美国监测家禽的禽流感

美国鸡肉处理人员将开始对他们所有的鸡进行禽流感的监测，数量将比2005年期间翻一番。

美国国家鸡肉委员会(Washington DC, USA)是一家协调资源检测项目的贸易组织，该协会说生产该国超过90％鸡的公司已经同意在每只鸡宰杀之前，对样本进行检测。尽管大多数禽流感的毒株对人类无害，但是致命性H5N1毒株是高度传染性的。科学家能够对血液中进行抗体检测以确定家禽的健康状况。

这项监测主要是向美国国内国外的消费者保证，家禽没有受到横扫东欧和亚洲的H5N1毒株的影响。这项监测计划是由于消费者近期开始要求供应商保证他们的鸡肉没有感染禽流感。

在2006年1月的早些时候，在亚洲H5N1病毒已经导致超过146人感染，其中76人死亡。仅仅在越南就有93例患者，其中42例死亡。大多数受害者都有与患病家禽的密切接触史，但是卫生官员担心病毒会获得在人与人之间传染的能力，从而导致大范围流行。
 
U.S. Screens Poultry for Avian Flu
 
U.S. chicken processors are starting to screen all of their flocks for bird flu, more than doubling the number of tests conducted in the industry during 2005.

The United States National Chicken Council (Washington DC, USA), a trade group coordinating the voluntary testing program, said firms producing about 90% of the nation’s chickens have agreed to screen a sample of chickens from each flock before slaughter. Although most strains of avian flu are harmless to humans, the deadly H5N1 strain is highly contagious. Scientists can determine the health of a flock by conducting an antibody-based test on the blood of a dozen or so of its members.

The screening is designed to reassure consumers, domestic and foreign, that U.S. chickens are free of the H5N1 strain sweeping into Eastern Europe from Asia. The screening is due to the fact that customers recently began requiring suppliers to certify that their chickens are free of bird flu.

By early January 2006, the H5N1 strain had killed more than 146 people in Asia, of whom 76 died. Vietnam alone accounted for 93 cases and 42 deaths. Most of the victims had close contact with sick birds, but health officials worry the virus could acquire the ability to move easily among people, sparking a pandemic.