Bird Flu Center

Routine surveillance in the state of Michigan has found some traces of a bird flu virus strain in some geese. US officials however state that the virus is not highly pathogenic and not the one that is doing the rounds in Asia currently. It is, they say, a strain that has been seen previously in North America. Health authorities also believe there is no relation between this and the bird flu forms seen currently in parts of Asia. The announcement was made by White House spokesman Tony Snow, previewing a news conference by officials from the Agriculture and Interior Departments.

A batch of frozen poultry illegally introduced into the Detroit area from bird flu affected provinces in China has alarmed Michigan state authorities. It is likely that consumers have already eaten meat from this package, but proper cooking is known to destroy the avian flu virus, so concerns should be only mild. The frozen poultry consists of geese, ducks and chickens with their intestines still intact and was purchased by a warehouse owner in Troy which is the supplier for around 300 Chinese and Asian restaurants and grocery stores in Michigan. The owner has now disappeared and is facing criminal charges for his actions. It is unknown whether or not any of the meat was contaminated with the bird flu virus, but its origins are reasons for concern. Meat from the warehouse was destroyed by federal officials before it could be tested. The virus can survive in the birds’ intestines, but it is killed when the meat is thoroughly cooked.

The upper counties of Iron, Dickinson, Delta and Menominee have organized a simulation to practice health safety measure for the event of a flu pandemic. In Delta County, OSF Saint Francis Hospital officials, aided by the Department of Homeland Security and other official institutions, used a conference room to turn it into a headquarter for coordinating the situation. Although the simulation followed a certain plan, most officials were not aware of the exact nature and sequence of events and treated the situation very realistically. One of the organizers of the event said the aim was to stimulate the thought process and see what type of preparedness the community had.

Scientists in the U.S. state of Michigan started a campaign of geese testing, scouting for a possible avian influenza infection. Workers are grabbing geese one by one and collecting their droppings, before setting them free. Veterinarian Steve Schmitt declares this is a national effort and that all U.S. states are doing the tests.

Although no infection has appeared in America yet, scientists believe these tests will help catch bird flu at its latest, and Michigan authorities in particular are keen to test two thousand birds by the end of the year.