Where are the final results of the testing of the 2 dead swans from Michigan? Have they released the findings yet? With everyone’s focus on Indo (including mine), I wanted to be sure this didn’t leak out without being caught by us. Does anyone here have an “inside track” to getting the info?
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060815-124321-6693r?
OXFORD, England, Aug. 15 (UPI) — Two swans found in Michigan have been confirmed to have a form of H5N1 avian influenza that does not pose a risk in humans.
The mute swans, both wild birds, were found on the shores of Lake Erie, at Pointe Mouillee State Game Area.
Although the virus found in the birds is of the same subtype — H5N1 — as the flu currently affecting much of Southeast Asia, it is actually a North American strain found in a Canadian duck last year, and first identified in the United States 20 years ago.
The difference between the two strains lies in their pathogenicity — the Asian variant, which is the one making headlines around the world, is highly pathogenic, leading to significant outbreaks among poultry and the occasional ability to infect humans.
This North American variant, however, is a low-pathogen strain, which means that it causes infrequent illness in birds and none in humans.
“This North American variant, however, is a low-pathogen strain, which means that it causes infrequent illness in birds and none in humans”.
Tell that to the DEAD ducks and swans.
I was wondering the same thing. The above article is dated Aug. 15, the date we were first told about H5N1 in Michigan. Here’s the official fact sheet for AF testing:
oops, that was me
I might be mistaken, but weren’t the swans killed as part of a planned population control measure? So, the swans weren’t killed by the LPAI H5N1, they were just found to have the flu in their systems
Have we heard many results? I can think of a list of other ‘results’ we have never heard about. The sheeple have short attention spans.
see
Avian Flu Detection Information on Wild Birds Available
The public can now view a Web site showing current information about wild bird sampling for early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States: http://wildlifedisease.nbii.gov/ai/.
Scientists are now using the newly developed database and Web application called HEDDS (HPAI Early Detection Data System) to share information on sample collection sites, bird species sampled, and test results.
The database is available to agencies, organizations, and policymakers involved in avian influenza monitoring and response. Scientists will use the data to assess risk and refine monitoring strategies should HPAI be detected in the United States. Public access is more limited, but shows the states where samples have been collected and includes numbers of samples collected from each state.
There are no test results available. Just that there was no “high path” H5N1 found.
They said they would announce the results publicly. The sequences should also be available by now. So where are they?
TreasureIslandGal, it was the USDA’s Dr. Ron DeHaven (administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) who stated on 8/14 that, “Final confirmation of its pathogenicity will be made and reported when that testing is completed.”
The USDA press office can be reached at (202)720–4623. Perhaps they can provide an update.
Bump. Has anybody heard anything?
Closed to maintain Forum speed.