Flamingo deaths spark bird flu probe in Bahamas

[Maddy McCall]

NASSAU, Bahamas, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Health experts were dispatched on Tuesday to the southern Bahamas island of Inagua to find out if an unexplained spate of bird deaths was linked to a deadly bird flu virus that is spreading around the globe.

Over the past two days, 15 of the island's famed flamingos, five roseate spoonbills and one cormorant have been found dead with no external injuries on the island just north of Haiti, officials said.

Scientists from the Bahamas Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Health will gather samples from the birds and then submit them for laboratory analysis.

"Anything is possible in nature. You have birds that fly around the world," said Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Leslie Miller, declining to rule out the H5N1 bird flu strain that has killed at least 93 people and spread to 20 new countries in the past month alone.

"But let's hope to God that that is not the case here in the Bahamas," Miller said.


More at: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28360478.htm

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[mike_c]

1. reserving judgement until more facts emerge....

That would be very bad indeed. I THINK it's unlikely-- there've been no new world cases yet, and the Bahamas is an unlikely place for it to show up for the first time in the new world, but anything's possible. I still think it's unlikely.

on edit: my money's on a Bering Sea crossing if via natural migration. All bets are off if via anthropogenic introduction.

[Maddy McCall]

2. I just don't think that there's any chance that the US will miss this...

bullet.

This might not be bird flu, but it could be.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

14. No, the US won't miss this bullet I don't think

All we can hope for is that it either doesn't make the jump to human to human transmission, or if it does it's reduced down to a manageable flu virus by then.

I'm doubting this is going to turn out to be what killed these birds, but it is possible considering world travel by humans.

[pitohui]

20. there has always been bird flu in the new world

but, hell, don't let basic facts get in the way of a good panic

it could be west nile or another encephalitis, could be bird flu of one strain or another, could be a lot of things

so effin what?

if we put it on the news every time a poultry farm was de-populated by usda for avian flu or other poultry diseases there would be nothing else in the news, not even kidnappings and murders of pregnant blonde teen-age socialites

[fasttense]

3. Saw on CNN that wild and domestic cats were catching the bird flu

They are not sure if the bird flu is also killing the cats. Some are dead but they aren't sure of the cause of death. I'm glad my cats are house cats and can't get at birds. There were tigers that were spreading the flu between themselves. No person has been known to catch bird flu from cats.

Great, can't eat fish because of mercury. Can't eat beef because of Mad Cow disease. Now I'm worried about chickens and the bird flu. That only leaves pork.

[mike_c]

4. most flu jumps to humans via pigs....

Sorry, I couldn't help it....

[pitohui]

21. how soon they forget swine flu hysteria

everything old is new again

bird flu is the new swine flu!

just hope they don't paralyze too many college students w. bogus vaccines during this round of the hysteria

[noonwitch]

5. Eat alaskan fish, or fish from "fish farms"

Alaskan fish doesn't have the same mercury risk. Fish raised in a privately stocked pond are raised mercury free.

As far as poultry goes, just cook it thoroughly and it should be okay. I don't think that same technique gets Mad Cow disease out of beef, however. From what I understand, the prions can't be killed.

Personally, I'm not going to live in fear of what could happen. I like the occasional steak or prime rib. I like ice cream and dairy products (my favorite food group!).

[Maddy McCall]

9. Yes, this was suspected a couple of years ago.

:scared:

[SaveElmer]

15. One cat...

It was found in one cat in Germany!

[fasttense]

16. No the crawl on CNN said tigers had it and were passing it between them.

It was just a crawl so I didn't catch the country it was in.

[SaveElmer]

22. That was a couple years ago...

In Thailand I believe. A couple of tigers in a zoo contracted it.

[meganmonkey]

6. Totally O/T, but I LOVE your avatar!

:)

I was lucky enough to win an authentic Zulu coconut from kliljdahl in the Mardi Gras auction here several months ago to raise $$$ for the DUers affected by Katrina.

It seems to have an extra glow this week :)

[Maddy McCall]

11. COOL!

I hope you're displaying it proudly.

Thanks for recognizing that my avatar is a Zulu coconut. I don't think most people know what it is.

:hi: :hug:

[RebelOne]

7. That's scary. It's too close to home. n/t

[Maddy McCall]

12. Yes. If confirmed, these will be the first cases in the Americas

:scared:

[Maddy McCall]

8. UPDATE: Preliminary report expected tonight; results by week's end.

Bird flu scare at Inagua
By LEDEDRA MARCHE

Senior FN Reporter

[e-mail]


Health experts sent to Inagua to investigate the mysterious deaths of several birds on that southern island are expected to have the birds transported to New Providence for further testing.

According to Reuters, the international news agency, the unexplained deaths of 15 of Inagua's famed flamingos, five roseate spoonbills and one cormorant, had sparked a probe to find out whether the deaths were linked to the deadly bird flu virus.

The birds were reportedly found over the past two days and had no external injuries, according to the Reuters report.

Setting the record straight on the actual number of birds which have died, Inagua officials say eight birds were found, including flamingos and spoonbills.

Officials yesterday said a preliminary report could be completed as early as this evening.

But, reports say there was no immediate indication that the birds were infected with bird flu, which experts may determine initially by sight.

Scientists from The Bahamas Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Health will send samples to a laboratory abroad if necessary.

It is expected that testing should be completed within a week.

More at: http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/national_local/302826062146135.php

[barb162]

10. this flu is spreading like wildfire

damn

[Maddy McCall]

13. YEs. It seems that once it spread from the East...

it's just traveled like crazy--quickly and more widespread.

:scared:

[RebelOne]

17. UPDATE: Birds Didn't Die of Flu

Bahamas Officials: Birds Didn't Die of Flu

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- The deaths of wild birds on an island in the Bahamas appear to be unrelated to bird flu, officials said Thursday. A preliminary report from experts dispatched to the island of Great Inagua to investigate the death of flamingos and other migratory birds this week stated there were fewer dead birds than first thought and that they did not seem to have died of bird flu, the national park director said. "The experts have reported that they have seen no sign of bird flu, and no new deaths of flamingos or any other species," said Eric Carey, director of parks and science for the Bahamas National Trust. Authorities previously reported 15 West Indies flamingos, five roseate spoon bills and a cormorant had been found dead, but experts found only five dead birds on the island, Agriculture Minister Leslie Miller said. Great Inagua has about 60,000 West Indies flamingos, the world's largest breeding colony of this bird, which migrates through the Caribbean.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BAHAMAS_BIRD_DEATHS?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-03-02-18-21-55

[OKthatsIT]

18. Warming oceans pose more threat than bird flu

Again...all migratory animals are in trouble due to the Earth's elecromagnetic fields shifting.

The other issue is the death of plankton due to warming oceans. Plankton is #1 in the aquatic food chain. No plankton, no fish, no birds, no whales, etc.

This mysterious 'die off' has also been reported on the west coast...except it's been much worse there.

[pitohui]

23. botulism

there was a link a few yrs ago between introduced tilapia (the fish) in warm waters which carried botulism which was eaten by pelicans resulting in the death of many thousands of the pelicans

truly there are many causes of diseases and death among the 9,000-plus species of birds, just as there are probably thousands of communicable diseases that can be caught by humans

to just find a few birds and assume bird flu is fairly ninny-fied in my opinion

i agree global climate change and the spread of introduced species and organisms is by far the bigger threat than one kind of bird flu that just happens to be grabbing all the publicity at the moment

[pitohui]

19. avian encephalitis

i'll bet dollars to doughnuts

[Mojorabbit]

24. Not so fast

4th March
UK To Test Birds

On the same day that Ministry of Agriculture officials were announcing that their final investigations had confirmed that there is no bird flu in The Bahamas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said a lab in the United Kingdom will be testing samples taken from 10 dead birds found on Inagua.

PAHO said its country office in Nassau was assisting government officials with arrangeemnts for testing of the specimens by a World Organization for Animal Health reference laboratory in the UK.

PAHO said it provided information on how to collect, handle, and ship international diagnostic materials and has made contact with the lab, the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge, England, which has agreed to test the samples.
http://www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=7890
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It might well be neg but over the past year almost every country has denied they had it at first. Just saying...