SIGNS OF BIRD FLU IN MAN.

The bird flu virus has been know to affect man and causing death in some of those affected.The major means of infection is close contact with affected poultry such as handling and processing .The issue of bio security on farms can not be over emphasized, the use of foot dips,tyre dips and hand washing with stipulated disinfectants are essential for safety.The procurement of healthy birds from reliable sources is also vital in the biosecurity protocol. The incubation period is usually 3-7 days after contact with infected poultry. Signs include;A sudden high temperature of 38C or above,a dry, chesty cough, headache, tiredness,inappetence, sore throat, runny nose, muscle and joint pain, stomach upset, diarrhoea and sore throat. The other signs include pneumonia, respiratory distress which is followed by multiple organ failure resulting in death. Prevention; 1) wash hands after handling poultry. 2) avoid contact with wild birds. read more

JAPAN BANS POULTRY IMPORTS FROM FRANCE.

Japan, the largest importer of French foie gras, bans poultry imports after bird flu outbreak in Dordogne;China, South Korea, Thailand, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia have banned French poultry imports and several other countries are considering doing so, according to Loïc Evain of the French agriculture ministry. Containment and protection measures are in force within a six-mile radius of the three farms affected near the village of Biras, between Périgueux and Brantôme. Entire flocks have been culled. About 1,000 geese and 14,000 ducks were electrocuted earlier this week in special trucks so the dead birds can be removed with minimum contamination. The farms are still being disinfected. story credit; Telegraph

CAT FITTED WITH TITANIUM LEGS.

A 3-year-old domestic short-haired cat named Vincent, whose hind legs are high-tech prosthetics, may soon be leaping for the tops of couches, counter-tops, and other high places he'd like to visit.He can't jump just yet, but that shouldn't be far behind. "I anticipate that he’ll be jumping and doing really normal cat things very soon," said Mary Sarah Bergh in a press release. The veterinary orthopedic surgeon and professor from Iowa State implanted the cat's titanium legs and is in charge of his post-operative care. The cat's weight is supported by the titanium shafts, which go upward, inside his bones. Subsequent procedures will gradually lengthen his legs, and eventually they will be the length of a normal cat's hind legs.Because the shafts are exposed to the environment, Vincent needs to receive antibiotic spray treatments twice a day, but otherwise all systems seem to be go for the special feline. He'll be looking down from high places soon enough. story credit; discovery news.

CATERPILLAR-INDUCED ABORTIONS IN MARES.

New research is underway in the Hunter Valley to try to reduce the number of abortions in horses caused by a species of caterpillar.University of Queensland researcher Julianne Farrell is carrying out field studies at several Upper Hunter studs, focussing on the hairs from the processionary caterpillar. Studs have addressed the problem by keeping mares away from the caterpillar and its nest.Ms Farrell said the racing industry is hoping the three-year study sheds light on the issue."That's why the racing industry has funded this project," she said. When service to a highly prized stallion is so expensive, you don't want to lose a foal halfway through the pregnancy."So it's in everyone's best interests that we sort out how we can possibly keep the mares and the caterpillars apart."Ms Farrell said controlling the caterpillar is proving challenging."What we'd like to provide is someway of keeping these caterpillars and the pregnant mares apart," she said."To keep the breeders and the stud owners in the Hunter Valley, and elsewhere where there are lots of thoroughbreds studs, happy. But it's not just the thoroughbreds affected - it's all sporting and performance horses that can also be affected."Scone vet Cameron Collins said the caterpillar has wreaked havoc during breeding seasons."We believe that processionary caterpillar related abortions may be responsible for up to 20 to 25 per cent of the abortions we see," he said. "What we find is the caterpillars live in nests in the trees," he said."The nest grows as the caterpillars grow, and shed their skin, full of caterpillar excretions."If that nest is disturbed, all of that exoskeleton material is distributed across the paddock, then the horses can be exposed to the contents of those nests, and that's when we think the problem occurs."It's a matter of identifying those nests and then disposing of them safely. Story courtesy; http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-29/research-at-hunter-horse-studs-to-prevent-caterpillar-induced-a/6505708

VETERINARIANS AND BIOSECURITY PROTOCOLS.

Veterinarians are often exposed to diseases that could be fatal, and this exposure has also been linked to further spread of infectious agents to other farms.The safety protocol for the vet and animals must be ensured for safety.


Bio security protocols are very important,and to this end training of vets and para-vets on these protocols are necessary.

 Diseases are emerging every time and others evolving, safety is necessary as more and more exposure cases are known and so many unreported and a lot more undiagnosed.


The health status of the vets are important just as that of the animals.Food animals ,companion animals and wildlife all poise a threat; safety is the watch word.

 Training on biosecurity protocols, use of latest disinfectants must be periodical and livestock owners should also know basic safety protocol.

Vets up-skill to prepare for future animal infectious disease emergencies in a bid to better manage future outbreaks of animal disease like avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease and Hendra virus, veterinarians convened in Canberra for a hands-on training exercise.

 "Part of the training is to condition people to what actually happens, so it doesn't take them by surprise," he said. Dr Will Andrew"It gives them assurance of their procedure and that takes the pressure off people.

"Vets were presented with a host of disinfectant and quarantine protocols."If you go and visit a property and you don't carry out some of these procedures you run the risk, particularly as a vet, when you visit the next property of taking that disease with you," Dr Andrew said.

Viruses that spread from animals to humans are on the rise.

Viruses that develop in animals and can spread to humans are on the rise around the world and scientists say more research is needed to prevent them from evolving. Viruses that pose a risk to both human and animal health are known as zoonotic diseases.The more severe examples include ebola in west Africa, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in the Arabian Peninsula, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia, and even Hendra in Australia. The University's Dr Siobhan Mor has just completed a study into how much scientists know about such animal diseases before they develop.She said half of the data that exists focuses on known zoonotic diseases, and there is a lack of information on animal viruses that have the potential to develop into human ones."We identified 10 diseases that occur at the livestock-wildlife interface, majority of which also affect humans, and found that the majority of the research has been occurring on these [10] particular diseases since the 1960s," Dr Mor said."There has been a lot of research on these particular diseases, with far less on other diseases occurring."Dr Mor said the findings are concerning, given animal diseases could pose a greater risk to human health as livestock production systems become more intensive."We are seeing more diseases occurring now in people as a result of those livestock systems and the way we are producing human food," she said.We are seeing more diseases occurring now in people as a result of those livestock systems and the way we are producing human food. Dr Siobhan Mor, University of Sydney, "We are raising animals in close proximity to wildlife because we have cleared land in order to make way for our agricultural production." Dr Mor said sometimes new diseases are detected in humans first, which are later found to have initially developed in animals, such as HIV."Historically, we know that HIV comes from animals, but what the research shows is there are increasingly new diseases being found in humans and we later determine have been occurring in animals as well."Dr Mor said Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, is a more modern example of an animal disease that has become more problematic for humans in recent decades."I think everyone's eyes are on viruses known as coronaviruses," she said. Zoonotic diseases have become more publicised recently with the west African ebola outbreak, which has so far killed more than 10,000 people.Fruit bats are thought to be the natural hosts of the ebola virus, as is also the case with the deadly Hendra virus in Australia. Hendra has infected seven Australians and killed four, as well as countless horses, since it was first recorded in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra in 1994. Dr Mor said human Hendra cases demonstrated a need to understand more about bats, which are linked to a number of zoonotic diseases."Bats are really interesting and we now know they harbour many germs which can make people very sick," Read more here; http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-21/researchers-say-more-information-is-needed-zoonotic-diseases/6635738

ELECTRICITY FROM WASTE!!!

Waste is generated from our activities everyday.The choice of waste management depends on the people involved and the innovation prowess of those involved.Waste management is a global issue and as such numerous efforts are put in place to ensure a cleaner and safer environment. Waste generated from animals,food and humans can be processed using a biodigester and the gas generated used as electricity and cooking fuel. The electricity crisis is in every nation,with most developed nations thinking of how to cut energy costs by sourcing for alternatives, the developing and underdeveloped nations do not have enough energy,thus also looking for ways to provide electricity for all. Solar, and other energy have been used,but that which is most currently explored is electricity from waste. The benefits of biogas are enormous; see how a farmer is making use of it. Ta Quang Nah is a Vietnamese rice farmer, pig breeder, builder and fisherman. But for several months now he has also been running a power station from his home on the Ca Mau peninsula.All the family’s waste goes straight from their outdoor latrine to join that of their four pigs in an airtight underground chamber, and the methane gas that is naturally let off as the combined excreta decomposes collects in a long polythene bag secured above ground. Ta Quang Nah was advised by Oxfam how to set up his family biodigester, and when I met him last month he was proudly cooking on his own gas, and saving money by not buying wood or charcoal. His simple operation cost less than $50 to instal, paid itself off in a few months, needs little maintenance and is more than big enough for his family’s needs. Dozens of his neighbours want one too. Using vegetable or livestock waste to generate biogas is now common and growing fast as cattle farmers and food companies in Europe and the US are encouraged with subsidies to set up anaerobic, or airless, digesters like Ta Quang Nah’s rudimentary one. But using human waste is still largely taboo outside Asia.( story; the guardian) Housing estates stand to benefit from this; where all the waste generated is passed to a central collecting point, then to the biodigester for processing.The electricity produced can be passed to grid,thus reducing cost of electricity and also ensuring that power is always available.The plant can also use foodwaste,thus the central bin in the estate can be sorted and fed to digester to produce more power. This is truly an independent power source, that will ensure a clean environment.