Deadly bird flu found in Africa

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.

The march westward continues....

Now this is the beginning of the Worst Case Scenario - Birdflue in Africa.

The people of Africa were always the first to be hit by a deadly virus, like AIDS and Ebola, and a Bird Flu epidemic will just futhere devastate this continent.

To think about it, the Migratory birds are just returning from their Winter migration...

Originally posted by Souljah
Now this is the beginning of the Worst Case Scenario - Birdflue in Africa.

It may be the cauldron this virus needs.... This is getting very worrisome...

New Scientist has this story on the cases in Africa. Very informative, plus it sheds some light on how migrating birds have probably been spreading this disease.

Tao:

It took me a while to read your link....

HOLY COW!!!

From your source:

“We are facing a serious international crisis,” said Samuel Jutzi, head of animal health at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome, Italy. He is pleading for any further die-offs of poultry in the region to be reported immediately.

The World Animal Health Organization (OIE) in Paris, France, reported on Wednesday that 40,000 poultry, mainly laying hens, have died since 10 January at a commercial farm near Igabi in Kaduna state, a small town 150 kilometres south of the northern city of Kano. The owners initially tried antibiotics.

But the cause has now been confirmed as highly pathogenic H5N1 by the OIE’s collaborating centre for bird flu in Padua, Italy. Moreover, it is the same strain that appeared in wild birds at Qinghai Lake in China in spring 2005, and has since travelled across Siberia to Turkey and the Black Sea.

From another source today:

Spread of bird flu confirmed in Africa

In an outbreak that began on Jan. 10, more than 40,000 chickens have died at a commercial laying farm in Kaduna State in northern Nigeria, according to the report. A UN laboratory in Padua, Italy, confirmed late Tuesday that the culprit was H5N1.

Perhaps equally alarming, UN veterinary officials said Wednesday that they were investigating similar rumors of bird deaths in a number of other African countries.

[edit on 10-2-2006 by loam]

Is it summer in this part of Africa? Southern hemisphere? I ask because I wonder how well the bird flu travels in the summer months compared to the winter.