Bird-flu worries for IT worke
December 1, 2006
“Businesses should complete planning for an influenza pandemic by the second quarter of next year, according to recommendations from research firm Gartner. In particular, they should stock up on supplies that would be needed by data-centre workers.
Among the suggestions offered on Wednesday by a Gartner analyst at the firm’s data-centre conference in Las Vegas: store 42 gallons of water per worker – enough for a six-week quarantine – and don’t forget food, medical care, cooking facilities, sanitation issues and electricity.
In a quarantined environment “you are not going anywhere”, said Gartner analyst Ken McGee. As well as ensuring that their own operations continue during such a pandemic, IT managers should also review the contingency plans of their vendors, he added.” - excerpt
Nov. 30, 2006
Inside Toronto
Torontonians are being asked to keep an eye out for dead birds.
The province is taking part in a national project involving dead birds. This project will help Ontario address the risk of avian influenza.
Torontonians who notice dead birds, particularly waterfowl such as ducks and geese or significant numbers of dead birds in one location, are asked to contact the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre at 1–866–673–4781.
People are asked not to touch dead birds with their bare hands. - excerpt
http://www.insidetoronto.ca/to/etobicoke/briefs/story/3796250p-4391014c.html?loc=etobicoke
Published: Friday, 1 December, 2006, 10:50 AM Doha Time
SEOUL: “South Korea is to cull hundreds of thousands more chickens after its first bird flu outbreak for three years spread to a second poultry farm, officials said yesterday.
Officials had originally begun culling poultry within 500m of the two infection sites on the outskirts of Iksan city.
But the agriculture ministry decided at an emergency meeting Thursday to slaughter all poultry within 3km after the deadly H5N1 virus was detected Tuesday at a second farm.
The farm at Hwangdeung was 3km from the farm at Seokmae where the first outbreak occurred last week. “We have decided to kill all poultry in the 3km quarantine zone,” ministry spokesman Pyo Se-Ung said. The area covers 40 farms and 764,000 birds including those already culled.” - excerpt
“Companies that rely on existing business continuity (BC) plans for addressing a potential pandemic of avian flu will fail.
“However, when a pandemic does happen, experts predict it will spread across the globe quickly and create simultaneous worldwide business disruptions. For instance, relying on a backup data center in India won’t help a U.S. company stay in business. The Indians who run that backup data center will be just as sick as the company’s U.S.-based employees.” - excerpt
http://www.continuityforum.org/news/1206/business_continuity/BCM_pandemic_gartner
Nursing home hospital hit by serious disease Wiconsin Nov. 30
A highly contagious virus may be the cause of death at the Maplewood Nursing Home in Bloomer. The Patient died of aspiration Pneumonia’ on Monday.
The virus has also surfaced at the adjacent Bloomer Medical Center.
About 14 employees are at home after reporting symptoms of the virus
They think this is norovirus, but the pneumonia is not consistant with that. Neither is dying by the way.
Sorry,could someone google title for the link if more info is needed.
here ya go witness:
South Korea
For the first time, the military will assist in the cull, by setting up quarantine zones. Government workers will do the actual culling.
Thanks much bird dog.
\’\’\’witness? — 01 December 2006, 13:21 wrote:\’\’\’
Nursing home hospital hit by serious disease Wiconsin
\”They think this is norovirus, but the pneumonia is not consistant with that. Neither is dying by the way.
A good observation witness - close but no cigar. Thanks for the input. Time will tell, usually 24–48 hours.
\’\’\’Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs): a common cause of gastroenteritis …[PDF] \’\’\’%
bump
too many bumps
too many bumps
witness? — 01 December 2006, 13:21 Aspiration pneumonia is not caused by a bacteria or virus. It is caused by someone aspirating(ie,inhaling) something, usually vomit or by problems with swallowing. Now, that may be caused by a bacteria or virus( the vomiting)
North Carolina
(A thank-note from a health official to the newspaper, for the 2-part series about preparing for panflu) (I put the links to it in the news for the past 2 days.)
<snip>… our statewide electronic hospital reporting is the only one in the nation where real-time emergency room data allows for early detection of diseases like influenza<snip>
comment She says that every citizen should get involved and to check out the state’s pandemic plan, but the though the plan is thorough, it omits the kind of work we all have been doing. I’m not sure what NC residents are supposed to take away from this plan- www.ncpublichealth.com - the link is in the right column.
http://www.newsobserver.com/580/story/516319.html
Thanks Jane.
Michael Greger, MD, wrote Bird flu: A Virus of our own hatching.
Factory farming of chickens is unhealthy and stressful for chickens. WWI crowded the soldiers, and the pandemic of 1918 occurred. <snip>From the virus’ point of view, these same trench warfare conditions exist today in every industrial chicken and egg operation: confined, crowded, stressed, but by the billions, not just millions.<snip>
U. of Wisconsin-Madison is one of 14 possible sites for an animal disease lab, but residents are uneasy about possible risks. Authorities say nothing will leave the lab unless it has been sterilized.
History of chikungunya (the bending up disease)
Chik was first seen or diagnosed in 1952 in Tanzania. Its name comes from the effect, bending or stooping, necessary because of the pain caused by the disease. Major epidemics appear in cycles.
Cases have been found in travelers in at least 10 states in the US and many countries in Europe (850 cases in France, 93 in the UK, for example).
Soldiers wearing protective suits and goggles, after taking Tamiflu and having vaccine injections, were guarding quarantine zones.
More than 400 pigs and 8 dogs were killed, in addition to the chickens.
comment Didn’t an article yesterday say something like 20,000 other animals were to be culled? Most of the articles have the same information, so I don’t know what to think about this.