Oil within 1.5 miles of buoy marking entrance to Southwest Pass

May 05, 2010, 10:50 PM EDT
Gulf Oil Slick Moves Near Southwest Pass, Port Official Says

Oil leaking from BP Plc’s damaged Gulf of Mexico well has drifted within 1.5 miles of the buoy marking the entrance to Southwest Pass, the main approach to the Port of New Orleans, a port official said.

“I just got a call from the port commissioner, and he said the oil is a mile and a half away from the main entrance,” Wayne Mumphrey, secretary treasurer of the Port of New Orleans said in an interview in New Orleans. “Once it passes the buoy, we have to start decontaminating every ship coming into the port.”

Mumphrey said two floating decontamination stations have been set up near the buoy to scrub oil from the hulls of ships entering the Mississippi.

It will take 10 to 12 hours to decontaminate each ship, which will dramatically slow incoming port traffic and that may cause ships to begin backing up into the Gulf, he said.
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Mumphrey said a port study commissioned in the wake of a tanker spill that closed the Port of New Orleans for several days last year showed the economic impact of a total port closure on U.S. Midwestern communities from the mouth of the Mississippi to Minnesota is roughly $250 million a day.

“All the grain from the Midwest ships out through the Port of New Orleans,” Mumphrey said. “It can’t get out any other way.”

Port prepares for approaching oil sheen at SW Pass

POSTED: 03:53 PM Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Officials with the Port of New Orleans say a “light to medium” oil sheen is forecast to reach Southwest Pass at mouth of the Mississippi River by Thursday morning.

The pass is where many cargo ships enter the river from the Gulf of Mexico, and port officials expect oil from the Deepwater Horizon leak to affect the area for at least the next two days.

Ships will be subjected to inspection before entering the pass, according to a statement from the port. Cleaning stations are set up at Boothville and Burwood, although ships “moving at a safe pace through light oil sheen may not require cleaning,” according to the release.

Response crews have been attempting to contain the damage from the oil slick that has threatened the Gulf Coast since the April 20 explosion of the semi-submersible rig 50 miles from the Mississippi Delta.

WHO advises caution when in South Africa

Thursday May 6, 2010

GENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) have advised tourists in South Africa to guard against mosquito bites and contact with animals after a Rift Valley Fever outbreak.

The United Nations health agency issued the warning on Tuesday after a woman fell ill in Germany after a three-week trip in South Africa, who host football’s World Cup from June 11-July 11.

Around 350,000 fans are expected.

South Africa’s Health Ministry have reported 172 cases of the animal virus disease, including 15 deaths, across five provinces.

The German patient, who has since recovered, developed flu-like symptoms visiting the Eastern and Western Cape, which include the World Cup venues of Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

WHO did not advise avoiding South Africa. — AP

The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill

TUESDAY, MAY 4
Cross-posted from the White House Blog
Cabinet Officials Brief Members of Congress

Secretary Salazar, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Administrator Jackson, DHS Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute and Admiral Allen provided a bi-partisan and bi-cameral briefing to Congress on the administration’s all-hands-on-deck response to the spill. They updated members of Congress on the status of ongoing, coordinated response efforts in the Gulf coast states and delivered an update on BP’s mitigation plans for potentially impacted Gulf Coast states.

Cabinet Officials Host Daily Coordination Calls with the Gulf Coast State Governors

To ensure consistent coordination with the Gulf Coast states, Admiral Thad Allen, Secretaries Janet Napolitano and Ken Salazar, Administrator Lisa Jackson and NOAA Deputy Under Secretary Monica Medina began daily calls with the Governors from the five Gulf Coast states to provide updates on the response to the BP oil spill and answer any questions that arise. Governors Barbour, Crist, Jindal, Perry and Riley have been invited to participate in the daily calls moving forward. These daily calls are a follow up to the calls last Friday and Sunday between the Governors and the agencies involved in the federal response, as well as the calls last week between the President and the Governors and the President’s visit to the region on Sunday. These calls are intended to further the already unprecedented cooperation and focused effort between state and local officials and the federal government in response to this situation.

National Guard Activation

Secretary Gates has authorized use of Title 32 status for up to 17,500 National Guard members in four states: Alabama (3,000), Florida (2,500), Louisiana (6,000) and Mississippi (6,000).

The state of Louisiana has activated approximately 1,200 National Guard members under Title 32 for command and control and sandbagging operations in St Bernard and Plaquemines parishes. Louisiana National Guard personnel are actively manning the Joint Operations Center and Tactical Aviation Cell.

20 More Vessels and 4,500 Responders Are Deployed to the Gulf Coast

The response continues to mobilize and move more resources into the gulf to support BP, the responsible party, and apply federal resources to mitigate environmental damage, including moving 20 more vessels to the area and deploying an additional 4,500 responders

Air Quality Monitoring

EPA’s Air Quality Index (AQI) tracks levels of particulate matter and ozone along the Gulf Coast—data available publicly daily at http://www.airnow.gov/ and http://gulfcoast.airnowtech.org/. In addition to these monitors, EPA’s emergency response teams have put up multiple monitoring stations to track larger particulate matter. The location of these monitoring stations is flexible as conditions change during this response.

The next in a daily series of press briefings was conducted between the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the Coast Guard, NOAA, BP and Transocean at the Joint Information Center in Robert, La., as well as daily legislative and intergovernmental calls.

Assets To Date—20 More Vessels and 4,000 Responders Arrive

Total response vessels: nearly 200
Boom deployed: 367,881 feet
Boom available: more than 1 million feet
Oily water recovered: more than 1 million gallons
Dispersant used: nearly 160,000 gallons
Dispersant available: 230,000 gallons
Overall personnel responding: approximately 7,500

Swine streptococcus disease spread to humans by eating blood pudding

(ANTD) - Days 5-5, Pham Tien My doctor, Head of Infectious - Pacific Hospital said nearly a week after active treatment, up to date health both fourth inter-infected patients for pigs lying in the scientific treatment has stabilized and may leave the hospital within a few days.

Infectious present at scientific, Pacific Hospital, we experienced a patient Ha Ngoc An, 52, resident shops at Dong Hoa, Thai Binh city. American doctors who treat patients directly to An said patient hospitalized in critical condition: liver, kidneys, hemorrhages and signs of meningitis. After active treatment, patients who escape from danger, no deep coma. According to the patients, the cause of infection is due before he ate blood pudding in An bar.

Dr. Pham Van Diu, director of the Center Province of Preventive Medicine: Currently, the Pacific had eight suspected cases infected swine streptococcus. Initially, the patients who often mistake the symptoms of streptococcus swine fever with common colds. When taken to hospital, most patients are in a state of liver, kidney.

According to research by scientists and actually took place in 2007, swine streptococcus disease usually spread to people involved in swine blue ear. The local blue ear epidemic often appears swine streptococcus infect humans.Currently, the Pacific is one of the 12 provinces have blue ear so people are worried about an outbreak of swine streptococcus infect humans.

Dangerous epidemic season

Thursday, 06.05.2010, 01:58 (GMT +7)
North is entering the hot summer days, this is also the time of many serious animal disease outbreaks in humans. From diarrhea caused by bacteria described dangerous levels, Streptococcus to dengue fever, encephalitis, fever, viral ... More worryingly, the epidemiological investigation showed that a serious animal disease outbreak are largely due to comments people's poor form.


Number of patients increased during heat stress. Photo: Mai Hai


Disease infected by unhygienic food

It took over half months in hospital in the Emergency Treatment - Treatment Hospital positive (BV) Tropical Diseases of the Central Health Nguyen Van H., 30, in Pho Yen, Thai Nguyen new pass attack critical illness due to infection from swine Streptococcus. Body still patchy deep black patches because hemorrhagic necrosis of the skin caused by swine streptococcus bacteria cause, he H. tired said, because the imported food blocks blood pudding, which he infected pig heart disease risk.

According to Dr Intermediate, Deputy Director of Emergency Department - Treatment of active, up to now has received hospital treatment for 6 cases of Streptococcus infection from sick pigs and many suspected cases. Among them, there are two new cases hospitalized in the past 3-5 days in Quang Ninh and Ba Vi district, Hanoi, were identified from patients eat pork.

In the Pacific has had eight cases suspected swine streptococcus infections. Dr Nguyen Van Kinh, director of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said this does not have any evidence of disease in swine streptococcus bacteria spread from person to person. However, since the outbreak of blue ear pig in many localities, some people have also increased by Streptococcus, all suspected cases of infectious disease or have contact with sick pigs or eat blood pudding , pig hearts, pig meat is not cooked.

Along with Streptococcus disease spread from pigs to people, dangerous epidemic of acute diarrhea caused by cholera outbreak continues in many places. Only in the north is now available in Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Ha Nam and recorded epidemic of acute diarrhea caused by cholera. Henan is the latest local outbreak of acute diarrhea caused by dangerous bacteria described, with 47 cases after the same meal at a wedding in rural Korea, North Ly commune, Ly Nhan district. Before that, Me Trai hamlet, Vinh Hong, Binh Giang, Hai Duong has also recorded more than 30 cases of acute diarrhea, including five cases of cholera after a meal crowded deck.

Also, on 5-5, Nguyen Tran Chinh, director of HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases has to receive treatment of NVT (23 years old, live in Chau Thanh District, Tay Ninh) have described. Previously, patients hospitalized in a state of physical exhaustion, kidney failure, continuous diarrhea every day dozens of times. Test results showed that patients positive for cholera. This is the first described cases of Tay Ninh province and patients live adjacent to the Cambodian border.

On 5-5, Preventive Medicine Center of Dien Bien province, said the current measles epidemic in the locality in the district of Muong Nhe has been controlled but here syndrome epidemic dysentery outbreak continued, bringing the number of people infected where nearly 100 cases, which has had two deaths. Worrying is the service area is occurring in remote areas, villages near the border as Sin Leng Xu, Chung Chai to the detection, control and extinguishing service encounter some difficulties.

They also racing ill

Not only have blue ear pig, or Streptococcus dangerous acute diarrhea that now in many provinces in the north has also recorded several hundred cases of dengue fever, meningitis and fever virus. Worrying as this year, some children are suffering from the disease tends to rise because of erratic changes in weather.

Doi Phu Nhuan BS, Dean examination Central Pediatrics Hospital, said about a week, coming in search of young children increases, over 2,000 children per day, whereas before, on how much is just about 1600 children. Not only that, at the Department of Children's Bach Mai Hospital or Paul Green, to the examination of children also increased by 20% compared with the past.

Most of the children to visit mainly cough, fever virus, pneumonia, diarrhea and a few grandchildren encephalitis. Number of children admitted to the examination and treatment has increased these days makes scientific respiratory, gastrointestinal, infectious, neonatal ... fall into overload.

Before the situation more dangerous disease outbreaks big risk, Associate Professor Dr Nguyen Huy Nga, director of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Environment, said the weather has turned northern summer, hot sun with high high humidity are favorable conditions for viruses, bacteria on the growth, along with a subjective sense, disregard of many diseases. Therefore, in order to proactively prevent dangerous infectious diseases in the moment, people need to make good personal hygiene, environmental hygiene, wash hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet, ensure food safety, drinking hot cooked done.

Especially for Streptococcus epidemic of acute diarrhea and dangerous cholera bacteria, health authorities, veterinary and local government must step up surveillance blue ear pig, absolutely not for people selling running pig disease indiscriminately thrown or buried.

People should limit eating crowded, absolutely not eat blood pudding, raw, undercooked pork, as pork to buy the source, clearly marked with the quarantine, the pig slaughter or go to destroy sick pig mask and gloves carefully.

Vietnam: 2 More Cases of Streptococcus @ Tropical Dis. Hospital

2010-05-05 12:33:00

Consecutive matched patients infected with Streptococcus

Institute for Tropical Diseases Central Committee, said the hospital has to receive further treatment and two patients have been identified Streptococcus, a disease transmitted from pigs to humans.

Two patients were men, one in Ba Vi district (Hanoi) and one in Quang Ninh. Both cases have been identified in Streptococcus possible meningitis. They know that eating pork but do not know pigs are not infected. According to epidemiological investigation, the area of living patients are pigs but not defined have died from infected swine blue ear or not.

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So, just in a week, the hospital must have been continuously treated for 6 Streptococcus infections. Diseases caused by Streptococcus suis Streptococcus caused, appeared a few years ago in Vietnam, but recently they have not.

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Map: Southwest Pass "Bracing For Impact"

Click on Map

Gov. Bobby Jindal sees coastal defense plan in Venice, acknowledges Gulf oil spill could go west of river

May 05, 2010, 1:43PM

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was in Venice this morning to oversee deployment of loads of absorbent booms that will be placed in the Mississippi River delta to protect fragile inland marsh areas from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The governor also acknowledge forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that for the first time show the possibility of oil moving west of the Mississippi River.

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said he has had a report this morning of oil near the Chandeleur Islands and got word from a river pilot that thick oil could be seen seven miles out from Southwest Pass, the main shipping channel of the river.

"In the case that oil does get west of the river, obviously that would pose even greater challenges to protecting our coast," Jindal said. "You're looking at the possibility of it eventually going into areas of Barataria Basin and other areas that would require multiple lines of defense."

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The Plaquemines Parish protection plan is designed to be a second line of defense behind the hard booms placed out in offshore waters. A large jack-up barge arrived from Port Fourchon last night, and was deployed from Venice this afternoon to be a supply post for fishing boats and other crews to deploy the soft, white absorbent boom when oil gets closer to shore.

"It needs to be mobile, it needs to be flexible, it needs to be adaptable," Jindal said.

Nungesser and his staff have divided up the parish into 13 separate zones for booms to be deployed, depending on the trajectory of the oil spill. There is one jack-up barge available to stage the absorbent boom at this point, but Nungesser said there are another seven barges on call.

"We're drawing our line in the sand, and we're going to draw it right where the marsh begins," Nungesser said. "There is no cleanup in Plaquemines Parish. Prevention is the only way to do this, and that's for all of coastal Louisiana."

Oil spotted 7 miles from the coast of Southwest Pass

Wednesday, 05 May 2010 1:10PM

AP / WWL.com Reporting
Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said today that heavy oil has been spotted 7 miles from the coast of Southwest Pass.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard is preparing for a controlled burn of some of the oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico now that weather conditions are more favorable.

Spokesman Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Blackwell at an oil command center in Robert, La., said Wednesday that boats will skim oil from the surface of the sea and burn it.

Controlled burns are part of the toolbox of strategies officials are using to rid the Gulf of the spilled oil. Burning the oil removes it from the open water and protects the shoreline and
wildlife.

The Coast Guard says in a statement that a previous controlled burn on April 28 removed thousands of gallons of oil.

Oil sheen spotted near Plaquemines Parish coast

Click on Map


Reported by: Chris Finch, Web Producer
Last Update: 9:14 am

Venice – Several boaters near Plaquemines Parish say they have spotted a sheen of oil about two miles off the parish’s coast, according to Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser. The sheen is reported to be near Black Bay at the border of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes.

Nungesser said crews have enough time to get boom in place to protect the coast from the sheen because of where the sheen is located. He said the parish will not take the jack-up rig out to the area because the trip would take the vessel too long to make.

The Coast Guard is planning on sending a plane out to confirm the spill’s location.

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As Oil Spills, Locals Buy Up Seafood

by Helena Bottemiller May 05, 2010

NEW ORLEANS--As a massive, growing oil spill threatens to crush the Gulf seafood industry, Louisiana locals are snatching up fresh, locally-harvested shrimp in droves.

The Crescent City Farmer's Market in uptown New Orleans was out of seafood by 11 a.m. yesterday. FOX News reported that Gulf seafood markets as far as Florida were selling four times more seafood than usual.

"I have no more seafood, sorry!" Clara Gerica, a vendor at the three-times-a-week New Orleans farmers market told a disappointed customer. "Come back Thursday or Saturday, I'll set some aside for ya."

"Today was extremely busy. I haven't had a day like this since before Katrina," explains Gerica, whose family is still rebuilding their house and three boats, all casualties of the hurricane.

From the minute the market opened, locals were lined up to secure their seafood. "People are afraid they aren't going to be able to get it," notes Gerica, adding that she is not worried about the local supply. "[The oil spill] will slow me down on crab meat, but everything else should be fine."

"Unless something drastic happens," she says, the rich fishing waters west of the Mississippi will likely be spared from oil contamination.

The hope that New Orleans will be able to keep a steady supply of fresh, local seafood is based on two assumptions: that the weather will continue to push the oil east and that BP will be able to stop the flow of oil in the next few days.

If the west side of Louisiana is spared from the "oilpocalypse", it will be heavily relied upon to help fishermen keep up with demand, much of which is local.

As well-known New Orleans chef and local foodie John Besh wrote last week in The Atlantic, "We will have a supply of seafood, but that supply will be affected. In the short term our supplies will be cut in half--and that's if we're lucky. In the long term I'm afraid for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Texas, the Florida panhandle."

"This is much more than about birds," wrote Besh. "It's about a culture, an economy, the livelihood of thousands and thousands of people--and wetlands that have been the most concentrated source of seafood production for our entire country."

Duck the flu season

Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Updated at 2:58:20 PM - 05/05/2010




Ducks come under the economic food canal - photo: David Nguyen / Far East



David Nguyen / Far East




Recently in Dong Thap province, a drive duck bird flu has been discovered with a flock of up to several thousand children. The risk of the disease will spread rapidly throughout the western rivers. Most people find the duck run food and clean water in the area, so when the disease is very hard to control ..

A portion of the provinces bordering Cambodia, poultry also "crossed" easy on the South West Province. Meanwhile some other provinces in the North, Central also has a new outbreak of H5N1 was discovered appear.






There are now up to thousands of children - Photo: David Nguyen / Far East

The newly harvested rice fields have finished, the ducks to eat - photo: David Nguyen / Far East




Ducks are transported from field to market to - photo: David Nguyen / Far East




According to the Economic and canals, ducks to eat every now and if the disease spread very fast - photo: David Nguyen / Far East



Many flock to the paint color to distinguish their ducks - photo: David Nguyen / Far East







Downstream water - photo: David Nguyen / Far East






Rice harvest season is also co-feeding duck and bird flu outbreaks have been at risk in Western - photo: David Nguyen / Far East
source
VienDongDaily

Blue-ear disease spreads in northern, central regions

8:00 AM, 05/05/2010

Blue-ear pig disease has spread to Hanoi and 10 northern and central provinces with more than 50,000 pigs infected by the virus, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on May 4.

The infected provinces include Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, Lang Son and most recently, Nghe An.

Hoang Van Nam, director of the ministry’s Animal Health Department said that the localities have continued to discover infected pigs, especially in the cities and provinces of Thai Binh, Hai Phong, Ha Nam, Lang Son and Nghe An.

Nam said the epidemic is still at high risk of spreading to other northern and central areas because the quarantine stations set up in localities have proved ineffective.

Those provinces remaining unaffected by the blue-ear pig virus have already established quarantine stations.

Nam further said heads of provincial-level animal health units will have to take responsibility and be open to disciplinary action if infected pigs get through the quarantine stations.

Pham Thanh Binh, head of the Animal Health Unit in central Ha Tinh province, reported that nearly 100 infected pigs had been seized at the province’s quarantine stations while being transported between Bac Giang and Ha Tinh provinces.

The central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thua Thien-Hue are currently focused on checking pigs transported in their areas, he said.

Minister Cao Duc Phat asked the provinces to take drastic preventative measures and entrusted the specific tasks to the relevant authorities at a grassroots level to help people incinerate infected pigs and decontaminate surrounding areas.

With more than 2,000 pigs affected by the blue-ear virus, Hanoi’s Animal Health Unit started their contamination activities to prevent the spread of the disease, as well as establishing mobile inspection teams at quarantine stations and pig farms.

The ministry on May 4 also announced that the two central provinces of Quang Tri and Quang Ngai were still suffering from cases of bird flu in which more than 5,000 poultry had been incinerated.

Bangladesh bans import of Indian poultry

May 5th, 2010

Dhaka, May 5 (IANS) Bangladesh imposed a ban on the import of poultry from India due to reported cases of bird flu in the country, an official said here Wednesday.
“The revenue board in line with the direction of the ministry of commerce Tuesday issued a gazette notification imposing ban on import of eggs and chicks from India,” National Board of Revenue official Syed A. Momen told Xinhua.
He said no import of Indian poultry and eggs is allowed from now on.

PRRS spreads across Vietnam

May 5, 2010

The Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) or blue-ear disease is spreading from the north to central and southern regions of Vietnam and is likely to be co-existing with the foot-and-mouth disease, said the Veterinary Department. Since early May, PRRS has spread to 12 provinces with Ha Nam and Lang Son in the north and Nghe An in central Vietnam, the department said, adding the disease affected nearly 40,000 pigs, and nearly half of them were destroyed. The department said that the coming rainy season will prompt not only the spread of blue-ear disease but also the recurrence of foot and mouth disease among cattle and bird flu among poultry. Local administrations across Vietnam were asked to speed up vaccinations against the diseases and beef up control on animal movements

Public policy should support the destruction of pig disease

8:08 PM, 05/05/2010

(VOV) - Department of Animal Health, MARD said, to this point, translation has appeared in 154 communes, wards and towns of 28 districts in 11 provinces across the country.
>Kiểm soát chặt việc vận chuyển lợn để khống chế dịch tai xanh" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='#fff'">
The total number of infected pigs than 49,900 children, 21,310 children have been destroyed and the speed of spread of the epidemic is still complicated. In particular, translation has appeared in the Central (Nghe An), the risk of outbreak of a new outbreak is very high here because the natural immunity of pigs decreased to very low.

While the Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Hung Yen, Ha Noi, Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, Lang Son and Nghe An have blue ear epidemic is not over 21 days, then in some other local translation of new outbreaks remains are incurred.

In Hai Duong province, last week PRRS continues to arise more in Dai Tu District Contract period. The total number of blue ear pig disease are 30 children in the village. There veterinary and local authorities are urgently put measures translation.
In Hai Phong city PRRS continues to Da Phuc commune born in Duong Kinh district.

Bac Ninh is the local speed generated PRRS fastest drive. Just last week, PRRS has generated more in seven communes in Tien Du. To date, the province has 42 communes and towns of five districts Luong Tai and Thuan Thanh, Gia Binh and Que Vo, Tien Du and blue ear epidemic.

Cause diseases arising, Mr Human Lung, Heads of Sub-Department of Animal Health, Bac Ninh province, said: The cause leading to the spread of blue ear disease is not specific vaccines. Monday is the perception of the people should restrict the carriage in one place to another has occurred as epidemic. "

Worrying thing is the beginning of this month, PRRS has appeared in Nghe An province's first North Central region, causing an outbreak risk in this area. Disease was detected in the feed concentration of seed breeding center in Nam Dan district, and later in the United Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Currently many localities have implemented measures to combat epidemics, to reduce the risk of localized spread. However, local price unspecified support for the destruction.

Worrying thing is that while no vaccine specific blue ear disease prevention, control the problem, not handle swine thoroughly. Many farmers still selling sick pigs. Veterinary department recently in Ha Tinh province have discovered several trucks sick pigs, pigs died over Ha Tinh province to province in the consumption side.

Bad selling sick pigs are the underlying causes from the less popular local public policies to support the destruction of swine, causing farmers in doubt, avoid selling declaration to save capital. So, to make good the destruction and prevent the spread of the disease, local authorities and relevant agencies early uniform level of public support to make people feel sick pigs destroyed and prevent the risk of spread

At mouth of Mississippi, pilots vow to keep shipping lanes open

1 day ago

Excerpt:

"The ports on the Mississippi transport more tonnage in and out of the Mississippi River system than any other place in the world," Michell says as he takes a break at a pilot station at the southernmost part of Louisiana.

"If Southwest Pass shuts down for any extended period of time it's going to have a ripple effect both on international markets and domestic markets up and down the (Mississippi River) valley."

The Mississippi River transports more than half of US grain exports, along with oil, chemicals, coal, timber reaching a total of 500 million tons of cargo each year.

There were still no signs of oil here on Monday, 11 days after an estimated 210,000 gallons (795,000 litres) a day of crude began streaming from the wellhead below an offshore rig which sank after a massive explosion that killed 11 workers.

Ships have also managed so far to skirt the worst of the ever-growing slick as they make their way out of the Gulf of Mexico.

But the mood is tense at the ship pilot station, where men whose families have made their livelihoods on the river for generations are on alert for the first signs of what is expected to be an ecological and economic disaster.

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Indonesia: Environment Toddler died from bird flu virus H5N1 Negatives

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Although Joyce Efelin confirmed dead due to bird flu virus, but test sempel poultry in the neighborhood instead of negative.

Riauterkini-Pekanbaru-Head of Animal Health Animal Husbandry Department of Riau, Sri Mulyani told Riauterkini Tuesday (5/5/10) ensure that the results of laboratory examinations in veterinary Research Agency (BPVT) regarding speciment taken in the district Senapelan negative.

Said Sri Mulyanti, poultry speciment examination of suspect human cases of Padang Bulan Village District Senapelan Pekanbaru said that Avian Influenza PCR swab from 10 speciment sent otherwise negative. For Avian Influenza serum against 10 speciment otherwise negative series.

"We also conduct an examination of their families and neighbors about the suspect bird flu patients. The result is, the suspect did not have direct physical contact to poultry. Even in the area, no birds died suddenly caught. And the area is clear of bird flu virus," he explained.

If possible, he added, should be ascertained first to the party in general hospital medical laboratory results to suspect whether the man tested positive. Because it is a negative Bukittinggi veterinary lab results

-contact me for link -

Indonesia: Riau- Improved, 3 patients Suspek Bird Flu was permitted to come home

Senin, 3 Mei 2010

Chairman Tim of the Control of Bird Flu of RSUD Arifin Achmad Pekanbaru, Azizman Saad said pekembangan pleasing against three patients suspek bird flu from the Pakning River, Kabupaten Siak.

The three of them his condition continued to improve, in fact could have been it was said healthy. Secara kliniks the condition the three of them continued to improve. Ik. Now has been healthy, said Azizman when discussing with riauterkini, on Monday (3/5/10). 0).

Explained by Azizman, the three patients, respectively Siti Fatimah (40) and his child, Anggi (14) and his neighbour of Diva Amandasari (8), when currently the temperature of his body is normal, namely 36 levels celsius. Likewise with his breath. All has been normal.

Because of his condition in a kliniks manner has improved, then Azizman gave permission to the three patients to come home. If not having the change, the afternoon later the three of them can come home, he said. Ur him. Despite permitted came home, but Azizman not yet dared to decisive that the three of them not terinveksi the virus avian influenza or H5N1.

We were still being waiting for results of the laboratory test from Jakarta, the possibility tomorrow just will arrive, said his explanation.

Indonesia: Gov't Records 2 Positive Cases Since Feb. 1-Malang; 1-Riau

The ministry of the Health released two positive cases of bird flu (H5N1) that happened all along February-April 2010. Two new cases infected HA, the housewife was 45 years old from the Malang City, East Java, and JE the female child was 4 years old from Pekanbaru, Riau.

HA was detected positive after through the routine inspection in the closest Community Health Centre. HA came to the Community Health Centre on February 23 2010 with the Like Illness influenza complaint. Afterwards immediately was carried out by the taking of the specimen swab the nose and the throat. Results of the laboratory test against the sample of the caress that was taken from the nose and his throat then showed if he positive suffered H5N1. At this time the condition HA in the healthy situation, the central headword of Kementerian Communication of the Health, Tritarayati. Ayati.

As for JE was stated positive from the laboratory inspection on April 28 2010 and died on that day also. JE experienced the sign of the fever and could be treated to RS Arifin Ahmad since April 19 2010. While being treated in isolation space in the hospital, his condition continued to worsen. Finally the patient died on April 28 2010. The JE death made the total death resulting from bird flu in Indonesia till at this time reach 136 people from from 166 positive cases.

-contact me for the link -

Blue ear epidemic broke out in Central

Tuesday, 05/05/2010, 12:47 (GMT + 7)

4-5 pm, the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Prevention meeting and said that the speed of ear diseases spread in the northern provinces are very fast, severity; epidemic has been present in Central and the risk of outbreak of a new outbreak is very high.

Thai Binh province now has eight suspected cases infected swine streptococcus.

..Currently, Thai Binh is one of 12 provinces have blue ear so people are worried about an outbreak of swine streptococcus infect humans. Dr. Pham Van Diu, director of Preventive Medical Center of Thai Binh province now has eight suspected cases infected swine streptococcus.

Update on Gulf Oil Spill

Posted By jnodar On May 3, 2010 @ 3:44 pm In Features, News | No Comments

Even as the U.S. Gulf Coast braces to deal with an [1] unprecedented oil spill, ports remain open and thus far vessel traffic has not slowed. “We’ve seen no effect whatsoever,” said Port of New Orleans spokesperson Matt Gresham. The oil sheen is thin and is not attaching to vessels, he said, and decontamination is on a voluntary basis only. Gulfport, Pascagoula and Mobile also report no effects on ship movement as of Monday.

Coast Guard Sector New Orleans has stated that a “primary objective” is to keep the Lower Mississippi River open and minimize potential delays to navigation. Currently there are no plans to close or restrict traffic through Southwest Pass, the deep-draft entrance to the Mississippi, because of the oil, according to the Gulf States Maritime Association. Both the Bar Pilots, who guide vessels in and out of the Mississippi River, and Sector New Orleans said that there is no oiling in their reaches of the river.

While Coast Guard decontamination stations are operating at Venice, La., (at an area called The Jump) and also at the Boothville Anchorage, as of 2:00 p.m. CST decontamination was not mandatory and no vessels had voluntarily requested cleaning, according to the GSMA.

The Port of Mobile has imposed some restrictions to navigation, however. To avoid contact with the spill area, all deep draft vessels entering or leaving the port should use any easterly approach or an established safety fairway southeast of the Mobile Sea Buoy.

Mobile is also requiring all vessels agents and/or masters entering the port to submit a written report stating that the vessel has not transited an oiled area and/or has conducted a visual examination of the external hull above the waterline for oil. Reports must be submitted to the attention of Captain Terry Gilbreath, Harbormaster, at harbormaster@asdd.com.

NOAA reports that the oil sheen now appears to be moving east, according to the GSMA. The upper part of the Mississippi River Delta will see oil sheen shortly, heavy oiling is apparent just south of Mobile Bay, and oil accumulation is likely in Southwest Pass near the jetties by mid-week.

NOAA has restricted fishing for at least ten days in the federal waters affected by the BP oil spill, a region stretching from Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the Mississippi to the waters off Pensacola Bay, Fla.

Meanwhile, BP is building huge modules at Port Fourchon, La., that will be dropped onto the leaks in an attempt to control the oil gushing from the broken well, according to the Houston Chronicle. The hope is that these will be in place within six to eight days. Attempts to drill a relief well are underway but expected to take at least 90 days. No one knows exactly how much oil is leaking from the well, some 41 miles off the mouth of the Mississippi; estimates range from 5,000 barrels a day to many times that.

Swine streptococcus disease re-export is still sick from the mouth ...
4, 05, 2010 - Please visit and Benhtimmach.com Vochongtre.com
Along with the blue ear pig disease outbreak in the province are the Red River Delta, the last few days, Tropical Disease Hospital Central has received four patients with Streptococcus infection from swine to humans . The doctor warns that people need adequate protection when exposed to animals even if they have not yet manifested the disease.

Sick pigs, the disease also

Already more than half months in hospital but on the body Nguyen Van H., 30, in Pho Yen, Thai Nguyen is still patchy deep black patches because of hemorrhagic necrosis of the skin caused by streptococcus bacteria infection from the disease to pigs. Until now, each time repeating the import of foods blocks heart he is a pig blood pudding, he H. still shudder. Anh H. said: "Was it spread from imported foods blocks heart pig farming is more or not but hear doctors say this disease is spread from swine to humans from eating pork is not cooked so much more now would not dare eat it anymore. "


Patients Nguyen Van H. pigs infected with streptococcus bacteria were treated at the Tropical Diseases Hospital Central. Photo: TM

BS. Intermediate Nguyen, Vice-Dean of the Emergency Treatment of active (Central Hospital of Tropical Diseases) said patient H. is one of two patients due to ventilation from pigs infected with streptococcus bacteria. When transferred to the central hospital of tropical diseases, patients were treated at the Hospital of Thai Nguyen C two days but not better, condition serious blood infections, patients have the array appeared hemorrhagic skin necrosis, many especially in the head and hands and legs.

Same hospitalization for patients with streptococcus swine but E. Le Van., 35, in Thuan Thanh, Bac Ninh - where are the blue ear pig - were another form of the disease is meningitis. Patients hospitalized in BVDK Bac Ninh province on 18 / 4 after the expression of high fever, headache, vomiting and was transferred to many tropical diseases hospital after two days of the Central Hospital in the province is not better. We have treated patients with stable and continues to monitor treatment of infections in General Science, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases. It is known that patients with E. profession and pigs are sold at Dao Nghia commune, Thuan Thanh district, where patients can live green from the middle ear epidemic in April to present.

Add two cases of Streptococcus

4-5 pm, Intermediate doctor Nguyen, Deputy Emergency Department - Treatment of active (National Hospital for Tropical), said two more patients have been identified in Streptococcus can get meningitis. Two male patients were from Quang Ninh and Ba Vi district (Hanoi). Both these cases are said to eat pork but do not know pigs are not infected.

Before that, there were four cases of Streptococcus. Most patients are Nguyen Van H., 30 (in Pho Yen, Thai Nguyen) have ventilation, the array appeared hemorrhagic necrosis of the skin, more especially in the head and hands and legs. Patient H. defined sepsis.

Add two people admitted to hospital with ear diseases

Tuesday, 04/05/2010, 19:33



TPO - Tropical Disease Hospital Central has received two more patients infected swine streptococcus, which is an person in Quang Ninh and one in Ba Vi district, Ha Noi. Previously, this hospital has received four ill patients because of blue ear pig.


Nguyen Van Huong patients treated at the Tropical Disease Hospital Central (Hanoi) by swine streptococcus infections. Photo: HT



If you eat undercooked pork, (or blood pudding) or at the meat that is easily scratched limbs infected. Meanwhile, patients with meningitis may or septicemia.

Intermediate Doctor Nguyen, associate dean active treatment, Tropical Disease Hospital Central.


This afternoon, in a survey of the PV market in Hanoi Tien Phong Online have found most of the stalls selling pork in here are not found to prove their marked moderation.

The buyers were said when asked, only red meat that looks fresh and clean, the guess is that you should buy, not sure quarantine seal meat or not.

News from Department of Animal Health in Hanoi on 4 / 5, said: The forces of Hanoi function to enhance the transport of pigs to control the city. Stations, checkpoints in the province are operating 24/24 hours and resolutely deal with cases of animal transport and animal products of unknown origin, without quarantine certificates and valid.

The Animal Quarantine team to monitor and supervise the implementation of quarantine regulations to each of the farms owned companies, joint ventures or private area.

In the areas that have not yet translated, the small business, trade, slaughtering and processing animals and animal products are required to commit to not buying, selling and transporting pigs and pig products in the epidemic areas in the area; not slaughter swine processing.

At the outbreak of communal or contiguous service areas, stop the trade in pigs and pig products. The household business, trade, slaughter pigs here are also requesting the suspension of business, transportation, sale and slaughter of pigs and conduct hygiene and disinfect the slaughter.

Transfer green ear from other regions of Hanoi to enjoy high compensation

When the blue ear pig disease, the immune system to weaken it, this is a chance for streptococcus swine bacterial attack. This bacterium is the scientific name Streptococcus suis. The bacteria can infect humans.

Doctor Nguyen Huyen Nguyen, Khoa general infections, hospital central tropical disease.

PPRS: 12th Province affected

More on the 12th province that Treyfish reported on here:

Excerpt:

By day 2 / 5, more a province of Nghe An appearance is translated, the first local in the central region. Outbreak occurred in livestock breeding farms in Nam Dan District Livestock Breeding Center in Nghe An province. The center has 33 sows destruction sick. Although the center has done the same measures die guidance of Department of veterinary diseases in Nghe An province, but the pigs should focus condition spread rapidly. We have added 18 sows with the expression of blue ear disease, risk of infection for nearly 500 sows of the center.

Also, Hanoi has gone from 5 communes to 6 communes, and from 1 district to two districts:

According to the Hanoi Department of Animal Health: The blue ear epidemic in Hanoi has appeared in six communes in two districts in Phu Xuyen and Gia Lam. Although the epidemic in the province are temporary stop and not continue to spread, but, the risk of spread, outbreaks in areas of capital raising is still very high.

pigs on the wing

Streptococcus in swine can be fatal to people

Tuesday, 04/05/2010, 02:34 (GMT +7)
(SGGP). - 3-5 days, Dr Nguyen Van Kinh, director of Tropical Disease Hospital Central, said this does not have any evidence that the disease in swine streptococcus bacteria spread from person to person. All suspected cases of infection or disease that hospital treatment, have contact with sick pigs, or eat more soup, pork hearts, pork is not cooked.

Interesting to note, patients infected with Streptococcus in pigs usually have symptoms, fever, headache, nausea, disturbances of consciousness, coma, or multiple organ injury. If not detected and treated early, patients with meningitis or septicemia, can leave sequelae, difficult to treat or be fatal.

Dr. Glass also said that in recent weeks, the hospital received more suspected cases of Streptococcus hospitalized, on average 1-2 cases per day. Notably, four patients have been identified in pigs infected with streptococcus bacteria, in which three people with meningitis and a person infected blood.

Some epidemiologists said the streptococcus bacteria disease occurs year-round season, but the number of blue ear pig disease are more customizable, so some people this disease has increased. There are still people running condition selling sick pigs, pig epidemic.

Before this situation, the Ministry of Health recommends people eat no more absolute soup, salad, undercooked pork, as pork to buy the source, clearly marked with the quarantine, the pig slaughter , or go to destroy sick pig mask and gloves carefully.

PRRS increasing spread in Vietnam

- Veterinary Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development warned on blue ear pig growing up in the northern provinces is likely to spread to other provinces in central, south.

Department of Animal Health, said long-term phase of sunshine then the rain of blue ear pig led growth in the northern provinces. By the end of 2-5 days, there were 12 provinces such as Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Lang Son, Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, Nghe An, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Quang Nam, Thai Nguyen has translated Blue ear pig, about 40,000 pigs were infected, nearly 17,000 children have been destroyed.

Seasonal epidemics, again no food safety concerns

On 03-05-2010 22:13

ND - Translation ear is green broke and complicated in five communes in Gia Lam district and the adjacent provinces of Hanoi, the capital city makes people very nervous.

During the past week, each day Hospital for Tropical receive one to two patients infected with Streptococcus infections from pigs to humans. In some cases it is very heavy.
Before this situation, City People's Committee has the power both of 03/CD-UBND focus on the prevention and fight against this disease.
City of functional requirements, districts, towns and increase detection and treatment resolute, timely and lawful for the outbreak. At the same time, strengthen inspection of shipping, trading and slaughtering cattle. Maintain regular operation, continuous operation of the mobile inspection teams, inter-branch inspection teams, the key in the gateway city to maintain the 24/24 hours, in order to strictly control the trade transporting animals from this locality to another locality, limiting the spread of epidemics ...

Changes in such complex diseases, but in fact, work against the epidemic is still superficial. Although the work of quarantine was "enhanced" than the day before, but also concentrated in major markets in the city center. In some other markets, more distant centers such as: Location, Dominic Tam, Ngoc Ha, Nghia Tan, The Green ... People buying goods hard to find pork with a check mark on the animal health agency Toad in the market spiked through the corners, the collective areas, mostly pork traders brought from the provinces of Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen ... areas are blue ear pig outbreak, public display.Many owners have revealed their freighter went from two, three o'clock in the morning to avoid quarantine.

But the general psychology of consumers, why? Many housewives have heard from the blue ear epidemic is not to buy pork, but chicken, beef, seafood ... But pork is the main food, can be processed into food, the price cheaper than other meats.
Many families decided to use pork, but only buy at the supermarket, the meat is derived, was clear quarantine. However, families do not have conditions to go supermarket regularly, especially families with low incomes. Moreover, the fresh meat sold in supermarkets are not rich, just a bit late as all goods. So, most consumers still accept purchase pork sold at markets, "eating and just worry."

Meanwhile the construction progress of the slaughter of cattle and poultry concentrated, hygiene and food safety (FSH) is very slow. Since early 2000, City People's Committee plans to build in areas of the city gate slaughter focused, modern, to move the point unhygienic slaughter in the inner city.
So far, the only city in the slaughter industry average of 100 pigs, 5,500 birds per day, reaching a capacity of more than 8% and 35% pig slaughter capacity of slaughtering poultry, meet than 1% of the demand of nearly 7% of pork and poultry meat demand of the people of the city.

The slaughter manual includes 17 points, nearly 26% to meet demand for pork and 6% of the demand for chicken. The remainder is provided from the 3725 slaughter of small points in residential areas, does not guarantee food safety and hygiene conditions. Because of lack of animal products, poultry and clean, safe, so people still have a daily consumption of products from slaughterhouses for cattle, poultry, unhygienic not be quarantined.

Use of animal products and poultry "clean" is urgent legitimate needs of Hanoi people, because the health of the whole community. The city needs to have mechanisms and incentive policies and create conditions more favorable for investors, to soon have the slaughtering, processing and preserving animal and poultry modern hygiene food safety. Attach the supply of products slaughter, processing, storage networking with food consumed on the city, to sanction the slaughter and trade of cattle and poultry unsafe students, ensuring food supplies for consumption needs of the people, active control of food hygiene and safety, especially in times of disease complicated as today.

Swine disease caused by Streptococcus

03/05/2010 15:42
A patient infected with streptococcus bacteria treated pigs - Photo: Ngoc Thang

Disease caused by swine streptococcus bacteria cause sudden changes quickly, the disease can be fatal if not treated promptly.
TS-BS Nguyen Van Kinh, director of the hospital (hospital) Diseases of tropical countries, said the recent appearance of cases of hospitalized patients infected by swine streptococcus bacteria. These cases are currently in the local epidemic ear diseases such as Hanoi, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Thai Nguyen ...

Male patients are the heart of sales situation, more soup (home in Thanh Tri district, Hanoi), treated at the hospital said: "Tuesday morning before I saw the hospital three days cold hands and feet and then run very high fever , over 39 degrees C. Severe headache, stiff neck neck pain. When the house is diagnosed with encephalitis caused by the bacteria infect pigs. I've never been like that, before my very healthy. " Now the home of Nguyen Van T. patients (Thai Nguyen) said, three days after eating pork, T. signs of disease. T. to hospital in a state of very high fever, coma. Throughout the two legs were bleeding so black to gray, peeling. After 2 weeks of treatment, his memory began to recover but a very weak condition.

Dr-Dr Nguyen Van Kinh, previous hospitalization, the case of pigs infected with streptococcus bacteria are exposed to infected pigs, swine meat, use of processed foods has not been thoroughly ...

Bacteria

"The bacteria streptococcus swine attack will cause initial signs are fever is very high. Next, the patient may have meningitis, pneumonia, liver failure, multiple organs failure. So patients infected with Streptococcus common in meningitis and possible septicemia or can combine both diseases. Patients can die if not treated early, "Dr Nguyen Van Kinh, said BS. Physicians Nguyen Hong Ha, deputy director BV The national tropical disease, said disease is dangerous because rapid evolution, within 12-24 hours could be very dangerous, the patient fell into shock due to infections septicemia.



Plate hemorrhage



Pathogenic virus is not spread from blue ear pig to human. But, when pigs are infected with the virus that causes the blue ear pig's health weakened, at this swine Streptococcus (often "reside" in the throat of the pig) will be stronger and cause disease. People eating or contact with infected pigs will become infected. The patients infected with Streptococcus heavy pigs were treated in hospital blood infections, pneumonia, meningitis with pus.


Hong Ha doctor recommended, with this disease, patients are not self-treatment at home, danger, because it easily confused with dengue fever (a rash caused by bleeding in the skin). Board of dengue fever is caused by small spots, while the situation by causing Streptococcus are the major segments of bleeding after deep black. In addition, the identification of people infected with Streptococcus easily confused with the situation difficult for meningitis and septicemia.

Need to know, after taking into contact with meat or pork, if you see symptoms of high fever, headache, vomiting a lot, sore throat, need immediate hospitalization. When slaughtering or destroying infected pigs must use protective gear. Absolutely no eating pork infected, undercooked meat.Swine streptococcus bacteria can live two weeks of pig waste in the environment and die out at high temperature or in an antiseptic substance.

TWENTIETH U.S. ARMY, PACIFIC ASIA-PACIFIC MILITARY MEDICINE CONFERENCE

Excerpt:

THE U.S. ARMY, PACIFIC AND INDONESIA (TNI) ARE SPONSORING THE TWENTIETH ANNUAL ASIA-PACIFIC MILITARY MEDICINE CONFERENCE (APMMC XX) IN JAKARTA, INDONESIA AT THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, 3-7 MAY 2010. THE THEME OF THIS CONFERENCE IS "UNDERSTANDING ASIA-PACIFIC MILITARY MEDICAL ISSUES THROUGH REGIONAL COOPERATION AND COLLABORATION."
-snip-

SEVERAL VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH SESSIONS FOCUSING ON ZOONOTIC DISEASE OUTBREAK CONTROL ARE PLANNED FOR THIS YEAR. THE SESSIONS WILL UTILIZE AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI) AS THE PRIMARY DISEASE MODEL FOR A DISCUSSION OF BIOSECURITY OF LIVESTOCK, EARLY IDENTIFICATION AND INTERVENTION OF DISEASE, HUMANE CULLING AND CARCASS DISPOSAL, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR WORKERS, REPORTING AND NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES, AND THE ROLE OF MILITARY VETERINARIANS IN ANIMAL DISEASE OUTBREAKS. THE SESSIONS WILL INCLUDE PRESENTATIONS BY AI SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS FROM USAID, USDA, AND/OR FAO.
-snip-

THE FOLLOWING TOPICS WILL BE GIVEN PREFERENCE FOR SELECTION IN THIS YEAR'S CONFERENCE: MILITARY MEDICAL AID TO CIVIL AGENCIES, HUMANITARIAN DEPLOYMENTS, RAPID RESPONSE TEAMS, COMBAT MEDICINE AND TRAUMATOLOGY, TRIAGE AND CASUALTY EVACUATION, INFECTIOUS DISEASES (HIV/AIDS, PANDEMIC & AVIAN INFLUENZA, SARS, MALARIA, DENGUE, TUBERCULOSIS, H1N1), AEROSPACE MEDICINE, NAVAL AND UNDERWATER MEDICINE, ENVIRONMENTAL & PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, MILITARY NURSING, TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, MENTAL HEALTH AND POST-TRAMATIC STRESS DISORDER, REHABILITATION MEDICINE (POST-TRAUMATIC), ORTHOTICS AND PROSTHETICS, VETERINARY MEDICINE, DENTAL MEDICINE, OPERATIONAL MEDICAL PLANNING, MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION, SIMULATION TRAINING, AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN TELEMEDICINE. OVER 35 FOREIGN COUNTRIES WILL BE INVITED TO PRESENT AND EXCHANGE MEDICAL INFORMATION. RECOMMENDED ATTENDEES INCLUDE MEDICAL, NURSING, AND VETERINARY OFFICERS AND SENIOR NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
-snip-

4. THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES ARE INVITED: AUSTRALIA, BANGLADESH, BRUNEI, CAMBODIA, CANADA, CHILE, COMOROS, FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA, INDIA, INDONESIA, JAPAN, KIRIBATI, LAOS, MADAGASCAR, MALAYSIA, MALDIVES, MAURITIUS, MONGOLIA, NEPAL, NEW ZEALAND, PAKISTAN, PALAU, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, PHILIPPINES, REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS, RUSSIA, SAMOA, SINGAPORE, SOLOMON ISLANDS, SOUTH KOREA, SRI LANKA, THAILAND, TIMOR LESTE (EAST TIMOR), TONGA, TUVALU, UNITED STATES, VANUATU, AND VIETNAM.

TNI strengthens the Military Health Cooperation with Asia Pacific Countries

Monday, May 3, 2010 12:47 AM
The TNI will strengthen cooperation in the field of military health with the countries of Asia Pacific. The focus of cooperation in disaster mitigation and management of disease outbreaks at a regional level. That would be the TNI in the Military Health Annual Conference Asia Pacific in Singapore, starting Monday (3 / 5) this coming till May 7.

According to the TNI Commander Djoko Santoso, a number of Asia Pacific countries to learn from the experience of Armed Forces in providing assistance in areas affected by natural disasters. Instead, the TNI would like to share information with other countries in dealing with outbreaks of disease across national borders, such as cases of bird flu and swine flu that had hit Indonesia.

In this conference Indonesia in cooperation with the United States Pacific Command more than 20 countries invited to participate.

In addition to mitigation of disasters and disease outbreaks, the issue will be discussed in this conference include prevention of HIV / AIDS, post-war trauma, humanitarian assistance and the latest innovations in the world of military health.

TNI Commander to expect from this forum in the Asia Pacific region later military can work together better in the regional security challenges arising from health issues and the environment.

Economic Damages to Gulf Ports

Blog:

The fishing industry is not the only commercial enterprise that could incur damages.

Nearly one-sixth of America's trade cargo is handled by five Gulf Coast ports. In 2003, the total tonnage of land and sea trade cargo was 1,126 million tons. One hundred seventy-eight million tons passed through the ports of New Orleans and South Louisiana, the port of Mobile, Alabama, the ports of Pascagoula and Gulfport, Mississippi.

• The Port of New Orleans - 50 million tons
• The Port of South Louisiana - 80 million tons
• The Port of Gulfport, Mississippi - 2 million tons
• The Port of Pascagoula, Mississippi - 21 million tons
• The Port of Mobile, Alabama - 25 million tons

The importance to commodity trade from Gulf ports should not be underestimated. It affects not only Americans but also a vast array of farms, businesses, and workplaces around the world. Port operations touch Midwestern corn growers, rubber tappers from Indonesia, zinc miners from Namibia, computers assembled in Malaysian, as well as coffee plantation workers in Colombia, Rwanda and Guatemala.

Gulf of Mexico oil spill has countless livelihoods in limbo

By The Associated Press
May 02, 2010, 1:00PM

Excerpt:

More than birds and fish lie in the path of the massive oil slick threatening the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas: A centuries-old way of life that's endured dozens of hurricanes is now facing the possibility of environmental and economic disaster.

Water sustains the region's economy like blood in the body. Commercial and sport fishing businesses support dock services, tackle shops and gas stations. Restaurants are Louisiana's largest private-sector employer, with 140,000 workers and a direct annual economic impact of $5 billion. Wendy Waren, vice president of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, says nearly two-thirds of them serve some type of seafood.

Then there are some of the busiest shipping ports in the world, moving oil from offshore rigs up the Mississippi River and Midwestern grain out to sea to feed the rest of the world.

All are vital to world commerce and have a potential impact on consumer pocketbooks.

The Port of Gulfport in Mississippi is the nation's second-largest importer of green fruit, with Central American bananas from Chiquita and Dole accounting for 74 percent of its imported cargo in 2007.

The Port of New Orleans handled 73 millions tons of cargo in 2008, including coffee from South America and steel from Japan, Russia, Brazil and Mexico. Three cruise ships also dock there, handling more than 600,000 passengers a year.

Upriver is the Port of South Louisiana, the nation's busiest with 224 million tons of cargo a year -- mostly grain and other agricultural commodities, and chemicals from the scores of plants that line the river.

When a tanker and a tugboat collided near New Orleans two years ago, oil cascaded downriver and some 200 ships stacked up, unable to move for several days while the Coast Guard had the vessels scrubbed. Millions of dollars were lost.

Port official: No cruises, shipping lines affected so far

wwltv.com

May 2, 2010 at 9:25 AM

Port of New Orleans official Chris Bonura said no cruises or shipping lines have been affected so far by the oil spill, and he said he doesn't expect it to factor in until at least Tuesday.

BP official: 'Apollo 13' effort in capping oil spill under water

Posted on May 2, 2010 at 9:54 AM

Updated today at 10:55 AM

Excerpt:

The blow out preventer, Salvin said, failed during the oil rig explosion, though BP doesn’t know why. The automatic systems for the preventer failed, and though the crew activated a manual shutdown switch for the preventer, that failed as well.

“Given those two failures, there’s really no way to know if that remote control would have also worked, because clearly that piece of equipment had failed,” Salvin said.

Salvin said every time they’ve tried to approach the valve, they haven’t been able to get the blow out preventer to engage. “We know how frustrating that is for people. It’s frustrating for our team, and we’re going to keep on working on this to stop the flow.”

There are now six robotic vehicles working to help control the spill at the source of the leaks.

“It’s just an amazing effort, truly an Apollo 13 effort 5,000 feet below the surface of the ocean trying to stop this spill.”

Salvin said the best case scenario in capping off the oil spill is today. Their fall back option is to have to drill a relief well .

“Absolutely, it’s a possibility that every day the efforts we’re making will stop the flow today,” Salvin said. “But we don’t know that. So what we’re doing is making sure we work the containment system. That will be ready to be deployed in about six to 10 days. That’s our backup position.”

The challenge with drilling a relief well, Salvin said, is that the process could take up to three months. But if they can contain the oil with their three containment systems – 40-feet tall “small buildings,” as Salvin described them, that would stand over the three oil release points – that at least that would prevent more oil from reaching the surface of the sea.

Oil spill grows, with little success stopping flow

By ALLEN G. BREED and SETH BORENSTEIN (AP)
2 hours ago
Excerpts:

VENICE, La. — BP's chairman defended his company's safety record and said Sunday that "a failed piece of equipment" was to blame for a massive oil spill along the Gulf Coast, where President Barack Obama was headed for a firsthand update on the slick creeping toward American shores.

BP PLC chairman Lamar McKay told ABC's "This Week" that he can't say when the well a mile beneath the sea might be plugged. But he said he believes a dome that could be placed over the well is expected to be deployed in six to eight days.
-snip-
BP spokesman Bill Salvin said McKay was talking about the blowout preventer as the failed equipment that caused the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig, which killed 11 people. The blowout preventer typically activates after a blast or other event to cut off any oil that may spill.

The cause of the blast remains undetermined, and Salvin said "we're not ruling anything out."
-snip-

The Coast Guard and BP have said it's nearly impossible to know exactly how much oil has gushed since the blast, though it has been roughly estimated the well was spewing at least 200,000 gallons a day.

Even at that rate, the spill should eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident as the worst U.S. oil disaster in history in a matter of weeks. But a growing number of experts warned that the situation may already be much worse.

The oil slick over the water's surface appeared to triple in size over the past two days, which could indicate an increase in the rate oil is pouring from the well, according to one analysis of images collected from satellites and reviewed by the University of Miami. While it's hard to judge the volume of oil by satellite because of depth, images do indicate growth, experts said.

"The spill and the spreading is getting so much faster and expanding much quicker than they estimated," said Hans Graber, executive director of the university's Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing.

In an exploration plan and environmental impact analysis filed with the federal government in February 2009, BP said it had the capability to handle a "worst-case scenario" at the site, which the document described as a leak of 162,000 barrels per day from an uncontrolled blowout — 6.8 million gallons each day.

Oil industry experts and officials are reluctant to describe what, exactly, a worst-case scenario would look like. But if the oil gets into the Gulf Stream and carries it to the beaches of Florida — and potentially loops around the state's southern tip and up the eastern seaboard — several experts said it stands to be an environmental and economic disaster of epic proportions.

"It will be on the East Coast of Florida in almost no time," Graber said. "I don't think we can prevent that. It's more of a question of when rather than if."

-snip-

BP Oil Spill - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar: "It potentially is catastrophic"

May 2, 2010 2:01 p.m. EDT
Obama heads to view Gulf Coast oil spill

Excerpt:
Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Adm. Thad Allen, the commandant of the Coast Guard, warned the leaking oil from a rig explosion could continue for weeks with dire consequences.

"It potentially is catastrophic," Salazar said. "I think we have to prepare for the worst."

That would mean oil damaging sensitive coastal wetlands and industries, including a vital fishing sector that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Officials warn of possible catastrophe

-snip-

NOAA Closes Commercial and Recreational Fishing in Oil-Affected Portion of Gulf of Mexico

May 02, 2010 13:06:13 CST

WASHINGTON — NOAA is restricting fishing for a minimum of ten days in federal waters most affected by the BP oil spill, largely between Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the Mississippi River to waters off Florida’s Pensacola Bay (click here for map). The closure is effective immediately. Details can be found here: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/. Fishermen who wish to contact BP about a claim should call (800) 440-0858.

“NOAA scientists are on the ground in the area of the oil spill taking water and seafood samples in an effort to ensure the safety of the seafood and fishing activities,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Administrator, who met with more than 100 fishermen in Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish on Friday night. “I heard the concerns of the Plaquemines Parish fishermen as well other fishermen and state fishery managers about potential economic impacts of a closure. Balancing economic and health concerns, this order closes just those areas that are affected by oil. There should be no health risk in seafood currently in the marketplace.”

-snip-

Indonesia: Pekanbaru Health Dept. To Hold Meeting with All Comm. Hlth Ctrs.

2 Mai 2010

The Health Department in Pekanbaru, Indonesia will be holding a meeting in the near future, with all the medical staff in the Community Health Centers, in order to better anticipate the spread of H5N1, and discuss the problems of bird flu.

The Health Department has not received any additional reports of suspected victims of H5N1. Monitoring was being done with residents associated to the H5N1 death in Sidomulyo, District Senapelan few days ago.

[contact me for the link]