Kenya, Rwanda ban poultry from Uganda over bird flu.

Kenya, Rwanda ban poultry from Uganda over bird flu.Kenyan and Rwandan authorities said Wednesday they had banned poultry products from neighbouring Uganda, where a virulent H5 strain of avian flu has broken out. "The government banned importation of poultry and poultry products from Uganda with immediate effect," said Kenya's agriculture cabinet secretary Willy Bett at a press conference. The move from Nairobi comes two days after Rwanda also blocked poultry imports. "Rwanda has put in place measures to prevent the disease. We have temporarily halted the import of poultry and poultry products," Christine Kanyandekwe from the country's agricultural department said Wednesday.continue

Senegal troops move to Gambia border as Jammeh crisis grows.

Senegal troops move to Gambia border as Jammeh crisis grows. Senegalese troops have been seen moving towards the Gambian border in a show of force to pressure President Yahya Jammeh to stand down. Senegal gave him a midnight GMT deadline to quit and Nigeria has sent an air force contingent to Senegal in support of the possible intervention.Wednesday was meant to be his last day in office but parliament has granted him three more months in the post. It effectively stops successor Adama Barrow being sworn in on Thursday. His shock victory in the 1 December election plunged The Gambia into crisis. Mr Barrow is currently in Senegal.West African countries are seeking UN backing to intervene militarily to eject Mr Jammeh, who has ruled The Gambia since taking power in a bloodless coup in 1994. Meanwhile, thousands of UK and Dutch tourists are being evacuated from the tiny West African state, which is popular with European holidaymakers because of its beaches.source

Hong Kong adds to avian flu blocked list

Hong Kong adds to avian flu blocked list: Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has banned the imports of poultry meat and products from Egypt, the Odessa and Chernivtsi Oblasts in Ukraine and the Klodzki and Krakowski districts of Poland following recorded outbreaks of H5N8 avian influenza.

Shaking piglets and atypical porcine pestivirus.(APPV)

A new study has shown that shaking in new born piglets is not a sign of cold but of a previously unidentified virus. Symptoms of tremors and shaking in newborn piglets are not a sign that the animals are cold, but rather that they are suffering from a specific viral infection. Researchers at Vetmeduni Vienna have now been able to prove this correlation for the first time using a newly developed test have now been able to prove this correlation for the first time using a newly developed test. The scientists detected a previously unknown virus, termed atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV), in “shaking piglets”, making it possible to clearly diagnose the potentially fatal disease. This virus remains in the animals for a long time following an infection and may also be transmitted sexually,these findings were published in the journal Veterinary Research. The researchers used genome sequencing data to identify the virus,the pathogen, which belongs to the atypical porcine pestiviruses (APPV), was detected in diseased animals at Austrian farms using a specially developed test. Congenital tremors may be life-threatening and presents a challenge for the piglets ,the tremor can sometimes be so severe that the piglet is unable to properly suckle milk. Suckling is important for piglets in the first 24 hours after birth as only the sow's milk contains everything the piglet needs to survive and without the first drink of milk, piglets have a very low chance of survival. Piglets that survive the first phase, usually symptoms subside after three or four weeks but in rare cases, a slight tremor remains in the ears. A mortality rate of up to 30 percent is possible among affected piglets,thus identifying the causative agent is a diagnostic breakthrough. Detection is possible using the usual molecular methods such as polymerase chain reaction.The detection procedure not only confirmed the presence of the virus in high numbers in the diseased piglets but also in the saliva and semen of mature pigs. The presence of the virus in the semen gives a clue as to mode of transmission ,but the virus is likely transmitted to the piglet at a stage of gestation when the central nervous system is developing, as indicated by changes in nerve fibres.

How playing fetch hurts the forelimbs of dogs.

Did you know retrieval strains the forelimbs of dogs? you can play fetch,but within bounds.A new study published in the journal BMC Veterinary Research has shown that this simple retrieval exercise hurts the dog. Hunting dogs such as the popular breed retriever are ideally suited for retrieving birds or small game. However, the weight the dogs carry strains their locomotor system. A motion study has shown that the dogs tilt forwards like a seesaw when they carry the prey in their mouths. T This can make already existing joint and tendon damage worse. Therefore, adjusted weights should be used for the training of puppies and adult dogs. Furthermore, the joints should be checked regularly by specialists. Originally, retrievers were not bred as family dogs but as dogs for work and hunt. They are so-called gun dogs which can be used to retrieve birds and small game such as rabbits. This ability is meanwhile also used in competitions in which the dogs only retrieve the dummies they are trained with from their puppy age. The same artificial weights are also used for hunting training. An adult animal can carry loads of several kilos in its mouth,but even if gun dogs have the required attributes, the additional weight is physically burdensome for them.The scientists found out that the load in the dog's mouth causes the forces to increase, but particularly affects the forelimbs. In any case and with rising weight, the dogs became lighter on their hindlimbs. Carrying the prey had an effect similar to a seesaw. continue

The “Stop Lyme One Health Campaign” is Fighting Lyme in Dogs and in People.

Lyme disease, and tick diseases in general, are an epidemic for dogs according to many veterinary parasitologists. What’s more? Dogs are sentinels – so in places where dogs are sickened with tick disease, it’s a safe bet that people will be too. In many ways, when it comes to tick disease, pet medicine is actually well ahead of human medicine. In fact, while the human medical community, at times, struggles to diagnose tick disease, it’s simple to detect the presence of antibodies (for Lyme and various other tick diseases) in dogs. Arguably, tick disease is also more on “top of mind” in veterinary medicine than it is in human health. Stop Lyme One Health is a public awareness campaign that includes support from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the non-profit Global Lyme Alliance. Dr. Ron DeHaven, AVMA CEO agreed that, “More today than ever, we live in the same environment as our pets, and this can be especially true for our children. If Lyme disease is diagnosed in a person, it’s very possible that the family dog has also been exposed, and visa versa.” DeHaven says, “By focusing on disease in animals, we can impact human health as well. This is the basic concept of One Health – that the health of people, animals and the environment are inextricably linked. This is also consistent with the mission statement at AVMA: The mission of the Association is to lead the profession by advocating for its members and advancing the science and practice of veterinary medicine to improve human and animal health. It’s important to work alongside physicians to enhance the understanding of diseases affecting human and animal patients. continue

Yellow fever outbreak reported in Brazil.

WHO warned that a large epidemic of yellow fever is possible in Brazil after dozens of suspected deaths from the disease were reported in an area with low vaccination coverage.As of Jan. 13, the Brazil Ministry of Health (MOH) said 133 suspected cases and 38 suspected deaths from yellow fever had been reported since Dec. 18 in Minas Gerais — the first yellow fever outbreak in the inland state since 2002-2003, according to WHO. In response, the MOH sent 735,000 doses of vaccine to Mina Gerais last week, increasing the total number in the state to more than 1 million doses. The ministry recommended that people living in rural areas of the 24 affected municipalities in Minas Gerais get vaccinated. According to WHO, one dose of yellow fever vaccine offers lifetime protection. However, the MOH recommends two doses for people in Brazil: one at age 9 months and another at age 4 years. Travelers wishing to protect themselves from yellow fever should be vaccinated at least 10 days before their trip. The rapid spread of yellow fever could be due to low vaccine coverage in Minas Gerais, and there is concern that the outbreak will cross the border to neighboring states that also have low vaccine coverage but favorable ecosystems for the transmission of the virus, such as Espirito Santo and Bahia, WHO said. These areas were previously considered to be at low risk of transmission and, consequently, yellow fever vaccination was not recommended,” WHO said in a report about the outbreak. “The introduction of the virus in these areas could potentially trigger large epidemics of yellow fever.” The outbreak response includes a house-to-house immunization campaign in rural areas of the affected municipalities of Minas Gerais and preparedness activities in bordering states, according to WHO.source