|
* * * * * * * * * *
1. Dr. Clarence L. Campbell Passes
From the Tallahassee Democrat
May 19, 2015
Dr. Clarence L. Campbell, Jr. 93, of Tallahassee passed away on May 17, 2015 in his home.
Dr. Campbell was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 24, 1921 to Clarance L. Campbell, Sr., and Louise Campbell. He received his early education in Sebring, FL. He attended pre-veterinary training at Florida Southern College and received his Veterinary Medicine Degree from Ohio State University.
In June of 1950, Dr. Campbell married the love of his life, Dorothy Watford. Together they shared almost 65 years of marital bliss never leaving each other's side. They loved animals of all kinds and found joy in raising Arabian Horses on their farm in Tallahassee.
He was employed by the State of Florida initially as a field Veterinarian with the Florida Livestock sanitary board and was appointed assistant State Veterinarian in 1948.
In 1953 he was appointed to State Veterinarian and served in that capacity for 38 years until he retired in 1991. He holds the record of being the longest tenured State Veterinarian in the US.
During his tenure with the State of Florida, Dr. Campbell was noted for his efforts to rid Florida of animal diseases and to prevent the introduction of foreign animal diseases into the state and the country.
One of his most notable achievements was leading his team to the eradication of the cattle fever tick from Florida in 1961 and the screwworm in 1962. Dr. Campbell once served as President of the United States Animal Health Association [1966].
Dr. Campbell is survived by his wife, Dorothy Campbell; his nephews, Terry Macky, Gary Macky, Robert Harmon and Joe Rice; and his niece Carla Rice.
No formal funeral services are planned however, the family invites you to a visitation today May 20, 2015 from 5-7 in the Dogwood room of Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home's Riggins Road Location.
In lieu of flowers please make donations to Triple R Horse Rescue in Tallahassee in honor of Dr. Campbell.
********
|
|
2. Lax biosecurity found on several Iowa bird flu farms
By Tom Polansek and P.J. Huffstutter
Reuters
May 21, 2015
IRETON, IOWA/CHICAGO |-- Measures to control the worst bird flu outbreak in U.S. history are not being enforced at several farms at its epicenter in northwestern Iowa, potentially increasing the risks that the disease could spread further, spot checks by Reuters show.
In visits to six affected sites in Iowa last week, a Reuters reporter found procedures at three in Sioux County did not comply with USDA or state protocols for restricting access to infected sites, providing protective gear to workers and cleaning the wheels of vehicles leaving the sites.
Burke Healey, the USDA's national incident commander coordinating response to the bird flu, said he was concerned about the findings of lax biosecurity in Iowa after hearing about them from Reuters. Shortfalls in biosecurity can violate agreements signed by farm owners, he said. "If they're allowing you to drive in and out of that property unrestricted, then that's going against what we've requested of them and what they've agreed to do for us," Healey said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and state officials have established quarantine zones and mandated strict biosecurity procedures at and around farms in Iowa and other affected states. Steps include controlling access and minimizing traffic at infected farms; requiring protective clothing for workers; killing all poultry and securely disposing of carcasses, litter, feed and any other appropriate materials, including manure; and cleaning and disinfecting the affected premises, equipment and vehicles.
The USDA is meeting with industry trade groups in Washington Thursday, and with state and poultry groups on Friday in Des Moines, the state capital, to talk about improving biosecurity on affected farm sites, according to people familiar with the situation.
Full text:
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/21/health-birdflu-usa-farms-idINL1N0Y927820150521
********
|
|
3. All county fair and Iowa State Fair poultry exhibits canceled by bird flu threat
By Dar Danielson
RadioIowa.com
May 21, 2015
The Iowa Department of Agriculture today announced an order to cancel all live bird exhibitions at county fairs, the Iowa State Fair, and other gatherings of birds due to avian influenza.
The Department's order begins immediately, is effective through the end of 2015, and also prohibits live birds from being sold at livestock auction markets, swap meets and exotic sales.
Iowa has over 25 million birds and more than 60 farms impacted by H5N2 highly-pathogenic avian influenza. A news release from the Ag Department says the purpose of the directive is to minimize the risk of potential further spread of the virus to other poultry.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/krsyw2x
********
|
|
4. USDA Confirms More Highly Pathogenic H5N2 Avian Influenza in Three Flocks in Iowa
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Bulletin
May 21, 2015
WASHINGTON - The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in three additional flocks in Iowa. No human infections with the virus have been detected at this time. CDC considers the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low.
USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed HPAI H5N2 in the following counties and states:
Sioux County, Iowa (May 20, 2015)
Backyard flock (number pending)
17th detection in this county
Sioux County, Iowa (May 20, 2015)
Chickens (number pending)
18th detection in this county
Sioux County, Iowa (May 20, 2015)
240,000 chickens
19th detection in this county
Full text:
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/1058b67
********
|
|
5. Artificial Intelligence Pinpoints Pests That Spread Disease
And, where the next outbreaks could occur
By Alexandra Ossola
Popular Science
May 19, 2015
Lyme disease, swine flu, bubonic plague-many of humanity's greatest scourges jumped from our animal co-habitants to make us sick. During an outbreak, researchers need to understand where the disease is coming from in order to effectively treat it and stop it from spreading. But with thousands of pests as possible vectors of disease, and with diseases coming from animals more frequently now than ever before, they often have difficulty doing so. Now artificial intelligence can help identify disease-carrying animals with up to 90 percent accuracy, according to a study published yesterday in the journal PNAS*.
[* See: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/05/14/1501598112 ]
To create the algorithm, the researchers started with the 217 rodent species known to harbor pathogens that infect humans, as well as 2,000 that don't cause disease as far as we know. The researchers incorporated data from 86 criteria such as the species' geographic distribution, how quickly they reproduce, and their physiological traits such as body size. They gathered similar information for rodent-borne bugs, many of which also cause disease in humans. Then the computer crunched the data to find which combinations of traits are most indicative of disease-carrying pests.
Full text:
http://www.popsci.com/computer-learning-pinpoints-which-pests-spread-infectious-diseases
********
|
|
6. House Ag Committee clears COOL repeal bill
By Spencer Chase
Agri-Pulse
May 20, 2015
WASHINGTON - Just two days after the World Trade Organization (WTO) upheld an earlier decision that a U.S. country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rule is not compliant with international trade obligations, House lawmakers officially began the procedural steps necessary to repeal the law.
In a full meeting of the Agriculture Committee, members reported two bills to the House. One of those bills - H.R. 2393 - is in reaction to the WTO decision and seeks to avoid economic retaliation from Canada and Mexico by simply repealing the offending provisions of the COOL law. Under the bill, which is expected to be discussed on the House floor in early June, the beef, pork, and poultry requirements of the mandatory COOL law originating in the 2002 farm bill would be repealed.
Full text:
http://www.agri-pulse.com/House-Ag-Committee-clears-COOL-repeal-bill-05202015.asp
********
|
|
7. Iowa landfills get OK to take carcasses from bird flu cases
Associated Press
Omaha.com
May 21, 2015
DES MOINES - Two Iowa landfills have been given approvals from federal and state officials to dispose of some of the millions of chicken, turkey and duck carcasses amassing from the outbreak of bird flu.
The Des Moines Register reports that the carcasses will go to the Northwest Iowa Area Solid Waste Agency landfill near Sheldon and the Iowa Waste Systems landfill near Malvern in southwest Iowa.
On Wednesday, Iowa officials added two turkey farms to the state list of cases, raising the number to 62.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/mxmunfu
********
|
|
8. Egg Consumers May Face $8 Billion Bill From Worst U.S. Bird Flu
By Rudy Ruitenberg
Bloomberg
May 21, 2015
Be it scrambled, poached or sunny side up, the cost of egg breakfasts may jump by billions of dollars during the U.S.'s worst outbreak of bird flu, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said.
U.S. consumers will probably pay $7.5 billion to $8 billion more to buy eggs, an increase of at least 75 percent from last year, Goldman Sachs analysts including Jason English wrote in a report Wednesday. Packaged foods companies could find the ingredient in short supply, and McDonald's Corp. will be most affected among major restaurant chains because it can't easily pass on higher costs from its popular breakfast business.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza has devastated U.S. flocks of egg-laying hens across the Midwest for two months, with Iowa losing about 23 million hens. Post Holdings Inc. has warned that bird flu will hurt fiscal 2015 earnings at its food-service unit while countries in the Middle East and Asia have restricted shipments.
"The situation could deteriorate further before it ultimately gets better," the analysts wrote.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/mayjztb
********
|
|
