Avian Influenza Found In Japan

The Japanese Government has been forced to cull 170 thousand chickens after a H5 strain of the bird flu virus was detected at a farm north of Tokyo last week.

The Agricultural Ministry said Tuesday that chickens at Moriya Farm tested positive for antibodies for the virus, though no viruses had been found.

The cases were reported publicly until Tuesday because authorities wanted to prevent mass panic across the country.

Officials believe the chickens had the H5N2 strain of the virus, which is less virulent than the H5N1 strain that has killed at least 64 people across South East Asia.


Asian Development Bank (ADB) may increase bird flu funding

The ADB is mulling a major extension of it’s funding to fight avian influenza, including a 300 million boost in aid to compensate farmers.

170 million dollars for short term action has already been pledged to fund better surveillance of poultry flocks and other preventative measures.

ADB Vice President Geert van Linden says they may also ask donor countries to help fund specific schemes to shore up defences bird flu and strengthen preparations for a feared human pandemic that could erupt from the H5N1 avian virus.

Projects could include anti viral drugs stockpiling and vaccines as well as compensation for farmers.

Experts say that if governments offer little or no compensation, affected farmers are tempted to cover up outbreaks of bird flu or sell on infected birds, thus causing the disease to spread.

But the funding could also provide an incentive for farmers to purposely infect their flocks deliberately in order to get paid off.

The ADB last week estimated that if the virus mutated to infect humans, the cost for Asian economies could range from 99 billion to 283 billion dollars.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), another disease originating in Asia, killed fewer than 800 people in 2003, yet its economic tab has been estimated at more than 30 billion dollars worldwide.

source: sbs