Experts Urge Nations to Report Flu Cases Immediately, Share Data: Flu Meeting Delegates also Call for Increased Veterinary, Human Health Services
USINFO.STATE.GOV
20 Dec 2006
Cheryl Pellerin
Delegates from more than 72 countries are calling on all nations to report influenza cases immediately and share epidemiological data and samples. The reporting and data sharing provisions are in a declaration issued December 18 after the Fourth International Conference on Avian Influenza December 6-8 in Bamako, Mali. At the ministerial and pledging conference, hosted by the African Union and Mali in conjunction with the European Union, donor governments pledged nearly $500 million to address avian influenza outbreaks that have occurred in 55 nations and to prepare for a possible human pandemic. (See related article.)
At the meeting, the United States pledged $100 million, bringing its total to $434 million for international assistance, a key component in the U.S. national strategy for dealing with pandemic influenza. “I want to pay tribute to the United States for their continued engagement on this issue,” Dr. David Nabarro, senior U.N. system coordinator for avian and human influenza, said at a December 19 briefing at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, “and … on trying to make sure that the focus on avian influenza, and in particular on the potential pandemic, is one that is maintained long term.” The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that, to date, more than 200 million domesticated birds have died or have been culled to prevent disease spread, and the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 258 human cases of avian influenza have been reported in 10 countries, with 154 deaths.
Wildlife Battling Serious Health Problems
The Journal News
21 Dec 2006
Glenn Sapir
While holiday vacations from school and the office give many people a chance for some refreshing time outdoors, some forms of wildlife in New York may not be in for a happy and healthy new year. Many animals have recently had to deal with health issues, although none of the problems has been identified in the Lower Hudson Valley. Here are some of the most common: Chronic wasting disease: This fatal disease that attacks the central nervous system of "cervids," primarily deer and elk, and to a lesser extent moose, was identified in five captive and two wild deer in Central New York in 2005. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has since tested more than 15,000 deer - including nearly 300 in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties - and none has come up positive.
Research done at Colorado State University and published in the journal Science suggests that CWD can be spread from one animal to another through their saliva, reported the Wildlife Management Institute. Though people are warned not to eat animals that have been infected with CWD, no link to human health hazards has been established, and though no cure has been discovered yet, the DEC's containment plan seems to have been effective in curtailing the spread of the disease thus far. Bird Flu: Though much more severe strains of bird flu have been identified on other continents, the DEC did announce that wild mallards tested in Western New York had tested positive for low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H5N1. The agency says that LPAI has been detected several times in wild birds in North America and poses no risk to human health.
Rising Tide of Invasive, Exotic Species
Associated Press (Posted by cnews.canoe.ca)
18 Dec 2006
Todd Lewan
In the United States and around the world, invasive species are a major cause of species endangerment and extinction, second only to habitat loss. In recent years, thousands of non-native animals and plants have entered the United States. Roughly half of the native animals and plants on the U.S. endangered list are at least partly threatened by these invaders, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Dale Hall, the agency's director, puts invasive species as the No. 1 environmental threat to the United States today.
Exotics, he says, "can push out native species, alter habitats, transmit foreign diseases and parasites, and cause food-chain disruptions." The expanding, global trade in exotic animals as pets only feeds the problem. In 2005, there were more than 210 million animals imported to the United States for zoos, exhibitions, food, research, game ranches and pets. The imports included 203 million fish, 5.1 million amphibians, nearly 1.3 million reptiles, 259,000 birds and 87,991 mammals.
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