1. Subj: HK to slaughter 4,700 chickens to curb bird flu

2. Subj: HK won't rule out more bird slaughter to curb flu

3. Subj: Hong Kong Reports Bird Flu Outbreak

4. Subj: HK continues poultry slaughter to stop flu spread

5. Subj: Hong Kong Tries To Stop Avian Flu

6. Subj: Hong Kong Slaughters Birds

7. Pig, human viruses triggered 1918 flu pandemic - researchers find

8. Dutch farmers say Bayer vaccine caused sick cows

At least see last 3 articles at bottom. -- Remember geese, quail, pigeons and other birds  fly the world! -- They have no boarders or boundaries that they must respect. So in their broadened flights, they mingle with all other flocks and herds of  game and livestock - which you then, unconscious of the infectious diseases transmitted to you and your family thereby, do cut and handle without gloves, then dangerously prepare and consume!

HK to slaughter 4,700 chickens to curb bird flu

HONG KONG, May 16 (Reuters) - Hong Kong said on Wednesday it would slaughter some 4,700 chickens in three markets to prevent the spread of an outbreak of a bird flu strain....
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Hong Kong culls birds to limit new bird 'flu
 

By Chee-may Chow

HONG KONG, May 16 (Reuters) - Hong Kong said on Wednesday it has slaughtered 6,608 birds to prevent a repeat of the 1997 outbreak of the deadly "bird 'flu."

Secretary for the Environment and Food Lily Yam told a news conference the cull was prompted by reports that 797 chickens had died of avian flu at three markets in the last 24 hours.

"I have to reiterate that there is no cause for public concern at this stage. This is a precautionary measure," Yam said.

In 1997, the government took the drastic step of killing its entire bird population of 1.4 million in an effort to rid itself of the "bird flu," which killed six people in an outbreak that stirred international concern and had a far-reaching impact.

Chicken dishes went off the menu for a few weeks; tourists put off visits.

On Wednesday, Yam was quick to allay fears, saying chances were slim the present strain would be passed on to humans because gene tests had shown it was different from the 1997 virus.

"There is no evidence these viruses would affect humans," she said.

The government had decided to slaughter every bird at markets where the virus was detected in a bid to eliminate the strain and keep it from mutating into forms harmful to humans, Yam said.

The virus was first discovered in a routine test in early May, the government said.

Authorities have yet to trace the source of the virus but have promised to pay for slaughtering and compensate the owners of 37 poultry stalls affected.

10:00 05-16-01
Copyright 2001 Reuters Limited.  All rights reserved.  Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.  Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.  All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

HK won't rule out more bird slaughter to curb flu

HONG KONG, May 17 (Reuters) - Hong Kong said on Thursday it would not rule out a further slaughter of birds to prevent a repeat of the 1997 outbreak of the deadly "bird flu" after culling of more than 7,000 chickens on Wednesday....

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HK won't rule out more bird slaughter to curb flu
 

HONG KONG, May 17 (Reuters) - Hong Kong said on Thursday it would not rule out a further slaughter of birds to prevent a repeat of the 1997 outbreak of the deadly "bird flu" after culling of more than 7,000 chickens on Wednesday.

The move was a smaller repeat of the government's drastic step of killing almost all of its 1.4 million poultry population in a bid to rid itself of the "bird flu" in 1997, which killed six people.

"The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department killed all the chickens in three affected markets yesterday, and the total number exceeded 7,000," Secretary for the Environment and Food, Lily Yam, told reporters on Thursday.

The cull was prompted by reports that 797 chickens had died of avian flu at the three markets within 24 hours earlier this week, although the government has said the strain is unlikely to be passed on to humans and is different from the 1997 virus.

Yam said the government had decided to kill every bird at markets where the virus had been found to eliminate the strain and to stop it from mutating into forms that could cause harm to humans.

On Thursday, Yam said a fourth market had reported an abnormally high number of chicken deaths in the last 24 hours but the cause had yet to be established.

Samples had been taken for post-mortem in the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department's laboratory, she added.

The 1997 outbreak of bird flu in Hong Kong drew widespread international concern and had a far-reaching impact, both economically and socially, on the territory.

Chicken dishes were off the menu for some weeks and tourists put off visits.

09:45 05-17-01
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Hong Kong Reports Bird Flu Outbreak

HONG KONG (AP) - A new outbreak of bird flu spooked consumers and devastated poultry sales Thursday - and food safety officials who shut three markets were investigating the deaths of 70 chickens at another....

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Hong Kong Reports Bird Flu Outbreak

.c The Associated Press
 

HONG KONG (AP) - A new outbreak of bird flu spooked consumers and devastated poultry sales Thursday - and food safety officials who shut three markets were investigating the deaths of 70 chickens at another.

Chicken stall owners said business slumped by half or more since authorities announced Wednesday they discovered a new strain of the H5N1 avian virus similar to the bird flu that killed six people and sickened others in 1997.

There was no immediate evidence people were affected by the latest outbreak, the government said, but the story is dominating media reports.

Many consumers lost their appetite for poultry and according to government reports, wholesale prices have dropped by nearly 20 percent compared to Wednesday. The day's leftover stock of unsold birds has jumped threefold to 19,000 from 5,000 on Wednesday.

``We've been hard hit,'' sighed chicken dealer Cheung Yim-king.

Many Hong Kong families prefer to buy their poultry live in the markets, where the chickens are packed into cages and wait to be slaughtered, so customers can take them home still warm.

Another chicken seller, who only gave his surname as Chung, lamented that business has dropped by about 80 percent for him.

The government said it acted quickly after 797 birds were apparently killed by the flu. Officials culled more than 7,000 live birds Wednesday after it found that chickens in three local markets contracted the new strain of the H5N1 avian influenza. The three markets remain closed.

Secretary for the Environment and Food Lily Yam told an evening news conference that 70 dead chickens were discovered in another market and lab workers were trying to see what had killed them.

Officials expected answers on Friday, Yam said, and they would determine then whether to cull more chickens or close the market.

Hong Kong was terrified during the 1997 outbreak in which the deadly H5N1 virus crossed over from birds to humans - and officials slaughtered all 1.4 million chickens in the territory. Critics accused the government of responding too slowly - in what became one of Hong Kong's biggest crises after it reverted from British to Chinese sovereignty.

This time, the government insisted it has acted quickly and wisely.

Yam had said earlier that samples taken from sick chickens did not contain the H5N1 strain that infected humans in 1997. Lam said the chickens were killed as a precaution.

AP-NY-05-17-01 1020EDT

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.  All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

4. Subj: HK continues poultry slaughter to stop flu spread
Date: 5/18/01 8:57:32 PM Mountain Daylight Time
From: AOL News
 

HK continues poultry slaughter to stop flu spread
 

HONG KONG, May 19 (Reuters) - Hong Kong continues to kill all of its 1.2 million live poultry on Saturday to halt the spread of an avian bird flu. The government effort was designed to stop the strain from mixing with other viruses which may harm humans.

Hong Kong television reported on Saturday morning that 50 government staffers dressed in white lab coats and caps were sent to slaughter over 40,000 poultry in a wholesale market.

Witnesses said the operation in Hong Kong's Kowloon district is expected to last until at least Saturday afternoon, and the birds would be put to death inside large rubbish containers, then bagged for dumping in landfills.

The Hong Kong government said it already slaughtered 24,809 poultry on Friday in 92 stalls in the territory to prevent the spread of the H5N1 virus.

The poultry trade is expected to receive compensation totalling HK$80 million (US$10.26 million) from the government as a result of the ongoing effort to slaughter all poultry in Hong Kong.

China denied responsibility for the bird flu outbreak but said it would help prevent the disease spreading. The source of the latest flu strain in Hong Kong has yet to be traced. The virus was first discovered during a routine test in early May.

But in neighboring Macau, the H5N1 virus has been detected in two samples taken from geese imported from mainland China, the Macau Government Information Bureau said early on Saturday.

A spokesman for the Macau bureau said in a statement released shortly after midnight that the virus had been detected during a routine inspection by the Macau Health Bureau of local poultry markets on Friday.

He added that the virus was different from the one found in Hong Kong in 1997, which could be transmitted to humans.

Nevertheless, Macau would also slaughter its 20,000 poultry on Saturday, and ban poultry imports from the mainland for one week.

Hong Kong's Secretary for the Environment and Food, Lily Yam on Friday stressed the virus would not affect humans, and that the latest avian flu outbreak was different from a deadly strain that struck in late 1997 and early 1998.

This is the second time in less than four years that Hong Kong has killed all its poultry. In 1997, the government slaughtered 1.4 million birds when a different avian flu virus, which killed six people, swept the territory on the south China coast.

Hong Kong residents consume around 100,000 fresh chickens a day, more than 70 percent of which come from mainland China.

A Hong Kong flu in 1968 killed some 46,500 people worldwide and a 1918 pandemic cost 45 million lives around the world.

The avian flu outbreak in Hong Kong this week is the latest in a series of health fears over animal diseases around the world.

The spread of mad cow disease in Europe has also prompted international concern over the safety of eating beef and lamb.

22:56 05-18-01
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5. Subj: Hong Kong Tries To Stop Avian Flu
Date: 5/19/01 3:14:17 AM Mountain Daylight Time
From: AOL News

By HELEN LUK
.c The Associated Press
 

HONG KONG (AP) - Safety workers packed live chickens, quail and pigeons into trash cans and gassed them Saturday, part of a plan to eradicate Hong Kong's avian flu outbreak by slaughtering 1.2 million birds at markets and farms.

Unlike a 1997 bird flu outbreak that killed six people in Hong Kong, the disease has not affected humans, but officials say the full-scale slaughter is necessary precaution.

``Our urgent task now is to destroy all chickens and clean the markets,'' Secretary for Environment and Food Lily Yam said after inspecting a market. ``But for the next step, we'll review all our prevention and monitoring measures.''

Other Asian countries have taken measures to ban or guard against poultry from Hong Kong, where hundreds of birds have died of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza this week.

Authorities in nearby Macau also started slaughtering poultry and suspended imports from mainland China after cases of avian flu was detected.

The Japanese government banned poultry imports from Hong Kong on Friday, although Japan has not imported any poultry from the Chinese territory since last year. The Philippines followed suit Saturday with a ban on Hong Kong chickens and other birds.

Taiwan has stepped up its screening of travelers from Hong Kong and asked chicken farmers to put up nets over their farms to prevent migrant birds from spreading the flu virus.

In Hong Kong, 50 food safety workers in white gowns, masks and gloves used carbon dioxide to suffocate 43,500 fowl at the main wholesale market Saturday morning. The carcasses were packed into plastic bags and taken to a dump.

``It is a speedy method for mass culling,'' said Charles Au, an agricultural official in charge of the slaughter at the market.

Market stalls selling poultry will be shut for the slaughter, disinfection and safety testing. Yam said she expected the slaughter to take six weeks and cost more than $10 million.

Poultry wholesalers criticized the government for not consulting them on the decision to slaughter all poultry at markets and complained of inadequate compensation. The operators of each market stall selling poultry will get about $5,100.

``This is going to break our rice bowls. The compensation is not enough,'' said poultry dealers' spokesman Chan Yu-yuk.

In addition to those in the wholesale market, government slaughterers were also killing live poultry Saturday in 64 of Hong Kong's retail markets.

Hong Kong authorities also plan to slaughter all mature birds on farms in the next two weeks as a precaution. No avian flu cases have been detected on farms.

With poultry imports from mainland China banned and market stalls closed, the supply of live poultry - a popular food for many in Hong Kong - will be cut off for the coming weeks.

Many residents prefer to buy their poultry at markets where they are kept in cages and slaughtered on the spot for the customer in the interest of freshness.

But the tradition is threatened by two bird-flu outbreaks recent years. In 1997, officials slaughtered 1.4 million chickens in Hong Kong after the virus killed six people.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa said Saturday that Hong Kong must come up with a long-term solution to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.

AP-NY-05-19-01 0702EDT

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.  All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. 

Subj: Hong Kong Slaughters Birds
Date: 5/30/01 12:02:22 PM Mountain Daylight Time
From: AOL News

Hong Kong Slaughters Birds

.c The Associated Press
 

HONG KONG (AP) - The Hong Kong government said Wednesday it has completed a massive slaughter to stop an outbreak of avian influenza, culling more than 1 million birds.

Food safety workers destroyed 755,000 chickens, 117,000 pigeons and 79,000 quail from 223 poultry farms in the last 10 days, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said.

Earlier, officials killed 306,000 birds in the retail and wholesale poultry markets.

The bird flu outbreak detected in mid-May has not harmed humans. Still, the Hong Kong government swiftly mounted a full-scale effort to eradicate the virus from local markets and farms as a precaution.

The cost of the operation has not yet been calculated.

Residents were terrified during the first avian flu outbreak in 1997 when the virus crossed over to humans, killing six and sickening many, forcing the government to slaughter 1.4 million poultry.

This month's cull angered poultry workers and dealers who say the government has shattered their livelihoods without providing enough compensation.

The legislature has not yet given the government approval to compensate owners of the birds killed.

After the government announced the bird flu scare two weeks ago, some Asian countries, including South Korea, the Philippines and Japan, banned chicken imports from Hong Kong.

AP-NY-05-30-01 1401EDT

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Pig, human viruses triggered 1918 flu pandemic - researchers find

By Will Dunham

 
WASHINGTON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - The genetic union of pig and human influenza viruses triggered one of the most deadly disease outbreaks in human history, the 1918 "Spanish" flu pandemic, according to researchers who warned that another flu outbreak is inevitable.

In a study appearing in the journal Science on Thursday, scientists at the Australian National University in Canberra said a key gene in the virus responsible for the 1918 pandemic was a hybrid created by the joining together of genetic sequences of pig and human influenza viruses.

This "recombination" may account for the severity of the outbreak, the researchers said.

The pandemic, whose outbreak came just as World War One was drawing to a close, killed more than 20 million people as it spread around the globe in 1918 and 1919.

Understanding the cause of past flu outbreaks is vital in the quest to recognize threatening future outbreaks, said lead researcher Mark Gibbs.

"Another pandemic is inevitable," Gibbs told Reuters. "They are triggered by changes in the virus, and the virus will change again. ... There were major pandemics in the 1890s, 1918, 1957 and 1968, and some scientists say that we are due for another one."

The study was one of two concerning influenza appearing in Science. In the second, researchers led by Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin studied a more-recent deadly influenza outbreak, the 1997 Hong Kong "chicken" flu. The outbreak killed six out of the 18 people it infected.

Influenza infects humans, pigs, some birds, horses and seals. The Hong Kong outbreak was the first documented case of an influenza virus jumping directly from chickens to people. Public health authorities responded by ordering the slaughter of more than 1 million live poultry to prevent further spread.

Using laboratory mice, Kawaoka's team showed that a tiny change in one of the virus's 10 genes can make certain strains especially virulent.

"Because the influenza virus constantly mutates, and because only a few changes can make a non-pathogenic virus highly pathogenic, we should assume that an outbreak of any new strain or sub-type is potentially dangerous to humans," Kawaoka said.

MEDICAL DETECTIVES

The virus from the 1918 "Spanish" flu was not preserved at the time of the outbreak and long was believed to have been lost to science. But American scientists in 1997 recovered some of its genetic material from a female victim whose body was buried in permafrost in Alaska and from samples taken in 1918 from two U.S. soldiers who died in the pandemic.

These scientists reconstructed part of the genetic data of the virus and compared it to other strains of influenza virus. But this analysis failed to reveal what triggered the pandemic and what made it so bad.

Gibbs and colleagues John Armstrong and Adrian Gibbs found that one of the genes of the virus actually was a hybrid that was produced by recombination of parts of the genes of two strains of influenza that were circulating just before the pandemic. Mark Gibbs said the gene was constructed from these parts while the viruses were replicating.

The researchers said changes in this particular gene can make the virus unrecognizable to the immune system -- which the body uses to fight off disease -- and can ratchet up the virulence of the virus.

Gibbs said strains of influenza sometimes are transmitted between pigs and people.

He said the recombination took place when a host -- one of those pigs or people -- became infected with both strains at the same time. The two viruses met up in some of the cells of the host and then the mixture occurred as "a kind of replication error," he added.

The 1918 flu killed about one in 40 of the people it infected. Current influenza strains kill about one in 25,000 people infected.

"We need to know why some influenzas are much more virulent than others because this might help in medical treatment, in the control of the virus through anti-viral drugs or help us to recognize threatening new outbreaks," Gibbs said.

18:16 09-06-01
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Dutch farmers say Bayer vaccine caused sick cows

 
AMSTERDAM, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Dutch farmers said on Friday they had new evidence to support a claim that the deaths of thousands of cows in 1999 may have been caused by a bovine flu vaccine made by Germany's Bayer AG.

The farmers filed suit against Bayer in The Hague district court last December after Bayer rejected a claim that could run into several hundred millions of guilders in compensation.

Farmers allege that the vaccine was contamined with BVD (bovine virus diarrhoea).

Dutch animal health institute ID-Lelystad found that even tiny levels of contamination in vaccines can cause problems, said Jan Cees Vogelaar, chairman of Dutch farmers foundation IBR/BVD.

"This is a big breakthrough because until now Bayer has claimed there was no evidence that a small amount of virus in a vaccine could cause illness in cattle. This research shows that even a small amount can cause problems in cattle," Vogelaar told Reuters.

The institute estimated that about 17 percent of cows treated with the vaccine in 1999 could have fallen ill and died. Some 660,000 units of the vaccine were used in the Netherlands, Vogelaar said.

Both sides have been submitting their written arguments this year and the judge is due to make an initial pronouncement in December, Vogelaar said.

The judge is not expected to issue a ruling, but to appoint an independent expert panel to advise him, he added.

A Bayer spokesman reiterated his company's position that the vaccine was not to blame.

"There are numerous independent studies that say there is no connection between the illness and the vaccine, and we stick to our opinion that there is no connection," he said, adding that there were no grounds to seek an out-of-court settlement.

The IBR/BVD foundation, set up in 1999 to represent affected farmers, has not specified an amount in its claim, but Vogelaar said he expected damages to run into the hundreds of millions of guilders.

Bayer already faces a spate of lawsuits following the recall of its Baycol anti-cholesterol drug on August 8, giving rise to speculation the company will have to meet hefty compensation claims, especially in the United States.

07:23 09-07-01
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