Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths

[Theresa42]

Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths
Posted at 22:04 on 02 May, 2006 UTC

Samoa?s Health Ministry is testing chickens belonging to a family in Maninoa Siumu after ten chickens died in the space of one week.

The family says it tried to alert the health and agriculture ministeries last week to get their chickens checked for the bird flu virus but they had no response.

A family member reported this to the Samoa Observer Newspaper, who publicised the chicken deaths and the lack of interest from authorities.

Family member Sepa Folesi said that the health and agriculture ministries have now taken samples from the chickens for testing.

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=23836

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths

Excellent. The public in Samoa are well educated about bird flu.

 

[chicken little]

Re: Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths

AnneZ your comment "the public in Samoa are well educated about bird-flu". I have made a point lately of speaking to Island people at various of my work-places around Auckland,about this issue.Auckland is ,after all,the "Polynesian Capital" of the world.I hate to tell you this AnneZ,but the uptake/knowledge/awareness rate of BF issues in this community is very low indeed.Clearly,some folk are aware,but not very many.In the main they are not at all cynical or disbelieving;they have simply not heard of it.I await with interest,the results of the Samoan Health Ministry testing.Cheers.

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths

Chicken little, that is disturbing news.
I wonder how the people in Samoa came up with the idea that their birds might have bird flu.

 

[chicken little]

Re: Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths

AnneZ, as you know very well,the so called "middle classes" of any community in the world tend to have the time,energy and facilities to explore issues that do not relate directly to their day to day existance.What more can I say?

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths

Once again it comes back to the poor.
The poor live with their poultry.
the poor are ignorant about bird flu.
The poor don't take their sick to the hospital until it's too late.
Who does this board help and educate? Is it the poor?

 

[chicken little]

Re: Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths

AnneZ....answers
1 yes
2 yes
3 yes
4 yes
5 "who does this board help and educate?"
Like it or not,you already know the answer.It is 2230 hours here.Goodnight.And thank you for your diligence and concern.You are much appreciated.

 

[Joe Neubarth]

Re: Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths

Having lived in Samoa in the early 1950's (1951 - 1953) and having relatives who are Samoan (My Step Mother is the Voliki ["Spoiled One" --Royalty! --The female who could pass on the title of King/Highest chief to her eldest son)] of the Manua Islands to the east of American Samoa) I can say this about that.

American Samoa (mostly the island of Tutuila) has fairly modern schools and a pretty well educated population. In American Samoa, most of the islanders know what Bird Flu is.

I do not know in depth about the Kingdom of Western Samoa (Mostly the two big islands of Upolu and Savaii). New Zealand had those islands as a protectorate after World War One and could not be accused of pumping a lot of money into the islands to modernize the economy.

As I have seen here, it is easy to comment about Samoa knowing about Bird Flu, but I think if you do so you need to specify which of the two Samoas you are referring to.

 

[Joe Neubarth]

Re: Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths

Meanwhile, I can not find any followup on the sample sent for testing? Anybdoy know about this. I e-mailed Air New Zealand about a followup story but have had no response.

 

[chicken little]

Re: Samoan Health Ministry investigating chicken deaths

Am still waiting patiently for results,or did I miss it?Anyone who lives down here knows that "Island Time" is often quite different to "Western Time".