Panic in Plateau over fresh bird flu outbreak .

Poultry farmers in Plateau State have been urged to report any observed disease in their farms due to fresh outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu) in the state.The Plateau State Chairman of Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, Mr. John Dasar, who gave the charge yesterday, said reporting diseases observed in their farms on time to relevant agency will help prevent the diseases from unaffected farms. Although the outbreak of bird flu has raised fears among poultry farmers in the state, Dasar called for calm as he urged farmers to reinforce safety measures in their farms to avoid lost of investments. He said: “Three farms have recorded an outbreak: one at Dong village, one at Rukuba Road and at another farm, which I cannot recall now. I also cannot say precisely the number of birds that were affected. “We are working with veterinary doctors and they are working hard to ensure the disease does not spread. That is why I am appealing to all poultry farmers to report any trace of the disease in their farms so that prompt action can be taken to arrest the situation.” source

A New, “Highly Aggressive” Bird Flu (H5N5) Has Been Found in Germany.

H5N5, a new, highly pathogenic sub-type of bird flu has been found on several turkey farms in northern Germany, adding to concerns of the spreading of new strains of avian influenza.The Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Germany’s national institute for animal health, discovered H5N5 on Jan. 21 at four different locations, all owned by the same company, in Steinburg, in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. First, a farmer found a number of dead turkeys at a site housing 3,400 birds,then the virus spread to a larger facility housing 15,000 birds, according to the news agency Kieler Nachrichten. The birds were culled in an attempt to stop the virus virus, but on Thursday, the Schleswig-Holstein Agriculture Minister Robert Habeck stated that two more nearby farms with another 15,000 birds had been infected and would also have to be culled. Preventive measures, including closing down the sites, have been put in place to contain the virus, according to Habek. Habek described the new subtype, which has never been found in European poultry, as “highly aggressive,” noting that it killed more than half of the flock of 3,400 birds where it was first discovered within 48 hours with the rest of the turkeys having shown disease symptoms. H5N5 had already been found in wild geese in Germany and in wild birds in the Netherlands, Italy, Montenegro, Italy, Croatia and Israel. This discovery shows how dynamic the bird flu is as the virus is present and is changing,there hasn’t been a known case of H5N5 being contracted by humans.

Flu vaccine production using tobacco leaves..

The race to stop the flu virus is on with scientists working round the clock to produce a safe,effective and readily available vaccine. In the fore front of the research is a biotech company,medicago that are making flu vaccines from tobacco leaves. Currently, vaccines are produced using a process that involves injecting small bits of flu genes into a chicken egg and allowing them to grow. The current method is slow and production process takes five or six months. Medicago, have a greenhouse where they are planting tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum, better known as smoking tobacco. This Australian plant is native to the desert and has historically been used as a stimulant although it contains less nicotine than standard field tobacco for the purposes of vaccine production. The strong point of the plant is that it matures in just six weeks. The technology inoculates genetic material into the leaves which in turn produces flu-like particles containing antigens and this trigger immune responses. The safety level is high because the particles are not live flu viruses, hence chances of infection are minimal. Once the solution is inside the plant, the virus like particles spend a week growing, after a few days the plants’ leaves become mottled and discolored. At the end of a week, the leaves are picked off each plant by hand for processing into a bulk vaccine. Public reaction has been largely supportive as people like the idea of creating something positive from a plant with such negative stigma, and because , it helps that the vaccine extraction process leaves no residual nicotine. The new vaccines will even be vegan-friendly — some vegans currently avoid egg-based flu vaccines. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, The technique will be put into commercial use in fiscal 2018 or 2019. Mitsubishi Tanabe has all but finished verifying the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines in the U.S. and Canada. The inoculations are set to undergo final clinical trials in the U.S. by the end of this year. If the firm meets its profitability goals, it will consider expanding the project into Asia, according to company President Masayuki Mitsuka. Clinical trials are also being conducted for bird flu and H7 influenza vaccines produced from tobacco leaves. In addition, the company is developing vaccines for rotavirus and for rabies using the same technique.

Tips to keep your cat happy.

Cat lover these are tips to keep your feline friend happy, There are some great advantages to be gained by keeping your cat confined indoors. These include decreased risk of injury and disease and as a result a significantly longer life expectancy. Not to mention the benefit for wildlife and the appreciation of the non-cat lovers in the community. With a bit of extra effort, these cats can still have a lifestyle that meets their needs. Even cats that spend some time outdoors can benefit from additional opportunities for mental and physical activity in their home environment. This is particularly true for individuals prone to anxiety disorders. The following suggestions allow cats to focus their energies in a healthy, positive way that helps to relieve stress. Cats are individuals so it is important to trial as many of the following as possible so that you can identify the elements that your cat appreciates the most. 1) Toys Cats are very sight sensitive to moving objects, so providing toys with an element of motion. This will help to attract your cat’s interest and enthusiasm for play. These can vary from simple home-made items such as scrunched up pieces of newspaper on the end of a piece of elastic,attached to a stationary object or tied to your belt so they bobble around on the floor behind you as you walk. Various types of toys are also available commercially and these include such things as balls containing bells, cat dancers and various furry items such as mice. Some cats have a genetic predisposition to respond pleasurably to catnip. Toys are available that contain this substance or you might like to grow your own indoor garden and include catnip, catmint or catgrass. Simple items such as table tennis balls or non-toxic soap bubbles can provide avenues for fun interaction. continue

Migrating birds may bring bird flu to North America.

Migrating birds may bring bird flu to North America,according to a report. Influenza is a virus that emerges periodically to cause epidemics in different birds or mammals, like the two types of canine flu now in North America and the recent feline influenza outbreak in New York City. The highly pathogenic influenza strain currently infecting wild birds and domestic poultry in several European countries could be transmitted to birds in North America as migratory flyways of some European and North American wild bird species overlap in the northern reaches of Canada, an expert on influenza viruses and the spread of the virus in animals . According to Colin Parrish, John M. Olin Professor of Virology at the Baker Institute for Animal Health in Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, an expert on influenza viruses and the spread of the virus in animals, the strain circulating among birds in Europe is known as the H5N8 subtype and this particular virus is a highly pathogenic influenza strain that appears to be readily transferred into poultry flocks and other domesticated birds from wild birds. Migratory birds in Europe and in America normally follow separate north-south migratory pathways, and there is normally not much mixing between birds in each region, but there are areas where they come in contact. This virus seems to be quite transmissible, so there's a reasonable possibility that it could be picked up and brought over to the North American flyways. It looks like H5N8 is very effective at transferring from the wild birds into domestic poultry operations, so this raises a concern.

Meconium aspiration syndrome in foals.

Meconium— refers to the dark, sticky feces foals first pass, and its basically a composition of gastrointestinal secretions such as bile, pancreatic enzymes and mucous, desquamated cells, lanugo, vernix caseosa, water, amniotic fluid and other cellular debris. When a foal becomes hypoxic in utero, a vicious cycle can ensue. Hypoxemia can stimulate gastrointestinal peristalsis that passes meconium in utero. It can also trigger the foal to reflexively gasp for air and aspirate meconium and amniotic fluid into its lungs.When aspirated, meconium is toxic due to the damaging effect on surfactant and lung tissue. Meconium occludes the airways, from the upper airway to the alveoli creating a valve-like effect such that during inspiration air may be able to pass through a partial obstruction and fill the deeper portion of the lungs and in the expiratory phase, air can become trapped behind the meconium obstruction and accumulate to the point where it ruptures lung tissue, causing a pneumothorax. more

Researchers highlight link between feral pigs , vampire bats and rabies.

Researchers highlight alarming link between feral pigs and vampire bats,according to results of a study published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. The number of vampire bats, which transmit rabies and are a concern for livestock breeders, may be increasing in Brazil and the Americas along with growth in the populations of invasive feral pigs and wild boars (Sus scrofa). The researchers recently reported an alarming rise in the numbers and distribution of S. scrofa, as well as showing that the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus is now feeding on the blood of these animals. As numbers of invasive feral pigs increase, so does the damage to crops and native fauna, among other problems. S. scrofa is also a growing source of blood for vampire bats, so the population of D. rotundus is also likely to increase. Only three of the approximately 1,200 known bat species feed exclusively on blood, and all three are found only in the Americas. D. rotundus is the most widely distributed, inhabiting a territory that ranges from Mexico to Argentina. This species feeds mostly on livestock and poultry, but it has also been documented to prey on mammals such as tapirs and deer. In Brazil's Atlantic Forest biome, about 1.4% of vampire bats are infected with rabies. The proportion may be as high as 10% in the Peruvian Amazon. Transmission of rabies by vampire bats is a major concern for ranchers in Brazil, even in areas where cattle are routinely vaccinated. Wild animals, including feral pigs, are not vaccinated and may therefore pose a serious threat by spreading this disease. The researchers have used camera traps to monitor mammals in the Brazilian Pantanal and Atlantic Forest for the past 12 years. These are remotely activated infrared cameras that film at night when triggered by sensors that detect the presence of an animal. After checking 10,529 photos and videos with several examples of vampire bats feeding on feral pigs, cattle, tapirs, and red brocket deer (Mazama americana), the researchers selected 158 independent events in the Pantanal (101 with feral pigs, 38 with deer, and 19 with tapirs), and 87 events in the Atlantic Forest (35 with feral pigs, 29 with deer, and 23 with tapirs). Based on these events, they estimated that the probability of vampire bat attacks on feral pigs was as high as 10% for nights in which recordings were made.