Bird Flu Strikes Wild Storks In Thailand

Third U.S. State Confirms Virus In Poultry

February 17, 2004

Asia's bird flu virus has infected hundreds of wild storks in Thailand, while new infections are reported among chickens kept as pets in Japan.

The World Health Organization says open-bill storks were found dead at two bird sanctuaries on the outskirts of Bangkok. The agency says the migratory storks could be responsible for spreading bird flu.

The flu has forced the slaughter of tens of thousands of chickens and other fowl and is blamed in the deaths of at least 20 people in Vietnam and Thailand. New cases of human illnesses were reported in the two countries over the weekend.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has scheduled a meeting for late February to discuss ways of fighting the virus.

Closer to home, a bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in a third U.S. state.

The Pennsylvania agriculture department said Friday that the virus hit a Lancaster County farm. But the agency said the strain is different from the one found in Delaware and New Jersey -- and isn't likely to harm humans.

"This is not the strain currently in Asia or Delaware," state agriculture secretary Dennis Wolff said Friday. "We believe this indicates no threat to human health and a low threat to the poultry industry. Based on this information, USDA is notifying our international trading partners to reassure them of the safety of U.S. poultry products."

The virus was discovered during routine surveillance testing for the avian flu, officials said. The state tests hundreds of thousands of poultry for avian flu each year.

Pennsylvania officials said the infected farm has been quarantined, and flocks on 16 nearby farms are being tested.

None of the U.S. strains resembles the version that has killed humans in Asia, experts say.

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