T
Too_Many_Tools
Guest
It seems to be everywhere else...
The Government wouldn't lie to us...would they?
Their poster child George Bush has always been believable.....
TMT
H5N1 bird flu virus confirmed in England By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated
Press Writer
21 minutes ago
Britain confirmed its first outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu in a
domestic flock on Saturday, saying the virus has been detected on a
farm owned by Europe's largest turkey producer where 2,500 turkeys
died.
As a precaution all 159,000 turkeys will be slaughtered on the farm in
Holton in Suffolk, about 130 miles northeast of London, said Britain's
Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg. He said he expects the
outbreak to be contained.
Television news footage showed piles of slaughtered birds being
funneled into an open tractor trailer before being taken away for
incineration.
Landeg said the virus was detected in only one of 22 turkey sheds on
the farm, which is owned by Bernard Matthews PLC.
Workers have been offered antiviral drugs and are wearing protective
clothing, said Health Protection Agency virologist Maria Zambon. She
added that the virus does not transmit easily to humans and has not
been found to be transmitted through food.
Experts stressed the situation did not pose a public health threat.
The is the first instance of H5N1 in Britain since a wild swan in
Scotland was found to have the virus in March. Turkeys and chickens
are more susceptible to H5N1 than wild birds, who can carry the
disease over long distances without showing symptoms.
"This virus is going to be in bird populations for years to come and
the way in which we'll deal with it is by implementing the well-
rehearsed plan to stamp it out at source," Dr. David Nabarro, the U.N.
influenza coordinator, told British Broadcasting Corp. television.
Bird flu has killed or prompted the culling of millions of birds
worldwide since late 2003 when it first began ravaging Asian poultry
stocks. It has killed at least 164 people worldwide, but remains
difficult for humans to catch. Experts fear it could mutate into a
form that spreads easily among people, potentially sparking a global
pandemic. So far, most human cases have been traced to contact with
infected birds.
===
Lethal bird flu hits Britain, consumers told it's 'safe to eat' by
Andrew Stuart
14 minutes ago
Britain recorded its first outbreak of potentially lethal H5N1 bird
flu in poultry, but authorities said the threat was contained and
farmers insisted it was still "safe to eat".
Police threw a tight cordon around the turkey farm in Holton, Suffolk,
eastern England, after tests revealed the presence of the strain which
has killed more than 160 people globally since 2003.
"Samples from the infected establishment were immediately sent to the
Community Reference Laboratory in Weybridge, which has this morning
swiftly confirmed the disease to be the H5N1 strain of avian
influenza," the European Commission said in a statement.
Further tests are under way to find out whether it is the more
virulent Asian strain of H5N1, which has killed more people than the
strain which appeared in the European Union last year.
Downing Street's COBRA crisis committee met twice Saturday to discuss
the official response, a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair's
office told AFP, although he could not confirm whether ministers were
present.
The strain was detected at a factory farm run by Europe's biggest
turkey producer, Bernard Matthews, which also has subsidiaries in
Germany, Hungary and New Zealand.
The farm is in the heart of England's chicken and turkey-rearing
region and now faces having to slaughter 160,000 birds to contain the
virus.
It is not yet clear how H5N1 infected the animals, which are kept in
warehouses.
But Fred Landeg, Britain's deputy chief veterinary officer, told a
press conference that he believed it had been carried by a wild bird
and was a "recent introduction".
"No birds have left the premises and no product has left the premises
so the disease on that basis has been contained," he said, adding that
all birds on the site were about 56 days old.
He said that there were "no plans" to vaccinate birds and described
the risk to members of the public as "negligible".
Professor John Oxford, a virologist at London's Queen Mary's School of
Medicine and Dentistry, told the BBC that the "most likely"
explanation for the outbreak was that a small bird had come in through
a ventilation shaft.
News of the outbreak prompted Norway to issue restrictions on poultry
-- the animals must now be kept away from wild birds and gatherings,
shows and markets have been banned.
And officials are evaluating the level of risk faced by France in the
wake of the announcement.
In a statement, Bernard Matthews reassured customers that it had
strong biosecurity measures in place.
"While Bernard Matthews can confirm that there has been a case of H5N1
avian influenza at its Holton site, it is important to stress that
none of the affected birds have entered the food chain and there is no
risk to consumers," it said.
Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union, told BBC
television that shoppers could continue buying poultry.
"There's enormous concern, both for the whole farming community, the
producers of poultry in the United Kingdom, and making sure we get the
message about how well this will be managed and controlled," he said.
"We're encouraging all farmers to be incredibly vigilant, look at
their flocks carefully.
"We do need to reassure consumers, however, that this is not an issue
about safety of poultry. It's completely safe to eat."
A three-kilometre (1.8-mile) protection zone and 10-kilometre
surveillance zone have been thrown around the farm, while strict
movement controls are in place and farmers are being told to keep
poultry indoors.
Police have cordoned off the farm itself and, at the gates of the meat
factory next door, officials were disinfecting vehicles as they moved
on and off the site.
Britain's environment ministry said it was set to impose further
restrictions, adding it was banning bird shows and pigeon racing
nationwide following the outbreak.
Government vets were called to the farm earlier this week after the
death of more than 2,000 turkeys.
In March 2006, a swan found in Cellardyke, on the east Scotland coast,
became the first wild bird in Britain to be found to have the H5N1
variant of the virus.
======
Japan confirms deadly bird flu outbreak Sat Feb 3, 1:41 AM ET
Japanese authorities on Saturday confirmed the country's fourth
outbreak of the virulent H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus at a
poultry farm in the country's south.
About two dozen chickens were found dead at the farm in Shintomi,
southwestern Miyazaki state, last month. The birds had been infected
with the H5N1 strain deadly to humans, the Agricultural Ministry said
Saturday.
The case marks Japan's fourth H5N1 outbreak incident this year and the
third to hit poultry farms in Miyazaki, Japan's largest chicken-
producing region.
Officials began slaughtering the approximately 93,000 chickens at the
Shintomi farm earlier this week.
The farm also has been quarantined, and chicken ranchers within a six-
mile radius are banned from transporting poultry or eggs out of the
area while officials check that the infection has not spread.
The H5N1 virus has killed or prompted the slaughter of millions of
birds across Asia since late 2003, and caused the deaths of at least
164 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Japan has confirmed only one human H5N1 infection, and no human
deaths.
Bird flu remains hard for humans to catch, but international experts
fear it may mutate into a form that could spread easily between humans
and potentially kill millions around the world.
The Government wouldn't lie to us...would they?
Their poster child George Bush has always been believable.....
TMT
H5N1 bird flu virus confirmed in England By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated
Press Writer
21 minutes ago
Britain confirmed its first outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu in a
domestic flock on Saturday, saying the virus has been detected on a
farm owned by Europe's largest turkey producer where 2,500 turkeys
died.
As a precaution all 159,000 turkeys will be slaughtered on the farm in
Holton in Suffolk, about 130 miles northeast of London, said Britain's
Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg. He said he expects the
outbreak to be contained.
Television news footage showed piles of slaughtered birds being
funneled into an open tractor trailer before being taken away for
incineration.
Landeg said the virus was detected in only one of 22 turkey sheds on
the farm, which is owned by Bernard Matthews PLC.
Workers have been offered antiviral drugs and are wearing protective
clothing, said Health Protection Agency virologist Maria Zambon. She
added that the virus does not transmit easily to humans and has not
been found to be transmitted through food.
Experts stressed the situation did not pose a public health threat.
The is the first instance of H5N1 in Britain since a wild swan in
Scotland was found to have the virus in March. Turkeys and chickens
are more susceptible to H5N1 than wild birds, who can carry the
disease over long distances without showing symptoms.
"This virus is going to be in bird populations for years to come and
the way in which we'll deal with it is by implementing the well-
rehearsed plan to stamp it out at source," Dr. David Nabarro, the U.N.
influenza coordinator, told British Broadcasting Corp. television.
Bird flu has killed or prompted the culling of millions of birds
worldwide since late 2003 when it first began ravaging Asian poultry
stocks. It has killed at least 164 people worldwide, but remains
difficult for humans to catch. Experts fear it could mutate into a
form that spreads easily among people, potentially sparking a global
pandemic. So far, most human cases have been traced to contact with
infected birds.
===
Lethal bird flu hits Britain, consumers told it's 'safe to eat' by
Andrew Stuart
14 minutes ago
Britain recorded its first outbreak of potentially lethal H5N1 bird
flu in poultry, but authorities said the threat was contained and
farmers insisted it was still "safe to eat".
Police threw a tight cordon around the turkey farm in Holton, Suffolk,
eastern England, after tests revealed the presence of the strain which
has killed more than 160 people globally since 2003.
"Samples from the infected establishment were immediately sent to the
Community Reference Laboratory in Weybridge, which has this morning
swiftly confirmed the disease to be the H5N1 strain of avian
influenza," the European Commission said in a statement.
Further tests are under way to find out whether it is the more
virulent Asian strain of H5N1, which has killed more people than the
strain which appeared in the European Union last year.
Downing Street's COBRA crisis committee met twice Saturday to discuss
the official response, a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair's
office told AFP, although he could not confirm whether ministers were
present.
The strain was detected at a factory farm run by Europe's biggest
turkey producer, Bernard Matthews, which also has subsidiaries in
Germany, Hungary and New Zealand.
The farm is in the heart of England's chicken and turkey-rearing
region and now faces having to slaughter 160,000 birds to contain the
virus.
It is not yet clear how H5N1 infected the animals, which are kept in
warehouses.
But Fred Landeg, Britain's deputy chief veterinary officer, told a
press conference that he believed it had been carried by a wild bird
and was a "recent introduction".
"No birds have left the premises and no product has left the premises
so the disease on that basis has been contained," he said, adding that
all birds on the site were about 56 days old.
He said that there were "no plans" to vaccinate birds and described
the risk to members of the public as "negligible".
Professor John Oxford, a virologist at London's Queen Mary's School of
Medicine and Dentistry, told the BBC that the "most likely"
explanation for the outbreak was that a small bird had come in through
a ventilation shaft.
News of the outbreak prompted Norway to issue restrictions on poultry
-- the animals must now be kept away from wild birds and gatherings,
shows and markets have been banned.
And officials are evaluating the level of risk faced by France in the
wake of the announcement.
In a statement, Bernard Matthews reassured customers that it had
strong biosecurity measures in place.
"While Bernard Matthews can confirm that there has been a case of H5N1
avian influenza at its Holton site, it is important to stress that
none of the affected birds have entered the food chain and there is no
risk to consumers," it said.
Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union, told BBC
television that shoppers could continue buying poultry.
"There's enormous concern, both for the whole farming community, the
producers of poultry in the United Kingdom, and making sure we get the
message about how well this will be managed and controlled," he said.
"We're encouraging all farmers to be incredibly vigilant, look at
their flocks carefully.
"We do need to reassure consumers, however, that this is not an issue
about safety of poultry. It's completely safe to eat."
A three-kilometre (1.8-mile) protection zone and 10-kilometre
surveillance zone have been thrown around the farm, while strict
movement controls are in place and farmers are being told to keep
poultry indoors.
Police have cordoned off the farm itself and, at the gates of the meat
factory next door, officials were disinfecting vehicles as they moved
on and off the site.
Britain's environment ministry said it was set to impose further
restrictions, adding it was banning bird shows and pigeon racing
nationwide following the outbreak.
Government vets were called to the farm earlier this week after the
death of more than 2,000 turkeys.
In March 2006, a swan found in Cellardyke, on the east Scotland coast,
became the first wild bird in Britain to be found to have the H5N1
variant of the virus.
======
Japan confirms deadly bird flu outbreak Sat Feb 3, 1:41 AM ET
Japanese authorities on Saturday confirmed the country's fourth
outbreak of the virulent H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus at a
poultry farm in the country's south.
About two dozen chickens were found dead at the farm in Shintomi,
southwestern Miyazaki state, last month. The birds had been infected
with the H5N1 strain deadly to humans, the Agricultural Ministry said
Saturday.
The case marks Japan's fourth H5N1 outbreak incident this year and the
third to hit poultry farms in Miyazaki, Japan's largest chicken-
producing region.
Officials began slaughtering the approximately 93,000 chickens at the
Shintomi farm earlier this week.
The farm also has been quarantined, and chicken ranchers within a six-
mile radius are banned from transporting poultry or eggs out of the
area while officials check that the infection has not spread.
The H5N1 virus has killed or prompted the slaughter of millions of
birds across Asia since late 2003, and caused the deaths of at least
164 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Japan has confirmed only one human H5N1 infection, and no human
deaths.
Bird flu remains hard for humans to catch, but international experts
fear it may mutate into a form that could spread easily between humans
and potentially kill millions around the world.
