Ethiopia Probes Possible Bird Flu

[Corals]

Ethiopia probes possible bird flu

Tests are being carried out by health officials in Ethiopia on hundreds of dead pigeons for possible bird flu.

Agriculture ministry official Seleshi Zewdie said the dead birds had been discovered in the eastern Somali region and near the capital, Addis Ababa.

Mr Seleshi said test results were expected next week.

He said reports of the dead pigeons over the past two weeks showed that the early warning system established by the government was working.

There have been no confirmed cases of bird flu in Africa, but Ethiopia and other east African countries are considered at risk as millions of migratory birds fly there during the European winter.

"We have to investigate, we cannot exclude bird flu until the investigations are completed," he told the AFP news agency.

"We are on alert because of the risk of bird flu."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...ca/4492668.stm
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If the birds are confirmed to have the H5N1 strain, then most likely that would mean that the strain is being carried by migratory birds.

[Corals]

Deadly bird flu found in Africa

The deadly strain of bird flu has been found in poultry in northern Nigeria, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has said in statement.

The Paris-based organisation said this was the first time the disease had been detected in Africa.

The body said it was the "highly pathogenic" strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus, which can kill humans.

It was detected on a farm in the northern state of Kaduna, where a team of experts have been sent.

Authorities there said they had taken measures to stamp out the outbreak by disinfecting the affected premises, imposing a quarantine and putting restrictions on animal movements.

It is not clear if the case on a commercial chicken farm in Jaji, near the city of Kaduna, has any relation to the deaths of thousands of chickens in neighbouring Kano state.

Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture say they are still investigating whether the poultry there died of a more common avian disease.

Emergency meeting

The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says an outbreak of bird flu could have devastating consequences in Nigeria where millions of people rear chickens as a basic source of income.

The dead birds are being sent to market to be sold as meat. It's a health hazard

The OIE said that an Italian laboratory for avian flu had detected the strain from samples from the infected farm which had some 46,000 birds.

"We are really not dealing with a backyard operation," OIE expert Alex Thiermann told Associated Press news agency.

Farmers in Kano are preparing to hold an emergency meeting. Read More
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4692916.stm

[saraphen]

Some people don't believe that it's moving this way.

[MadameX]

Originally Posted by blackvoter

This so called epidemic sure is selective in the areas that it shows up, most of them are countries with large ethnic populations.

Hmmm, that's what makes things sound suspect. But then again, anything is possible these days.

[Gorilla]

Nigeria just confirmed a case of bird flu and their plans for culling.
Its spreading pretty rapidly.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4696878.stm

[saraphen]

Originally Posted by Ankhesenamun

And if migratory birds have brought it to Africa from Europe, why hasn't it appeared in Europe? A very selective disease indeed.

It has shown up in Turkey:

Second Turkish Teen Dies From Bird Flu

[MadameX]

Originally Posted by Ankhesenamun

And if migratory birds have brought it to Africa from Europe, why hasn't it appeared in Europe?

This is indeed interesting. What does this all mean? Something does sound suspect but again anything as said before is possible.

[Corals]

Despite illnesses, Nigeria ignores bird flu standards

February 13, 2006

BY DANIEL BALINT-KURTI

LAGOS, Nigeria -- Nigeria ignored international recommendations for stopping bird flu, keeping poultry markets open on Sunday and letting people move their birds around most of the country unrestricted.

Officials were awaiting word on whether the virus already had infected people in Africa's most populous nation. Test results were pending on two sick children near a farm where the H5N1 strain was first detected among poultry. Their families also were being tested.

Tope Ajakaiye, a spokesman for Nigeria's Agriculture Ministry, said there were no plans to close poultry markets or restrict the trade or movement of poultry as recommended by international organizations.

"We don't want to cause a situation where there will be much panic or alarm," Ajakaiye said.

Health authorities worry the virus may have already spread undetected elsewhere in Africa.

Indonesia said Sunday the World Health Organization had confirmed that two women there had died from the H5N1 bird flu strain. The two deaths are expected to bring Indonesia's official human death toll from the virus to 18.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-bird13.html
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Why am I not surprised, because the country breeds on corruption right from the top.

[Gorilla]

The BBC put together a nice map that shows the outbreaks with the birds, human cases and migration patterns all on one space. I did the same out of curiousity but theres is much better.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/h...map/html/1.stm

[Corals]

Originally Posted by Ankhesenamun

Don't be so quick to judgement sweety. I find it very interesting that the flu even made it to the middle of the continent on it's own all the way from Turkey or Europe or China, whichever it came from. Now it conveniently ends up in an Afrikan country that is already known for less than savory affairs. On top of that it looks as if the people are deliberately being stupid because they don't want to cause a panic? Doesn't make sense. The fact that the story got into the press means that the people there already know about it. But yet it appears they are continuing to be stupid and turn their backs on a world killer. And because of this stupidity the disease looks to be spreading to other Afrikan countries which means that from here another deadly virus will now find it's way out of Afrika and maybe into the rest of the world.

Perhaps I just have a suspicious mind, but I pay very close attention to my gut instincts and this whole scenario rings of setup to me.

I'm don't think I'm being quick to pass judgement. If you look at Nigeria's history up to the modern day, you will see the corruption even if you have your eyes closed.

What country would ignore international recommendations to stop the spread bird flu, by keeping the markets open and let the stock move freely without any restrictions when they know this would escalate the problem further.

The disease has already spread across most of Europe and it was predicted a long time ago that it would hit Africa due to the migratory route in which the birds take.

I don't think this is a set up, maybe it is just your suspicious mind. :)