| Killer bird flu in Africa |
An unusually deadly strain of bird flu, never before seen in Africa, has been killing poultry in Nigeria, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported on Monday. The FAO says that although the source of the outbreak remains a mystery, the most likely reason for its spread is illegal transportation of poultry rather than contact with infected migrating wild birds.
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| Posted By Caroline Lewis on 15/08/2008 ( Reads : 1610 ) | Comments (0) | Bird Flu |
| Bird flu tests average almost six a day |
| Almost six birds are tested for avian flu every day on average in Northern Ireland, according to new government figures. The statistics show the mounting level of concern at the possibility of an outbreak. Scientists from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development carried out 2,141 tests on wild birds and poultry in the past year. The results came back negative in all cases but the figures show the extent of anxiety about a potential bird flu pandemic hitting the north's poultry industry. The tests peaked last November, with 856 samples taken in that one month alone.
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 08/03/2007 ( Reads : 1795 ) | Comments (0) | Bird Flu |
| 4,000 Ulster hens gassed to death in bird flu dry run |
| The Government has destroyed 4,000 chickens in a dummy run of its plans for curbing the spread of bird flu in Ulster. The hens, which had reached the end of their laying life, were destroyed near Cookstown by Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) staff testing a gas-based method of killing the birds.
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 27/07/2006 ( Reads : 1876 ) | Comments (0) | Bird Flu |
| Fire crews told not to deal with bird flu outbreaks |
| Fire service crews throughout the State will be instructed not to co-operate with plans to deal with an outbreak of bird flu, it has emerged. Brian Murray, chairman of the National Firefighters Committee, told The Irish Times yesterday that the strategy to deal with an outbreak drawn up be the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Environment would put firefighters' lives at risk. // Read More // | |
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| Posted By the editors on 02/05/2006 ( Reads : 1874 ) | Comments (0) | Bird Flu |
| Officials fail to halt bird smugglers |
| A GOVERNMENT inquiry has been launched into an illegal bird-smuggling racket that has exposed serious flaws in Ireland's defences against avian flu. A Sunday Times investigation has revealed that a consignment of exotic birds was brought illegally into Rosslare harbour on Good Friday and sold to dealers in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Limerick and Portlaoise, even though officials had detailed knowledge of the plans in advance. Up to 30 of the birds died in transit and were dumped in plastic bags in the midlands. // Read More // | |
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| Posted By the editors on 25/04/2006 ( Reads : 1958 ) | Comments (0) | Bird Flu |
| Bird Flu Stories - & New Scientist |
| Ireland will cull to stop bird flu
IRELAND will not vaccinate poultry against bird flu, Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan said yesterday.
Instead the country's fowl population will be culled and any suspect or infected flocks killed, she said. // Read More // | |
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| Posted By the editors on 19/10/2005 ( Reads : 1924 ) | Comments (0) | Bird Flu |
