- Jan 27, 2011
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For those of us on the west coast, I wanted to post some info on the recent surge in bird flu being experienced over in Japan and the Koreas. Doesn't seem to be carried by our media, probably because it is not affecting humans much this time. But the number of birds being culled is enormous (heartbreaking!) and they're suspecting the cold snaps have driven infectious migratory fowl more south than usual. There is a site that monitors flu in general - www.newfluwiki2.com - and they clip news accounts from around the world; that's how I found out.
This is not to panic over -- it's just something to be aware of, if you are on the West coast and/or in the path of asian migratory birds. Here are some of the details:
Since December 31, South Korea has culled 5.45 million birds at nearly 250 farms. Last month South Korea raised its alert against bird flu.....
The Miyazaki Prefectural Government (Japan) started culling 30,000 chickens Sunday at a poultry farm in the town of Kadogawa where its 10th case of bird flu this winter has been detected.
In the town of Tsuno, meanwhile, the prefecture completed destroying some 88,000 chickens the same day at another poultry farm....
A wave of extremely cold weather this winter is a suspected factor behind the ongoing spread of avian flu in Japan, according to ornithologists.
Flocks of migratory birds infected with an avian flu virus may have arrived in parts of the nation after advancing farther south than in an average year, instead of wintering on the Korean Peninsula. Their arrival may have been an attempt to avoid a wave of cold weather in continental Asia that has intensified since the beginning of this year, experts said.
"The spread (of avian flu) may have become even greater as a result of these birds arriving in this nation after migrating through such highly virus-dense areas as Siberia, China and Mongolia," Hiroyoshi Higuchi, a professor of ornithology at the University of Tokyo, said.
The highly virulent H5N1 avian flu has spread nationwide. Cases of bird flu infection have been found in nine prefectures, including those that have come to light in four prefectures since early this year.
I find it interesting (disturbing) that none of the Japanese media mention totals culled -- even though they go into great detail about numbers of officials working on it, etc. -- but I've been following this and each "individual" cull is huge.
South Korea is also grappling with its worst outbreak of foot-and-mouth -- but luckily cattle don't fly!
This is not to panic over -- it's just something to be aware of, if you are on the West coast and/or in the path of asian migratory birds. Here are some of the details:
Since December 31, South Korea has culled 5.45 million birds at nearly 250 farms. Last month South Korea raised its alert against bird flu.....
The Miyazaki Prefectural Government (Japan) started culling 30,000 chickens Sunday at a poultry farm in the town of Kadogawa where its 10th case of bird flu this winter has been detected.
In the town of Tsuno, meanwhile, the prefecture completed destroying some 88,000 chickens the same day at another poultry farm....
A wave of extremely cold weather this winter is a suspected factor behind the ongoing spread of avian flu in Japan, according to ornithologists.
Flocks of migratory birds infected with an avian flu virus may have arrived in parts of the nation after advancing farther south than in an average year, instead of wintering on the Korean Peninsula. Their arrival may have been an attempt to avoid a wave of cold weather in continental Asia that has intensified since the beginning of this year, experts said.
"The spread (of avian flu) may have become even greater as a result of these birds arriving in this nation after migrating through such highly virus-dense areas as Siberia, China and Mongolia," Hiroyoshi Higuchi, a professor of ornithology at the University of Tokyo, said.
The highly virulent H5N1 avian flu has spread nationwide. Cases of bird flu infection have been found in nine prefectures, including those that have come to light in four prefectures since early this year.
I find it interesting (disturbing) that none of the Japanese media mention totals culled -- even though they go into great detail about numbers of officials working on it, etc. -- but I've been following this and each "individual" cull is huge.
South Korea is also grappling with its worst outbreak of foot-and-mouth -- but luckily cattle don't fly!
