Announcement

**HenryN** · July 7, 2006, 06:28 AM

Re: Possible H5N1 in Spain

Looks like those "imaginary" (according to wild life groups) H5N1's in the East Atlantic flyway (like Lagos, Nigeria), are heading for summer vacations in Canada (via Spain and Denmark).

**sharon sanders** · July 7, 2006, 06:47 AM

Re: Possible H5N1 in Spain

En Espanol

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...9540#post19540

Report says they are waiting for lab confirmation of H5N1.

**Commonground** · July 7, 2006, 06:47 AM

Re: Possible H5N1 in Spain

Quote from Post #1:

"Spanish national radio said the dead bird had been found about six weeks ago near the northern city of Vitoria."

Hopefully we will get more specific information. Hard to believe they would test for only one dead bird.

**Sharpe** · July 7, 2006, 07:06 AM

Re: Possible H5N1 in Spain

6 weeks ago! That's a bit delayed, don't you think?

Anyway, you can see Vitoria on this map. I've also pointed out the closest other confirmed bird flu case in southern France.

**Snowy Owl** · July 7, 2006, 07:25 AM

Spain confirms first case of bird flu

Spain confirms first case of bird flu

<table class="photos" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="right">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> July 7, 2006 5:07 AM

MADRID, Spain (AP) - Spain has recorded its first case of H5N1 bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said Friday. The deadly strain was found in a water fowl in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria.

A protective area of 2 miles was declared outside the area where the bird - known as a great crested grebe - was found, the ministry statement said.
Spanish officials said late last year, as bird flu spread to several European countries, that it was only a matter of time before the disease made it to this country, which is on the route of northern-bound migratory birds from Africa.

Preventive measures taken so far had included banning outdoor poultry farming within a 6-mile radius of marshlands where migratory birds tend to gather.

Bird flu has killed at least 131 people worldwide since it started ravaging Asian poultry farms in late 2003, according to the WHO. Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that makes it more easily transmissible among humans.

Page not found

http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=564766007596811202

**sharon sanders** · July 7, 2006, 07:35 AM

Re: Spain confirms first case of bird flu

En Espanol

Confirmed H5N1

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...ed=1#post19553

**sharon sanders** · July 7, 2006, 07:42 AM

Re: Spain confirms first case of bird flu

babelfish of the above:

The National Laboratory of Reference of Algete confirmed east noon the presence of bird influenza of type H5N1 in somormujo lavanco located in Álava and needed that it is a variant of "high pathogenicity", today informed the ministry into Agriculture, Fishing and Feeding.
The location of this primary center has been possible thanks to the operation of the device anticipated by the alert network for the active search and the precocious detection of the disease, in which the General Administrations of the State participate Autonomic and, as well as the economic sectors and the organizations specialized in the study and conservation of the birds, indicated the ministry.
In this sense, she indicated that, with urgent character, the Protocols established in the Coordinated Plan State of Veterinary Sanitary Alert have started up and in the Manual of Operations of Fight against the Influenza Aviar and has settled down around the positive case a zone of protection of a radius of 3 kilometers and another one of monitoring, with a radius of 10 kilometers. In the area included/understood within these radii commercial operations of birds do not exist and this to the delay of the information relative to existence of operations of autoconsumo, confirmed the ministry. Within this one area, of preventive form it has been prohibited I journey of poultries and captives and their derivatives, as well as the concentrations of birds and the hunting of wild birds in all his modalities. These measures are being applied by the Independent Community of the Basque Country in the exercise of their competitions. Also, the monitoring of the natural spaces has been reinforced, with the purpose of detecting with the greater possible advance any possible mortality in wild birds.
The presence of the disease in Spain has notified to the European Commission and the World-wide Organization of Sanidad Animal (OIE). In addition, one is in permanent contact with the Independent Community of the Basque Country, to guarantee a good coordination in the adoption of the measures and to inform precise to the rest of the Independent Communities, to the bird-raising sector and the citizenship in general. On the other hand, the members of the Inter-ministerial Commission of Information and Pursuit of the Bird Influenza, precise maintain informed their respective Departments.

**HenryN** · July 7, 2006, 08:06 AM

Re: Possible H5N1 in Spain

Originally posted by Commonground

Quote from Post #1:

"Spanish national radio said the dead bird had been found about six weeks ago near the northern city of Vitoria."

Hopefully we will get more specific information. Hard to believe they would test for only one dead bird.

Yes, six weeks ago is when H5N1 in Lagos, Nigeria

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...Lagos_EAF.html

would be traveling up the East Atlantic Flyway through western Europe in route to northeastern Canada (which links to the Atlantic Americas Flyway, which includes Prince Edward Island).

**HenryN** · July 7, 2006, 08:58 AM

Re: Spain confirms first case of bird flu

Commentary at

H5N1 Confirmed in Spain

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/07070601/H5N1_Spain.html

Recombinomics Commentary

**sharon sanders** · July 7, 2006, 10:02 AM

Re: Spain confirms first case of bird flu

Babelfish of Spanish article:
http://es.news.yahoo.com/07072006/4/...a-proxima.html
Note of explanation to the titled news: "bird Influenza. - Health of Galicia will summon the next week the commission... " Attention paid, by an error in the fourth paragraph in which reference to variant H5N1 instead of virus H5N became, we requested replace the previous information by which it follows. Excuse the annoyances. Bird influenza.
- Health of Galicia will summon the next week the commission for the pursuit of a possible pandemic the Xunta "permanently" is informed from the detection in ?lava of the first case of the virus in a bird in Spain SANTIAGO OF COMPOSTELA, (7 EUROPE PRESS) the Conseller?a de Sanidade will summon the next week to the Advisory Commission of the Plan Galego de Preparacio'n and Resposta to unha hypothetical Pandemic of Influenza after the confirmation of the first case of presence of virus H5N1 in Spain, the most virulent variant, in a bird located in ?lava, confirmed by the National Laboratory of Reference of Algete. According to they confirmed to Europe Press sanitary sources, Sanidade, that presides over the mentioned commission, will meet the next week with representatives of conseller?as of Presidency, Rural Means, Medio.ambiente, Economy and Education, that integrate the mentioned organism of pursuit. The mentioned commission, that anticipates the performance protocols, maintained from its creation -- something more of a year does -- four meetings, three of them with the new government of the Xunta. "PERMANENT CONTACTS" After noticing the possible presence of the virus, and previously to the official confirmation on the part of the central Executive, the xeral director of Public Sa?de, Ramon Medina, put themselves in contact on the part of Sanidade with the Basque Government, who confirmed the case to him of virus H5N detected in an aquatic bird. Later, Madrid ratified that it is variant H5N1, most virulent of the bird influenza. Sanidade confirmed that it will adopt, in addition, in Galicia the opportune measures in coordination with the central Government and the rest of the Independent Communities, after confirming the first case of the most virulent variant of the virus. As much the president of the Xunta, Emilio Perez Touri?o, like conselleirade Sanidade, Maria Blond Jose, remains "permanently" informed from the detection into the first case of virus H5N1 in Spain. Also, representatives of the Conseller?a of Rural Means put themselves in contact with the Basque Government when the case was detected, before confirming Madrid officially the positive. Thus, veterinarians and internal technical advisers of this department of the Xunta met in the morning with the holder of the department, Alfredo Su?rez Channel, to study the situation. The same sources consulted by Europe Press indicated that the Xunta will follow in Galicia the protocol ready by the World-wide Organization of the Health (the WHO) and by the central Government in the matter of bird influenza. In Galicia, the humedal Umia-O Grove is considered solely like zone of risk, in which Average Rural it had from principles of year the confinement of all the poultries next in a radius 10 kilometers -- to this humedal, that extends by seven city councils.

**sharon sanders** · July 7, 2006, 10:13 AM

Portugal is not increasing alarms

babelfish:

7 of 2006 July, 16h18 Portugal. - The Government of Portugal does not increase the levels of alert before the bird influenza by the case detected in Spain LISBON, 7 (of the correspondent of EUROPE PRESS, Patricia Ferro) The Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture assured today that the detection of the first case of bird influenza in a bird in Spain is not reason for alarm in Portugal and considered that it is not necessary to increase the level of alert for the prevention of virus H5N1. The National Laboratory of Reference of Algete confirmed east noon the presence of bird influenza of type H5N1 in somormujo lavanco located in ?lava and needed that it is a variant of "high pathogenicity". The director of the laboratory, Ramon Juste, said to Europe Press that the bird is not specially migratory, which takes to think that the animal was infected by another carrying migratory bird of this virus. The Portuguese Ministry affirmed that "there are no alarm reasons" since the control procedures and monitoring is such and that the country remains such "with alert levels". Portugal is in phase three of the plan of monitoring of the bird influenza, in agreement with the classification of the World-wide Organization of the Health (the WHO).

http://es.news.yahoo.com/07072006/4/...detectado.html

**Theresa42** · July 7, 2006, 10:31 AM

Crested grebe not very migratory?

The director of the Basque animal medical lab suggests in this article that the crested grebe ("somormujo" or Podiceps auritus, I think) is not very migratory. Wikipedia also says that the crested grebe is not very migratory and only heads for the coast in the winter.

Horned grebe - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podiceps_auritus

Director Juste, therefore, suggests that the grebe must've been infected by another migratory bird bringing H5N1 to Spain....

babelfished from Spanish:

It is confirmed that the bird found in Álava has given positive in the virus of the bird influenza

Noticia publicada a las 12:20
viernes, 07 de julio de aaaa

MADRID, 7 (EUROPA PRESS)

The director of the medical laboratory Basque animal in Derio (Bilbao), Ramon Juste, confirmed today, in declarations to Europe Press, that the bird analyzed coming from a humedal of Álava has given positive in the results of bird influenza (in the variant of virus H5N1). However, these results have been sent to the laboratory of reference of Madrid.

According to Juste, one is "somormujo", an aquatic type of bird that does not characterize itself being generally very migratory, reason why fits the possibility that it had been infected of another carrying migratory bird of virus H5N1. "It is very difficult to make an exhaustive control in all the migratory birds", needed.

This detection -- it added -- must to the monitoring system that carries out community independent of Country Basque, that includes an ample network of monitoring -- according to the protocols -- and in which services of cattle ranch, mounts take part, deprived personnel, et cetera. "Now the analyses in the birds of the humedal of Álava will intensify, and would be possible that other cases were detected, although are difficult to anticipate", concluded the director of the Neiker laboratory in Derio.

http://www.palenciadigital.com/portal/noticias/noticia.asp?canal=salud&fecha=20060707&hora=120411

**Sharpe** · July 7, 2006, 10:46 AM

Re: Spain confirms first case of bird flu

As background information:
4 weeks earlier, 10 ducks were found dead in the Madrid area. The translation:

Madrid boffins investigate La Laguna duck deaths

At the time of going to press analyses were still being carried out in Madrid to determine the cause of death of all the ducks that lived in the pond outside the cathedral of La Laguna. A team from the regional government?s animal health laboratory arrived in the cordoned-off plaza in white coveralls and masks to remove the birds. It wasn?t long before word got out about the ten deaths and rumours of avian flu were flying round the city, although official sources tried to calm the situation by stating that the most likely cause of death was poison.

At midday the regional ministry of agriculture put out a statement that the ducks bore signs of dog bites. That appeared to square with claims made by a local man that he had seen some Siberian huskies in the pond and had called the police.The councillor for La Laguna?s parks, Pl?cido Mejias, said he had been told by veterinary surgeons on the case that it was highly unlikely that all ten ducks could have been killed at a stroke by the dogs and the most probable scenario was they had jumped into the pond attracted by the squirming and splashing of the distressed and poisoned birds.
Reliable sources also said it was ?highly improbable? that the deaths were the result of avian flu given the ducks were known to have been healthy at 9 pm the previous evening, had not shown any signs of illness and were dead when checked at 7.30 am the following morning.
They said all the signs are that the birds were deliberately poisoned. One duckling appears to have survived for several hours, probably because it had eaten proportionately less of the poisoned substances than the adults.
The duck pond is well known and regarded as something of a symbol in La Laguna. Sr Mejias, visibly angered by the incident, said the dead ducks would be replaced, ?above all because of the happiness they give to children who love to see and feed them.? He lamented the change in society which has meant increased acts of cruelty and vandalism which in the past have resulted in oil and acid being poured into the ducks? pond, though never in deaths on the scale of this week?s.

**Sharpe** · July 7, 2006, 10:53 AM

Re: Spain confirms first case of bird flu

Finally, if these grebes aren't migratory, what birds are? Egrets, storks, birds like that, right? The below articles are interesting in that regard. It may very well not be bird flu, it may just be coincidental, but it's worth knowing.

A bacterium has killed to 755 storks in few months in Cadiz
June 04, 2006

The bacterial infection called Clostridium has caused the death in the last months of 755 units of white stork (Ciconia ciconia) in some lagoons and humedales of the province of Cadiz. In particular, the corpses of this species, declared of special interest in Andalusia, appeared in the lagoon of Geli (Chiclana) and in some rafts of irrigation of the Accountant, in the Port of Santa Maria. The Ministry of Medio ambiente, with data provided by the Meeting of Andalusia, attributes the death of the long-legged ones to this infection, next to one septicemia caused by Scherichia coli betahemolitica.

Also, the writing informs into which, in agreement with the data facilitated by the Center Andalusian of Diagno'stico (CAD), the examined samples have given to negative result to the presence of the virus cause of the bird influenza, H5N1.

The Executive clarifies that have not been corpses of unit of any other species whose death could be attributed to the same cause that has caused the loss of life between the white storks. In relation to these and other possible cases, the Government, in collaboration with the independent communities, has in march programs of pursuit and performance with the intention of taking the measures that in each case are required.

http://www.elpais.es/articulo/socie...lpepisoc_8/Tes/

UNDIAGNOSED DIE-OFF, HERONS - SPAIN (VALENCIA) *********************************************** A ProMED-mail post <http:> ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases <http:> Date: Wed 8 Feb 2006 From: ProMED-mail
Source: Consumer.es Eroski, Noticias, Spain [translated, edited] <http:> Death of 34 herons generates an alert because of avian flu ----------------------------------------------- Territorial Council in Generalitat Valenciana activated last Saturday [4 Feb 2006] its protocol for the handling of a suspected outbreak of avian flu, following the discovery of 34 dead herons. The dead birds were found in Acequia Real del Jucar. Though the 1st performed tests have ruled out avian influenza, samples have been sent to Madrid for the confirmation of the negative results. Last Friday [3 Feb 2006], a group of environmental agents from the Territorial Council detected "elevated mortality" of cattle herons (garcilla bueyera, in Spanish) in Acequia Real del Jucar, within the Municipality of Guadassuar (Valencia). The agents picked 3 carcasses, which were transported to the Fauna Recovery Center in El Saler. Once in the center, the Natural Environment's General Management decided to activate, "as a precaution measure," the said protocol. In addition to the 34 samples taken by technical personnel from the Territorial Council, the Generalitat contacted the Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA, according to its Spanish initials) of the National Police in order to perform an exhaustive analysis looking for the cause(s) of death in this group of birds. This department will investigate during the next days whether water contamination was to blame, or whether another infective agent is present in the area. 1st results of the necropsies were inconclusive: the birds were in a good nutritional condition without visible respiratory infection signs. Specialists added that 3 of the birds showed hemorrhagic gastroenteritis to different degrees. "Initially, a respiratory viral infection -- which might indicate avian flu -- is ruled out," the preliminary reports concluded. However, they add that samples have been prepared in order to be sent to different Madrid laboratories for final diagnosis.

UNDIAGNOSED DIE-OFF, HERONS - SPAIN (VALENCIA) (02) ************************************************** * A ProMED-mail post <http:> ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases <http:> Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 From: Pablo Nart
pablo.nart@gmail.com> [ProMED post 20060208.0418, published on 8 Feb 2006, included media-derived information on die-off of herons in Valencia, Spain. The potential aetiologies mentioned included, among others, avian influenza and poisoning. ProMED-mail raised the possibility that the birds might have been Cattle egrets( _Bubulcus ibis_) rather then herons, and asked for results of laboratory tests. No response has been obtained. A follow-up, applying media search and personal enquiries, was kindly carried out by Pablo Nart, who reported the following data on 16 Feb 2006. We regret the delayed in posting. - Mod.AS] Samples from the affected birds were sent to different laboratories in the country for toxicological, pathological, and microbiological examination. The Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) Central Laboratories in Algete, Madrid (Laboratorio de Sanidad y Produccion Animal) is in charge of analyzing and reporting all samples collected in Spain where avian influenza is suspected. Results are pending. The affected birds were, indeed, Cattle egrets (Garza bueyera, _Bubulcus ibis_). It appears that, given the rather indiscriminate eating habits of these birds, similar episodes are not uncommon in the area. The Valencia wetlands, Albufera, where this event was reported, was classified in October 2005 as an avian influenza risk area. Consequently, systematic surveillance is applied there, including regular fecal and blood sample collection from susceptible species.

UNDIAGNOSED DIE-OFF, STORKS - SPAIN (ANDALUSIA) *********************************************** A ProMED-mail post <http:> ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases <http:> Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 From: Pablo Nart
Source: El Periodico de Catalunya [Spanish, translated by sender; edited] <http: //www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_pk="6&idioma=CAS&idnotici a_PK=273766&idseccio_PK=132&h=060119"> Nearly 100 storks have been found dead in Chiclana lagoon (Cadiz), close to the garbage dump of Miramundo. Days ago, several hundreds dead storks were found in a nearby area. According to the local Government in Cadiz, agents of the Nature Protection Service (Seprona) of the police and technicians of the regional Environmment Department have collected faecal samples of the dead birds and water of the Jeli lagoon, to be investigated into the origin of this massive die-off. --

</http:></pablo12></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:></http:>