Lithuania: Bird flu fear in Curonian spit

[hawkeye]

Bird flu fear in Curonian spit

Jul 20, 2007
From wire reports
KLAIPEDA - Cormorants have started dying on a large scale along the Kaliningrad section of the Curonian spit, it has been reported, sparking fears of an avian influenza outbreak.

According to the Vakaru Eskpresas newspaper in Klaipeda locals fear that if ‘bird flu’ is confirmed as the cause, it could quickly spread into Lithuania.

Russian authorities in Kaliningrad stated this week that the sudden bird deaths will be investigated and that samples will be taken for analysis.

Ornithologist at the Curonian Spit National Park, Gediminas Grazulevicius, said that as yet there are no signs of an outbreak on the Lithuanian side of the border.

“This is the first I have heard of it,” he said, “Maybe these were young birds that just started dying from hunger. Everything is normal on our side. If they did die from bird flu then it is very bad because sick birds could reach Lithuania as well. Our birds also fly to Russia.”

Specialist of the State Public Health Service, Bronius Morkunas, was doubtful about the claims that bird flu was the cause of the deaths. "Usually swans, ducks, and chickens catch bird flu, but not cormorants,” he said.

Even though no cases of bird flu have been registered in Lithuania, veterinarians warn that the threat is real because of the numerous migration paths across the country.

[hawkeye]

Re: Lithuania: Bird flu fear in Curonian spit

Wikipedia Cormorant Image

[gsgs]

Re: Lithuania: Bird flu fear in Curonian spit

this is Baltic Sea, a German H5N1-whooper Swan had a ring
from Latvia in March 2006.

The sequences are similar to Danish and Ruegen sequences ?

[HenryN]

Re: Lithuania: Bird flu fear in Curonian spit

Curonian Spit

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Kuronian Spit
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Status: National Park
Area: 31,200 ha
Current state: inscribed onto the World Heritage List in 2000 under cultural criterion. The Curonian Spit is one of the largest accumulative landforms in the Baltic Sea. The site is inscribed onto the World Heritage List as an international Russian - Lithuanian cultural complex. Its geographical position and relief conditions the uniqueness and peculiarity of the Spit. The main terrain elements are comprised of dune complexes, which are among the highest in Europe (up to 68 m in height), stretching along the peninsula for over 70 km.
Due to its geographical position and northeast to southwest orientation, the Spit is a "directing line" for many migrating bird species. It connects migrating birds flying from northwestern Russia, Finland and the Eastern Baltic countries to Middle and Southern Europe. Every spring and fall 10 to 20 million migrating birds pass over the Curonian Spit and a considerable number of them stop over for feeding and rest. Due to the fact that migrating birds are so higly concentrated in the Spit, it is a very important link in the chain of natural protected areas situated along the White Sea - Baltic flyway. Among these migrating bird populations are many rare and endangered species listed in the Red Books of Russia, Europe and worldwide. The Curonian Spit landscapes were not created purely as a result of natural processes, but also due to human activity, and are an example
Bird's-eye view on the Kuronian Spit

of harmonious interaction between nature and human beings. The tribe of Kursiai, which inhabited the Curonian Spit for a long time in the past, disappeared, but its ethnographic heritage is still visible. The landscape of a fishing village buried under sand dunes in the 18th - 19th centuries can be found here. The Spit is rich in cultural heritage items. Protective engineering structures unique in their scale are very important from the standpoint of history, science and art. Fishing settlements, archaeological sites and religious architectural structures are perfectly integrated into the landscape. The Curonian Spit is a wonderful natural phenomenon, hardly comparable in its beauty and scenery to any other site in the Baltic region. The diverse and strongly differentiated dune relief of the Curonian Spit combined with the green of the forests, bright whiteness of sandy beaches and unlimited stretches of the Baltic Sea, all represent important aesthetic values.
Existing threats: oil exraction on the Baltic Sea shelf; uncontrolled tourism; poaching.

http://www.greenpeace.org/russia/en/campaigns/world-natural-heritage/curonian-spit

[Theresa42]

Re: Lithuania: Bird flu fear in Curonian spit

Specialist of the State Public Health Service, Bronius Morkunas, was doubtful about the claims that bird flu was the cause of the deaths. "Usually swans, ducks, and chickens catch bird flu, but not cormorants,? he said.

(Just some of the) cormorants with H5N1 >>

Ukraine:

babelfished from Russian:

In Kherson region of the Ukraine the bird influenza is revealed
May 13, 2006

In the cormorants, that perished near Sivasha (Genicheskiy region of Kherson region), was discovered the virus of the bird influenza of sub-type H5.

Approximately 50 dead birds were discovered in that region at the end of April, reported on 12 May at the session of extraordinary anti-epizootic commission with oblgosadministratsii the chief for the administration for veterinary medicine in the region Sergey Kolomiyets.

As they reported in the press-service of oblgosadministratsii, the central laboratory of veterinary medicine confirmed the presence of virus (Kiev). The concrete strain of virus and its virulence (hazard level) for the birds and the people now is refined. It is known that from the birds to the man can be transferred the virus of the bird influenza H5N1.

Let us recall that the cases of the mass loss of poultry were observed in the Ukraine even during October of past year. However, information was quieted by local authorities until in one of the villages during several it was hour they did not die 2,5 thousand birds. Only on 3 December parliament affirmed President's Decree Victor Yushchenko about the introduction of state of emergency in some populated areas of the Crimea.

Strain H5N1, which presents fatal danger to the man, was for the first time revealed in Hong Kong into 1997. The second flash was fixed into 2003 in South Korea. From there virus was extended into China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Indonesia, and then into Europe. From 2003. in Asia of the virus of "bird influenza" died not less than 68 people.

http://top.rbc.ru/index.shtml?/news/...4006_bod.shtml

Egypt:

Hat-tip, AnneZ!

Bird flu statistics

(...)

- 84 specimens from Cattle Egret in the Giza Zoo have been taken plus other two specimens from the same bird in Falouga Protected Area and two other specimens from Great Cormorant....

http://birdflu.sis.gov.eg/html/flu01001.htm

[Niko]

Re: Lithuania: Bird flu fear in Curonian spit

(Just some of the) cormorants with H5N1 >>

Ukraine:Egypt:

And this...

Influenza A virus (A/cormorant/Germany/R292/06(H5N1))

[HenryN]

Re: Lithuania: Bird flu fear in Curonian spit

Great comorants died in the original massive die-off at Qinghai Lake in May, 2005

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/05230503/H5N1_Qinghai_519.html

519 Bird Flu Deaths in Qinghai China

Recombinomics Commentary
May 23, 2005

> Location of the outbreak: Niannaisuoma village, Quanji town, Gangcha county, Qinqhai province (in the central part of the country). The place is an important rendezvous of migratory birds on one of their Asia-Europe routes.

Description of affected population: migratory birds found dead, including bar-headed goose (Anser indicus), great black-headed gull (Larus ichthyaetus), brown-headed gull (Larus brunnicephalus), ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) and great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo).

Total number of birds found dead: 519. <<.............

[Theresa42]

Re: Lithuania: Bird flu fear in Curonian spit

babelfished from Russian:

The mass loss of cormorants in Kaliningrad region is not connected with the bird influenza
July 23, 2007

The mass loss of cormorants on the coast Of the Kurshskeyeo Molded Edge in Kaliningrad region is not connected with the bird influenza. As they reported today, on 23 July, to correspondent IA Regnum in the Administration of Rossel'khoznadzora for Kaliningrad region, special commission, which consists of the state inspectors for the regional administration of Rossel'khoznadzora, veterinary inspector and the colleague of inter-regional veterinary laboratory, it left into the places of the nesting place of the cormorants, located in the region of the Ushakovka Settlements and Red of Polesian region.

As a result the specialists revealed two dead seagulls even one cormorant, and they also produced the shooting of four cormorants for conducting of laboratory investigations. The fallen and shot out birds are delivered into the Kaliningrad inter-regional veterinary laboratory for conducting of a study for the possibility of the presence of the influenza of birds, specified representative Rossel'khoznadzora.

With the patalogoanatomicheskom dissection of the corpses of seagulls and cormorants of characteristic changes it is indicative the influenza of birds not discovered, and the virus of the influenza of birds is not discovered according to the results of the conducted investigations, collocutor noted.

Previously IA Regnum reported that according to the evidence by the inhabitant of settlement Red, the cormorants "walk along the roads between people and tyuey shipyat". Some birds limp, and then they fall and die directly near the houses of villagers.

http://www.regnum.ru/news/860342.html