H5N1 in Zimbabwe ostriches?
H5N1 in Zimbabwe ostriches?
Via Bird Flu Breaking News, a story that is alarming if confirmed: Zimbabwe ostriches hit by suspected avian flu. Excerpt:
Two ostriches at a farm in Hwange, Matabeleland North, have reportedly contracted a suspected strain of the dangerous bird flu virus in the country?s second such case in recent weeks.
Contacted by our sources for comment yesterday, Department of Veterinary Services director, Stuart Hargreaves, could not immediately confirm the outbreak. But he also could not rule it out completely as the province was on alert following a similar outbreak in nearby Victoria Falls and Livingstone in Zambia.
?There was an outbreak in that province recently, the new suspected cases have not been reported to us, but we had some cases in Victoria Falls and Livingstone, Zambia where some birds were quarantined,? he said.
This is the first I've heard of suspected B2B H5N1 as far south as Zimbabwe?and what's this about an earlier outbreak in Zimbabwe and yet another in Zambia? If these reports are true, it's very bad news. But I suspect it's a mercifully false alarm.
October 25, 2006
H5N1 in Zimbabwe ostriches?
Via Bird Flu Breaking News, a story that is alarming if confirmed: Zimbabwe ostriches hit by suspected avian flu. Excerpt:
Two ostriches at a farm in Hwange, Matabeleland North, have reportedly contracted a suspected strain of the dangerous bird flu virus in the country?s second such case in recent weeks.
Contacted by our sources for comment yesterday, Department of Veterinary Services director, Stuart Hargreaves, could not immediately confirm the outbreak. But he also could not rule it out completely as the province was on alert following a similar outbreak in nearby Victoria Falls and Livingstone in Zambia.
?There was an outbreak in that province recently, the new suspected cases have not been reported to us, but we had some cases in Victoria Falls and Livingstone, Zambia where some birds were quarantined,? he said.
This is the first I've heard of suspected B2B H5N1 as far south as Zimbabwe?and what's this about an earlier outbreak in Zimbabwe and yet another in Zambia? If these reports are true, it's very bad news. But I suspect it's a mercifully false alarm.
October 25, 2006
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