EU: "NO HOPE OF ERADICATING B.F. "

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'Europe has no hope of eradicating bird flu'

(Filed: 23/02/2006)

Europe has "no hope of eradicating" the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in the 

foreseeable future, now that there are infected wild birds across the 

European Union, a senior bird flu expert said yesterday.

Although the virulent strain of avian influenza arrived inside the EU less 

than two weeks ago, it is now a fact of life, European Commission officials 

said. The warning came as EU officials approved plans by France and the 

Netherlands to vaccinate millions of birds against the disease. The British 

Government yesterday reaffirmed its opposition to vaccination, arguing 

that it could lead to the "silent spread" of the disease.

Seven EU countries have now confirmed the presence of the H5N1 strain 

in wild birds. Yesterday Austria said two chickens had been carrying the 

virus, the first time it has appeared in poultry in the EU. The birds had 

been kept with an infected swan at an animal sanctuary in Graz but 

commercial flocks had not been affected, officials said.

Europe's vets now believe that the bird flu strain is here for good in wild 

birds. They are focusing efforts on preventing it from jumping into 

commercial poultry and domestic birds.

An EU technical expert, who asked not to be named, said: "We have no 

prospect of eradicating the virus in the near future... The fact that the 

virus is circulating in wild birds, and that we have no technical tools to 

prevent that, is a major obstacle to the eradication of the disease."

That has serious implications for Europe's millions of free-range birds 

and pets, especially ducks and geese that share a pond or wetlands with 

infected wildfowl.

The H5N1 virus has been endemic in China and other parts of Asia since 

2003. It has jumped the species gap to humans, killing at least 92 

people, most of them in Asia. To date all human cases are thought to 

have involved close contact with an infected bird. However, there are 

fears that the disease could mutate into a lethal form of flu that could be 

spread quickly from human to human.

The Commission expert said there was now near-total consensus that the 

virus reached Europe last month after unusually cold weather in wetlands 

near the Black Sea, where the disease was well established. The cold snap 

drove migrating birds, notably swans, much further south and west than 

usual.

After two days of debate, France and Holland yesterday obtained 

permission to vaccinate millions of ducks, geese and free-range chickens.

The EU has imposed tough extra conditions on France and Holland, so 

that vaccinated birds may only be moved to other vaccinated farms, and 

will be largely banned from export. Meat from vaccinated birds has been 

declared safe, and may be sold and exported, without special labelling, if 

accompanied by a veterinary certificate stating that the birds were healthy 

before slaughter. Their eggs may be sold if properly cleaned and packed.

Four nations abstained in the final vote to approve the use of vaccines: 

Germany, Belgium, Greece and Portugal. Britain expressed grave doubts.

Opponents of mass vaccinations say vaccinated birds can still carry the 

virus and "shed" it on to other birds. Vaccines must also be given twice 

within three weeks, making it expensive to treat free-range flocks. If 

some birds are missed, or have lower levels of immunity, the vaccine can 

actually "mask" the presence of bird flu on a farm.

Britain does not hold stockpiles of bird flu vaccines, and has not placed 

orders for any, putting its faith in close monitoring of flocks, a strict 

policy of isolating any outbreaks and culling birds.

 http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006 /02/23/nflu23.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/02/23/ixnewstop.html 

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Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: EU: "NO HOPE OF ERADICATING B.F. " Posted: February 22 2006 at 6:18pm
	'Europe has no hope of eradicating bird flu' (Filed: 23/02/2006) Europe has "no hope of eradicating" the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in the foreseeable future, now that there are infected wild birds across the European Union, a senior bird flu expert said yesterday. Although the virulent strain of avian influenza arrived inside the EU less than two weeks ago, it is now a fact of life, European Commission officials said. The warning came as EU officials approved plans by France and the Netherlands to vaccinate millions of birds against the disease. The British Government yesterday reaffirmed its opposition to vaccination, arguing that it could lead to the "silent spread" of the disease. Seven EU countries have now confirmed the presence of the H5N1 strain in wild birds. Yesterday Austria said two chickens had been carrying the virus, the first time it has appeared in poultry in the EU. The birds had been kept with an infected swan at an animal sanctuary in Graz but commercial flocks had not been affected, officials said. Europe's vets now believe that the bird flu strain is here for good in wild birds. They are focusing efforts on preventing it from jumping into commercial poultry and domestic birds. An EU technical expert, who asked not to be named, said: "We have no prospect of eradicating the virus in the near future... The fact that the virus is circulating in wild birds, and that we have no technical tools to prevent that, is a major obstacle to the eradication of the disease." That has serious implications for Europe's millions of free-range birds and pets, especially ducks and geese that share a pond or wetlands with infected wildfowl. The H5N1 virus has been endemic in China and other parts of Asia since 2003. It has jumped the species gap to humans, killing at least 92 people, most of them in Asia. To date all human cases are thought to have involved close contact with an infected bird. However, there are fears that the disease could mutate into a lethal form of flu that could be spread quickly from human to human. The Commission expert said there was now near-total consensus that the virus reached Europe last month after unusually cold weather in wetlands near the Black Sea, where the disease was well established. The cold snap drove migrating birds, notably swans, much further south and west than usual. After two days of debate, France and Holland yesterday obtained permission to vaccinate millions of ducks, geese and free-range chickens. The EU has imposed tough extra conditions on France and Holland, so that vaccinated birds may only be moved to other vaccinated farms, and will be largely banned from export. Meat from vaccinated birds has been declared safe, and may be sold and exported, without special labelling, if accompanied by a veterinary certificate stating that the birds were healthy before slaughter. Their eggs may be sold if properly cleaned and packed. Four nations abstained in the final vote to approve the use of vaccines: Germany, Belgium, Greece and Portugal. Britain expressed grave doubts. Opponents of mass vaccinations say vaccinated birds can still carry the virus and "shed" it on to other birds. Vaccines must also be given twice within three weeks, making it expensive to treat free-range flocks. If some birds are missed, or have lower levels of immunity, the vaccine can actually "mask" the presence of bird flu on a farm. Britain does not hold stockpiles of bird flu vaccines, and has not placed orders for any, putting its faith in close monitoring of flocks, a strict policy of isolating any outbreaks and culling birds. http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006 /02/23/nflu23.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/02/23/ixnewstop.html