Announcement

**Gert van der Hoek** · July 4, 2007, 02:32 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

Suspicion of Bird Flu in Ober?sterreich

Traunsee/Gmunden, 03. July 2007

In a lake in district Gmunden in Austria exist since Tuesday there is the suspicion on bird flu. That communicated the responsible Gesundheitslandesr?tin Silvia St?ger (s).

Altogether eight dead birds were found. Five hood divers and three Blessh?hner were on Monday and on Tuesday in the municipality old cathedrals at the Traunsee (= name of lake, ed) in the range of the sail port, which discovers Esplanade and the solar bath.

Because the suspicion on poultry plague was not to be excluded, the dead birds were sent by routine immediately to veterinary investigations by the AGES the M?dling.

The results are expected for Wednesday and/or Thursday.

After consultation with the office veterinary surgeon the municipality has as a precaution the solar bath and the Esplanade within the range sea-entrance closed.

H&M will mehr Kleidung aus Biobaumwolle

http://www.oe24.at/zeitung/oesterreich/ooe/article150948.ece

Wegen der guten Umsätze will die schwedische Modekette ihr Angebot ausweiten. Auch C&A setzt auf den textilen Trend.

**HenryN** · July 4, 2007, 06:17 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

Close enough to Bavaria to be related, and far enough to extend spread to a 7th location and 4th country.

**HenryN** · July 4, 2007, 07:03 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/07040701/Qinghai_H5N1_Austria.html

**Snicklefritz** · July 4, 2007, 07:42 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

Question for Dr. Niman, or anyone. If it's true that H5N1 has been circulating in Western Europe since last year, why are dead birds just turning up now?

**HenryN** · July 4, 2007, 07:47 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

Originally posted by Snicklefritz View Post

Question for Dr. Niman, or anyone. If it's true that H5N1 has been circulating in Western Europe since last year, why are dead birds just turning up now?

Wild birds die all of the time. The issue is how hard and how often they are tested. Positives lead to more testing, leading to a testing outbreak.

There may also be co-factors (like the cold weather last February). These birds may have some co-factor leading to an increase in H5N1 and death. Because of the time of the year, it is unlikely that they are now migrating into the area.

**Snicklefritz** · July 4, 2007, 07:57 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

'Testing outbreak'. That's kinda funny, but I take your meaning. Thank you Dr. Niman.

**gsgs** · July 4, 2007, 08:00 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

maybe because the young swans go out of the eggs
or they start to mould at this time of year

**HenryN** · July 4, 2007, 08:26 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

Originally posted by Snicklefritz View Post

'Testing outbreak'. That's kinda funny, but I take your meaning. Thank you Dr. Niman.

There is actually more to my comment than most realize. These tests and testers are much more "confirmatory" than "investigative". They work best when the suspicion index is high, and multiple samples are collected. That is why it is easier to get confirmation on a farm than in the wild. On a farm, birds are usually already dying. Thus, the testers have a variety of tissues and birds that can be tested (some birds were just infected, others are near death, others just died, and others died hours ago). Necropsy can be done to see of death was due to infection.

In the wild, birds could be dead for awhile. They may only be one or two to test. Live birds only generate cloacal or throat swabs (and the birds are harder to catch).

Co-factors may also be important. There is an interesting relationship between Newcastle Disease and H5N1. Many countries discover Newcastle before they discover H5N1. I have never received a straight answer on testing for H5N1 if a bird or flock first tests positive for Newcastle. Same may apply to fowl cholera or other diseases.

If there is H5N1 suspected, an H5N1 test is likely run first. In other cases, positives on other test may preckude H5N1 testing.

Right now H5N1 is at the top of the list in Western Europe, especially in countries adjacent to confirmed positives, so there is a testing outbreak.

**gsgs** · July 4, 2007, 08:30 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

why do you always say "Western Europe" ?

it's more central and Eastern Europe.

**HenryN** · July 4, 2007, 09:55 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

Originally posted by gsgs View Post

why do you always say "Western Europe" ?

it's more central and Eastern Europe.

There isn't much Europe west of Germany or France. The latest outbreaks in France, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic are well into the "Western" domain.

H5N1 in gerneral, and surveillance in particular is really a political issue. EU countries made a big deal in the fall of 2005 that the only H5N1 infections in Europe were in eastern Europe. As recently as a couple of weeks ago at the Options VI meeting, Ian Brown made a point of noting that EU countries require reporting of H5N1 in wild birds, and he also noted that the recurrance of H5N1 in western Europe was limited to Hungary and the UK. He also implied that the 2007 outbreaks in Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, western Africa, were due to endemic populations that were not being well controled. Similarly, Ilaria Capua from Italy also claimed that H5N1 had been largely eliminated from wild birds, based on the negative data of conservation groups that tested 10's of thousands of live wild birds in Europe and Africa (both talks were minutes before the bird flu infections in the Czech Republic and Germany were made public).

Therefore, the presence of H5N1 in Western Europe, which prides itself on aggressive surveillance and reporting, is significant. These programs have yet to find a single live wild bird with H5N1 and the appearance of H5N1 in wild birds in June and July suggests the H5N1 is endemic, but largely undetected (in the fall of 2005 as well as the period between June 2006 and June 2007).

**gsgs** · July 4, 2007, 10:02 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

you're alone with your interpretation of "Western Europe".
It's uncommon.
Please use a different term or specify what you mean when you write about it.
Unless you are intentionally misleading...

-----------------------

hmm, it could be different in English...

is Germany western Europe ?
it's clearly "Mitteleuropa" (middle Europe)

Central Europe - Wikipedia

http://nostalgia.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Europe

Western Europe - Wikipedia

http://nostalgia.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Europe

**HenryN** · July 4, 2007, 10:08 AM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

Originally posted by gsgs View Post

you're alone with your interpretation of "Western Europe".
It's uncommon.
Please use a different term or specify what you mean when you write about it.
Unless you are intentionally misleading...

I don't know of anyone who thinks Germany and France are in central or eastern Europe.

**HenryN** · July 4, 2007, 12:29 PM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

<TABLE class=lan18 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="95%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=lan18 vAlign=bottom align=middle height=30>New bird flu cases confirmed in Germany, suspected in France, Austria
</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff height=4></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#999999 height=2></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="50%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=5></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=hui12 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="95%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>www.chinaview.cn 2007-07-04 23:48:06 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="50%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=10></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=hui12 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="95%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle> </TD><TD class=lanx12 width=160>Adjust font size: </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="50%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=10></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=lt14 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="93%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=lt14>

BRUSSELS, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Germany has confirmed bird flu cased in wild birds in Thuringia while French and Austrian authorities have reported new suspected cases in wild birds in their territories, said the European Commission on Wednesday.
In Germany, the national reference laboratory has confirmed highly pathogenic bird flu virus in a black-necked grebe in Thuringia, close to the border with Saxony, where the deadly H5N1 virus had been confirmed.
The French authorities have reported a suspicion of the H5 virus in three wild swans found dead in the Moselle department, and are carrying out further tests in the national reference laboratory to confirm the exact strain of the disease.
A suspicion of highly pathogenic bird flu virus has also been reported in the district of Gmunden, Upper Austria, based on clinical signs of the disease in a number of wild birds. The Austrian national authorities have sent samples from these birds to the national reference laboratory and expect results on the strain of the virus in the coming days.
The commission said all three member states are applying the precautionary measures set out under EU legislation. National laboratories are working intensively to determine whether the outbreaks were caused by the H5N1 virus, and are keeping close contact with the Community Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza in Weybridge, Britain.
The precautionary measures consist of the establishment of a control area and a surrounding monitoring area around the positive finding.
In the control area, on-farm biosecurity measures must be strengthened, hunting of wild birds is banned, disease awareness of poultry owners must be enhanced, movement of poultry is banned except directly to the slaughterhouse and the dispatch of meat outside the zone is forbidden except where products have undergone the controls provided for in EU food controls legislation. These latest wild bird cases follow the confirmation of H5N1 avian influenza on two poultry farms and in a wild swan in the Czech Republic, as well as cases of the disease in wild birds in Bavaria and Saxony, Germany, over the last two weeks. The deadly H5N1 virus was responsible for over 700 reported cases of avian influenza in wild birds in the EU last year.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=hei12 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=right height=25>Editor: Yan Liang </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

感谢您的浏览！ - 新华网

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-07/04/content_6330107.htm

**Jonesie** · July 4, 2007, 12:41 PM

Re: Dead birds found in lake at Altm?nster , Austria

Originally posted by gsgs View Post

you're alone with your interpretation of "Western Europe".
It's uncommon.
Please use a different term or specify what you mean when you write about it.
Unless you are intentionally misleading...

WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION FLAG AND MEMBER COUNTRIES:

http://fotw.fivestarflags.com/eu%5Eweu.html#mem

Western European Union
Union de l'Europe Occidentale

by ?eljko Heimer

Members of the Western European Union:
Belgium
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
United Kingdom

In 1948, the Treaty of Brussels established a military assistance pact between United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. In 1952, the USA proposed the idea of an European Defense Community integrated to NATO. The project was rejected by the French Parliament in 1954, and the Western European Union was created in 1954 by a new European pact signed in Brussels, allowing the rearming of Federal Republic of Germany and ist integration in WEU (and NATO).

Ivan Sache, 15 April 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flag of the Western European Union
According to Album des Pavillons [pay00], the flag of the Western European Union is blue with ten yellow five-pointed stars in a circle (broken at the top) containing the white letters WEU horizontally and UEO vertically (thus sharing the E).

There is probably no doubt that the colour shades should be those prescribed for the European Union flag.

?eljko Heimer, 6 December 2003

The WEU/UEO flag was once flown operationally aboard a US Navy ship. For a brief period in 1995, the destroyer USS John Rodgers functioned as the flagship for the Italian general commanding WEU relief operations in Bosnia. During this time, when no U.S. flag officer was aboard, John Rodgers displayed the WEU flag. Based on the practice used for US Navy ships assigned to NATO standing naval forces, I believe the WEU flag would have been flown from a yardarm.

Joe McMillan, 20 November 2000