Epidemic

There goes KFC in flames (^_~)

Cramming hundreds of thousands of birds (or any animal) into a small enclosed area is just asking for trouble.

The Brazilian chicken farmers are rubbing their hands together with greed in their eyes.

Why the coats? Avian Flu does not cross over into our genes unlike swine...i think?

Nah, remember a couple of years ago H1N1 from HK, then went to Central Asia, then Europe? People were freaked out.

Those suits are there to help prevent the virus from being spread. Same way the disinfect and wash cars entering and leaving the infected areas.

Pretty standard procedure for other epidemics that effect pigs, cows, etc.

They sent in the military?? Must be some darn tough poultry. Were they expecting resistance?

I feel bad for Miyazaki but maybe this will help them see that massive factory farming just isn't the way to go...although that's very doubtful.

culling? nice way to say torch and bury.

as for the military, they're not doing anything anyways. send in the police while you're at it. oh no, wait. they're busy pulling over people on bikes and checking the serial numbers. ya know, serious work.

I feel awfully sorry for a lot of these farmers. If they run factory farms then no, not at all -- well, save for if they have to cull the animals themselves. And as for the poor animals... well... I feel sorriest for them.

Wonder how the flu got there in the first place. Bird sneezed as it passed by perhaps?

Listen, it's not going to be as bad as the "Foot and Mouth" thing that struck the UK a few years back. That was a lot of culling.

Gonna be seeing a lot more chickens wearing masks methinks.

Give them some drumsticks (pun not intended) and they could start a Blue Man Group spin-off. Instant fame!

LOL, japan keeping up with it's "beautiful country" image. i bet the dusty old japanese would want to hide these images form the world!

@goddog @Zenny11 Avian flu does occasionally cross over and infect humans. 500 case have been recorded so far with a 60% case morbidity. Most of these were spread by contact with sick or dead birds. E.g. some Vietnamese kids plucked feathers from a dead swan and died. Another child died after petting a sick bird. Contact with the bodily fluids of the dead birds is most common cause of infection. Cytokine Storm is implicated as cause of death. A few cases of human to human transfer. Search for "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1): Pathways of Exposure at the Animal‐Human Interface, a Systematic Review" for peer reviewed details."

I think that these soldiers are wearing suits for personal safety reasons and should be careful if they want to stay alive.

If Avian flu were to mutate (via mixing with human and or swine flu in the same pig or human) and learnt how to spread between humans while retaining a similar morbidity then it would make the 1918 influenza pandemic (2.5% morbidity) look like the common cold, or be a cross between the common cold and the ebola virus.

As cleo says, "cramming hundreds of thousands of birds (or any animal) into a small enclosed area is just asking for trouble." There are those (see bird flu book dot com, without the spaces) that claim it is just a matter of time.

cleo at 09:47 AM JST - 31st January Cramming hundreds of thousands of birds (or any animal) into a small enclosed area is just asking for trouble.

Welcome to Tokyo!