It's Thursday and on this blog we all know what that used to mean!!
Well, I don't know if that goes back to the deleted blog or if it carried on over to this one. Can't remember when I stopped writing about it. Well, it's Thursday and that means there's a new edition of New Scientist on the news stands. And, yes, ofcourse there're differing opinions sometimes, but I launch myself into Smiths or somewhere on a Thursday and go to pick it up. Only magazine that I'm conscious of doing that with. Friday is vaguely Economist day but I might forget. The other magazines I read are just there to browse and decide whether I want to read them or not.
Course bird flu is leading the agenda again. This time in connection with taking control of the bird livestock around the world. Seems a pretty good idea. In the Netherlands there was an outbreak of another strain of bird flu in 2003.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/4412932.stm
From this the Netherlands decided to keep birds inside when the new virus started to make the news frequently and was found in Russia but reversed the decision after the European Commission decided that this was unnecessary which at the time seemed strange to me.
In this country there were reasons given why it was much easier for the Dutch to move their poultry indoors than it would be in the UK too.
I thought of other countries then and just felt bad. I mean if the virus mutates to one that can be spread between people then it can do that anywhere and spread. Why wasn't Europe leading the way in trying to keep bird livestock away from wild birds.
Eventually birds were to be kept in around migratory routes in EU countries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4338490.stm
The New Scientist suggests that if domestic and wild birds are kept apart then there's a chance that the virus moving around the wild bird population could mutate into a weaker strain with time.
I said when I was writing about the flu before as money seems to be one of the deciding factors about just what is done (?!!) why not ask for donations. We're willing to give money for other causes so why not this one.
Well, they're asking governments to donate now to try and implement some sort of domestic bird control around the world. The World Bank is asking rich nations next week to donate money to help fund measures across the world to try and stop a pandemic. Scientists believe this is a way of preventing one. The World Bank is interested in implementing measures in countries in migratory flight paths across the world.
I've just gone back to read it again and it appears that people have been asking for a global initiative like this for a long time.
Course bird flu is leading the agenda again. This time in connection with taking control of the bird livestock around the world. Seems a pretty good idea. In the Netherlands there was an outbreak of another strain of bird flu in 2003.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/4412932.stm
From this the Netherlands decided to keep birds inside when the new virus started to make the news frequently and was found in Russia but reversed the decision after the European Commission decided that this was unnecessary which at the time seemed strange to me.
In this country there were reasons given why it was much easier for the Dutch to move their poultry indoors than it would be in the UK too.
I thought of other countries then and just felt bad. I mean if the virus mutates to one that can be spread between people then it can do that anywhere and spread. Why wasn't Europe leading the way in trying to keep bird livestock away from wild birds.
Eventually birds were to be kept in around migratory routes in EU countries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4338490.stm
The New Scientist suggests that if domestic and wild birds are kept apart then there's a chance that the virus moving around the wild bird population could mutate into a weaker strain with time.
I said when I was writing about the flu before as money seems to be one of the deciding factors about just what is done (?!!) why not ask for donations. We're willing to give money for other causes so why not this one.
Well, they're asking governments to donate now to try and implement some sort of domestic bird control around the world. The World Bank is asking rich nations next week to donate money to help fund measures across the world to try and stop a pandemic. Scientists believe this is a way of preventing one. The World Bank is interested in implementing measures in countries in migratory flight paths across the world.
I've just gone back to read it again and it appears that people have been asking for a global initiative like this for a long time.
posted by Zeb at 9:20 AM
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