December 11, 2006

Bird Flu 'Has Deadly Friends'
Reuters (Posted by www.stuff.co.nz)
09 Dec 2006
Photo courtesy of www.stuff.co.nz)

BAMAKO: Bird flu may be the tip of the iceberg. Experts meeting in Mali say the deadly H5N1 virus is just one of a plethora of diseases threatening animals and people around the world as global warming, intensive farming, increased travel and trade help dangerous microbes breed and spread.

"Avian flu is just one of many diseases that are impacting the continent (of Africa). The experts are telling us that other diseases are going to emerge or re-emerge," said Francois Le Gall, the World Bank's lead livestock specialist for Africa. "Almost every year there is a new disease appearing, and 75 per cent of these emerging or re-emerging diseases are coming from animals; 80 per cent of those have zoonotic potential," he said in an interview.








USDA Hires Help to Manage Disease Program
Government Computer News (GCN)
04 Dec 2006
Kerri Hostetler

The Agriculture Department is getting out ahead of its ever-growing user community by enhancing its system that underpins the animal disease management program. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has contracted Synergetics Inc. of Fort Collins, Colo., to develop and support its Animal Health and Surveillance Management (AHSM) disease management program. The contract is for two years with three one-year options. Synergetics will analyze, design, develop, test and deploy animal health and surveillance forms for the department.




Ebola Virus Killing Gorillas, Chimps in Congo
NPR – All Things Considered
09 Dec 2006
Elizabeth Shogren

A new study confirms that the ebola virus is causing a massive die-off of gorillas and chimpanzees in Africa. Scientists differ on whether there's anything humans can do to help their closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

In the Lossi Sanctuary in the Republic of Congo, researchers had been tracking groups of gorillas for several years. Four years ago, they started to find gorilla carcasses. And over the next four months 130 of the 143 apes disappeared.


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