4A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2005
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BIRD FLU
Risto Bozovic/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rejko Dragas installs a chicken-wire fence in his chicken coop in Spuz, Serbia, on Thursday to prevent contact with wild birds. Preliminary tests on fowl from a region south of Moscow, where hundreds of birds died suddenly, detected the H5N1 strain of bird flu — signs that the dreaded virus might be spreading across a swath from Siberia to the shores of the Mediterranean.
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Migrating fowl could threaten Middle East
BY JIM KRANE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — As migrating waterfowl begin winging their way toward the warmth of the Middle East, this Persian Gulf nation — with a coastline and wetlands that host millions of wintering birds
— is bracing for the arrival of ducks and geese carrying the dreaded bird flu virus.
the disease was confirmed Thursday in Thailand. The disease has spread to birds in Europe, where it has been confirmed in Turkey and Romania in recent weeks, as well as in Russia.
"We can't sleep, I'm telling you," Majid Al Mansouri, who heads the country's bird flu campaign, said Thursday.
Now the birds blamed for bringing H5N1 to Turkey are headed across the Middle East into Africa.
Across the Middle East, countries are stockpiling vaccine and medication, banning poultry and live bird imports, and going on high alert.
The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has devastated poultry stocks and killed 61 people in Asia, where another death from
Half a million birds winter here every year, from enormous eagles to tiny warbler. The rest pass through on their way from Siberia and Central Asia to southern Africa.
on any that are sick and dying," said Peter Hellyer a bird enthusiast with the Emirates Bird Records Committee.
The Emirates government has enlisted a special weapon: the legions of bird watchers on the lookout for the 300 species and 2 million migrating birds that spend time in the region.
"We're keeping an eye on the birds coming in so we can report
Government inspectors have fanned out to check poultry farms, halt sale of live chickens and force people who own a few chickens or ducks to slaughter and eat them now or hand them over for destruction. Al Mansouri said many had already been killed. The country, like others in the Gulf, has imported tons of disinfectant and 4 million doses of anti-viral medication.
The H5N1 bird flu strain is easily spread among birds, but difficult for humans to contract. Scientists are worried, however, the strain could trigger a pandemic by mutating into a form easily transmitted between humans.
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