BIRD FLU HITS ITALYToday's Mack Attack is aimed at the World Health Organization and US Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, who are sitting on their collective hands as the next worldwide pandemic sweeps across the planet at an alarming rate. As of yesterday, the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 (bird flu) is now officially in Western Europe. For those of you who haven't been keeping score, the migration of H5N1 into Western Europe has happened way ahead of all projected estimates. Infections are now a matter of record in Asia, the Middle East, Turkey, Africa and last but not least... Italy. The progression of this grim reaper on the wing has gained momentum with a vengeance. This thing will be knocking at the back doors of our US addresses in no time. According to Italian health minister Francesco Storace, H5N1 was found in two dead swans in Sicily on Saturday (yesterday). He said the strain is suspected in at least half-a-dozen birds elsewhere in the south of Italy. Storace tried to calm fears by saying that, so far, no one had caught the virus directly from wild birds. He said all the human cases so far have been contracted from domestic poultry. Storace said: "We are relatively unworried as regards human health but there are reasons for concern for animal health." Last I checked, humans were animals. We should all be worried. When migratory birds return from all the infected areas in the spring, we'll all be in the same petrie dish.
posted by G. Mackster @ 12:28 AM
2 Comments:
Well, thank you, MM3.
According to the UK Pandemic plan (available with a google search, but I recommend an Adivan and a stiff drink before you read it), the UK has said that a 100% quarantine would only delay the entry of the virus into the country a maximum of 6-8 weeks. The wild bird migration is why.
There are several questions I have yet to hear anyone address:
Agriculture: If a bird species beneficial (in human terms) for destroying pest insects experiences a high level of infection and death, there will be impacts on crop yields. In sub-Saharan Africa, there simply aren't the surpluses to deal with crop failure. And if you don't think starvation can destabilize nations, I refer you to Marie Antoinette.
Public Health: Beyond the obvious of human infection with H5N1, if birds which consume mosquitoes are decimated, there are going be increased rates of mosquito borne illnesses such as malaria.
Other Birds/Animals: Raptor populations might be impacted if H5N1 weakened birds are more easily captured and eaten, and the virus transmitted to the raptors and the scavengers which eat the carcasses.
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