[Thedragon]

Swine flu spreads to turkeys
Posted Fri Aug 21, 2009 5:29pm AEST
Updated Fri Aug 21, 2009 5:28pm AEST

Chile has detected the H1N1 flu virus in turkeys at two farms, health authorities say.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/21/2663128.htm?site=news

 

[Thedragon]

UN warns over swine flu in birds
By Sudeep Chand
Science reporter, BBC News

The discovery of swine flu in birds in Chile raises concerns about the spread of the virus, the UN warns.

Last week the H1N1 virus was found in turkeys on farms in Chile. The UN now says poultry farms elsewhere in the world could also become infected.

Scientists are worried that the virus could theoretically mix with more dangerous strains. It has previously spread from humans to pigs.

However, swine flu remains no more severe than seasonal flu.

So far there have been no cases of H5N1 bird flu in flocks in Chile.

However, Dr Lubroth said: "In Southeast Asia there is a lot of the (H5N1) virus circulating in poultry.

"The introduction of H1N1 in these populations would be of greater concern."

Colin Butter from the UK's Institute of Animal Health agrees.

"We hope it is a rare event and we must monitor closely what happens next," he told BBC News.

"However, the only constant is that the situation keeps changing."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8224923.stm

 

[Thedragon]

NEW SWINE FLU MUTATION 'FAR MORE DEADLY'

Sunday August 30,2009
By Lucy Johnston

SWINE flu has been discovered in birds, prompting fears that a more dangerous and easily transmitted strain will emerge.

“The avian flu virus is embedded in birds in Egypt and south-east Asia and this outbreak could easily hop across and mix with this, increasing the risk of the swine flu virus mixing with avian flu which is more dangerous.”

Experts with the United Nations in Rome and the US Centre for *Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta are now monitoring the outbreak in turkeys, which has so far caused only relatively mild symptoms in the birds

.

Mr Oxford, Professor of Virology at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Hospital, said this meant cases could be missed.

“It is unsettling that the animals are not dying as this means it is harder to detect. If you don’t *recognise the danger you are not likely to take action.” The Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organisation also warned that the virus could become more potent.

"The last thing we want is a universal virus that goes everywhere... risk of mixing is dangerous"

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/123818/New-swine-flu-mutation-far-more-deadly-