France Raises Bird Flu Risk From Weak To Moderate

France has raised its bird-flu risk alert to ‘moderate’ from ‘weak’, the Agriculture ministry said.

The decision was taken following the discovery Thursday of a highly contagious strain of the bird flu virus (H5N1) in three dead swans in a nature reserve in Dorset, in the southwest of England, the ministry said.

The French warning system has six levels: negligible 1, negligible 2, weak, moderate, high and very high, the ministry said.

The main impact of the decision to lift the warning is to forbid gatherings of birds and poultry in localities considered particularly at risk.

Birds and poultry in these localities must be kept out of all direct or indirect contact with wild birds, or are subject to alternative measures after an evaluation by a veterinarian.

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Vomiting Bug Norovirus Nears Pandemic Level At Nearly 3 Million

Almost three million people have been affected by the norovirus stomach bug so far this winter, figures suggest.

Surveillance from the Health Protection Agency shows cases in England and Wales are double those seen last year.

Doctors advise people to stay at home for 48 hours after symptoms have gone to cut the risk of the bug spreading.

The HPA said the norovirus season began unusually early. For every one of the 1,922 reported cases, it is estimated another 1,500 have been unreported.

These cases will have been in people who did not visit the doctor.

This equates to around 2.8 million people affected so far this winter and the virus is still circulating.

Norovirus – also known as winter vomiting disease – is the most common cause of infectious gastroenteritis in the UK.

Hospitals have been affected by outbreaks with many wards around the country having to close to new admissions to prevent the spread of the illness.

Easily spread

Onset is very sudden with vomiting and diarrhoea.

Some people may also feel feverish.

Illness can occur at any age because immunity to it is not long-lasting.

It is not normally dangerous but the very young and very old are most at risk of complications from dehydration.

The HPA said they had expected a higher number of recorded cases as methods used for detecting norovirus in the laboratory had improved.

But they advised people to practise good hygiene including hand washing and disinfecting contaminated surfaces if anyone has become ill.

Food preparation should also be avoided until 48 hours after symptoms have disappeared.

There is no specific treatment for norovirus other than letting the illness run its course but it is important to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, especially in the very young or elderly.

Professor Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said the advice issued last week on staying at home if you become ill and not rushing back to work was helping to slow the spread of the illness.

“Anecdotally the pressure seems to be coming off – were delighted that people are following the advice and taking the pressure off the health service.”

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Deadly Strain of Bird Flu Found At Childrens Petting Zoo In Israel

A deadly strain of the bird flu virus has infected chickens in northern Israel, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website on Thursday.

According to the report, the virus was found at a kindergarten petting zoo in the northern Israeli city of Binyamina, more than ten kilometers south to the city of Haifa.

The report said 18 of the 25 chickens in the petting zoo were found dead earlier Thursday morning.

The Haifa District Physician Prof. Shmuel Rishpon confirmed that the chickens were infected by the H5N1 bird flue virus.

Rishpon was quoted as saying that “The kindergarten staff has been given preventive medicines and as far as we know, none of the children or their parents came in contact with the birds.”

Source

Fourth Woman Dies of Bird Flu in Egypt

A woman died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in northern Egypt on Monday, the country’s fourth fatality from the virus in less than a week, the World Health Organisation said.

John Jabbour, an Egypt-based official with the WHO, said this and all other recent cases were believed to have been caused by exposure to sick or dead back-yard birds.

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