Nation prepares for deadly bat virus

[cHeroKee]

Nation prepares for deadly bat virus (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13639_3-10391977-42.html)

by Mark Rutherford (http://www.cnet.com/profile/milapp/)

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/bto/20091105/Hedra.jpg
(Credit: Commonwealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organisation)


Bird flu, swine flu, anthrax; and now add Hendra (http://www.cdc.gov/media/mmwrnews/n990409.htm)--a lethal virus that resides in bat urine and horse spit--to the ever increasing list of barnyard threats.

The U.S. and other countries are investing in Hendra virus research because they fear it may be used in biological warfare, Dr. Peter Reid told (http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,26276700-3102,00.html) horse owners and "bat carers" at the Queensland Horse Council Hendra virus conference last week. And Dr. Reid should know--he was the veterinarian involved in the first known Hendra outbreak, which killed prominent Queensland horse trainer Vic Rail and 14 of his horses in 1994.
Back then, there was speculation of foul play (http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25398992-5018552,00.html) until the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (http://csiro.au/science/Hendra-Virus.html) isolated and identified what it said was a new virus unreported anywhere else in the world.

This bug, along with and its even deadlier relative the Nipah (http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/6210956/hendra-virus-linked-to-bat-breeding/) virus, is so virulent it's considered a U.S. homeland security threat. There is no effective treatment or vaccine for Hendra or Nipah. (An Ausie-U.S. team (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/31/2729710.htm) recently developed a serum that protects ferrets exposed to the Nipah virus.) Thankfully, it has to date occurred only in Australia. The latter has killed hundreds in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India, while the former has downed four out of the seven people infected in Queensland, Australia--a 57 percent mortality rate.(PDF (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/Spb/mnpages/dispages/Fact_Sheets/Hendra_Nipah%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf))

So far it appears that Hendra is transmitted from bats to horses and from horses to humans. Nipah transfers from bats to pigs and from pigs to humans, but there have also been cases of bat to human and human to human transmissions, according to experts. (Again with the swine?)
Still, although contained for now Down Under, it's one of the top items to justify (http://www.dhs.gov/files/labs/gc_1171470811292.shtm) a new $575 million National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Kansas State University campus in Manhattan, Kansas.

The new facility would replace the Plum Island Animal Disease Center and would be dedicated to the research of "high-consequence biological threats involving zoonotic and foreign animal diseases."

Specifically, the new facility would provide a BSL-4 level space (http://www.dhs.gov/files/labs/editorial_0762.shtm), which affords the protection necessary for researchers to study life-threatening microorganisms like Nipah and Hendra for which there is no known vaccine or therapy.

So, apart from the $575 million tab, is there reason for concern?
Dr. Reid told the Australian Associated Press that with the increased outbreaks in the past four years "it was his gut feeling that the virus was becoming more contagious".

"Bats are quite accessible and in the wrong hands it can pose quite a threat," he said.

[mirkwood]

I knew it!!!!!





bird flu, swine flu, anthrax; and now add hendra (http://www.cdc.gov/media/mmwrnews/n990409.htm)--a lethal virus that resides in bat urine and horse spit--to the ever increasing list of barnyard threats.






And the only way to destroy the virus is by COOKING THE MEAT!!!! :yesnod:



:l0 (46):

[ghostcat]

I knew it!!!!!






And the only way to destroy the virus is by COOKING THE MEAT!!!! :yesnod:



:l0 (46):

:smilielol5::smilielol5:

[ghostcat]

Signs new riding outfit !!!!!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e386/ghostcat2/biohorse.jpg

[hiccups]

How far can a horse spit, anyway? Can they be trained to act like a camel? Perhaps Sign could add this to her collection of "traps" to fend off food storage raiders. Instead of throwing molotov cocktails, she could throw jars of horse spit. It has possibilties. :l0 (3):

[signseeker]

Yeah, the horses can spit on the bad guys! Sweet!

That's weird, cuz I just found a dead bat near my hay stack a few weeks ago. I was selling some hay and the guy just happened to have a sandwich bag in his truck, so I brought the dead bat home. It was cool cuz you could see its fangs and stuff. At least I thought it was cool. No one else in the family did. What the heck? "EEEEW! Put that in the garbage!!" Never mind that the dead scorpion from 4 MONTHS ago that DH found is still on the window ledge over the sink like it's some stinkin' prize. :frown2:

[LarnaE]

I was already terrified of a bat sucking my blood, now I have to worry about them urinating on me too. I am loving bats more and more everyday. :scared:

[WolfBrother]

"Bats are quite accessible and in the wrong hands it can pose quite a threat," he said.

My secret is out. I posses many of the feared deadly assault bats.

[Toni]

I don't suppose anyone has heard of the dreaded butterfly flu? (Didn't think so).

[waif69]

I hope that they don't call this the bat flu. They are already blamed for so many things that people randomly kill them thinking that it is a good idea.

[Toni]

Yes, and bats are so awesome. My point in the post above was that they keep blaming more and more animals on future/expected pandemics. Will they one day kill off all of the animals except a select few that live only in special sanctuaries?

[waif69]

I'm sure that will be attempted by some people who care for us and are only looking out for our best interests. Heck, there are quite a few people in the world that don't want you to have children for the sake of the future generations and the health of the planet.

[Toni]

Ironic. No children for the benefit of future children.