednesday.

The H7N9 virus, one of several strains of bird flu known to be able to infect humans, has persisted, diversified and spread in chickens across China, the researchers said, fuelling a resurgence of infections in people and posing a wider threat.

"The expansion of genetic diversity and geographical spread indicates that, unless effective control measures are in place, H7N9 could be expected to persist and spread beyond the region," they said in a study published in the journal Nature.

The H7N9 bird flu virus emerged in humans in March 2013 and has since then infected at least 571 people in China, Taipei, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Canada, killing 212 of them, according to February data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

After an initial flare up of human cases at the start of 2013, the H7N9 appeared to die down -- aided in large part by Chinese authorities deciding to close live poultry markets and issue health warnings about direct contact with chickens.

But infections in people increased again last year and in early 2015, prompting researchers to try to understand more about how the virus re-emerged, how it might develop, and how it might threaten public health.

In this study, an international team of scientists led by Yi Guan of Hong Kong university monitored the evolution and spread of H7N9 over 15 cities across five provinces in China.

By collecting and sequencing a large number of samples, they found that the H7N9 virus is mutating frequently, acquiring genetic changes that might increase its pandemic potential.

A large number of new genetic variants of the virus have become established in chickens and have spread across the country, probably because of poultry trade movement, they said.

Flu experts not directly involved in the research said its findings were interesting but did not necessarily show the H7N9 was changing in ways that made it more likely to develop into a pandemic flu strain.

"What we don't know from this paper is the significance of all these mutations that are accumulating as the virus persists and spreads," said Wendy Barclay, an expert in flu virology at Britain's Imperial College London. "This is especially relevant for human health -- does any of this change the pandemic potential of the virus?"

In its latest update on the flu strain, the Geneva-based WHO said it "continues to closely monitor the H7N9 situation" and conduct risk assessments.

"So far, the overall risk associated with the H7N9 virus has not changed," it said.

Yi Guan's team, however, said their analysis pointed to a need for heightened vigilance of H7N9 and for curbing direct human contact with live poultry at markets.

"Permanent closure of live poultry markets, central slaughtering and preventing inter-regional poultry transportation during disease outbreaks are needed to reduce the threat of H7N9 to public health," they wrote.

http://news.yahoo.com/mutating-h7n9-bird-flu-may-pose-pandemic-threat-183117237.html
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« Reply #70 on: March 29, 2015, 05:29:40 am »

Minnesota finds third bird flu infection in commercial poultry

 The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Saturday confirmed the third infection of a virulent strain of avian flu in a commercial poultry flock in Minnesota, the nation's top turkey-producing state.

A case of H5N2 flu was found in a flock of 39,000 turkeys in Stearns County, which is northwest of Minneapolis, according to a notice from USDA. State officials quarantined the infected farm, and birds there will be culled to prevent the spread of the disease.

Recent infections of avian flu in states stretching from Arkansas to Oregon have prompted overseas buyers to limit imports of U.S. poultry from companies such as Tyson Foods Inc, Pilgrim's Pride Corp and Sanderson Farms Inc.

The USDA is developing a vaccine to protect poultry from new strains of avian flu, including H5N2, but has no plans to distribute it yet.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/minnesota-suffers-third-bird-flu-infection-commercial-poultry-170017720.html
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« Reply #71 on: March 29, 2015, 11:19:35 am »

Second western Minnesota turkey farm hit by bird flu outbreak

A second Minnesota turkey farm has been struck by a form of bird flu that's deadly to poultry and will lose 66,000 birds, state and federal officials said Friday.   

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_27799548/second-western-minnesota-turkey-farm-hit-by-bird
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« Reply #72 on: April 10, 2015, 06:34:20 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/bird-flu-confirmed-4-more-minnesota-turkey-farms-171410106.html
Bird flu confirmed at 4 more Minnesota turkey farms
4/10/15

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A deadly bird flu strain was confirmed Friday at four more turkey farms in Minnesota, raising the number of farms affected in the country's top turkey-producing state to 13 and the toll at farms across the Midwest to over 1 million birds since the outbreak was first confirmed in early March.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the new cases of the highly contagious H5N2 strain are in Cottonwood, Lyon, Watonwan and Stearns counties. The four new farms housed a combined 189,000 turkeys. Officials said those not killed by the virus will be euthanized to prevent the disease from spreading.

Once those birds have been destroyed, the 13 affected Minnesota farms will have lost 872,000 turkeys. Since the outbreak began, 19 farms in Minnesota, South Dakota, Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas have lost more than 1 million turkeys. Canadian officials confirmed Wednesday that a turkey farm in southern Ontario with 44,800 birds was hit, too. The USDA has sent over 40 experts to Minnesota to assist in the response.

Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson said his state has about 450 farms that raise around 46 million turkeys annually. The losses so far work out to about 1.9 percent of the state's yearly production.

"For these companies, and obviously for the farmers and their families that have been impacted by the H5N2 virus, there are some really difficult times ahead," he said.

Officials stress the risk to public health is low and that there's no danger to the food supply. No human cases have been detected in the U.S., said Dr. Joni Scheftel, state public health veterinarian with the Minnesota Department of Health.

The largest farm hit was a 310,000-bird farm in Meeker County owned by Jennie-O Turkey Store, the country's No. 2 turkey processor, where the virus was confirmed Wednesday. Three of the new cases were also connected with Jennie-O, a division of Hormel Foods Corp. The company said the Watonwan County farm is company-owned, while the Cottonwood and Lyon County operations were contract growers. Altogether, seven Jennie-O owned and contact farms have lost 626,000 turkeys because of the outbreak. But the company says its losses are a small percentage of its overall production.

Scientists suspect migratory waterfowl such as ducks are the reservoir of the virus. They can spread it through their droppings. But Michelle Carstensen, wildlife health program supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said tests still haven't found any wild birds with the disease or any H5N2 in their droppings in Minnesota so far. Test results are expected next week on samples collected near affected farms in three counties, she said.

Officials are trying to determine how the virus has managed to evade the strict biosecurity that's standard practice at commercial turkey farms. The virus can be carried into barns by workers or by rodents and wild birds that sneak inside.

But Dr. Beth Thompson, assistant director of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, said investigators haven't determined how the virus entered any of the infected barns. She said the industry's biosecurity practices are "top notch." And Fredrickson disputed the suggestion that those measures aren't working.

Thompson said they hope the threat recedes as the weather warms and the spring migration ends. Flu viruses prefer cold, wet conditions, she said, so they're hopeful that hot, dry days will kill it off. She said that would prevent it from being tracked into barns, if that's what's happening.

Carstensen said they still don't know if this virus will be a long-term problem. It was first detected in North America in December on the West Coast, and scientists don't know much yet about how it behaves, she said.
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« Reply #73 on: April 17, 2015, 05:39:01 am »

Latest bird flu outbreak brings total Minnesota turkeys affected to 1.4 million

Highly lethal bird flu is taking on epidemic proportions, hitting eight more Minnesota turkey farms and bringing the number of birds affected in the state to more than 1.4 million.

The newly afflicted farms were raising more than 500,000 turkeys, making Tuesday’s announcement by regulators the largest one-day death toll since highly pathogenic H5N2 bird flu struck the state in early March. Birds on a farm that don’t die from the sickness are killed as a ­precaution.

Minnesota, the nation’s largest turkey producer at 46 million birds annually, is the epicenter of a nationwide outbreak of the deadly bird flu, which has hit at least 12 states. The first case in Iowa was announced Tuesday, South Dakota has had three outbreaks, and North Dakota and Wisconsin one each.

“It’s clearly a major epidemic,” said Michael Osterholm, a prominent infectious diseases expert at the University of Minnesota. A highly pathogenic bird flu outbreak this large is “unprecedented” in the United States, he said.

And it’s likely not going away soon. “We do expect to see additional [flocks] affected through this spring,” said Bill Hartmann, chief veterinarian for the Minnesota Animal Health Board.

Still, animal health experts hope that the warmer spring weather will stop the virus, which likes cold and damp weather.

The bird flu is believed to be spread by waterfowl that carry the virus but don’t get sick from it. Domestic turkeys are highly susceptible to the flu, and chickens have caught it, too.

However, the H5N2 virus has yet to cause human illness in the United States, health experts say. “This is not a public health risk or food safety risk,” said Ed Ehlinger, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health.

Still, people in other countries who work closely with infected birds have caught strains of highly pathogenic avian flu.

The state Health Department has been monitoring 60 people who’ve worked on infected farms, and none of them has come down with the flu, Ehlinger said.

The bird flu has rocked the state’s turkey industry, which includes about 450 growers who tend about 600 farms. “Highly pathogenic avian influenza is a game changer,” said Steve Olson, executive director of the Minnesota ­Turkey Growers Association.

Likening the flu’s spread to tornado season, Olson said that “for turkey farmers, it’s like a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week tornado warning that lasts for two months.” And even if warm weather stops the bug, it’s not over for the turkey industry.

With the flu ingrained in turkey country, farmers will have to be on guard against the virus for the next three to five years, Olson said.

For farms hit by the flu, the financial and emotional toll is “devastating,” Olson said. The birds killed in the first 14 outbreaks cost farmers nearly $16 million, the growers association said. That doesn’t account for other lost revenue: Barns hit by the flu can be out of commission for months.

Austin-based Hormel Foods, owner of the well known Jennie-O brand, relies on Minnesota and Wisconsin for its turkey supply.

Seven of the eight afflicted Minnesota farms announced Tuesday are suppliers to Hormel, the nation’s second largest turkey processor. In total, 14 of the 22 Minnesota farms hit so far by the highly lethal flu are Hormel suppliers.

The biggest outbreak announced Tuesday hit two Hormel-affiliated farms in Swift County with a total of 314,000 birds. Other outbreaks reported Tuesday:

• A 76,000 turkey flock in Stearns County, the fifth bird flu incident in that county.

• A 56,000 turkey flock in Redwood County.

• Two farms in Meeker County totaling 45,000 birds, the second and third incidents in that county.

• A 30,000 turkey flock in Kandiyohi County, the fourth incident there.

• A 21,500 turkey flock in Le Sueur County.

State law forbids naming the exact location or name of a turkey farm hit by the disease, animal health regulators say.

Hartmann said there are now 130 people in Minnesota working on solving the bird flu, including researchers and other personnel from the ­animal health board, the state Agriculture Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They’ve yet to figure out exactly how the bug is getting into enclosed turkey barns with biosecurity precautions against disease.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is in the midst of taking 3,000 wild waterfowl feces samples throughout the state, trying to find the virus in nature. With about 350 samples so far, they haven’t had a positive test yet.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/299732091.html
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« Reply #74 on: April 21, 2015, 10:10:32 am »

Bird flu takes biggest toll yet as virus hits chicken farms



MINNEAPOLIS (April 21, 2015)- Poultry producers and scientists have been hoping warmer weather would knock down a virulent strain of bird flu that has hammered the Midwest, but the virus recently took its biggest toll yet, hitting a farm in Iowa that held nearly 10 percent of the state's egg-laying chickens. Here are some questions and answers about the outbreak:

WHAT'S THE LATEST?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday that the deadly H5N2 bird flu virus was found at a farm in northwest Iowa's Osceola County. The confirmation means up to 5.3 million hens there must be destroyed in a state that produces one in every five eggs consumed in the country. Seven other Midwestern states have been hit by the virus, dooming nearly 7.8 million turkeys and chickens since March.

WHAT'S THE OUTLOOK?

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials say the virus could be a problem for several years. The USDA's chief veterinary officer, Dr. John Clifford, also said last week that while new cases should drop to close to zero once the weather warms up and kills off the virus, there's "very likely" to be a resurgence this fall when the wild waterfowl that are natural carriers of avian influenza fly south for the winter.

WHAT KIND OF FLU IS THIS, EXACTLY?

H5N2 is a highly contagious virus that kills commercial poultry quickly once it gets into a barn. But the risk to the public is considered low, and infected birds are kept out of the food supply.

WHERE IS THIS TURNING UP, AND IN WHAT KINDS OF BIRDS?

Only two egg operations have been hit — the one in Iowa and one in Wisconsin. Except for a couple backyard flocks, all the other cases in the Midwest have been at commercial turkey farms. Minnesota has had 28 turkey farms hit, far more than any other state. Officials say that's because Minnesota is the top turkey producing state, and its thousands of lakes and ponds are attractive to migrating ducks and other waterfowl. H5N2 and other highly pathogenic strains have also been found since late last year among wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial farms in some western states and British Columbia.

AREN'T MOST COMMERCIAL POULTRY BARNS SHUT TIGHT TO KEEP DISEASES OUT?

They are. Poultry farms with good biosecurity strictly limit who's allowed in. Workers often have to shower on their way in and out, wear protective coveralls and step in disinfectant to kill viruses on their boots. Equipment coming in and out is typically sanitized. But the system doesn't always work. Experts say it requires everyone to do everything right all the time. Plus rodents and wild birds that sneak into a barn can bring in the virus.

SO WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE TURKEYS WHEN BIRD FLU ARRIVES?

They die, and quickly. Less severe symptoms can be similar to colds and flu in humans, or a flock turning quiet. Vaccines have been used around the world to protect flocks against various bird flu strains ahead of time, but this strain is new to North America. Once an infection is confirmed at a farm, all surviving birds on the property are typically killed to prevent it from spreading. These flocks are usually killed by pumping a water-based foam into the barn, following guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The foam suffocates the birds within minutes.

OH. SO WHAT DO THEY DO WITH ALL THESE DEAD BIRDS?

They compost them — usually right in the same barn where they died. Composting is a widely used and approved method throughout the industry to dispose of dead birds. Studies show that properly done, the heat generated by composting is enough to kill flu viruses and other pathogens commonly present in poultry such as salmonella. The compost then can be safely spread as fertilizer.

DO THESE OUTBREAKS WIPE OUT AFFECTED FARMERS?

An outbreak that kills tens of thousands of birds certainly can cost a farm dearly. The government doesn't compensate producers for birds that die of the disease itself, but it does reimburse them for birds that have to be euthanized as a precaution. That gives farmers an incentive to report suspected outbreaks and deal with them swiftly.

SO DOES THIS MEAN I'LL BE PAYING MORE FOR TURKEY, EGGS AND CHICKEN?

Probably not in the near term. The toll nationwide represents just a small part of U.S. production. Hormel Foods Corp., which owns Jennie-O, said Monday that it will sell less turkey this year because of the outbreaks but that it can't comment now on how retail prices or the holiday season will be affected. But don't worry about Thanksgiving yet. Turkey prices around the holidays often have nothing to do with the costs of production. Retailers often sell turkeys at a loss just to draw in customers who'll stock up on stuffing mix, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pies and other traditional favorites.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/ap/united-states/bird-flu-takes-biggest-toll-yet-as-virus-hits-chicken-farms#.VTZnb5OK_CY
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« Reply #75 on: April 26, 2015, 05:53:32 am »

INSIGHT-New avian flu viruses send U.S. scientists scrambling

 Three highly pathogenic avian flu viruses that have infected poultry and wild birds in the U.S. Midwest appear unlikely to present a significant risk to humans. But the presence of the viruses in North America has scientists scrambling to understand their potential long-term threat.

One of the viruses, H5N2, has already led to the slaughter of millions of turkeys and chickens, as commercial farms try to control the spread of the virus.

No humans have yet become infected, but scientists say it is possible that someone in direct contact with sick birds might catch the virus, though it is extremely unlikely that an infected human could pass the disease on to another human.

"Most of the time, these viruses don't have human disease potential, but obviously you need to be very careful," said Dr. Stephen Morse, an expert in emerging infections at Columbia University. "Nowadays, you can't say anything about flu with certainty."

Avian flu, which infects poultry, is caused by an influenza A type virus and is often spread by free-flying waterfowl, such as ducks, geese and shorebirds.

The viruses are classified by two types of proteins. Hemagglutinin or "H" proteins, of which there are 16, and neuraminidase or "N" proteins, of which there are 9. Avian flu viruses are also classified as low pathogenicity or high pathogenicity based on their ability to infect and kill poultry.

The highly pathogenic avian flu viruses currently killing U.S. poultry first originated as a single H5N8 virus in Asia, and quickly spread among wild birds along migratory pathways in the Pacific flyway.

Once the virus reached North America, it mutated, mixing with North American avian influenza strains to create the new viruses now being seen. The H parts, which are highly pathogenic in poultry, originated in Asia, and the N parts come from North American, low pathogenic, avian flu viruses, said Dr. Rubin Donis, an associate director for policy and preparedness in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's influenza division.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is still seeing the original H5N8 virus, but it has also identified two strains of mixed-origin viruses, both of them highly pathogenic. One is the deadly H5N2 virus. The other is an entirely new H5N1 virus that has so far been found in only a handful of the recent cases.

Because much is still unknown about these new viruses, the USDA and the CDC are conducting detailed analyses that include sequencing the viruses' genomes. A key question they hope to answer is whether the viruses might mutate and become human viruses.

"This is something we need to avoid: it is something that could happen and which we have to look for," said Dr. Jurgen Richt, an expert in avian influenza at Kansas State University.

Richt said scientists also need to find out whether the viruses are mutating when they come from a wild host into domesticated poultry.

Although infections with H5N1 viruses have been rare, past strains have sometimes caused severe disease and death in people who became infected through close contact with infected birds or prolonged contact with infected people. Since flu viruses evolve and often swap genes, the concern is that they could gain the ability to transmit easily among people, which could trigger a global pandemic.

Donis said the CDC is currently conducting studies in ferrets, which are used as surrogate models for humans, to see how the viruses behave in mammals and whether they can spread easily to animals in nearby cages.

One good sign already is that the H5N2 virus does not appear to be able to replicate readily at lower temperatures, which is required for transmission from person to person.

Donis said human transmission of flu viruses occurs in the upper respiratory tract, where body temperatures are lower.

"You will not have a pandemic without a virus that replicates well in the upper respiratory tract and is easily transmitted by droplets," Donis said.

The CDC has already studied a lab-developed version of the avian hemagglutinin, the "H" portion of the viruses, to see if it contains receptors that could easily attach to human cells. In these experiments, the "H" has bound strictly to avian receptors, and not human receptors, another good sign that the virus may not be easily transmissible in people.

"So far, what we see is a typical avian virus that is not expected to be transmissible in ferrets," Donis said. Results of the ferret studies should be available in a few weeks.

A SPREADING THREAT

The mere fact that an H5N1 avian influenza virus has arrived in North America, however, represents a significant evolution.

Before 1996, none of the highly pathogenic viruses survived very long in nature. H5N1 viruses had largely been confined to Southeast Asia.

"They always burned out and they were never transmitted long distances repeatedly by wild birds," Donis said.

Things began to change in 2004/2005 when an H5N1 virus began infecting birds in Qinghai Lake, China, and then spread to parts of Europe and Africa.

Scientists in North America began collecting millions of samples looking for the virus in North American birds.

"There wasn't a single H5N1," Donis said, until this past January, when a new, mixed origin H5N1 virus was isolated in a wild duck in the United States.

The question now is what has changed that makes this virus more capable of spreading in both Eastern and Western directions.

The concern is if the virus becomes established in the breeding grounds in Alaska and Northern Canada, there is a potential for these viruses to become an annual burden each time the birds migrate south.

http://www.trust.org/item/20150425225618-z9u8k?view=print
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« Reply #76 on: April 28, 2015, 06:46:13 am »

New bird flu cases add 6 million birds in Iowa

Avian flu outbreaks were reported at five more Iowa facilities Monday, with more than 6 million birds infected. All told, the number of infected laying hens and turkeys in Iowa has now jumped to 10 million at eight locations.   

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2015/04/27/iowas-bird-flu-cases-push-state-says/26464645/
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« Reply #77 on: May 01, 2015, 04:49:34 pm »

Local Bird Flu Found In Hawk In Western Minnesota

A hawk in western Minnesota is the first wild bird in the state to test positive for the bird flu virus since the beginning of an outbreak that’s killed more than 15 million birds in the Midwest this spring, state wildlife officials announced Thursday. Officials have long said that wild birds could be spreading the flu, but warned that the positive test in the hawk doesn’t prove wild birds are the direct cause of the recent infections.   

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/04/30/bird-flu-found-in-hawk-in-western-minnesota/
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« Reply #78 on: May 02, 2015, 01:30:31 pm »

Gov. Branstad Declares State of Emergency As Bird Flu Spreads

On Friday, the Iowa Department of Agriculture announced four additional counties have suspected cases of avian influenza, also known as bird flu. The outbreak now spans ten counties and has prompted Governor Branstad to declare a state of emergency in Iowa.

“While the avian influenza outbreak does not pose a risk to humans, we are taking the matter very seriously and believe declaring a state of emergency is the best way to make all resources available,” said Branstad. “Even before the virus began in Iowa, our office was monitoring the outbreak in other states. We’ll continue our work – as we’ve been doing since the first outbreak in Buena Vista County – in hopes of stopping the virus’ aggressive spread throughout Iowa.”

21 sites spanning 10 Iowa counties have cases that are either presumed positives or confirmed positives. The counties include: Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Kossuth, Madison, O’Brien, Osceola, Pocahontas, Sac and Sioux.

“Iowa’s poultry farms are an important part of our state’s agriculture industry.  This disease is having a far reaching impact and, unfortunately, it has continued to spread.  We have seen tremendous support and coordination from state, federal and local partners and this emergency declaration will allow the state to continue to respond aggressively to this disease outbreak,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey.

The proclamation of disaster emergency can be read below and does the following:

    Activates the disaster response and recovery aspect of the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department’s (HSEMD) Iowa Emergency Response Plan.
    Authorizes the use and deployment of all available state resources, supplies, equipment, and materialsasare deemed reasonably necessary by the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS)andIowaHSEMDin order to do the following:
        Track and monitor instances of confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza throughout the state of Iowa and the country
        Establish importation restrictions and prohibitions in respect to animals suspected of suffering from this disease
        Rapidly detect any presumptive or confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza within Iowa’s borders
        Contain the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza within our state through depopulation, disinfections, and disposal of livestock carcasses
        Engage in detection activities, contact tracking, and other investigatory work to stop the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza within our state, and eliminate the disease in those disaster counties where it has been found and lessen the risk of this disease spreading to our state as a whole
    Temporarily authorizes the Iowa HSEMD, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), other state agencies, and local law enforcement agencies and private contractors employed by the same to remove and/or dispose of live animals and animal carcasses on publicly or privately owned land when those live animals and/or carcasses threaten public health or safety.
    Authorizes the Iowa HSEMD, the Iowa DOT, the Iowa DPS, the Iowa DNR, IDPH, other state agencies, and local law enforcement agencies to implement stop movement and stop loading restrictions and other control zone measures as are reasonably deemed necessary, including establishing buffer zones, checkpoints, and cleaning and disinfecting operations at checkpoints and borders surrounding any quarantine areas established by the IDALS or at any other location in the state of Iowa, in order to stop the spread of this contagious disease.
    Authorizes state agencies to assist the IDALS in disinfection, depopulation, and livestock carcass disposal efforts.
    Temporarily waives restrictions to allow for the timely and efficient disposal of poultry carcasses.
    Temporarily suspends the regulatory provisions pertaining to hours of service for commercial vehicle drivers hauling poultry carcasses infected with or exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza or while hauling loads otherwise related to the response to this disaster during its duration, subject to certain conditions outlined in the disaster proclamation.


http://whotv.com/2015/05/01/suspected-bird-flu-cases-found-in-four-additional-counties/
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« Reply #79 on: May 03, 2015, 10:17:41 am »

Bird flu ravaging commercial flocks remains mysterious

It's been five months since the H5N2 bird flu virus was discovered in the United States, and producers have lost 21 million birds in the Midwest alone. Yet, researchers acknowledge they know little about a bird flu virus that's endangered turkey and egg-laying chicken populations that supply much of the nation.

Scientists at the Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies are puzzled by the H5N2 virus' spread — even amid heightened biosecurity measures — and apparent lack of widespread deaths in largely unprotected backyard flocks.

“At this point, we don't know very much about these viruses because they've only recently been identified,” Dr. Alicia Fry, the CDC's leader of the influenza prevention and control team, said. “We're following the situation very closely because this is something we're continuing to understand.”

The H5N2 virus surfaced last winter in Canada and was first identified in the United States in early December, when it was found in a wild bird on the West Coast. This spring, the virus was found in poultry operations in eight Midwest states, forcing commercial producers to kill and compost millions of turkeys and chickens in Iowa, Minnesota and elsewhere.

Scientists speculate that perhaps rodents or small birds, seeking food, tracked the virus into barns. Maybe it's the work of flies, as the bird flu virus has been found on the insects in a Pennsylvania outbreak in 1983 and in Japan in 2004. The USDA's chief veterinarian even floated the idea wind may be blowing dust and feathers carrying the virus from the barnyard into buildings through air vents.

“To me, the main concern is the disease is moving even with heightened biosecurity,” said Richard French, a professor of animal health at Becker College in Worcester, Mass. “Ideally we've got to try and figure out the way it's most likely moving and try to put controls in place to stop that.”

Poultry farms' biosecurity measures include changing clothes and boots before entering barns, disinfecting equipment and vehicles before they approach barns and assigning workers to specific barns.

As new operations are infected almost daily, USDA epidemiologists are trying to determine whether the virus came from a wild bird or whether it could have spread from poultry in another barn or a nearby farm.

“We are continuing to evaluate how facilities become positive because we also want to be cognizant of any potential risk of lateral spread from farm to farm,” said Dr. T.J. Myers, the USDA associate deputy administrator of veterinary services. “We are doing those evaluations as we speak, and we really don't have enough data to report on that yet.”

Another puzzling question has been why there hasn't been a surge in infections of backyard flocks. The USDA has identified 12 cases, including five in Washington in January and February, plus others in Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon and Wisconsin.

Cases might not be reported, French said, noting that commercial operations have a financial incentive to immediately report illnesses because the government pays them for each live bird that must be destroyed. Plus, French said, outdoor chickens could have been exposed over time to low pathogenic versions of bird flu and have developed stronger immunity.

One belief held by researchers will soon be tested: whether the virus will die as temperatures warm up and ultraviolet light increases. With temperatures this week in the 70s in many of the affected states and even warmer weather expected soon, infections should decline if that assumption is true.

But David Swayne, director of the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, Ga., acknowledged it's hard to predict what will happen.

“It's pretty complex. It involves the climate, the temperature itself, the amount of humidity there,” he said.

Scientists expect the virus to return in the fall along with cooler temperatures and wild birds migrating south, but Swayne said the virus could burn itself out and disappear for a while before that.

Amid the questions is one about the human element: Could the virus spread to people? So far, it hasn't, but significant efforts are under way to develop a vaccine just in case.

“We're cautiously optimistic that we will not see any human cases, but there certainly is a possibility that we may,” Fry said.

Read more: http://triblive.com/business/headlines/8292696-74/virus-bird-flu#ixzz3Z5aDMhUJ
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« Reply #80 on: May 07, 2015, 05:20:51 am »

Bird Flu Has Already Killed More Than 20 MILLION Turkeys And Chickens In The United States

Are you prepared to go without turkey this Thanksgiving?  Yes, it might actually get that bad.  So far, the worst outbreak of bird flu in U.S. history has claimed the lives of more than 20 million turkeys and chickens, and the pandemic continues to rage wildly out of control.  Once one bird becomes infected, this particular strain of the virus is so virulent that it can virtually wipe out an entire flock in just a matter of days.  At this point, scientists think that this virus is being spread by wild birds, but they have no idea how it is getting inside barns and other enclosed facilities so easily.  Considering how important turkey, chicken and eggs are to our food supply, it is quite alarming that scientists don’t really understand what is going on.  If this bird flu outbreak is not brought under control, how many birds will eventually die?  Right now, it is already in the tens of millions.  Could the total eventually reach into the hundreds of millions?

Minnesota is the top producer of turkeys in the United States, and Iowa is the top producer of eggs, and that is why it is so alarming that both of these states are right at the heart of this current outbreak…

    Virulent H5 avian influenza strains have spread to 14 states in five months and affected about 24 million birds so far, mostly egg-laying hens and turkeys, according to USDA.

    That tally is expected to grow, as U.S. authorities confirm pending cases. The outbreak, which is also affecting two Canadian provinces, shows little sign of slowing.

    In Minnesota, the largest producer of U.S. turkeys, state officials said almost 5.5 million turkeys and egg-laying chickens have either died from the flu virus or are set to be killed in an effort to contain the outbreak.

    In Iowa, the top U.S. egg producer, state agriculture officials said an estimated 20 million chickens and turkeys have been affected there.

So just in those two states alone, we are talking about more than 25 million chickens and turkeys that are already dead or that are scheduled to be killed in an attempt to slow down this outbreak.

Things have already gotten so bad that some in the industry are already projecting that this may cause a shortage of turkeys at Thanksgiving…

    And now, with Thanksgiving just seven months away, farmers say they may be running out of time to raise enough turkeys -the traditional centerpiece of holiday feasts – to meet the demand.

    Once a farm has been infected, flocks must be culled, composted in barns, then disposed of. Buildings must then be thoroughly disinfected. The whole process can take up to three months before a new flock of turkey poults can be brought in, said Steve Olson, executive director of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association.

Of course any notion of “recovery” assumes that this outbreak will be shortly brought under control and that breeder farms are not being infected.  But we have already had reports that some breeder farms in Minnesota have been infected.

Last year, the United States produced 240 million turkeys.  Almost 20 percent of them came from Minnesota.  So this outbreak in Minnesota is a really, really big deal.

And if you like to eat eggs, you should expect to start to pay more for them as well.  As of now, this pandemic has already wiped out 6 percent of all “layer hens” in this country…

    Egg producers have been hit hardest. In 2014, 362 million “layer” hens in the U.S. produced 100 billion eggs. With more than 20 million hens now in the process of being culled, nearly 6 percent of the nation’s population has been taken offline.

Even if this pandemic ends very quickly, and that is a huge if, the economic impact would still be huge.  Food producers in the affected states are already starting to lay off workers, and prices for meat and eggs are already starting to rise.

However, what happens if this pandemic cannot be brought under control any time soon and we lose 20, 30 or 40 percent of our turkeys and chickens?

I am recommending that people consider stocking up on canned and frozen meat while they still can.  Prices on those items are certainly not going to be going anywhere but up for the foreseeable future.  And if you can afford it, a second freezer is often a good idea for many families.

The truly frightening thing is that this bird flu pandemic is coming at a time when the U.S. food supply is already under an unprecedented assault.  Just consider some of the things that are currently happening…

-More than 40 percent of our fresh produce comes from the state of California, but thanks to the worst multi-year drought in the history of the state much of the region is turning back into a desert.

-Also due to the persistent drought, the size of the U.S. cattle herd is now as small as it was during the 1950s, and the price of beef has doubled since the last recession.

-Over the past few years, something called “porcine epidemic diarrhea” has wiped out approximately 10 percent of the entire pig population in the United States.

-Just off the west coast of the United States, a wide variety of sea creatures are dying in unprecedented numbers.  For example, the sardine population along the west coast has dropped by a staggering 91 percent just since 2007.

-Down in Florida, citrus greening disease is absolutely crushing the citrus industry.  Crops just keep on getting smaller year after year.

-There is a disease known as the TR4 fungus that is devastating banana production worldwide.  In fact, it has been reported that this fungus could someday completely wipe out the variety of bananas that we commonly eat today.

Are you starting to understand?

Just because we have always been able to rely on massive quantities of extremely inexpensive food does not mean that it will always be that way.

At this point, scientists tell us that the strain of the bird flu that is hitting chickens and turkeys poses “little risk” to humans.  But it does pose a tremendous risk to our food supply – especially if our scientists can’t figure out a way to bring this outbreak under control.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/bird-flu-has-already-killed-more-than-20-million-turkeys-and-chickens-in-the-united-states
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« Reply #81 on: May 12, 2015, 05:22:44 am »

Bird flu found in Indiana; 15th state to report it

A strain of avian flu that until now had been found only in the Western United States has cropped up in Indiana, bringing the total number of states affected by the virulent outbreak to 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday.

The eastward spread of any strain of the highly contagious H5 virus is worrying to farmers and investigators, who have hoped that warmer spring weather would help lower the number of infections in birds and curtail the virus' spread.

The H5N8 strain found in a backyard poultry flock in Indiana is concerning to them also. It is different from the H5N2 strain that has been confirmed in scores of Midwestern farms and resulted in the death or culling of nearly 30 million birds so far.

The highly pathogenic H5N8 strain had been seen only in the Pacific flyway during this outbreak. Federal and state officials have confirmed it in commercial chicken and turkey farms in California and a backyard poultry flock in Oregon. It was also found in captive falcons in Idaho and Washington, according to the USDA.

How the H5N8 virus moved eastward is not yet known.

"We’re working on the epidemiology, but the new finding of H5N8 is mostly likely due to a new introduction by waterfowl," USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service spokeswoman Joelle Hayden said in a statement.

The H5 strains in the current U.S. outbreak pose a low risk to human health, experts say, and no human infections have been identified so far.

EGGS COMPANIES HIT

The U.S. poultry and egg industry has been grappling for months with the biggest outbreak on record of avian influenza in the United States.

The economic ripple effects are starting to be felt, from baked goods companies feeling a squeeze on egg supplies to Hormel Foods Corp unit Jennie-O Turkey Store announcing a planned, temporary layoff of 233 workers at a Minnesota plant because the outbreak has reduced turkey supplies.

On Monday, shares of the largest U.S. egg supplier, Cal-Maine Foods Inc, touched a record high after theflyonthewall.com said research firm Sidoti & Co raised its price target on the stock, citing better egg pricing power following a shortage of egg-laying hens due to the outbreak.

Last week, Post Holdings Inc said that chickens at one of its third-party contractors, which accounts for about 10 percent of the company’s egg supply, had tested positive for bird flu. The company, which said it is analyzing the financial impact of the news, did not respond to requests for comment.

OUTBREAK IN INDIANA

USDA confirmed the Indiana test results on Sunday and the site in Whitley County has been quarantined.

Indiana State Board of Animal Health officials worked with the birds' owner to cull the 77-bird backyard flock before the final positive test came back from the federal laboratory, a spokeswoman told Reuters. The flock was a mix of ducks, chickens, geese and turkeys. The flock was culled on Saturday.

There have been three strains of H5 identified in North America in this outbreak.

The H5N2 strain has been reported in Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. It has also been identified on farms in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada.

The Canadian authorities also have confirmed the H5N1 strain was found in British Columbia, Canada.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/h5n8-bird-flu-strain-found-backyard-poultry-flock-165938903--sector.html
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« Reply #82 on: May 13, 2015, 04:19:22 pm »

Bird flu outbreak hits Nebraska poultry farm: USDA

The fast-spreading avian flu virus was confirmed for the first time in Nebraska, at a commercial egg-laying farm that housed a flock of 1.7 million chickens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday.

The case in Dixon County, Nebraska, brings the number of states affected by the outbreak to 16, and the U.S. tally of birds that have either died or will be killed to 32 million.

The U.S. poultry and egg industry has been grappling for months with the biggest outbreak on record of avian influenza in the United States.

Authorities do not know how the H5N2 virus reached the Nebraska farm. The property has been quarantined and the flock will be culled, USDA said.

"Unfortunately, Nebraska has joined a long list of states currently dealing with highly pathogenic avian influenza," said Greg Ibach, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

Nebraska farmers and state regulators have voiced growing concern about the virus spreading from neighboring Iowa, where more than 24 million birds from 39 farm sites have been affected.

The worries recently prompted one Nebraska landfill owner to turn down business from a poultry farm in Iowa, whose owners were seeking a place to dispose of a culled flock due to avian influenza, said Brian McManus, spokesman for the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.

"Some people from our agency met with the landfill owner. We had voiced some concerns about the hazards of transporting poultry carcasses right now, because of the risk of spreading the virus," said McManus, who declined to identify the name of the landfill. "Right now, transporting those birds is an option we discourage."

HEIGHTENED CONCERNS

The continuing spread of the highly contagious H5 virus is worrying to farmers and investigators, who have hoped that warmer spring weather would help lower the number of infections in birds and curtail the virus' spread.

But the outbreak has shown few signs of waning so far. On Monday, a strain of avian flu that had previously been found only in the Western United States cropped up in an Indiana backyard poultry flock.

The H5 strains in the current U.S. outbreak pose a low risk to human health, experts say, and no human infections have been identified so far.

There have been three strains of H5 identified in North America in this outbreak.

In addition to Nebraska, other states with the H5N2 virus are Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. The virus has also been identified on farms in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada.

The highly pathogenic H5N8 strain had been found in California, Idaho, Indiana, Oregon and Washington. The Canadian authorities also have confirmed the H5N1 strain was found in British Columbia, Canada.

http://news.yahoo.com/bird-flu-outbreak-hits-nebraska-poultry-farm-16th-204902887--sector.html
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« Reply #83 on: May 15, 2015, 07:41:20 am »

Nebraska declares state of emergency in bird flu outbreak

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts declared a state of emergency on Thursday, after federal agriculture officials confirmed a second farm site had tested positive for the rapidly spreading avian flu virus. The declaration follows earlier, similar actions by governors in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, whose states have all been hard hit by the ongoing bird flu outbreak that has led to the culling of more than 33 million birds in 16 U.S. states.   

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/14/us-health-birdflu-usa-idUSKBN0NZ29S20150514
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« Reply #84 on: May 22, 2015, 09:12:02 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/bird-flu-sweeping-us-flocks-different-past-outbreaks-194316147.html
How the Bird Flu Sweeping Through US Flocks Is Different Than Past Outbreaks
5/22/15

The ongoing outbreak of avian flu has prompted four states to declare a state of emergency and 40 million birds being either infected or culled as a result. An now, Minnesota has canceled its poultry shows at the state fair to protect its prize fowl.

But this outbreak is different from previous outbreaks, some of which have led to human infections in other parts of the globe, experts said.

There are multiple strains of the virus in the H5 family affecting birds -- nearly all of them in the H5N2 strain, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. outbreak has been devastating to farmers, with tens of millions of birds culled in an effort to head off the virus. The outbreak has already cost $1 billion in the economies of Minnesota and Iowa, which are two of the hardest hit states in the outbreak, according to the Associated Press.

The cost of a dozen eggs has also risen 58 percent, up to $1.88 in parts of the Midwest, according to the AP.

In the Far East and parts of the Middle East, bird flu has also led to fatal human infections, experts said. On the other hand, in the U.S. outbreak, no human has been reported infected with the virus in spite of the large spread of the disease across the nation.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said in previous outbreaks in Asia, where a version of the H5N1 virus wreaked havoc in the mid 2000's, people were in much closer contact with their animals than in the U.S.

The virus lacks the ability to infect human beings easily, said Schaffner, explaining that the virus cannot attach well to the cell in the throat area to infect humans. "Their attachment doesn't fit into the receptor sites of upper part respiratory tract," he said.

The problem occurs when people are in very close contact with their birds -- living cheek-by-jowl with them almost like pets. In those conditions the virus can eventually reach further into their respiratory tract, Schaffner said.

"In those intense exposures [the virus] gets deep into someone’s chest and makes someone sick," said Schaffner. "Even if it’s in that person, it does not readily spread" to other people.

A human infected with avian flu can face severe flu-like symptoms, including high fever, severe respiratory infection and pneumonia, Schaffner said, noting that the fatality rate can be extremely high -- as high as 30 to 40 percent.

While the H5N1 virus was first detected in Asia, it has recently caused an outbreak in Egypt, where 119 people were found to be infected with the virus and 30 died as a result since the beginning of this year.

A genetically different version of an H5N1 virus has recently been found in wild birds in the U.S. and is considered low risk to public health, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After the initial outbreak of H5N1 in Asia, the CDC has stockpiled some version of a human vaccine for the virus in case of a pandemic, but Schaffner said that would likely be a stop-gap measure until a better, more precise vaccine could be developed to counter whatever mutations the virus has picked up.

Another strain of avian influenza is H7N9, which also was first detected in China in 2013. In that initial outbreak, the CDC reported 132 human H7N9 infections, with 44 deaths.

Dr. Stephen Morse, an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said that the newer H7N9 virus could be a problem if it spreads from person to person more easily.

"H7N9 might be better able to get into the population and spread," said Morse, but he clarified that has not been definitively proven.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is already testing a vaccine to protect birds in the current outbreak, but Morse said that is not always the answer because of the expense and labor involved.

"You're talking about immunizing billions of animals that are going to live for six months before you send them out," to be culled, Morse noted. "It’s a big, expensive and laborious operation."
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« Reply #85 on: March 05, 2017, 06:03:20 pm »

BIRD FLU DETECTED IN CHICKEN BREEDING FACILITY IN TENNESSEE

A commercial chicken breeding facility in south-central Tennessee has been hit by a strain of bird flu, agriculture officials said Sunday.

The state Agriculture Department said in a news release that tests confirmed the presence of the H7 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, at a facility in Lincoln County. The facility alerted the state veterinarian's office on Friday about an increase in chicken deaths.

The statement did not name the facility. The facility and about 30 other poultry farms within about a six-mile radius of the site are under quarantine.

"Animal health is our top priority," said Dr. Charles Hatcher, the state veterinarian. "With this HPAI detection, we are moving quickly and aggressively to prevent the virus from spreading."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said 73,500 chickens are in the facility's flock.

Officials said HPAI poses no risk to the food supply, and no affected chickens entered the food chain.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPAI can cause up to 100 percent mortality in flocks, often within 48 hours.

"Many Tennessee families rely on the poultry industry for their livelihoods, and the state is working closely with local, county and federal partners and the poultry industry to control the situation and protect the flocks that are critical to our state's economy," Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said.

According to the Tennessee Poultry Association, there are more than 1,650 commercial broiler and breeder houses on more than 550 family farms in the state. The state ranks 13th nationally in broiler production and processing with more than 6 million birds per week at five plants.

The statement said the most recent U.S. detection of HPAI was in January 2016 in a commercial turkey flock in Indiana. More than 414,000 turkeys and chickens were euthanized to contain the outbreak.

In 2015, U.S. poultry producers, primarily in the upper Midwest, lost more than 48 million birds to bird flu. Minnesota, the country's top turkey producer, and Iowa, the top chicken-egg producer, were the hardest-hit states.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BIRD_FLU_TENNESSEE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-03-05-14-12-11
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« Reply #86 on: March 14, 2017, 09:15:46 pm »

Poultry breeder Aviagen culls U.S. flock over bird flu fears

Aviagen [EWESJA.UL], the world's leading poultry breeding company, has euthanized chickens at a farm in Alabama over concerns about bird flu, the company said on Tuesday, as likely cases of the disease emerged in a top chicken-producing state.

Alabama officials said they suspected that poultry at three sites in the state were infected with the virus, about a week after some 90,500 chickens were culled over infections at two commercial operations across the border in Tennessee.

Aviagen detected the presence of antibodies for the flu virus in a flock in Alabama that showed "no evidence of clinical disease," company spokeswoman Marla Robinson said in an email. The company is based in Alabama.

The company euthanized the flock and "all eggs which were collected from that farm in the production system were traced and removed," she said. Aviagen did not respond to a question about how many birds were killed.

Tony Frazier, Alabama's state veterinarian, said the company chose to cull about 15,000 birds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the farm had 153,000 birds.

A national USDA lab is testing samples from poultry in Alabama to identify the strain of the virus and how lethal it is for birds, after another agency-approved lab identified the H7 subtype of the disease in samples, USDA spokeswoman Lyndsay Cole said.

The birds in Alabama did not show clinical signs of sickness, which indicates they did not have a highly lethal, or pathogenic, form of the virus, Cole said.

In Tennessee, both cases were identified as H7N9. The USDA on March 5 confirmed that one was the United States' first infection of highly pathogenic flu in commercial poultry in a year. Days later, the state said it had found the other case nearby and it was low pathogenic.

Highly pathogenic bird flu led to the deaths of about 50 million birds, mostly egg-laying hens, in the United States in 2014 and 2015.

Another highly pathogenic outbreak would likely represent a financial blow for poultry operators such as Tyson Foods Inc and Pilgrim's Pride Corp because it would kill more birds or require flocks to be culled.

It also would likely trigger more import bans from trading partners, after South Korea, Japan and other countries limited imports after the highly pathogenic case in Tennessee.

Health officials have said the risk of bird flu spreading to people from poultry or making food unsafe was low.

Separately, Frazier said the owner of a backyard flock suspected of having the virus chose to cull about 70 birds. No poultry linked to the third suspected case, which involved birds at a flea market, have been culled, he said.

Frazier said the cases were still only suspected flu infections and needed to be confirmed by the USDA. Earlier, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries called a news conference to discuss what it said were three findings of avian influenza.

Alabama raised more than 1 billion chickens for meat in 2015, making it the country's third largest producer, according to the USDA.

The national USDA laboratory, to which samples from the state were sent, is the only one in the United States that officially confirms cases.

The World Organization for Animal Health requires that all confirmed low-pathogenic H5 and H7 bird flu subtypes be reported because of their potential to mutate into highly pathogenic strains. Highly pathogenic cases also must be reported.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/alabama-reports-three-cases-bird-flu-poultry-144549400--finance.html
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« Reply #87 on: June 15, 2018, 06:57:50 pm »

Terrifying new strain of bird flu that kills nearly HALF of those who contract it discovered in China amid fears of new global pandemic


‘DISEASE X’ FEARS

The newly formed virus, named H7N9, has killed over 600 people in China

A NEW strain of deadly bird flu which kills 38 per cent of those infected and could spark a global pandemic has been identified in China.

Scientists around the world believe the new pathogen, dubbed “Disease X”, could be as lethal as 1918 Spanish flu which killed up to 100million people.

 EPA
A new strain of bird flu has killed hundreds in China and could spark a worldiwde outbreak. File picture

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, told The Telegraph that virus H7N9, which is circulating poultry in China, could cause a global outbreak.

He said: “[H7N9] is an example of another virus which has proven its ability to transmit from birds to humans.

“It’s possible that it could be the cause of the next pandemic.”

In China, the deadly pathogen has killed 623 of the 1,625 people which have been infected.

 AFP - Getty
H7N9, which currently cannot be spread from person to person, could prove as deadly as Spanish flu, experts claim. File picture

How can you prevent bird flu?

The NHS reveal ways you can avoid contracting bird flu:

    avoid visiting live animal markets and poultry farms
    avoid contact with surfaces that are contaminated with bird droppings
    don’t pick up or touch birds (dead or alive)
    don’t eat or handle undercooked or raw poultry, egg or duck dishes
    don’t bring any live poultry products back to the UK, including feathers
    always practise good personal hygiene, such as washing your hands regularly

While the virus cannot yet be passed from person to person, experts believe it is only three mutations away from being able to spread from human contact.

The symptoms of H7N9 include a high fever, cough and shortness of breath which can then develop into pneumonia.

Once the disease has developed, those infected develop acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock and organ failure.

Older people, pregnant women and those with existing health problems are most at risk, according to the World Health Organization.

Bird flu can spread to people when they have direct contact with the infection.

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/2790957/terrifying-new-strain-of-bird-flu-that-kills-nearly-half-of-those-who-contract-it-discovered-in-china-amid-fears-of-new-global-pandemic/
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« Reply #88 on: August 20, 2018, 09:02:52 am »

Bird flu kills one in Vietnam

Virus H5N1 was detected in the post-mortem blood tests of the 60-year-old victim who died Thursday in Ho Chi Minh City, Xinhua reported, citing provincial health officials. In a statement, Pasteur Institute said six separate H5N1 cases have been identified in Vietnam’s south.

http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/204858/bird-flu-kills-one-in-vietnam
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