TB or not TB?
Pembrokeshiretv.com
29 Sep 2006
Photo courtesy of Pembrokeshiretv.com
The NFU have accused the Assembly of “dragging their feet” over moves to combat the “problem” of TB in badgers in Wales, but the extent of the problem is being debated by badger groups.
A recent meeting of the Environment, Planning and Countryside Committee raveled that a Badgers Found Dead survey estimated that 12% of badgers in Wales are infected with TB. NFU president Dai Davies believes the Assembly should move more quickly to combat the incidence of the disease.
"If there was a contagious disease present in the human population at an average rate of 12% I cannot imagine that the Minister for Health would be relaxed about the situation and the general public would be demanding action,” he said. "NFU Cymru is deeply disappointed that the genotyping work to correlate the incidence of disease in badgers to that in cattle will not be released until January 2007. This smacks at feet dragging and the timetable must be expedited," he said.
Animal Officials Prepare to Combat Bird Flu, Just in Case
The Boston Globe (Posted by boston.com)
28 Sep 2006
Carolyn Y. Johnson
As avian influenza continues to spread around the globe, local preparations for a possible flu pandemic have focused on how to provide medical care for people. But there has also been a quiet, growing effort to organize the animal inspectors, wildlife officials, and veterinarians who are likely first responders if birds carry the virus to the region first.
Wildlife officials began rounding up Canada geese and other migratory birds this summer at area cemeteries, parks, golf courses, beaches, and neighborhoods, and tested them for the deadly H5N1 strain of influenza. Although all such tests have been negative, the New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth will hold a full-day seminar in November to foster discussion among those on the front line who may be called on to pick up sick or dead birds, which can infect people. Meanwhile, at least one town has provided its animal inspector with an emergency response kit, complete with a protective Tyvek suit.
``I'm almost sure that research centers are going to detect avian flu," probably long before the public comes into contact with it, said Gregory Mertz , executive director of the wildlife center. ``We're trying to create an educational base with probably the people who are going to be the most susceptible -- the animal control officers, the rehabilitators, and the members of the public who are sensitive and caring when they see things happening in their yards," he said.
FWP Adopts Chronic Wasting Management Plan
missoulian.com
29 Sep 2006
Perry Backus
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is preparing for the inevitable arrival of chronic wasting disease - an always fatal brain disease in deer and elk. The mysterious disease has been detected in Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, as well as in Saskatchewan and Alberta. In some cases, diseased animals have been found within 100 miles of Montana's borders. So far, it's not been found in the state's wild herds.
“We know it will likely show up here sometime,” said Tim Feldner, FWP's chronic wasting disease plan coordinator. “The fact that it hasn't so far has given us the opportunity to complete a plan that will be our roadmap for the actions we'll take when it does.”
The department recently adopted a management plan that offers both preventive measures as well as specific actions the state will take once CWD arrives. For instance, if the disease is found in the state, the plan calls for capturing and radio collaring 50 animals from the same area where the animal was harvested. Biologists will take a sample of the animals' tonsil, which will then be tested for the presence of CWD, Feldner said.
Analysis: Hunters Don't Kill More Than They Need
The Associated Press (Posted by Portage Daily Register)
29 Sep 2006
An analysis of hunter attitudes indicates many haven't bought into the state's key tactic of fighting chronic wasting disease by drastically reducing the deer herd where the fatal brain illness has been found. The Department of Natural Resources has been pursuing that strategy in the four years since CWD was first discovered in wild deer in the Mount Horeb area. But despite longer hunting seasons and liberalized bag limits, DNR figures show little change in the deer population.
The new analysis of nine studies done over four years indicates most hunters are uncomfortable with the idea of killing more deer than they need, and nearly half disagreed with the idea that hunters should put up with low deer numbers to help wipe out CWD.
The analysis was presented to scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison this week, along with discussion questions asking if it isn't time to modify the DNR's deer population goals, consider other strategies or change the emphasis from such things as "deer eradication" to messages of creating a "healthy deer herd" and providing "future quality hunts."
Plague Case Makes Four for County
The Durango Herald
29 Sep 2006
Chuck Slothower
A 49-year-old woman has been diagnosed with plague, the fourth case in La Plata County this year, health officials announced Monday. The four cases - all caused by fleas brought in by family pets, health officials suspect - equal an annual record for the entire state. Nationally, 10 to 15 cases of plague occur in humans every year. New Mexico has already seen seven this year, resulting in two deaths.
The most recent case struck in the Grandview area, said Joe Fowler, regional epidemiologist for Southwest Colorado. Bubonic plague is the most common form of the disease in humans. It begins two to six days after the bite of an infected flea or contact with an infected rodent or cat. Typical symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, severe headaches, extreme exhaustion, vomiting and a general feeling of illness.
Thirteen rodents and cats in Southwest Colorado have tested positive for plague this year. Cats become infected from flea bites or by direct contact with infected rodents. Plague-infected cats generally have a history of roaming freely in rural areas, the San Juan Basin Health Department said in a news release.
Kansas Wildlife Officials Testing Birds for Avian Flu
The Assoicated Press (Posted by KansasCity.com)
28 Sep 2006
As birds begin their annual migration south, state and federal inspectors will be walking into marshes and ponds throughout Kansas to try and find any trace of the avian flu. Helen Hands, a wildlife biologist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, is one of many inspectors in states working in to monitor migratory birds this fall for the virulent H5N1 strain of the bird flu.
Hands and Marvin Kraft, waterfowl program coordinator for the parks department, will test 750 birds between August and December, using a $75,000 federal grant. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service will test about 800 birds across the state. "I've tested about 200 so far, so we're a little ways into it," Hands said. "But the bulk will come up next month when we are in the peak of the waterfowl season."
Hands, who sends samples to the University of Nebraska for analysis, said nothing has been found so far in Kansas. U.S. officials are trying to determine if the migratory birds are potential carriers of avian flu. Migratory patterns bring some birds from Asia, where the deadly strain has been found, close to waterfowl that migrate across the United States, Kraft said. The outbreak in Asia has killed more than 100 people and millions of poultry.
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