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Plague Pits And Mass BurialsBy Kate Walker

Oxford, England (UPI) Apr !, "#

Britain$s %ontingen%y plans for an a&ian'influena pandei% in%lude t*e possi+le use ofass gra&es A -oe Offi%e report entitled .Managing Ex%ess /eat*s in an Influena

Pandei%. predi%ts t*at as any as 0", people %ould die in a s*ort period of tie,

o&er1*eling t*e %ountry$s orgues and +urial fa%ilities

2*e report reads3 .4oon +urial ig*t in&ol&e a large nu+er of %offins +uried in t*esae pla%e at t*e sae tie, in su%* a 1ay t*at allo1ed for indi&idual gra&es to +e

arked

.E&en 1it* raping lo%al anageent %apa%ity +y 5 per%ent, t*e prudent 1orst %ase of

0", deat*s is pro6e%ted to lead to a delay of soe 57 1eeks fro deat* to +urial or%reation

.If t*e rate of deat* peaks at "! per%ent, t*e essage is siple '' no atter 1*at

eergen%y arrangeents are put in pla%e t*ere are likely to +e su+stantially ore deat*st*an %an +e anaged 1it*in t*e %urrent ties%ales.

If a pandei% lasts 5! 1eeks, t*e *ealt* aut*orities in England and Wales %ould %ope

1it* 89, deat*s, less t*an " per%ent of t*e possi+le pro6e%ted total

Mean1*ile3

'' 2*e World -ealt* Organiation 2uesday %onfired t*at four suspe%ted %ases of *uan

a&ian infe%tion in Egypt 1ere in fa%t -!:5

2*e four %ases *ad all pre&iously +een identified as -!:5 +y t*e Egyptian Ministry of-ealt*; today$s W-O %onfiration 1as for t*e purposes of offi%ial figures

Of t*e four %ases, t1o *a&e fully re%o&ered fro t*e disease

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uoted +y Mail?@uardianOnline assaying, .ollo1ing testing at t*e W-O la+oratory in -ong Kong, t*e results 1ere sent

+a%k to us yesterday (Monday) and 1ere positi&e.

But a W-O representati&e in akarta said t*at s*e *ad +een gi&en no inforation relating

to an in%reased deat* toll, nor *ad t*e organiation$s -ong Kong la+oratory re%ei&ed anyfres* saples for testing

.-o1e&er, 1e are no1 follo1ing up t*e &era%ity of t*e report,. s*e said

'' A&ian influena *as +een dete%ted on t*e outskirts of Ouagadougou, aking Burkina

aso t*e fift* Afri%an %ountry to fall &i%ti to a&ian influena

2ieoko Konate, t*e %ountry$s li&esto%k inister, said, .urt*er to deat*s noted ine+ruary aong poultry and 1ild +irds, #! spe%iens fro &arious regions of t*e

%ountry 1ere sent to referen%e la+oratories of t*e World Organiation for Anial -ealt*

and t*e ood and Agri%ulture Organiation.

Of t*e #! spe%iens tested, only one, fro a otel outside Ouagadougou, s*o1ed signsof -!:5 infe%tion

Burkina+e offi%ials *a&e set up a "'ile safety one around t*e otel and are in t*e

pro%ess of %ulling poultry at t*e otel and &a%%inating +irds 1it*in t*e safety one

'' 2*e 4e%* =epu+li% *as reported its se&ent* %ase of a&ian'influena infe%tion, t*istie in a s1an found dead o&er t*e 1eekend

It *as +een %onfired t*at t*e +ird 1as infe%ted 1it* an -! strain of a&ian influena, +ut

furt*er tests are needed to deterine t*e su+type

'' 2*irty't1o 1ild s1ans in Poland found to +e infe%ted 1it* t*e -!:5 strain of a&ian

influena *a&e +een %ulled

2*e +irds, 1*i%* 1ere found in t*e nort*ern Polis* %ity of 2orun, 1ere %ulled late

Monday, t*e Polis* Press Agen%y reported

'' An unnaed Israeli go&ernent offi%ial *as +laed t*e spread of +ird flu in t*e

%ountry on 6ournalists

reeMarket:e1s%o 2uesday >uoted an unidentified Agri%ulture Ministry offi%ial assaying3 .It$s one of our 1orking *ypot*eses

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.Bird flu %an +e transitted on %lot*ing, foot1ear, t*e 1*eels of %ars, and e&en on

%aeras 2*e 6ournalists 1*o %ae to %o&er t*e out+reak 1ent +a%k to *oes and

offi%es a%ross t*e %ountry E&en if t*e re>uired prote%ti&e easures 1ere taken, it isipossi+le to disinfe%t p*otograp*i% e>uipent 1it*out daaging it.