Little Fish May Have Big Part in West Nile Fight
Nevada Appeal
2 May 2007
S Vasquez
Area: Nevada, USA
Douglas County Mosquito Control will be distributing a small fish, the gamusi affinis or mosquitofish, in its fight against the spread of West Nile virus. "Right now we have a small supply," said Ron Lynch of Douglas County Mosquito Control. "We're getting them from Yerington. They breed naturally there in a hot springs and they're very tough."
Used extensively throughout the world by mosquito control agencies, a single adult mosquitofish can eat up to 500 mosquito larvae a day. A member of the guppy family, the female mosquitofish are livebearers. Females grow to just over two inches in length and males are slightly smaller. Normally six to 10 fish are sufficient to stock an average-sized pond.
Deer Herd Reduced By About Half In Bovine TB Management Zone
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (Posted by Buckmasters.com)
2 May 2007
Area: Minnesota, USA
A seven-week operation designed to protect the long-term health of deer and cattle from bovine tuberculosis (TB) has resulted in 488 deer being removed from a nine-mile radius of Skime, a small community in northwestern Minnesota. The effort reduced by about half the number of deer potentially infected with bovine TB, a disease that TB has been detected in cattle herds and wild deer near Skime during the past two years.
The operation, in which the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) contracted sharpshooters from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, began Feb. 22 and ended in early April. The total number of deer removed represents 42 to 63 percent of the February population estimate. "From the standpoint of deer removal, this was a very successful effort," said Dr. Michelle Powell, DNR wildlife health program coordinator.
Rabies Case Prompts Renewed Concerns About Disease
Loudoun Times-Mirror
1 May 2007
A Bogdanovic
Area: Virginia, USA
About 20 people from at least two counties who were reportedly exposed to a rabid dog are now getting precautionary shots.
Fauquier and Loudoun health officials said the dog was taken to at least three veterinary clinics, including facilities in Bealeton, Fredericksburg and Warrenton, before it was diagnosed. Douglas Hubbard of the Loudoun County Health Department confirmed that the dog was euthanized at an animal clinic in Leesburg on or around April 10. A rabies test yielded positive results and Loudoun health officials were notified April 13, he said. They notified their counterparts in Fauquier County.
Charles Shepherd is the district manager of environmental health assigned to Fauquier County. He said his department was notified because Loudoun officials mistakenly believed the dog was from Fauquier. It was really from Culpeper, he said. Shepherd added that when a rabies test yields positive results, health officials try to notify everyone who has had contact with the animal within about 10 days of diagnosis.
China Sets Its Lawyers On Animal Disease
ThePigSite.com
24 April 2007
Area: China
As the world's largest producer of poultry, livestock and aquatic products, China has a great deal to lose from outbreaks of disease. It is estimated that animal diseases cost China 40 billion yuan annually. Now, China's top legislature is deliberating a draft amendment to the law on animal health aimed at preventing future disease epidemics. By 2008 it is hoped that local governments above the county level will have a surveillance network to monitor animal diseases, says a draft amendment, tabled at the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC).
The draft says that veterinary departments at the central and provincial levels will be obliged to issue early warnings against possible outbreaks based on thorough epidemiological study. It also demands a prompt and transparent reporting system, and says that all government agencies, businesses and individuals must report immediately any outbreaks of animal diseases to veterinary departments.
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