Bird Flu Threat
The World Health Organization warned that the discovery of a
lethal strain of bird flu in Chinese pigs has significantly
increased the threat that the disease could spread into a global
pandemic, threatening the human population
Bird Flu Threat
The World Health Organization warned that the discovery of a lethal strain of bird flu in Chinese pigs has significantly increased the threat that the disease could spread into a global pandemic, threatening the human population.
Despite earlier denials, China admitted that the H5N1 strain of avian influenza was detected in a small number of the country’s swine population as early as 2002.
The announcement came after a leading Chinese scientist told reporters that the potentially lethal virus had been found in pigs during both 2003 and 2004. The virus has killed 27 people across Asia this year.
• Meanwhile, Australian scientists announced they might soon have a vaccine for bird flu. Researcher Chris Prideaux said his team at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization had developed a vaccine that delivers part of the virus’s genetic material.
Desert Swarms Spread
The massive infestation of desert locusts plaguing a wide area of northern and western Africa this summer reached a densely populated region of northwest Nigeria.
“For the past three days we’ve been witnessing the destruction of crops by swarms of locusts that have invaded farmland in the Kauran Namoda and Shinkafi local government areas,” said Zamfara State spokesman Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji.
Swarms of the ravenous insects have emerged to attack crops from Morocco to Sudan, and now southward to Nigeria.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warns that this year’s locust explosion could be the most destructive since 1989, causing the region to lose $600 million in crops and threatening a widespread famine.
Monkey Raids
Destruction of habitat has sent hordes of monkeys running wild in the Sudanese state capital of Kassala.
The marauding simians are attacking women and children, as well as looting shops for food, according to the Al-Anbaa. The newspaper reported that the monkeys launch “organized attacks that last several hours,” mainly targeting bakeries and grocery stores.
One resident said he had seen the animals run into homes, break kitchen utensils and even snatch food from children. He added that the monkeys even knew how to open refrigerator doors.
Borneo Smoke
Additional smoke clouds from unchecked land clearing across Borneo produced further respiratory distress among residents living in the choking haze.
The annual practice of clearing forest and brush with fire began earlier this summer, and officials predict the health hazard could worsen in September due to a lack of rainfall during the annual dry season.
While the practice is illegal, officials claim they have insufficient resources to stop it. This season’s smoke clouds are less severe than in recent years, especially compared to 1997 and 1998 when clouds of smoke choked a wide area of Southeast Asia.
Earthquakes
Two brief tremors shook Athens and other parts of central Greece.
• Earth movements were also felt in northeast Iran, southwest Turkey, northern Tibet, New Zealand’s South Island, metropolitan Tokyo, south-central Alaska, the Chile-Bolivia border region, Alabama and along the California-Mexico border.
Tropical cyclones
Powerful Typhoon Aere killed at least 24 people in Taiwan before lashing a long stretch of the Chinese mainland.
Fifteen of the victims were buried alive by a mudslide that destroyed an entire village. Nearly a half-million people were evacuated along the coast of Fujian province in China before Aere roared ashore.
• Super Typhoon Chaba left two people dead after it strengthened over northern parts of the U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The storm was weakening late in the week as it approached Japan’s southern islands.
• Tropical Storm Frances was predicted to reach hurricane strength over the weekend in the mid-Atlantic, while tropical storms Frank and Estelle moved over the open waters of the
eastern Pacific.
Calming images
British scientists said they have uncovered a surprising way to calm agitated sheep – by simply showing them photographs of other sheep.
Professor Keith Kendrick of Cambridge wrote in a publication of the Royal Society that his team placed individual animals in a darkened barn and monitored them for things such as heart rate, blood count and frequency of bleating.
Each displayed much lower levels of stress when shown photographs of other sheep than when they looked at images of goat faces or triangles.
“In this sense, sheep may provide a comparison with us carrying around pictures of our loved ones in our wallets, handbags and so on,” said Kendrick.
By Steve Neuman
