ANIMALNET SEPTEMBER 6, 2001

Deadly flu
Research offers hope for BSE vaccine
Testing vaccination
Large parts of Wales declared disease-free
Anthrax outbreak kills 92 bison, one moose at wood buffalo park
Facts about bluetongue
Report: Wendy's to change standards
Animal rights group says meat-eaters would cause less harm by eating whales


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DEADLY FLU
September 6, 2001
The Associated Press
Randolph E. Schmid
WASHINGTON -- Yoshihiro Kawaokan, and colleagues at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, were cited as reporting in Friday's issue of Science that
the virus that caused the Hong Kong flu four years ago switched from a mild
illness to a deadly disease when a single change occurred on one of its
genes, a change which allowed the flu that had been concentrated in chickens
to jump to people, killing six of the 18 people infected.
Kawaokan was quoted as saying, "What this tells you is that the avian
influenza virus can become the virus that causes the disease in humans at
any moment."
The story notes that authorities were forced to kill more than a million
chickens in Hong Kong to block the spread of the newly virulent flu.
The story also notes in a separate paper in the same journal Mark J. Gibbs
and colleagues at the Australian National University in Canberra report that
a new analysis of a gene from the Spanish flu that swept around the world in
1918 show that it originated from the combination of genes from pig and
human flu.
The 1918 pandemic was the most severe recorded outbreak of human disease,
killing over 20 million people, and the gene may hold clues to the flu's
special virulence, killing an unusual number of young adults.
Robert Lamb, professor of biochemistry at Northwestern University, was cited
as calling Kawaota's study intriguing, adding, "In many ways it tells us
just how complicated understanding the influenza virus is, that a point
mutation in one gene can confer virulence. It also tells us just how
dangerous a virus influenza is."
The disease reappeared in Hong King this summer and again more than a
million chickens were slaughtered.




RESEARCH OFFERS HOPE FOR BSE VACCINE
September 6, 2001
SwissInfo
Vincent Landon
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=511&sid=815946
Swiss and Italian scientists have, according to this story, created immune
cells in mice, which can recognize abnormal prion proteins. The research
suggests that vaccines could be used for fighting prion diseases such as
scrapie, which has affected many sheep, BSE and the variant
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
For the past 200 years, vaccination has proved the most effective way of
controlling the agents, which cause infectious diseases. However, there has
been little evidence that vaccines might be effective for protection against
prion-related disorders.
Professor Adriano Aguzzi from the Institute for Neuropathology of Zurich
University Hospital was quoted as telling swissinfo that, "It has never been
possible to elicit a strong immune response against prions. Therefore it was
never possible to find out whether vaccines might be effective in the case
of prions. We generated mice which spontaneously develop an immunity against
prions by reprogramming their lymphocytes to make anti-prion antibodies.
When scrapie was injected into the abdomen of these mice, we found that they
were protected against prions. The study demonstrates that it makes sense to
try and develop a vaccine."



TESTING VACCINATION
September 6, 2001
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk:80/dt?ac=005950649044298&rtmo=pUIQUble&atmo=
rrrrrrrq&pg=/01/9/6/dl02.html
Lorry-loads of rotting carcasses are, according to this story, once again
trundling towards Tow Law burial site in the UK as foot and mouth has swept
back into
Northumberland. County Durham has had its first case in three months.
Cumbria is still pocked with the pestilence. After 2,000 outbreaks, the
beasts slaughtered number almost four million.
Five months ago, the government chief scientist, Professor David King,
Was cited as saying that foot and mouth was fully under control. The chief
vet Jim
Scudamore's computer model showed that new cases would be one a
day by May. Now unrepentant government advisers predict the last case
before Christmas. Why should we believe them this time? The sun is the
great enemy of the virus, which thrives in the cold. Damp autumnal days
could see the start of a long winter campaign.
Even if the virus is contained by Christmas, we still have no firm idea how
our livestock ever became infected. There has been no tightening of
Customs regulations. If Britain continues to import food and farm animals
from contagious countries, the virus could slip back in. The public is
unlikely to tolerate another massacre of healthy animals on the scale of
this year.
The story says it therefore seems sensible to test an alternative weapon -
ring
vaccination - first suggested in the 1967 report into the disease. Ring
vaccination was used in Holland in March. Combined with rapid culling, it
appears to have worked. Dutch farmers are exporting again. Ring
vaccination has been backed by the Soil Association, the tourism
industry, many vets and an increasing number of disillusioned farmers.
Consumer groups have now recognised that vaccinated meat isn't
dangerous; we eat meat vaccinated against other diseases. Last week
the Government's rural advocate, Ewen Cameron, chairman of the
Countryside Agency, said that the outbreak had cost £4 billion, and
testing ring vaccination had become imperative. The NFU argues that it
can see "no reason" to test vaccination during an epidemic. But when
else can it be utilised? It may be too late to be effective this time, but
if
the vaccine was used to fight the virus in even one infected county, it
could give invaluable research material for future outbreaks.
EU ministers meet this October to discuss ring vaccination without
slaughter. The proposal is being pushed by French, German and Dutch
farmers. It would be strange if we were the only country opposing a
measure that could help us more than anyone else. Even if the EU
doesn't back the proposal, Britain has little to lose. Its disease-free
status
has already gone up in smoke. When Margaret Beckett, in charge of the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, finally returns from
her caravanning holiday, she should initiate a trial immediately.



LARGE PARTS OF WALES DECLARED DISEASE-FREE
September 6, 2001
PA News
Jamie Lyons
Large areas of Wales have, according to this story, been declared free of
foot-and-mouth disease.
Counties across north and west Wales have not been hit by an outbreak for
three months and have now been declared free of the disease by Defra, the
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The areas are Conwy, Denbighshire, Carmarthenshire, Flintshire, Wrexham,
Anglesey, Gwynedd, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
It will be particularly welcome news to Anglesey, where Wales's first case
of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed. Some 40,000 sheep have since been
culled on the island.
Other areas in south Wales, including Cardiff and Swansea, are still at risk
with no outbreaks for the past 30 days.
But another eight Welsh areas are still seen as high risk. That means they
have either had recent outbreaks or local testing is still going on.



ANTHRAX OUTBREAK KILLS 92 BISON, ONE MOOSE AT WOOD BUFFALO PARK
September 6, 2001
The Edmonton Journal
A7
Hanneke Brooymans
Mike Keizer, client and heritage services manager in Wood Buffalo National
Park was cited as saying that a final survey last week revealed the total
number of anthrax-stricken bison carcasses was 92. One moose death was also
attributed to the disease.
Last year, anthrax in the park killed 103 bison, two bears and possibly two
moose. It was the worst outbreak in 40 years.
The story says that word of the disease may have affected tourism numbers.
In 1999, about 770 people visited the park in July and August. In 2000, that
number was trimmed to 456. This year, 305 people toured the park in July and
the first two weeks of August. Figures for the final two weeks were not
available.



FACTS ABOUT BLUETONGUE
September 6, 2001
European Commission: Health and Consumer Protection
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/ah_pcad/ah_pcad_67_en.html
Bluetongue is a non-contagious, insect-transmitted, viral disease of sheep,
goats, cattle and wild ruminants.
It is not known to affect humans. It is one of only 16 diseases included in
List A of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE). ). Diseases
included in OIE List A are defined as communicable diseases that have the
potential for very serious and rapid spread, irrespective of national
borders, which are of serious socioeconomic or public health consequence,
and which are of major importance to the international trade of livestock
and livestock products.
Nature of the disease
The disease is characterised by inflammation of the mucous membranes,
congestion, swelling and haemorrhages. It is variable in severity and the
rate of mortality depending on the virus strain as well as the species and
breed of animal affected. Sheep are generally the worst affected, while
cattle and goats do not usually show any clinical signs of disease and can
carry the virus for a certain period of time and transmit it
to other ruminants.
Clinical signs
In sheep, while the disease can be quite variable, the following signs are
commonly seen fever, loss of condition, ulcers in and around the mouth
(gums, cheeks and tongue), in a small percentage of cases the tongue is
discoloured to purplish-blue, reddening and haemorrhages of the coronary
band (above the hoof), lameness, abortions and congenital malformations can
also occur, mortality is variable, from of
0-50% with lambs the most affected. Infection is generally sub-clinical in
cattle. Cattle can remain a source of infection for sheep for some time. In
about 5% of cases, fever, salivation, congestion andswelling and ulcers
inside the mouth may occur.
Transmission
Transmission takes place via bite of certain species of Culicoides midges,
which are biological vectors. It is not transmitted by direct or indirect
contact between animals in the absence of the insects. Rarely virus may be
excereted in the semen when males are viraemic. Contaminated semen may
infect recipient cows but would be unlikely to establish in an area unless
abundant vectors are present. Meat, milk and milk products
from infected animals do not play any role in disease transmission.
Where it occurs
Bluetongue occurs as a clinical disease in Africa, the Middle East, Indian
subcontinent, China, the USA, and Mexico where biological vectors are active
throughout the year. Virus strains without associated disease have been
found in South East Asia, northern South America, northern Australia and
Papua New Guinea. During 2000 Bluetongue was confirmed in sheep flocks at
the Baleares, Sardinia, Sicily and Corsica. The vectors may also be found in
many areas of the European Union in the hot season.
Risk of Introduction
Bluetongue can be introduced to new regions by: · movement of infected
animals · insects on aeroplanes,· wind-borne movement of insects· semen from
infected animals. While Bluetongue can be introduced to new regions by the
movement of infected animals, it will not survive unless competent vectors
are present and sufficient susceptible hosts are available.
Measures to Control and eradicate
The measures to control and eradicate the disease include: fight against the
vectors (use of insecticides in the animal premises and in the areas where
these insects live, insect repellents onto animals, mosquitoes nets, etc.);
restriction to movements of live ruminants from the affected areas which
might spread the disease where non-infected vectors are present; use of
vaccines, which may reduce the severity of clinical signs in affected
animals and the economic losses related to the disease.
The Council has by Directive 2000/75/EC laid down specific provisions for
the control and eradication of Bluetongue and the Commission has by Decision
2001/138/EC established protection and surveillance zones in the light of
the epidemiological situation in relation to Bluetongue in certain areas of
France, Greece, Italy and Spain.



REPORT: WENDY'S TO CHANGE STANDARDS
September 6, 2001
Associated Press
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Wendy's has, according to this story, told an animal
rights organization that it plans to overhaul its oversight of beef
suppliers, joining McDonald's and Burger King.
The story says that in a story in Thursday's edition of USA Today, the
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is expected to announce today
that it is ending its two-month campaign against Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy's
International Inc.
The paper reported that the decision came one day after Wendy's told PETA it
will strengthen the oversight of its suppliers and improve the treatment of
animals before and during slaughter.



ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUP SAYS MEAT-EATERS WOULD CAUSE LESS HARM BY EATING WHALES
September 5, 2001
CP Wire
VANCOUVER- The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has,
according to this story, launched a tongue-in-cheek Eat the Whales ad
campaign in the hope of changing meat-eaters' menus, arguing that whale meat
is a more sensible food staple for carnivores.
Spokesman Andrew Butler was quoted as saying, "Some people blubber about
harpooning whales, but don't hesitate to snag buckets of chicken wings and
other animal parts. It's not that we really want whale watchers to stop
looking and get cooking. But meat-eaters must realize that they're
responsible for far more suffering and death than any Japanese or Norwegian
whaler."
He said people should look on their dinner plates and stop denying the
mistreatment of farm animals.


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