Delaware - bird flu virus spreads to second farm

Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Flu / Cold / SARS
Article Date: 11 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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A second chicken flock in Delaware (USA) was found to have the bird flu virus. China and Brazil have just joined the list of countries banning the imports of US poultry.

This second infection in Delaware sent futures prices dropping (for cattle, soybeans and soymeal in the US).

According to officials, this second find was of the same virus as the first one they found last week - H7 strain. It is less dangerous than the one currently in South East Asia. The second Delaware find was five miles from the first, in Sussex County.

The H7 virus cannot be caught by humans.

The sale of all live poultry in the whole of Delaware has been banned.

'This development is completely unexpected given the precautions we took, the investigation we made and the industry's expectations of this disease's behaviour. This is now a serious situation for the DelMarVa poultry industry .' Delaware's Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse said.

About 10% of the USA's total chicken production comes from Delaware.

Officials in the area say they are going to kill 72,000 birds in an attempt to stop the spread.

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