China: bird flu and mouth disease of cattle

The Chinese agriculture ministry reported on Friday that more than 1,000 wild birds in Qinghai have died from a form of avian influenza. The government had already taken emergency measures after learning last weekend that the disease had killed 178 geese in the region. We've all heard about the potential dangers that &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/18/90/360/14580_birdflu.html ' target=_blank>bird flu poses to humans. But what effect is avian influenza having on the world's birds?

It's already been devastating. The Food and Agriculture Organization, a branch of the United Nations, estimates that between 120 million and 140 million domesticated birds like chicken and turkey have died from the H5N1 strain since the outbreak began last year. Large numbers of these birds were destroyed by government order to slow down the spread of the disease. It's not clear how many would have died from the illness, though available data suggest that H5N1 kills between 80 percent and 100 percent of the birds it infects, reports the Slate.

According to the Forbes, China said it has culled more than 4,000 head of cattle to combat outbreaks of &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/society/2001/06/25/8684.html ' target=_blank>foot and mouth disease, but said the epidemic was under control.

'From April to May outbreaks happened and 3,771 cattle were culled, including those infected and those in the same herd,' Jia Youling, director of the Ministry of Agriculture's veterinary bureau, said at a press conference.