Sweden will destroy about 1.3 million chickens after catching bird flu on a farm

[caption id="attachment_6424" align="aligncenter" width="1014"] File Photo[/caption] Sweden will isolate about 1.3 million chickens after bird flu was found on a farm in the southwest of the country. The Agriculture Board informed on Monday (January 25, 2012). The H5N5 variant of bird flu was discovered on January 18 in Monsteras, Sweden's largest egg producer. "Unfortunately, the disease has spread within these facilities, which means that a large portion of the approximately 1.3 million animals will perish and perish," the agriculture board said in a statement. Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus has been clinically and pathologically unique from endemic influenza viruses in both humans and animals, leading to death in about 50% of the people that are infected. Domestic ducks and wild birds often share the same water, in which influenza viruses replicate preferentially. Isolation of 2 novel reassortant highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N5) viruses from apparently healthy domestic ducks highlights the role of these ducks as re-assortment vessels. Such new subtypes of influenza viruses may pose a pandemic threat. In Asia, HPAI H5N1 over the past decade or so has generated a number of reassortants including H5N2, H5N3, H5N5, H5N6, and H5N8. Of these reassortants, Eurasian HPAI H5N6 and H5N8 have proven to be particularly robust. Source: Online/SZK