A new strain of avian influenza has recently been found in Southeast Asia. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that this new strain could be harmful to animal and human health. The virus is known as A(H5N6) and has been detected in the poultry in China. Thebird flu virus is very contagious. It can be spread between chickens, geese, and other poultry. The virus spreads quickly and deaths in the poultry can occur within just three days. Also, the FAO’s Chief Veterinary Officer reports that the virus has been detected in various places that are very far from one another, indicated just how quickly it spreads.
Although only one case of death has been reported from a human after being in contact with the poultry, the issue is still very worrisome. The big concern arises because many people all around the world consume the meat from these animals as a part of their everyday diets. The virus affects animal health because it can effect and spread so quickly, and can possibly be passed to humans through consumption. The good news is that there has only been one human death reported so this may suggest that the virus does not easily pass from poultry to humans. Although the virus is isolated to China, for know, Americans should always practice healthy and safe habits when handling/eating meat. Those who produce and trade poultry must make sure they detect and report the virus in the animals as closely as they can, and those who consume the meat should take all precautions while handling the meat such as washing hands, utensils, etc. Also they should be especially sure not to undercook meats. All who handle or come in contact should be careful until tactics can be found to slow, or eliminate the spread of the virus.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48771#.VCRjGmRdWRk
I’ve heard of this flu and I have to say that with everything going on with Ebola it is important for us to not lose focus on other strands of harmful viruses. How would you determine if what you are eating is harmful to your health? I was just wondering if there was a cure to this new strand of virus and what scientists are doing to combat the problem. Here is a link on some more information. http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-guide/understanding-bird-flu
Joseph, whoa, thanks for the new info on the new strain. My grandmother is visiting Southeast Asia so I’ll be sure to let her know to be cautious of what she’s eating. This post definitely reminds me of Andrew’s class exploring and educating us on Ebola. I’m not freaking out necessarily because I’m hoping it’s under a lot more control than I’m thinking.
I was just curious, what would happen if they eliminate any chicken or geese expected to have this virus. (Or do you think they would still sell the animal?! THAT WOULD BE UNEXPCEPTABLE…) If they do kill them off that could amount to maybe one hundred thousand chicken and geese the families over in Southeast Asian would be eating for dinner. If this happens, would the price of the available poultry be raised or maybe everyone would be afraid to eat the poultry so less and less people would buy the chicken and the geese, causing the price to decrease? If it does get out of control, I’m sure this virus could have a huge effect on the economies of Southeast Asian regions, such as Thailand and Indonesia. What do you think?
Joseph, whoa, thanks for the new info on the new strain. My grandmother is visiting Southeast Asia so I’ll be sure to let her know to be cautious of what she’s eating. This post definitely reminds me of Andrew’s class exploring and educating us on Ebola. I’m not freaking out necessarily because I’m hoping it’s under a lot more control than I’m thinking.
I was just curious, what would happen if they eliminate any chicken or geese expected to have this virus. (Or do you think they would still sell the animal?! THAT WOULD BE UNEXPCEPTABLE…) If they do kill them off that could amount to maybe one hundred thousand chicken and geese the families over in Southeast Asian would be eating for dinner. If this happens, would the price of the available poultry be raised or maybe everyone would be afraid to eat the poultry so less and less people would buy the chicken and the geese, causing the price to decrease? If it does get out of control, I’m sure this virus could have a huge effect on the economies of Southeast Asian regions, such as Thailand and Indonesia. What do you think?
With all this talk about the spread of Ebola, I had no idea a new bird flu even existed. I eat meat basically everyday, and after reading this blog I realized the importance of making sure the meat I’m digesting healthy. This website (http://www.modernalternativemama.com/blog/2010/12/20/high-quality-meat-how-to-tell-how-to-find-it.html) provides some extremely helpful tips for deciphering whether or not the meat you’re eating is high-quality. People should definitely check out if they’re interested in being safe!
I did not know about this new flu until reading your post. This blog made me question the correlation between practicing safe habits with meat and getting sick. It would be unethical to perform an experiment by giving the experimental group this virus and observing what happens to the test subject. So how to we find out how this virus in animals affects humans? http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/32981/procedures-to-prevent-new-avian-flu-strain-a-h5n6 Here is an article talking about what is being done to prevent the spread of this new discovered flu!