More info on Avian Influenza H5N1 - this time in non-migratory birds.



> AVIAN INFLUENZA, POULTRY VS MIGRATORY BIRDS (36)
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> A ProMED-mail post
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> International Society for Infectious Diseases
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> Date: 26 Oct 2006
> From: Mary Marshall <tropical.forestry at btinternet.com>
> Source: Reuters [edited]
> <http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK216435.htm>
>
>
> Chinese scientists report bird flu in sparrows [2004]
> -----------------------------------------------
> Chinese scientists said they had found the H5N1 bird flu virus in
> sparrows 2 years ago, the 1st time it has been detected in
> non-migratory birds in China, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday
> [26 Oct 2006]. Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in the
> central province of Hubei, found the virus in sparrows' excrement
> following an outbreak of bird flu in a county in neighboring Henan
> province [see ProMED 2004 archive below]. "There's no need for the
> public to panic. The findings are 2 years old, and there is no
> indication that sparrows pose a risk," Xinhua quoted Li Tianxian, a
> researcher at the institute, as saying.
>
> Chinese officials have in the past blamed outbreaks of bird flu in
> the country on migratory birds, but the findings indicate that the
> virus could also be among local birds common in urban areas.
>
> With the world's largest poultry population, China is seen as a
> center in the fight against bird flu, which scientists fear could
> mutate into a form that can pass easily between people, potentially
> causing a pandemic. The country has already seen dozens of outbreaks
> of the virus in birds and at least 21 human cases, of whom 14 have died.
>
> --
> ProMED-mail
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> [This news item reinforces the idea that the major sources for this
> infection are domestic. - Mod.MHJ]
>
>>
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