Sweden: Bird flu found in two Swedish towns

[CreativeOne]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060214/hl_afp/healthflusweden_060214142717

H5N1 bird flu should reach Sweden by spring: officials Tue Feb 14, 9:27 AM ET

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu will likely arrive in Sweden with migratory birds in a couple of months, the head of the National Board of Health and Welfare wrote in an opinion piece.

"It is probable that the bird flu will be discovered among the thousands of migratory birds that will be caught and tested on (the Swedish island of) Oeland this spring," according to an article in the Dagens Nyheter daily, co-written by Kjell Asplund, the general director of Sweden's national health board.

In addition to the danger from migratory birds, which could potentially infect Sweden's tame poultry stocks, Asplund and his co-authors cautioned that smuggled birds or humans already carrying the virus could also bring the deadly bird flu strain into the Scandinavian country.

The H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus has killed about 90 people in Asia, Turkey and northern Iraq and has recently been detected in wild swans in Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Slovenia.

"It is not unthinkable that we soon will have cases of H5N1 even closer to Sweden, and there is a risk that the virus will reach our country," the article stated, going on to call for the deadly bird flu strain to be included on the Swedish list of communicable diseases that must reported to authorities.

"H5N1 is a dangerous disease, both for birds and humans, and needs to be regarded as such," the authors wrote

[Toaster2]

Sweden detects first bird flu cases in wild birds

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SAT002838.htm

Sweden detects first bird flu cases in wild birds
28 Feb 2006 10:57:26 GMT

Source: Reuters

STOCKHOLM, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The Swedish government said on Tuesday it had detected the country's first cases of an "aggressive form of bird flu" -- an apparent reference to the deadly H5N1 strain -- in an unspecified number of wild birds.

"The virus has been found in wild birds in the region of Oskarshamn (on Sweden's southeast coast)," the Agriculture Ministry said in a brief statement, adding that it would hold a news conference at 1200 GMT.

[Bruce]

Re: Sweden detects first bird flu cases in wild birds

Bird Flu Reaches Sweden; Misses Finland[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=2]He has said, however, that it is likely the virus will reach Finland by the spring.

The Swedish Board of Agriculture confirmed that the H5 virus was found in ducks near a nuclear power plant in Oskarshamn in south-eastern Sweden. Experts say the virus is identical to strains found in Russia and China.

Sweden is the ninth EU country to detect the H5N1 virus.

Finnish Case Not Bird Flu

The deadly strain of H5N1 bird flu was not present in more than 20 dead ducks recently found in south-eastern Finland. The National Veterinary and Food Research Institute said on Tuesday that the presence of other diseases, such as salmonella, is now under investigation.

The ducks and one crow were found dead in a park in downtown Kotka. Experts say a variety of illnesses could have caused the deaths.

The Institute has investigated a dozen bird deaths this year, none of which were caused by avian flu.

http://www.yle.fi/news/left/id28993.html

[Bruce]

Re: Sweden detects first bird flu cases in wild birds




One of the two ducks that were found dead in the Baltic Sea, near a nuclear power plant in Oskarshamn, about 250 km (155 miles) south of Stockholm with an aggressive strain of bird flu some days ago, is seen in this undated handout. Further tests would likely confirm it was the deadly H5N1 strain, according to the National Veterinary Institute. SWEDEN OUT
REUTERS/NATIONAL VETERINARY INSTITUTE, STR

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/pictures/STO03.htm

[gerda]

Birdflu in Gotland

Bird flu has reached Gotland. Earlier it has been found in Oskarshamn, Karlskrona and Oxel?sund.
http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?...83&lpos=lasMer

Gotland is located about 90 km east off the Swedish mainland and about 130 km from the Baltic States. ( It is marked on the swedish tracking map)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotland

[Waltz]

Re: Sweden: Bird flu found in two Swedish towns

Two new cases of bird flu found in Sweden

www.chinaview.cn 2006-03-11 02:34:37

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-03/11/content_4288344.htm

STOCKHOLM, March 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Swedish authorities have reported two more cases of bird flu here, bringing the total number to 25, Radio Sweden reported on Friday.

The National Veterinary Institute (SVA) said two wild ducks found on the Baltic island of Gotland have tested positive for theH5 subtype, but more tests are needed to confirm if it is the deadly H5N1 strain.

Twenty-three other ducks from three locations on Sweden's Baltic coast have been found carrying the H5 strain. Samples have been sent to a laboratory in Britain for confirmation.

"The Swedish Board of Agriculture will today introduce securityand surveillance zones to stop the virus from spreading to poultrystocks," SVA said.

According to Pia Gustafsson, a veterinary inspector at the agriculture board, there was no reason to panic.

"We have actually found very few birds carrying the virus. The whole coastal area is populated by the same kind of birds that tend to have a lot of contact with each other, and yet most of thebirds we've tested have not had the virus," she told the public broadcaster. Enditem