News Update

News Update
Aug. 14, 2006

Avian Influenza Strain Tested in Michigan

Samples taken from two mute swans in Michigan have returned results indicating the presence of H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials announced today.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator Ron DeHaven said despite the national attention surrounding “bird flu,” there’s no reason to fear findings.

“Testing has ruled out the possibility that this is the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus that has spread through much of Asia, Europe and Africa,” he stressed. “We do not believe that this virus represents a risk to human health.”

Samples were collected Aug. 8 from Point Mouille, a game area in southeastern Michigan, as part of a routine surveillance program. According to USDA, genetic analysis of the virus indicates that it’s similar to low pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza strains previously found in North America. Another possibility, DeHaven said, is that the resident (not migratory) birds may have been infected with two separate viruses, one contributing the H5 strain and the second virus contributing the N1 component.

DeHaven reported that the birds, and those around them, showed no sign of sickness.

Confirmatory testing is being conducted at USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. Testing, which will determine the exact subtypes and whether it’s a highly pathogenic or a low pathogenic virus, is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete. Further results will be announced as they become available.

Second-Warmest July on Record, Drought Conditions Widespread, NOAA says

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) released data today showing a dismal climatic overview for the month of July.

According to NCDC, July temperatures were much above normal for the contiguous United States. Nationally, it was the second warmest July in the 112-year government record. Coupled with below-normal national precipitation, July 2006 ranked as the 26th driest July on record from 1895-2006.

Significant drought continued in the Southern Plains and the Desert Southwest, with exceptional drought persisting in parts of southern and northern Texas, southern Arizona, and central South Dakota, NCDC data show.

The following NCDC highlights demonstrate July’s weather patterns.

The preliminary nationally averaged temperature for July was 77.2? F, just three-tenths of a degree cooler than the warmest July, recorded in 1936 with an average temperature of 77.5? F.
The 26th driest July on record, the month’s average precipitation over the contiguous U.S. was at 2.58 inches (in.), 0.3 in. below the 20th century mean for the month.
January to July was the warmest such period in all NCDC recorded weather measurements. The nationally averaged year-to-date temperature was 55.3? F, or 3.2? F above the 1901-2000 average. August 2005-July 2006 was also the warmest such period on record.
Based on the Palmer Drought Index, as of the end of July, severe to extreme drought affected about 28% of the contiguous U.S., and 51% fell in the moderate to extreme drought categories.
By the end of July, the area of drought covered the Plains from the Rockies eastward to the Midwest and the South from Arizona to the Atlantic. In drought areas, soil moisture was low, streamflow was especially low in the northern and central Plains and the Southeast, and vegetative health was poor.

According to NCDC, drought and high temperatures affected many sectors of the economy. Crops were highly stressed or dying, livestock was dying or prematurely sold due to a lack of feed and water, water restrictions were common in many areas, and wildlife in search of food and water was reported in urban areas. The governors of several states have declared disaster conditions, and dry conditions led to dozens of fires in the western half of the U.S.

For more drought-related information, visit www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2006/jul/us-drought.html#pafile.

For a map detailing short-term drought conditions based on the Palmer Drought Index, visit www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/2006/jul/zin200607_pg.gif.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.