US Testing for Bird Flu in Alaska
VOA News
30 June 2006
Brian Padden
They face no passport controls or border police. They come unchecked by the thousands, and because they do, authorities in the United States fear they could be a potentially lethal threat. They are migratory birds that wing their way from Asia to the Americas, the feared source of a possible continental pandemic. So far there have been no confirmed cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu in North America and U.S. health officials want to keep it that way. In a new effort to prevent the disease from reaching America's shores, the U.S. government has started testing wild birds in Alaska. VOA's Brian Padden was there and has this exclusive broadcast report.
The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge is a remote and desolate region of the Alaskan tundra. It is here that wild birds from both Asia and America come to feed and nest during the summer months. Scientists fear these nesting grounds might just be the gateway through which a deadly strain of avian flu enters the Americas.
So it is here that biologists such as Chris Nicoli have been dispatched to catch and test birds for avian flu. He is participating in a U.S. government-sponsored early warning detection program that will test more than 15,000 birds in Alaska this summer. The Brant Goose is one of the prime suspects being targeted for testing. An area near the Tutakote River is a nesting ground for Brant Geese and Eider ducks, two of the 27 species being tested throughout the state.
Bob Leddy is coordinating the avian flu early warning surveillance program for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska."The virus itself is often passed through water and where birds mingle in water,” Leddy said. “The species we're looking for here in the Tutakote field camp are primarily Brant, Common Eider and Spectacle Eider. These birds were chosen because they have regular known contact with Asia and may bring the disease back here."
West Nile Still Active in State, Official Says
Associated Press (Posted by greenbaypressgazette.com)
30 June 2006
Robert Imire
WAUSAU — Birds infected with the mosquito-borne West Nile virus have been found in 17 counties so far this summer, six counties fewer than last year's total, suggesting the disease remains active in the state, a state health official says. No people have tested positive for the virus yet, but that is not unusual given it's early in the summer, said Mark Sotir, a West Nile expert for the Department of Health and Family Services in Madison.
"We do assume that there is potential risk throughout the state," he said. "This is a virus that is probably going to be with us a long time. People should take precautions against the mosquitoes."
For campers at Peninsula State Park in tourist-happy Door County, there will be plenty of unwelcome guests — mosquitoes — for the first time in years. And at above-average levels, says park manager Tom Blackwood.
"In the past several years, we have had almost no mosquitoes at all. So suddenly we are getting back to reality again, the way things are supposed to be in the Northwoods," he said. "If you are in the wrong area at the wrong time, you definitely are going to know there are mosquitoes around."
The Pueblo Chieften
29 June 2006
Margie Wood
Tularemia is sweeping through the rabbit population in Pueblo West, and may be traveling to the area near Pueblo Memorial Airport, according to the City-County Health Department.
Heather Maio and Emmet Hance of the environmental health division spoke about the problem to the Pueblo West Metropolitan District board Tuesday night and reported to the health board on Wednesday.
The disease, also called rabbit fever, has caused widespread dead rabbits in all parts of Pueblo West, Maio said. It is spread most often by ticks and biting flies, although a person could be infected by handling a dead rabbit's carcass. No human cases have been reported from the outbreak so far.
Maio said the best thing people can do is keep their pets and children from handling sick or dead rabbits. If a dead rabbit is found on your property, dispose of it either in the outdoor trash (using a shovel, rubber gloves and a bag) or by burying it where it is found.
Cat Tests Positive for Bubonic Plague
Associated Press (Posted by azcentral.com)
28 June 2006
FLAGSTAFF - A cat in the northern Arizona community of Winona has tested positive for bubonic plague.
The Coconino County Health Department said fleas collected from prairie dog burrows about two miles away from the home where the cat lives also tested positive for plague. Winona is about 12 miles east of Flagstaff, along Intersate 40.
The area is the only location in Coconino County where plague has been confirmed this year, although officials believe the disease may be more widespread.
There have been no human plague cases reported in Arizona in 2006. Plague is curable with antibiotics if diagnosed and treated early.
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