AVIAN INFLUENZA - DEATH TOLL: 50 MILLION AND RISING
1. Asian Epidemic
2. The Cause
3. Cover-up
4. Killing Methods
5. Hazardous to Humans
6. Live Markets, Cockfighting & Compensation
7. Problematic Production
8. Critical Commentaries
9. Trade Bans; U.S. Outbreak
10 Vaccinating Instead of Killing
11 Public Relations
1. ASIAN EPIDEMIC
Over 50 million chickens, ducks and turkeys have been massacred in 10
countries that are attempting to control an epidemic of avian influenza (AI)
{1} that is spreading "almost uncontrollably" through Asia {2}. The
affected countries are home to over 6.6 billion birds who are raised for food
{3}. AI is an infectious viral disease that primarily affects birds but can
also infect other species. The circulating strain, H5N1, was first found to
also be lethal to humans during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong which sickened 18
and killed 6 {4}, a 30% mortality rate. The present strain is believed to be
more virulent, having a human mortality rate of 60-70% {5}. To date, 19 people
have died: 14 in Viet Nam and 5 in Thailand {6}. Other countries reporting the
deadly strain are Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, South Korea, Thailand and
Viet Nam. China and Pakistan have reported less virulent strains. Mass bird
kills are ongoing in China (including Taiwan), Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan
and Viet Nam {7}.
2. THE CAUSE
It is suspected that H5N1 was initially disseminated through a faulty mass
poultry vaccination by Chinese farmers anxious to ward off Hong Kong's 1997
epidemic {8}, which ended with the killing of the territory's 1.5 million
poultry population {5}. (Last year, an AI epidemic in the Netherlands resulted
in one human death and the massacre of 30.7 million birds, with a cost to the
government of $344 million {9}.) The AI virus is shed both orally and in
feces, and infects both domestic and wild birds, all of which aid in its
spread {8}. The spread and severity of the current outbreaks are unprecedented
{10}. Some experts blame migratory birds for the virus's spread but others say
there is no evidence that is true {8, 11}. (Migratory waterfowl are more
resistant to infection while chickens and turkeys are more susceptible to
epidemics {12}.)
The pattern of spread indicates the virus has been carried by people smuggling
poultry and other birds, reportedly a widespread practice in south-east Asia
{8, 11}. There is a vast Asian trade in wild birds for the pet industry.
"The birds are caged in stressful, unnatural and often unhygienic
conditions during transport and in the markets themselves where they are
forced to stand beak to beak with both wild and domestic birds, and handled by
humans - all providing the ideal conditions for transmission of disease,"
said William Karesh, a veterinarian with the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The organization notes that the closure of wild bird markets would reduce
spread of the disease. The European Union has banned the import of wild birds
from afflicted nations {13}.
3. COVER-UP
Chinese officials said the disease was first detected there in late January
but it is suspected that the epidemic erupted in China as long as a year ago
and was able to become a raging epidemic as a result of official cover-up and
dubious agricultural practices {8}. Large numbers of chickens were dying as
long ago as July in Viet Nam, then Thailand and Indonesia, but the governments
denied AI was the cause {10}. Laos is also accused of a cover up {14}. The
World Health Organization (WHO) has accused China of withholding vital details
{15}, and joined a leading public health expert in expressing doubt that China
hasn't had any human cases {16, 17}. China recently ordered the isolation of
1,418 people, mostly farmers {18}. (It is disturbingly similar to China's
disaster with SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which was also
initially kept quiet and ended up infecting [over] 8,000 people in 30
countries and cost the region $60 billion {18}. Countless nonhuman animals
were killed in an attempt to control the disease.)
4. KILLING METHODS
The WHO called for the massacre of all birds exposed to the disease {19}.
There are no international regulations governing how to kill birds for disease
control {20}, and the methods being used to kill them include burning,
drowning, gassing and live burial {19}. "As soon as 500 died, we had to
bury the other 20,000 alive," stated a Thai farmer {21}. In Bali,
thousands of live hens were set on fire (graphic photo:
http://tinyurl.com/3ghjt
) {22}, some of whom were also kicked and beaten {23}, with a total of 228,
000 burned {6}. [It's not clear if all of them were alive when burned.] The
most common killing method has been to stuff live birds into plastic bags and
bury them in mass graves (see photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2g7n4
). Animal protection activists in Thailand have protested that this is in
violation of both animal protection and disease control laws {19, 20}. Had the
government revealed the outbreak earlier the killing could have been done less
inhumanely, they note. In some cases, chickens have their necks wrung or are
bashed to death with a stick prior to being buried. Workers have said they are
traumatized by having to kill so many chickens, particularly as they often did
so over the emotional protests of farmers. "I pray for the chickens every
night. But when I wake up the next morning, I have to do the same job again.
It's no different from being an executioner," one of them told a reporter
{24}.
A Taiwanese official said a tranquilizer is put in the water supply and
"some [birds] go to sleep while others just die" before they are put
in bags and buried or burned {19}. In an AI outbreak in the Netherlands last
year, birds were gassed to death with cyanide {20}. Disease contingency plans
for European Union countries include the use of mobile gassing trucks {16},
while Australia recommends neck breaking {20}.
Wild birds are also being poisoned and shot in large numbers by government
order and by individuals who fear the birds are spreading the disease {11,
25}. Experts warn that some migratory species are rare and their extinction
could have ecological consequences {11, 13, 16, 26}.
5. HAZARDOUS TO HUMANS
WHO has warned that hazardous killing methods are increasing the risk of viral
transmission to humans {27}. Some workers are not wearing gloves or masks, and
soldiers ordered to kill the birds molded their protective shower caps to look
like berets {20}. In Viet Nam, infected birds are reportedly being buried
without bags or any other barrier to prevent contamination and pollution of
the environment {19}. Of particular concern is the chance that a person
becomes simultaneously infected with both human flu virus and avian flu virus,
enabling the viruses to exchange genes and create a hybrid for which there is
no immunity {28}. So far, people have caught the disease through contact with
infected birds or contaminated bird droppings {14}, though human-to-human
transmission may be possible {29}. If the virus mutates into a form that can
be transmitted between people, as was the case with SARS {30}, it could kill
millions {6}.
Pigs are susceptible to viruses that infect humans and those that infect
birds, and it is feared that they could serve to combine the viruses {12}.
(It's unknown whether pigs can contract this virus. In China, 800 live pigs
smuggled from Viet Nam were set on fire {31}. [In South Korea, piglets were
buried alive.]) Alternatively, the quickly mutating H5N1 could also become
efficient at spreading among people {32}. The virus has proven resistant to
all but the more expensive prophylactic anti-viral drugs, and they may be in
short supply {33}. The WHO said countries should begin to consider stockpiling
them {27}. A human vaccine would take at least half a year to develop, test
and mass produce {33}.
6. LIVE MARKETS, COCKFIGHTING & COMPENSATION
It was determined that the human cases during the 1997 Hong Kong outbreak were
all caused by close contact with live poultry. In Hong Kong, "Chinese
people loved to go to the markets to choose live chickens and have them
killed"{34}. The disease was spread by transporting the birds and moving
equipment between farms and markets {35}. The WHO says live bird markets have
played an important role in spreading the disease {12 (see also item #5:
http://tinyurl.com/2nvee
)} and it therefore advises that such marketing be discouraged in areas
experiencing H5N1 outbreaks {4}. Manjit Bhatia, a political analyst
specializing in Asian affairs writes: "Asia has the world's most
disgusting social organisation and management of its live-animal and bird
markets. There is wanton abuse of animal rights and the general environmental
conditions at these markets are persistently filthy. All hygiene aspects are
seriously questionable. Health practices are poorly regulated. Where
regulations exist, corrupt officials often ignore them. On any given day,
these markets - and the farms where live birds are bred and where agricultural
practices are equally foul - possess all the natural conditions for incubating
and delivering deadly diseases" {36}. (See also "Trade Bans; U.S.
Outbreaks" below.)
Cockfighting has also been implicated in the disease's spread because of the
long distances the birds are transported {11 (see also item #6:
http://tinyurl.com/2nvee
)}, and Thailand has temporarily banned it {37}. People with these birds are
resisting killing them because they say the compensation they would receive is
inadequate {38}. The government is offering farmers 25% of the market value of
birds killed to control the disease {39}. The mass extermination is
economically devastating the countries involved {16}, with chicken farming
said to be the only means of earning a living in some areas {21}.
International agencies are calling for wealthy nations to aid in compensating
farmers {28} who may otherwise resist exterminating flocks {40}.
7. PROBLEMATIC PRODUCTION
Many farmers in Asia live closely with chickens. Noting that this raises their
risk of being infected with AI , a regional WHO spokesperson commented:
"They have to completely change their lifestyle and attitude toward
animal[s]." He pointed out that AI can be more easily controlled when
farms are concentrated, as in Japan and South Korea, rather than spaced out,
as they are in Thailand and Viet Nam {34}. The United Nations' Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also called for "a fundamental change
in attitudes," insisting that traditional farming practices be
modernized, with chickens "cooped up and fenced in" {37}.
(Singapore has banned small-scale chicken farming in a major rural community,
ordering that remaining birds be caged to prevent contact with wild birds
{30}. Free range poultry farmers in Australia have been instructed to move
birds indoors or provide them with roofed enclosures to avoid contact with
migratory birds {29}.) However, Hans-Gerhard Wagner, a WHO animal production
and health officer, points out that intensive industrial farming promotes
emerging diseases. Crowded and unsanitary conditions common to commercial
farming can transform domestic fowl into "veritable flu-making
factories" {41}. David Byrne, the European commissioner for health and
consumer protection, said that the greater difficulty in preventing disease in
outdoor flocks compared to large commercial units may accelerate trends toward
industrializing operations in affected countries, with associated negative
social and environmental consequences {3}.
During the 1990's, China tripled its poultry production{41}, last year
producing 8 billion chickens, mostly on small, cramped farms {30}. In
Thailand, large complexes have been created specifically to produce poultry
for export {39}. Asia, home to nearly a third of the human population {38},
has about 40% of the world's poultry {3}. Asian demand for meat is expected to
double by 2020. Intensive farming, with concentrations of animals living in
close proximity to humans, has boosted the incidence of animal diseases
affecting humans. "As soon as you have this constellation - high density
of animals and close association with humans - you are quite likely to get
some increased transmission, if not even generation, of new disease
agents," Samuel Jutzi, the director of FAO's animal production and health
division, said recently. "The frequency of outbreaks...has certainly
increased due to the increased concentration of animals, and at the same time
the impact is massively higher," he said {42}.
8. CRITICAL COMMENTARIES
Theresa Manavalan, a prominent Malaysian journalist, comments: "But make
no mistake, the pig is not the villain, neither is the chicken. It's actually
us. And our horrible farm practices, outdated agricultural policy and, most of
all, reckless disregard of our ecology and environment." Denouncing the
crowded and dirty conditions in which farmed animals are obstinately kept,
Manavalan points out that, of the 35 emerging human diseases in the last 20
years, more than 70% have involved other animals. "What we may have
done," she warns, "is unwittingly create the perfect launch pad for
an influenza pandemic that will likely kill large numbers of people across the
globe {43}." In a Newsday opinion piece, animal-rights advocates Peter
Singer and Karen Dawn contend that slaughtering animals for emergency disease
control is more justifiable than slaughtering them for food {44}.
9. TRADE BANS; U.S. OUTBREAKS
In addition to the extermination of live animals, tons of chicken meat have
been destroyed {45} and millions of slaughtered chicken and eggs are stuck in
storage due to trade bans other countries have put in place since the disease
was announced {15}. It may be years before the bans are lifted {39}. Asia
accounted for 25% of world trade in poultry {3}.
In the U.S., an outbreak of AI in Delaware this month has led to the killing
of 12,000 chickens. The virus is said to be a less virulent strain but tests
to confirm that could take weeks. Russia, the top buyer of U.S. poultry, and
several other countries, including some with H5N1, have banned U.S. exports.
The U.S. exports about 15% of its chicken production, worth about $2 billion
per year. Delaware produces about 4% of U.S. production {46}. The Delaware
operation sold birds at New York City live markets, which is where the disease
is thought to have been contracted {47, 48 (see also item#5:
http://tinyurl.com/2y4kh
)}. The 12,000 chickens were gassed and their bodies composted {48}. The virus
has since been found in a 2nd Delaware operation with 74,000 birds who have
been killed and buried {49}. "This development is completely unexpected
given the precautions we took, the investigation we made and the industry's
expectations of this disease's behavior," said the state's Agriculture
Secretary {50}. Today it was reported that 4 live chicken markets in New
Jersey have tested positive for the same strain of AI. (N.J. has about 35 such
markets, and test results have been returned for about half of them.) Health
officials stressed that the findings are not unusual for the state's live
markets. "They can be doing everything right and still have a market that
tests positive," the state vet said:
http://tinyurl.com/2s4es
(see also:
http://www.upc-online.org/livemarkets/
) In 2002, a mild strain of AI in Virginia prompted officials to order
the killing of 4.7 million birds {51}.
10. VACCINATING INSTEAD OF KILLING
The WHO has said it could take up to 2 years to bring the outbreak under full
control {50}. Vaccinating chickens in the region would not eliminate the virus
since birds who appear healthy but are already infected would continue to
spread it {33}. At an emergency international meeting, the FAO & WHO
reluctantly agreed that vaccinating rather than killing uninfected birds in
the proximity of affected areas would be acceptable. This concession was made
due to concerns over the economic impacts of wholesale slaughter {52}.
"If you do nothing, they die," cautioned an FAO official, "But
if you vaccinate and it's not well done, they live and keep the virus and
still spread it" {53}. Since then, the WHO has criticized some countries
for putting economic interests above human health concerns by resorting to
vaccinating instead of killing birds in infected areas {54}.
11. PUBLIC RELATIONS
In an attempt to overcome the public's qualms toward poultry meat, leading
Chinese officials have made a point of eating it with great publicity. Among
them is the executive vice minister of health, a (former) vegetarian who ate
chicken last week for the first time in 30 years. China's main propaganda
outlet acknowledged that the meals suggest an official shift "from
traditional propaganda to Western-style political communications skills to
handle crises." Henry Niman, a Harvard University Medical School
instructor, remarked, "The virus doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to
what the officials are doing. I don't know that the public does,
either"{55}.
In Thailand, KFC gave away 50,000 pieces of chicken "to save the
country's chicken business as a whole" {56}. The government sponsored a
free public feast to encourage people to eat more chicken and help the
industry. The government also held a Buddhist ceremony to bless the spirits of
the 26 million chickens slaughtered en masse there. "We feel guilty
because we are Buddhist," said one official who explained that the
ceremony "can make us feel relaxed and apologize to the souls of the dead
chickens." Afterward, the 108 monks who chanted blessings were presented
with a meal of fried chicken and chicken curry {57}.
REFERENCES
1. "UN Agencies Call For Poultry Vaccination to Fight Bird Flu," CBC
News, Feb. 6, 2004.
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/02/05/avian_vaccinate040205
2. "FAO Urges Vaccination to Stem AI Outbreak," Meating Place,
Bill McDowell, Feb. 6, 2004.
http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/pop.asp?ID=11826
3. "David Byrne: European Commissioner For Health And Consumer
Protection: Avian Influenza And Imports: Declaration at The European
Parliament," Speech/04/66, European Commission, February 10, 2004.
http://tinyurl.com/2rusl or
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=SPEECH/04/66|0|RAPID&lg=en&display=
4. "Avian Influenza A(H5N1): WHO - Weekly Epidemiological Record,"
January 30, 2004.
http://www.who.int/entity/wer/2004/en/wer7905.pdf
5. "Bird Flu Twice as Deadly as Last Outbreak," Reuters, Christina
Toh-Pantin, Feb. 8, 2004.
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4308810§ion=news
SEE ALSO items #2 & 3 of:
http://tinyurl.com/vd7e
and item #6 of:
http://tinyurl.com/yq24j
6. "Indonesia Reveals Only One Bird Flu Cull, More Outbreaks in
China," Agence France Presse, February 11, 2004.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/70613/1/.html
7. "Avian Flu Virus Continues to Spread in Asia: Countries Seeking FAO's
Assistance," FAO Press Release, February 4, 2004.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/36547/index.html
8. "Bird Flu Outbreak Started a Year Ago," New Scientist, Debora
MacKenzie, January 4, 2004.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994614
9. "Dutch Poultry Sector Still Hurt by Bird Flu Outbreak," Reuters,
Wendel Broere, Jan.13, 2004
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L13453623.htm
10. "Cultures of Denial Raise Epidemic Risks," The Age, January 28,
2004.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/27/1075088019374.html
11. "Migration Menace?" The Nation (Thailand), Pathomkanok Padkuntod
& Theeranuch Pusaksrikit, Feb. 9, 2004.
http://nationmultimedia.com/page.news.php3?clid=2&id=107871&usrsess=1
12. "China Admits Bird Flu 'Weakness,'" CNN, Tom Mintier &
Steven Jiang, Feb. 5, 2004.
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/02/04/birdflu/
13. "Avian Flu: Wildlife Experts Say That Closing Overseas Wild Bird
Markets Would Help Prevent Spread of Disease," Animal Protection
Institute news release, February 3, 2004.
http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/Week-of-Mon-20040202/018296.html
14. "WHO Warns Unsafe Culls Increase Virus Mutation Risk, Asia Bows to
Pressure," Agence France Presse, January 30, 2004.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/68663/1/.html
15. "Thai Ships Stuck in Port as Ai Outbreak Rages On," Meating
Place, Bill McDowell, Feb. 4, 2004.
http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/pop.asp?ID=11819
16. "Vaccine Option Possible Against Bird Flu," The Globe and Mail,
André Picard with reports from Agence France-Presse and Reuters, February 5,
2004.
http://tinyurl.com/3928m or
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040205/BIRDFLU05/TPHealth/
17. "China Halts Poultry Imports From U.S." The Associated Press,
Stephanie Hoo, Feb. 10, 2004.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V9335.AP-China-US-Bird-F.html
18. "Small Farms Are Hit Hard in China's Battle With Bird Flu,"
Washington Post, Edward Cody, February 6, 2004.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17047-2004Feb5.html
19. "Crude Killing Methods Anger Animal Lovers," The Straits Times,
William Choong, January 30, 2004.
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,232449,00.html
20. "Thailand's Chicken Slaughter Labelled Inhumane," Reuters, Tessa
Unsworth, Jan. 26, 2004.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK289277.htm
21. "Thai Poultry Farmers Grieve Losses," BBC News, Tony Cheng,
January 27, 2004.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3430593.stm
22. World Photos, Reuters, Supri, February 9, 2004
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040206/ids_photos_wl/r182951831.jpg
23. "Indonesia Confident Bird Flu Crisis Will Ease in 6 Months'
Time," Channel News Asia, Haseenah Koyakutty, February 9, 2004.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/70223/1/.html
24. "Thai Animal Activist Says Chicken Cull Inhumane," Agence France
Presse, Jan. 30, 2004.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/68698/1/.html
25. "China Accused of 'Official Cover-up': Bird Flu Sweeping Asia,"
National Post/Reuters/AP/Globe and Mail/N.Y. Times, January 29, 2004.
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2004/1-2004/animalnet_jan_29.htm#story5
26. "Vaccination Push to Combat Bird Flu," The Associated Press,
Aidan Lewis, Feb. 5, 2004.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8588860%255E401,00.html
27. "Unsafe Handling Raises Bird Flu Risk," Associated
Press/Reuters/Globe and Mail, January 30, 2004.
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2004/1-2004/animalnet_jan_30.htm#story0
28. "The Spread of Avian Influenza," The New York Times, Editorial,
January 30, 2004.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/30/opinion/30FRI1.html
29. "Chickens Locked Away as Flu Claims 19," The Australian, Fleur
Anderson & Danny Buttler, February 3, 2004.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8569135%255E401,00.html
30." Bird Flu Kills Another Asian, Toll Rises to 16," Reuters,
Jonathan Ansfield & Christina Toh-Pantin, February 05, 2004.
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4288525§ion=news
31. "No Bird Flu in China Officials Say," Agence France-Presse,
January 19, 2004.
http://www.inq7.net/brk/2004/jan/19/text/brkafp_3-1-p.htm
32. "U.N. Experts Seek to Stop Bird Flu Fears," The Associated
Press, February 6, 2004.
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/ap20040206_1325.html
33. "Bird Flu Sweeps Through Asia," Nature, Alison Abbott &
Helen Pearson, 5 February 2004.
http://www.nature.com/nsu/040202/040202-11.html
34. "Asia Should Change Lifestyle to Avoid Bird Flu: WHO," China
View, February 3, 2003.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-02/03/content_1296979.htm
35. "High Geographic Concentration of Animals May Have Favoured The
Spread of Avian Flu," Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, United
Nations) press release, January 28, 2004.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/36147/index.html
36. "Asia's Fowl Mess," Malaysiakini, Comment, Manjit Bhatia, Feb.
10, 2004.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/opinionsfeatures/200402100041539.php
37. "Bird Flu Spreads Through Asia," Reuters, Clarence Fernandez,
February 03, 2004.
http://tinyurl.com/28auq or
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=450707§ion=news
38. "Herculean Task to Clean up Asia's Farms," Dominic Whiting,
January 29, 2004.
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/23622/story.htm
39. "The Asian AI Outbreak And What it Means to The U.S. Poultry
Industry," Meating Place, Commentary, Simon Shane, February 2, 2004.
40. "Human-to-Human Transmission Feared," AnimalNet (Associated
Press/The Age/Agence France Presse English/Reuters), February 1, 2004.
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2004/2-2004/animalnet_feb_1.htm#story0
41. "Health: Flu Fears Take Wing," Newsweek International,
International Periscope and Perspectives, Alexandra A. Seno, B. J. Lee, &
Kay Itoi, January 26, 2004.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3990185/
42. "Dangers of Close Proximity," The Straits Times, January 29,
2004.
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,232304,00.html
43. "From Fowl to Pigs to Humans?" New Straits Times, Theresa
Manavalan, Feb. 8, 2004.
http://tinyurl.com/2khgl
http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Features/20040208085244/Article/indexb_html
44. "When Slaughter Makes Sense," Newsday, Peter Singer & Karen
Dawn, February 8, 2004.
http://tinyurl.com/3xkun or
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/opinion/nyc-vpdaw083661471feb08,0,5945362.story?coll=nyc-viewpoints-headlines
45. "Once Holy, Now Spurned," The Nation, Phermsak Lilakul, February
4, 2004.
http://nationmultimedia.com/page.news.php3?clid=2&id=107631&usrsess=1
46. "U.S. Sees Nations Easing Bird Flu Trade Bans Soon," Reuters,
Randy Fabi with David Morgan, February 9, 2004.
http://tinyurl.com/22kso or
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=4317125§ion=news
47. "USDA: Bird Flu in Delaware Not Same as in Asia," Pro Farmer,
Roger Bernard, Feb. 9, 2004
http://tinyurl.com/32f3l or
http://www.agweb.com/news_show_news_article.asp?file=AgNewsArticle_2004291349_2736&articleid=105691&newscat=GN
48. "12,000 Chickens to Be Killed After Avian Flu Discovered,"
AnimalNet (AP/Agence France Presse/ English/Reuters), February 7, 2004.
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2004/2-2004/animalnet_feb_8.htm#story0
49. "Second U.S. Bird Flu Case," Agence France Presse (The Age),
February 12, 2004.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/11/1076388432139.html
50. "WHO Says Bird Flu Will Take Time to Beat," Reuters, Darren
Schuettler & Stephanie Nebehay with Randy Fabi, February 10 2004.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L10211697.htm
51. "U.S. Sees Nations Easing Bird Flu Trade Bans Soon," Reuters,
Randy Fabi with David Morgan, February 9, 2004.
http://tinyurl.com/22kso or
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=4317125§ion=news
52. "FAO/OIE/WHO Call for Targeted Strategy Including Poultry
Vaccination to Help Curb Avian Flu," Joint FAO / OIE / WHO news release,
February 5, 2004.
http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/
53. "FAO Urges Vaccination to Stem AI Outbreak," Meating
Place, Bill McDowell, 2/6/04.
http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/pop.asp?ID=11826
54. "WHO Raps Asia over Handling of Bird Flu Crisis as China Reports New
Cases," Agence France Presse, February 10, 2004.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/70444/1/.html
55. "Eating Poultry in China a Political Act," The Associated Press,
Ted Anthony, February 10, 2004.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V0217.AP-China-Political.html
56. "KFC Gives Away Free Chicken in Thailand to Restore Consumer
Confidence," Watt Poultry USA, Industry News Briefs, February 9, 2004.
http://www.wattnet.com/Newsroom/ViewNews.cfm?PG=1&nwsNum=14288
57. "Thai Monks Bless Culled Poultry, Then Dine on Chicken," The
Sydney Morning Herald, February 11, 2004.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/10/1076388364203.html
