Rapid research response needed for future pandemic: experts gather to plan

TORONTO - The last flu pandemic has largely faded from the public consciousness, but it's top of mind for more than 100 experts gathered from around the world in Toronto this week.

Their mission: to prepare for the next one.

The get-together was organized by the International Forum for Acute Care Trialists, or InFACT, an international organization of critical care researchers. It brings together scientists, doctors and representatives of government and funding agencies.

The chair of InFACT, Dr. John Marshall of St. Michael's Hospital, describes the invitation-only meeting as an "exciting convergence of groups of people who don't normally spend a lot of time together."

The idea is to do as much as they can in the way of research and readiness between pandemics, he explained. More

BSE-fighting 'biorefinery' gets $10-million assist from climate fund

By Dave Cooper, Edmonton Journal

It has taken 14 years of research and trials, but an Alberta-developed technology that turns organic waste -including infectious proteins and other micro-organisms -into something safe and reusable took a $10-million step forward Tuesday.

That's the amount of support coming from the provincial Climate Change and Emissions Management Corp. for the $31.8-million project in Lacombe, which aims to cut methane-gas emissions from landfill sites and also produce energy from biogas.

"We still have to complete our financing and permitting, but we are making good progress," said Chris Thrall, president of BioRefinex Canada, the firm that will commercialize the technology.

"We will be taking a significant amount of organic material which we believe can be transformed into better uses. And there are significant sources across Canada and abroad," he said. More

Social media could help detect pandemics

...what if social media could help detect and track global disease outbreaks weeks earlier than traditional surveillance methods, allowing officials to introduce treatment and reduce the spread of a potential pandemic?

A growing segment of the medical community believes that is a realistic possibility and is increasingly looking at ways to harness the power of blogs, news outlets and social-networking websites to detect disease patterns around the world.

Dozens of researchers gathered Monday at a pandemic conference in Toronto to hear about the progress one expert has made toward achieving those goals.

John Brownstein, an epidemiologist who works as a researcher at Children’s Hospital Boston, told researchers instead of relying solely on government-based disease-surveillance systems, they should recognize the power of clues coming from individuals on the ground.

Dr. Brownstein and his colleagues have created HealthMap, an ambitious website and mobile application that constantly trolls the Internet for emerging outbreaks of the flu or a new respiratory illness. More

Korea OKs Canadian beef imports

By Kim Guttormson, Calgary Herald; With Files From Reuters June 28, 2011

 

 

South Korea said Monday it will resume imports of Canadian beef, a move that could be worth more than $30 million a year to cattle producers.

The Canadian and South Korean governments have reached a technical agreement that will see the country import meat from cows under the age of 30 months, although there are still details to be worked out before it's finalized.

"It's just one more step back towards some semblance of normalcy," Kevin Grier, an analyst at the George Morris Centre, said. "What our packers now have is one more potential buyer and that's always good."
But he pointed out that the agreement represents $30 million -by 2015, according to the Canada Beef Export Federation -to a $5-billion industry.

South Korea is the last key Asian market to reopen its borders -closed after Canadian cases of BSE were discovered in 2003 -and lengthy discussions with the country hit a point two years ago where Canada filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization. More

Horses' health to be tracked by microchips

CALGARY — Just a year after six horses died at the Calgary Stampede rodeo, the organization has announced new animal care standards.

Stampede officials say enhanced scrutiny will ensure only the healthiest animals will be used during the event, which runs July 8 to 17.

One measure will see veterinarians implanting a microchip in every horse that is scheduled to compete in the chuckwagon races.

Stampede officials say the chip will allow the horses to be tracked and monitored both during competition and at rest.

Last summer, two horses died of heart attacks, two were destroyed after suffering injuries and another broke its back from bucking too hard.

Another died after experiencing health difficulties 40 minutes after a chuckwagon race. More

GuZoo owner decides to fight

The GuZoo has been closed to visitors while owner Lynn Gustafson looks at yet another strategy that will allow him to either display or sell his animals.

Given a 60-day permit two weeks ago so he could put his decommissioning plan to work, Lynn Gustafson had been preparing to allow a medical inspection of the animals in his care to determine whether they could be moved to other facilities.

Then, he changed his mind.

On Tuesday, Gustafson told The Advocate that he has hired a lawyer to see if he can fight Alberta Agriculture’s insistence that he have a health inspection before any of the animals can leave the farm. He is supposed to meet with the lawyer on Saturday for the first time. More

Dispersal of GuZoo animals halted by province

Ordered to dispose of their animals, operators of beleaguered GuZoo said they were stunned provincial officials halted the transfer of some creatures due to potential disease concerns.

On Thursday, the GuZoo was preparing to send five wolves and three lemurs to new homes — the latter animals to an Ontario zoo — when Alberta Agriculture officials stepped in, insisting its critters be examined for possible diseases, said Bill Gustafson, son of facility owner Lynn Gustafson.

“It’s a disappointment not only for us but to the outfit who were going to take the three lemurs,” he said.
He said GuZoo is willing to have the animals tested “under certain terms,” but added his father was upset by what his family considers the province’s heavy-handed tactics.

“My dad told them ‘there’s no real point in doing this testing if this won’t let me keep my animals,’” said Gustafson. More

US senators unveil bipartisan bill to restrict use of antibiotics in food animals

Four senators - three Democrats and a Republican - have introduced legislation that would restrict the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture.

The bill is a companion measure to legislation introduced earlier in the House by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.). It would ban farmers from using seven classes of antibiotics critical for human health expect to treat sick animals.

The bill comes as the House on Wednesday repealed a provision of the 2012 agriculture spending bill that aimed to prevent the Food and Drug Administration from similarly restricting antibiotic use in livestock and poultry. The amendment, from Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), drew concerns from Energy and Commerce Chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) because of its wide-ranging policy implications. More

Angry cattle farmers threaten class action

CATTLE farmers may take legal action against Meat and Livestock Australia, to claim for damages over the Indonesian export ban.
Lawyers preparing a class action say that the directors of MLA and LiveCorp may have breached their fiduciary duties to their members by not disclosing to their members and levy payers the slaughtering conditions in some Indonesian abattoirs.

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Australia bans all live cattle exports to Indonesia

The Australian government has suspended live cattle exports to Indonesia until safeguards are adopted to end the brutal slaughter of animals.

The move follows an investigation into Indonesian abattoirs by Australia's ABC broadcaster, which showed graphic footage of animals being mistreated.

It prompted a public outcry and demands for the government to act.

Last week, Canberra suspended exports to abattoirs shown in the programme, but now it has issued a blanket ban. More

Deadly equine herpes virus found in Sask.

The Saskatchewan Agriculture Department says a horse near Moosomin has tested positive for the contagious equine herpes virus. The animal was part of a cutting horse show in Lloydminster on May 14 and 15. The department advises that any horses that were at the event should be isolated for 28 days.

The virus poses no human health risk, but can cause respiratory failure, miscarriages and brain and spinal cord disease in horses. It can be fatal.

The province's chief veterinary officer is advising owners to monitor their animals carefully. More

Farmer fined, gets lifetime ban from owning animals

A Manitoba hog producer will never again be allowed to handle livestock after admitting to the largest animal-cruelty case ever discovered in the province.

Martin Albert Joseph Grenier, 39, pleaded guilty Thursday to more than a dozen charges under the province's Animal Care Act for causing the deaths of more than 1,200 pigs last summer.

Provincial court Judge Kelly Moar returned to court Friday and imposed a near-maximum fine of $60,000. It's more than double the previous highest financial penalty ever dished out in Manitoba, court heard. Moar also issued a lifetime prohibition on having care or control of any animals. More

No 'epidemic' of equine virus despite rising numbers, vet says

Although the number of confirmed equine herpes virus-1 cases in the province has gone up, Alberta's top veterinarian assures that there is no "propagating epidemic."

"We are not seeing a huge number of new cases every day, which is a good thing," said Dr. Gerald Hauer, chief provincial veterinarian with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. "But will there be new cases in the future? It's difficult to predict."

Since May 1, 14 cases of the virus -a mutated, more virulent form of the more common equine herpes virus -have been reported to Hauer's office.

The virus can be passed from horse to horse through nasal secretions or indirectly from people not washing their hands or sharing equipment, but does not pose a threat to people. More

Province shuts down controversial zoo

After 21 years in operation, the doors to controversial animal sanctuary GuZoo will be officially closed after the province denied a permanent permit to the facility Wednesday.

Provincial officials visited the zoo Wednesday to discuss contents of a report from an independent review and granted owner Lynn Gustafson a seven-day temporary permit to make plans to relocate his animals.

"In their wisdom they have just made me aware we are living in Communist Alberta," he said.
"They say I cannot be open to the public anymore, which is kind of a kick in the teeth, I'd say to all people of Alberta.

"It hurts – you spent a lifetime doing something for people and getting gratification myself and to have their rug pulled out from under you it kind of hurts, but I guess that's supposedly progress." More