Turkey and Romania: Why so long for results?

OK, so for a few days now I've heard that there may be a new case of H5N1 in Romania and Turkey. I'm a little confused here as to why it is taking so long for them to figure out if this is, in fact, the H5N1 strain. I can see a few possibilities:

1. Culturing/identifying might take a long time even with round-the-clock work
2. The scientists not hurrying to culture and identify the virus
3. They already know it is H5N1 and want to have "all their ducks in a row" (pardon the pun) before they release information

Also, there was some news (heard just after I posted, www.mirror.co.uk...) that the initial tests for H5N1 were negative in Romania.

Later, I heard news from another group that there might be additional outbreaks of this mysterious disease in the Danube area of Romania.

Just sounds... really wierd at this point. I have a feeling that Europe's going to panic if they say that they found H5N1.

[edit on 10-10-2005 by Toxic Fox]

logically it is already known it is H5N1, but I guess the analysis is not just a "mix this solution, and if it turns pink then it is H5N1" kind of analysis, they have to wait for the virus to reproduce in lab environment, if I am not wrong.

Im sure you know that both Danube and Manyas are National Parks, Bird Heavens for migrating birds. so that is the reason why further cases of bird flu could be seen here. as of today 8000 birds have been killed in the 7 km radius of the case in Manyas (not the ones migrating to the Park but the livestock). the cause was obviously free circulation of the livestock, where they rotutinely was being freed to fields for Animal Wellfare. but they are not that well now afterall are they, with the reason they are all dead.

and there is no way to stop the spread of the bird flu unless you are planning to wipe the birds from face of the earth starting with wiping the national parks of birds. and h5N1 is not transmissable from human to human yet. so all the nightmare scenarious are ffor when the virus mutates. yet it didnt mutate for 2 years. the danger is when a human (a bird handler most possibly) eventually gets the virus and at the same time gets the usual human flu virus, there is a possibility of the virus to be mutated which is what the WHO etc. is warning about.

currently the situation is lots more grave for the birds (wild and livestock) than it is for humans.

even if you install webs above the cities, no one can escape the power of the deadly droppings.

edit: not to forget the case in Manyas is oficially confirmed as being H5N1 after analysis. yet romania has to send the samples to UK to get an analysis, or the UK scientists with equipment has to go to Romania which seems is the case.

[edit on 10-10-2005 by xu]

I'm not sure how reliable this is. Last I heard, UK was sending scientists to Romania to test for H5N1.

10 October 2005

TESTS FOR BIRD FLU 'NEGATIVE' IN ROMANIA

Mirror.co.uk
www.mirror.co.uk...

FEARS that a deadly bird flu strain had spread to Romania
may be wrong.

Experts believed H5N1, the strain behind 65 deaths in
Asia, had entered Europe for the first time after three
ducks died.


If it had, it could have mutated to cause a flu pandemic.

But initial tests for avian flu viruses were "negative",
the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
said.

Debby Reynolds, chief veterinary officer, added that an EU
team would fly to Romania today to carry out more tests.

She also confirmed a bird flu strain may have been found
in Turkey, and added the UK and EU were ready to take
"swift action to reduce any chance of the disease
spreading".

Defra said earlier no samples had yet been sent to Britain
from Romania for testing.

-A BOY of four has tested positive for bird flu in
Indonesia. If findings are confirmed, it will be the sixth
case in the country where the virus has already killed
three.

[edit on 10-10-2005 by SourGrapes]

Well in todays news they are saying that it was confirmed but are waiting on confirmation of the particular strain of virus it is.
Newsday article

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- The slaughter of thousands of domestic fowl in Turkey and Romania began Sunday as a precaution against the spread of bird flu after both countries confirmed their first cases of the disease over the weekend.

It has not been determined in either country that the disease is the same H5N1 strain that has swept through poultry populations in Asia since 2003, infecting humans and killing at least 60 people.

now this is interesting to me

Other fowl -- including pigeons -- and stray dogs in the village would also be killed as a precaution, said Nihat Pakdil, undersecretary of Turkey's Agriculture Ministry

Killing dogs?? So do we have to worry about the dog flu that is here in NY already the news has been saying that was a flu that was originally a horse flu (H3N8) that jumped to dogs but researchers are concerned because such a rapid jump into a new species is rare; the flu usually evolves into new strains more gradually.

I knew that Bird flu had gone to pigs and I think it was a tiger in the zoo but does this indicate that they are concerned it has made another jump to dogs? And is there a closer connection to the horse flu than they were thinking originally?

Originally posted by justme1640
I knew that Bird flu had gone to pigs and I think it was a tiger in the zoo but does this indicate that they are concerned it has made another jump to dogs? And is there a closer connection to the horse flu than they were thinking originally?

I believe that two (2) tigers in a zoo in Thailand (2003) were fed infected chickens and they then spread it to the others. They died. H5N1 has been 100% lethal in both chickens and felines.

Found the link...

\www.cdc.gov...='tigers%20%20H5N1'

Now for something else to worry about...

Interestingly, in the US there have been several outbreaks of H3N2 in turkeys throughout the country. Dual infections of turkeys with H5N1 and H3N2 would be a cause for concern, because H5N1 could acquire the human receptor binding domain of H3 and create a H5N1 which is more able to efficiently transmitted human to human.


[edit on 10-10-2005 by gman55]

[edit on 10-10-2005 by gman55]

[edit on 10-10-2005 by gman55]