Note: I've edited this post to generalize the topic. I'm under the impression we're going to be hearing a lot from PETA.
Humans? Closest Relatives Are Among the Most Dangerous Carriers of Avian Flu, Other Deadly Diseases
Atlanta ? In an attempt to stanch the spread of bird flu, which has already traveled from Asia to the Middle East and Europe, PETA has fired off a letter to Dr. Julie Louise Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, urging her to ban the importation of nonhuman primates from countries with confirmed bird flu outbreaks.
PETA cites laboratory tests that show that nonhuman primates contract bird flu similarly to humans and points out that primates bought and sold in unregulated Asian animal markets are likely to be kept in close contact with infected birds. Last year, more than 20,000 of these primates entered the U.S. from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia?countries that have suffered 97 human deaths from bird flu.
PETA?s request has precedent, as the CDC banned primate imports after contract-testing giant Covance Inc. was discovered to be importing hundreds of Ebola-infected primates from Asia. Given the severe threat posed by bird flu, PETA thinks that similar action by the CDC is appropriate.
PETA also points out that the intense stress caused by capture, confinement, and transport?which can be compounded by prolonged exposure to heat, cold, hunger, and thirst?suppresses primates? immune systems, making them highly susceptible to infectious diseases. Because the animals are usually crowded together in large shipments, the virus can easily spread and mutate.
"Every day that nonhuman primates enter the United States brings the bird flu epidemic one step closer to our shores," says PETA Senior Vice President Mary Beth Sweetland. "The CDC recognizes the disease threat posed by nonhuman primates and has already banned their importation as pets. The CDC can close this potentially deadly loophole by banning the importation of all nonhuman primates from bird flu-ravaged countries."
Humans? Closest Relatives Are Among the Most Dangerous Carriers of Avian Flu, Other Deadly Diseases
Atlanta ? In an attempt to stanch the spread of bird flu, which has already traveled from Asia to the Middle East and Europe, PETA has fired off a letter to Dr. Julie Louise Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, urging her to ban the importation of nonhuman primates from countries with confirmed bird flu outbreaks.
PETA cites laboratory tests that show that nonhuman primates contract bird flu similarly to humans and points out that primates bought and sold in unregulated Asian animal markets are likely to be kept in close contact with infected birds. Last year, more than 20,000 of these primates entered the U.S. from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia?countries that have suffered 97 human deaths from bird flu.
PETA?s request has precedent, as the CDC banned primate imports after contract-testing giant Covance Inc. was discovered to be importing hundreds of Ebola-infected primates from Asia. Given the severe threat posed by bird flu, PETA thinks that similar action by the CDC is appropriate.
PETA also points out that the intense stress caused by capture, confinement, and transport?which can be compounded by prolonged exposure to heat, cold, hunger, and thirst?suppresses primates? immune systems, making them highly susceptible to infectious diseases. Because the animals are usually crowded together in large shipments, the virus can easily spread and mutate.
"Every day that nonhuman primates enter the United States brings the bird flu epidemic one step closer to our shores," says PETA Senior Vice President Mary Beth Sweetland. "The CDC recognizes the disease threat posed by nonhuman primates and has already banned their importation as pets. The CDC can close this potentially deadly loophole by banning the importation of all nonhuman primates from bird flu-ravaged countries."
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