US Approves Wild Bird Avian Flu Surveillance Network
News Wise (Source: Wildlife Conservation Society)
08 June 2006

In an effort to improve the tracking of avian influenza, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded $5 million in support for a new initiative that will monitor wild bird populations for the disease around the globe, according to the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which will spearhead the project involving more than a dozen private and public partners. Called the Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance (GAINS), the initiative has also received an additional $1 million from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to continue global monitoring and surveillance efforts underway by WCS and its network of partners.

Specifically, GAINS will help provide increased capacity to: detect avian influenza, including the highly pathogenic form of the virus, in wild migratory and resident bird populations; gain information on viral strains to track changes; use that information to guide domestic and global preparedness and vaccine development; and create an open database for real-time information sharing on highly pathogenic avian influenza and other pathogens. WCS will work in tandem with USAID, the CDC, Wetlands International, Birdlife International, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and others on the initiative.

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Health Officials Fear Young Raccoon is Rabid
Hillsborough Beacon
09 June 2006
Charlie Olsen

. . . . Saturday's discovery is the second case where residents are feared to have come in contact with a rabid raccoon in recent weeks. Health officials' concerns have been heightened since an adult raccoon found on Slater Court on May 3 proved to be rabid.
Although the baby raccoon is at a rehabilitation center for orphaned animals and appears to be healthy, raccoons are able to contract a mild form of rabies, Ms. Spano said. So it's important that the woman and anyone else who handled the raccoon contact the Health Department.
The disease is transmitted by the saliva of the infected animal and can be passed either through a bite or a scratch, or contact of infected saliva with an open cut or mucous membrane.
Humans infected with the disease may not show symptoms for two to 12 weeks after being infected. Symptoms include headaches, irritability and fever, which can progress to convulsions, paralysis and death if not treated.
Only 27 people in the United States were confirmed to have contracted the disease since 1990, however, 16,000 to 39,000 receive preventative treatment each year after coming into contact with infected animals, according to the Web site, emedicinehealth.com.
According to Ms. Spano, rabies is a disease that's always present in the wildlife population. The disease can afflict any animal, from groundhogs and stray cats to dogs and bats.
There are two ways rabies manifests itself in animals: aggressive rabies and "dumb" rabies. Animals with "dumb" rabies may act lethargic, dopey and friendly, in contrast to the aggressive form where infected animals are aggressive and violent.

>>> FULL ARTICLE