Sun, 16 Oct 2005

H5N1 Moves Into Europe

EU ChickenTwo posts below from the morning news aggregator run: Romania and Turkey now have confirmed cases, and Bulgaria is looking... and almost assuredly will find the bug there, too.

The hype surrounding the potential of the virus to jump species and cause a human pandemic is getting incredible: there's at least one story a day in nearly every major news outlet quoting some "expert" as to how unprepared we are. But the question nobody's asking is "What if it doesn't jump species and begin to spread in the human population?"

We'll all breath a collective sigh of relief and go on about our day, no doubt. At least until breakfast. Or until we go to the market. Because it's still a disaster: the poultry industry in affected countries will be devastated. This virus has a nearly 100% mortality rate in birds, and governments will begin flock culls almost immediately to prevent it's spread. Do you have any idea how much poultry you eat? And I'm not just talking about your Chicken Cordon Bleu, Peking Duck or McChicken sandwich here: don't forget the eggs! Here's a hint: think about all the pastries, breads, puddings and other baked good requiring "liquid chicken".

From the standpoint of a poultry producer, I'm feeling pretty helpless right now ...

EU Commission says Turkey bird flu is deadly type

Reuters - A strain of bird flu found in Turkey has been identified as the same deadly type that hit Asia, the European Commission said on Thursday, as fears rose of the virus spreading into Europe.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

Bird flu confirmed in Romania

Tests have confirmed the presence of bird flu in Romania, but there is no evidence yet the strain poses a threat to humans.

(link) [BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition]

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