Lookout Post for West and Southwest Europe: This post would cover:
Please note:
I’ll take the French speaking areas for: France - Andorra - Monaco - Luxembourg - Belgium - Switzerland, but bear in mind that some of these are bilingual countries, and I don’t speak their other languages (Flemish, German, Schwytzerdeutch). I’ll try and check every 2 or 3 days every week at first. If something dramatically important, needless to say, I’ll watch daily.
At a push, I could take Spain, Portugal and Italy if no-one volunteers. I do read Spanish (not as well as my English), but not Portuguese or Italian, but the latter two are Latin languages, I should be able to at least extract the main info.
For Gibraltar, they speak English, though I’d think that despite being located in West and South West Europe, their news are more likely to appear in British press (yes or no???)
What do we do about these Atlantic Islands?
What about these Mediterranean ones?
Today, I found nothing special to report for this lookout post.
Thanks for starting the Lookout Post Frenchiegirl.
As to the countries/islands ‘missed’, if you are happy to encompass the atlantic islands and Malta then that would be great. Perhaps Cyprus is better in region 12 with Greece?
Cheers
Thanks for your suggestion AnnieB. May I respectfully disagree? Cyprus being divided into two peoples more or less at war with one another, and although we are completely apolitical, I would be wary of hurting sensitivities there. Whether you put Cyprus with Greece or with Turkey could provoke trouble. I’d be happy to keep it on my thread, even though Cyprus is way East of my area. Unless someone has another proposal? I’ll keep the other islands too.
BACKGROUND NOTES
France, Italy, Belgium export sizeable amounts of poultry products to Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Highest seasonal consumption in Côte d’Ivoire is from November to February. It is supposed that one would have to look closely at Côte d’Ivoire if BF hits these European countries in the winter 2006.
NEWS - ITALY — Low Path H5, N??? not determined yet, found in wild ducks raised at farm in Grossetto, Tuscany, Italy. Findings part of regular checks. Courtesy of Klatu – at 09:12 on the news thread: http://tinyurl.com/tvwvl (English) and http://tinyurl.com/yjgqsm (Italian)
NEWS - ITALY - Low Path H5, N???
I have posted a rough translation in the news thread for 1st November 2006.
The following article has been published in the Corriere della Serra, a serious Italian newspaper. I reproduce it here in Italian if someone wants to translate it better than I could. I know we’re not supposed to reproduce articles in full, but I think since it’s the first arrival of bird flu in Europe, it deserves special treatment. I hope some Italiand speaker can help on this thread. Thanks. Link: http://tinyurl.com/yxubt9
Il virus dell’aviaria arriva in Toscana Contagio in un allevamento, saranno abbattuti 10.500 germani reali STRUMENTIVERSIONE STAMPABILEI PIU’ LETTIINVIA QUESTO ARTICOLO
GROSSETO —Il virus dell’influenza aviaria è stato individuato in un allevamento di germani a Principina a Terra, cuore della Maremma, ai confini con il Parco naturale dell’Uccellina, una delle zone umide più importanti d’Europa. E’ il primo caso in Italia dopo la pausa estiva. Nel febbraio di quest’anno vi erano stati i cigni infetti in Sicilia, Puglia e Calabria. In Umbria, sempre in febbraio, era stato colpito un germano reale come quello individuato ieri in Maremma.
CEPPO — Anche in questo caso comunque il virus non appartiene al ceppo più virulento, il famigerato H5N1, che può mutare e dagli animali trasmettersi all’uomo (256 i contagiati e 151 i morti in tutto il mondo). L’infezione maremmana è a bassa potenzialità patogena anche se il periodo (la grande migrazione di inizio inverno) e i luoghi (il parco e la zona umida) non rendono ottimisti. Ecco perché quasi certamente tutti gli 8.500 germani dell’allevamento dove è stato trovato il virus e altri 2mila volatili, anch’essi nella stessa area, saranno abbattuti. «Stiamo aspettando il nullaosta dal ministero,mail parere favorevole è molto probabile», conferma Paolo Madrucci, direttore del dipartimento prevenzione dell’Asl di Grosseto.
Sembra invece esclusa l’ipotesi, avanzata da alcuni esperti, di creare una zona di protezione intorno all’area del contagio nella quale si dovrebbe procedere all’abbattimento dei volatili presenti. I germani trovati sieropositivi sono stati 20 su un campione di 40 e presumibilmente gli infettati sono centinaia, se non migliaia. Nessuno dei volatili però èmorto. «E’ la conferma che il virus è a bassa patogenità », dicono i tecnici. L’infezione si sarebbe trasmessa in pochi giorni. L’ultimo rilevamento, effettuato una ventina di giorni fa, non aveva individuato esemplari sieropositivi. Probabilmente il virus è arrivato con i primi germani migratori che in questi giorni si fermano nel parco e nella zona dell’allevamento.
ANALISI — L’allarme è scattato la scorsa settimana dopo i prelievi e le analisi effettuate dai veterinari dell’Asl di Grosseto. La conferma è poi arrivata dai laboratori della Regione Toscana a Firenze e dall’Istituto zooprofilattico di Padova, centro nazionale di riferimento per l’aviaria. In provincia di Grosseto ci sono 14 grandi allevamenti di volatili e 300 piccoli allevamenti. Aprimavera un germano sentinella, cioè un animale sensibile al virus e utilizzato come cavia, era stato trovato positivo nella laguna di Orbetello. Mai però, fino ad oggi, il virus aveva colpito gli allevamenti.
Marco Gasperetti - 01 novembre 2006
NEWS - FRANCE - Almost verbatim translation - Le Monde, quoting AFP at 10.35 am - http://tinyurl.com/ybf2f4:
The French Health Minister has today stated that France remains in a reinforced vigilance state with respect to avian influenza. He said that France continues to prepare even though it is not known if a pandemic may happen in five months, five years or ten. It’s been a long time since avian influenza is not in the top news, but the epidemic is still present in the world with new cases in Indonesia and Egypt. We have bought medicines and masks, but we are also preparing, if there should be a pandemic, to maintain ordinary conditions of living during extraordinary times. The national territory has more than 16 million (16,000,000) treatments and over 1 billion (1,000,000,000) masks to protect oneself, as well as anti-projection masks to protect oneself from the patients, and, too, masks for the medical profession. The government has also put togetther a civil commission of citizens in charge of imagining what would be life during a flu pandemic. For example, how would hospitals continue to function, how we could continue going shopping, how we could keep our habits to go into work, what day care would be for children. France is well prepared. International comments say also that France is one of the best prepared countries. I am not satisfied with such congratulations. As much as we can improve things, so we should.
Comment: I think the guy has much illusions, but still, it is to be commended that he is at last coming out of the closet and pretending to do something. Some French people must have asked some very hard questions for him to come out and say such things. It is a pity that 1. he just does not understand what a pandemic would mean - work, shopping (sardonic laughter); and 2. that he’s just now forming a citizens’ committee to imagine - the guy’s just not on this earth.
Admittedly this is a PR exercise - don’t worry be happy
Hopefully, other French speakers on Flu Wiki will find it a good idea to write to him and ask further questions? Actually, best write to President Chirac, you don’t need to put a stamp on the envelope if you put your own address on the back, and he’ll forward it to the Health Minister. It will take them about 6 to 8 weeks to reply. Or that’s the time for a standard reply to a standard question - could be longer on the subject of BF - if ever!
NEWS - FRANCE - Le Nouvel Obs, quoting AP | 03.11.06 | 12:03 - http://tinyurl.com/unnw4:
Le risque de grippe aviaire en France est “négligeable”, juge Dominique Bussereau - The avian flu risk is negligible, says [The French Agriculture Minister]
“As long as there are avian influenza clusters in the world, one should be vigilant. However, we are not at all in the same position as last year, when we witnessed a “non-classical” migration…”
[Talk about cacophony…!]
NOTE FOR THE RECORD - SWITZERLAND - Influenza activity in Switzerland - Sentinel Results updated twice a week: http://tinyurl.com/vtcy7
Situation in Switzerland, week 42/2006 - Influenza activity is low.
NOTE FOR THE RECORD - BELGIUM - Information on influenza: http://tinyurl.com/y6hxss by the Belgium InterMinisterial Commissary.
NEWS - LUXEMBOURG - In French - http://preview.tinyurl.com/y46xfm - Rough translation follows:
Aquatic wild birds migration over our territory will intensify in the next few weeks. Precautions are therefore advised, particularly around wetlands. Poultry must be protected from any contact with wild fowl. Food and drink must be provided indoors, or where wild fowl cannot get it. Health status of poultry must be thoroughly checked and veterinarians must be advised in case of any illness. Buying of poultry must be done to approved breeders able to show a certificate. Live poultry markets must be approved by the Veterinary Authority.
It is to be noted that during this period, veterinary services in collaboration with the League for the Protection of Birds are watching the health status of wild birds with regular testing, of which the results are regularly published.
Be reminded that the flying over by migratory water birds will continue until early December 2006.
Information, mostly about seasonal flu, in Europe, is here: http://www.eiss.org/index.cgi
Europepanflu - Many thanks
closed and continued here