April 19, 2006

Wyo. Game department finds more Brucellosis on Feedgrounds
billingsgazette.com
18 April 2006
The Associated Press

JACKSON -- A survey by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department suggests that 14 percent of the elk wintering on the National Elk Refuge near Jackson have been exposed to brucellosis, a far higher rate than in areas where the state doesn't feed elk during the winter.

The department drew samples from elk shot by hunters last fall. While 14 percent of the elk on the refuge and in Grand Teton National Park showed exposure to brucellosis, the agency said surveys in southwest Wyoming, where elk aren't fed, showed a rate of exposure lower than 1 percent.

The survey also tested bison killed by hunters in Jackson Hole. It found 66 percent of the animals were positive for exposure to the disease, compared to a five-year average of 60 percent.




Role of Migratory Birds in the Spread of Avian Influenza Amongst Bird Populations in the European Union
News-Medical.net
18 April 2006

European Food Safety Authority - EFSA has published a scientific statement on the role of migratory birds in the spread of avian influenza amongst bird populations in the European Union.

The Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has adopted a scientific statement on the role of migratory birds in the spread of the H5N1 form of avian influenza (AI) amongst domestic and wild bird populations in the European Union (EU). The scientific statement confirms that some species of wild birds are carrying the disease, lists those birds most likely to expose domestic poultry to H5N1 and identifies free range and backyard flocks and poultry holdings near wetlands as being most at risk. It also makes a series of recommendations on how to reduce the probability of H5N1 spreading to domestic poultry.

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