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As most of you know I live in Michigan. Point Mouillee State Game Area is a bird's paradise with alot of water, and muddy marsh areas, the perfect habitat for H5N1.
It is also where they once dumped the dredgings from the Detroit River & other waterways that by EPA standards were contaminated.
"We are in this breathing space before it happens. We do not know how long that breathing space is going to be. But, if we are not all organizing ourselves to get ready and to take action to prepare for a pandemic, then we are squandering an opportunity for our human security"- Dr. David Nabarro
As most of you know I live in Michigan. Point Mouillee State Game Area is a bird's paradise with alot of water, and muddy marsh areas, the perfect habitat for H5N1.
I don't understand the structural relationship of the North American virus to the Asian one. What percent of the gene sequences are identical? I know the HA is different...but I don't have a perspective on it. Is it VERY different or just a bit? Which gene chunk makes it LPAI?
I come from Alberta, where all the Mallards are infected....and I live on the north shore of Lake Erie.
<table width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="TakeTime" valign="top">14 Aug 2006 21:44 GMT =
WSJ:Bird Flu In Mich Swans May Disrupt US Poultry Exports</td><td align="right" valign="bottom">
</td></tr><tr><td>Copyright ? 2006, Dow Jones Newswires</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">
By Scott Kilman
Of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL </pre> CHICAGO (Dow Jones)--U.S. government officials are waiting to see whether the discovery of bird flu in a pair of Michigan swans will disrupt exports by the U.S. poultry industry.
While genetic screening by U.S. government scientists has determined that the virus found in the wild birds isn't the deadly Asian form of the H5N1 virus, countries such as Russia and Japan have clamped down before on imports of U.S. chickens when other forms of bird flu were detected in the U.S. These countries want to protect their domestic flocks from the highly-contagious respiratory disease.
(This story and related background material will be available on The Wall Street Journal's Web site, WSJ.com)
The U.S. government has notified Japan, Russia, Mexico and Canada about the Michigan discovery.
A spokesman for Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN), the nation's biggest poultry concern, said the company hadn't heard of any concerns from its international customers. USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, an industry group that handles trade issues, said it hadn't detected any negative international reaction so far.
The U.S. poultry industry is just beginning to recover from problems in foreign markets where consumer confidence was undermined by the discovery of the Asian H5N1 influenza strain in birds. A drop in foreign demand earlier this year caused prices for U.S. chicken to drop sharply, helping to generate losses for companies such as Tyson Foods and Pilgrim's Pride Corp. (PPC) during their recently concluded fiscal third quarters.
The U.S. poultry industry exports about 15% of its chicken meat annually, which usually generates about $2 billion in sales.
U.S. government scientists are conducting weeks of testing to conclusively identify the virus they found in the Michigan swans. While the virus resembles a mild form of H5N1 influenza long known to be present in North American wild birds, U.S. scientists can't yet rule out any danger to domesticated chickens. -By Scott Kilman, The Wall Street Journal (END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 14, 2006 17:44 ET (21:44 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
</td></tr></tbody></table>
"We are in this breathing space before it happens. We do not know how long that breathing space is going to be. But, if we are not all organizing ourselves to get ready and to take action to prepare for a pandemic, then we are squandering an opportunity for our human security"- Dr. David Nabarro
Here's one disruption of poultry exports, posted by AnnieB at the wiki:
S. Korea halts U.S. poultry inspections after discovery of bird flu SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) ?
South Korea has halted import inspections of U.S. poultry after the discovery of bird flu in Michigan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said Wednesday.
It said the provisional measures effectively bans American poultry from entering the country. (This emphasis mine)
THE SAGINAW NEWS
Logan M. Honsinger should have had the chance to get his new school clothes dirty today, the first day of school.
He should have had the chance to swing a fresh backpack over his shoulder, sharpen his No. 2 pencils, and rush to catch the bus on time.
Instead, the 10-year-old's desk in a fifth-grade classroom at Ling Elementary School in Hemlock will remain empty.
The straight-A student and avid athlete died Sunday at Covenant Emergency Care Center. An autopsy was to take place today to determine the cause of his death.
Complete obituary, A7
"I wondered why the church bells were ringing (Monday)," said Hemlock Public School District Superintendent Rudy Godefroidt. "My wife (Ellen) said the Methodist Church was ringing their bells. If it was Sunday, we wouldn't have thought anything of it, but it was out of place on a Monday morning. It makes sense now."
Godefroidt said little is known about the circumstances of Honsinger's death.
Reports indicated Honsinger started showing flu-like symptoms at football practice Friday. He was in his first year as a member of Valley Youth Football, a community-based league.
Honsinger was the son of Michael and Sarah (Anthes) Honsinger and had three siblings.
Ken Ling, a Richland Township police officer and president of Valley Youth Football, said league officials agreed not to comment until they learn more details of the boy's death.
"At this point, we don't know a great deal," Godefroidt said. "We're all still in shock. The Honsingers are a popular family in the community ... very well-known and liked and very involved in the schools. Their kids are great, all of them.
"Our elementary school principal said Logan was one of the nicest kids he's ever met. He was a leader in the school and in his grade. He was a fantastic kid, and the Honsingers are a super family. This is so tragic. It's tough."
Hemlock Board of Education President Robert Wetherbee said Honsinger's death stunned much of the community.
"We're deeply saddened," he said. "Our prayers are with the family in hopes that their faith will give them hope. My heart goes out to this family. This is an unbearable event. I hope the family will draw on the school district and their friends for comfort."
School administrators planned to follow established grief counseling procedures today.
"The elementary school counselor will visit all of the classrooms," Godefroidt said. "The principal will read a prepared statement to the children and be there to answer questions. The kids who need extra attention can meet with a counselor. We have also contacted the clergy from the area and asked them to pop into the schools if they're available."
Administrators were unsure how well students would cope with Honsinger's death when they already have first-day-of-school jitters to overcome.
"It's a time when they're already uncomfortable because they're unfamiliar with their teachers, they don't know some of the students, they're in a new classroom," Godefroidt said.
He said because the students are at a transitional age, no one is sure what to expect.
"We'll have to watch them closely," he said. "We'll rely an awful lot on our teachers, and we'll do what's best for everyone. Some of it is going to be rough."
Administrators may encourage the students to make banners and goodbye notes or paper doves -- symbols of peace -- to take to the funeral home.
Honsinger also wrestled and played soccer and baseball. He enjoyed fishing, swimming, riding personal watercraft, tubing and spending weekends at his grandfather's cabin in Caseville.
Besides his parents, the youth leaves two brothers, 8-year-old Landon and 2-year-old Braydon; and a 6-year-old sister, Payton.
A funeral is planned for 11 a.m. Thursday at Hemlock United Methodist Church, where the Honsingers are members. Visitation is from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at W.L. Case and Co. Funeral Chapel, 201 N. Miller, and from 10 a.m. until the service Thursday at the church.
On Memorial Day this year, Hemlock community leaders dedicated the Hemlock Memorial Garden at the high school. The garden honors students who have died. Honsinger is the seventh Hemlock student to die since 2003, Saginaw News records show.
"It's unfortunate that we are going through this again," said Wetherbee. "I know we can pull through this together, as a family."v
LaNia Coleman is a staff writer for The Saginaw News. You may reach her at 776-9690.
Dr. Niman,
I've noted several cases very similar to this occurring in Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana this summer. Below is an article 100 miles west of Hemlock from 12 weeks ago. Personally, I'm concerned by these strange reports, but I'm not going to jump up and down about it being H5N1-related. They're just worth paying attention to and watching out for.
WEST OLIVE -- Health officials are searching for what caused a teen in West Olive to die a week after developing flu-like symptoms. 16-year-old Caleb Vannette died Saturday at Spectrum Health Butterworth Campus, two days after transferring there from Zeeland Community Hospital.
Doctors think it was some type of blood infection said family friend, Aaron Vonk. He also said that doctors looked at septicemia and meningitis as possibilities.
Ottawa County Health Officer Lisa Stefanovsky confirmed that health officials were investigating a possible case of meningitis but would not identify the victim. She said the public should not be worried.
Meningitis is an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Viral meningeal infections are not as dangerous as the bacterial type. Caleb started showing flu-like symptoms roughly 10 days ago. On Thursday he had problems breathing, "He was a healthy kid," Vonk said. "It was something that caught us all off-guard."
Caleb was the oldest of 6 siblings, all of which are home-schooled. He is survived by his parents Jonathan and Deborah and his brothers and sisters ages 14, 12, 10, 8 and 6. Faith was an important part of Caleb's life. He attended Reformed Baptist Church of Holland, where his father is a lay pastor.
"Faith is something that drives Jonathan, and you could see it driving Caleb in the last few years," said Vonk, a member of the same church. Everyone who knew Caleb was devastated, including church members and those at CDR. Caleb's grandmother, Helen Mink, said faith is helping the family cope. "That's the only thing getting them through this," she said.
Funeral services were Wednesday at Reformed Baptist Church of Holland.
Caleb was described as young man who worked on Saturdays with his father at his equipment rental business. He also volunteered and trained with the Michigan Civil Air Patrol out of Muskegon, which is an auxiliary of the US Air Force helping with search and rescue operations.
Vonk said Caleb talked about going into law enforcement or the Air Force. "I think he would have loved to fly," he said. "He was something of an airplane buff."
Dr. Niman,
I've noted several cases very similar to this occurring in Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana this summer. Below is an article 100 miles west of Hemlock from 12 weeks ago. Personally, I'm concerned by these strange reports, but I'm not going to jump up and down about it being H5N1-related. They're just worth paying attention to and watching out for.
I agree that the cases are worth watching. I thought the location of Caseville was interesting.
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