June 1, 2006

US enlists Google's help to fight bird flu

US researchers is adding sophisticated computer imaging in its growing arsenal to fight bird flu should it arrive on US shores.

Since the beginning of the year, experts have also been using Google Earth, which combines satellite imagery, maps and the company's search engine to give extra details such as schools near poultry farms and production facilities.

Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is a helpful tool in locating commercial poultry flocks, feed mills and processing plants, said Sherrill Davison, professor of avian medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Instead of driving around trying to locate an infected chicken farm, researchers and veterinarians can now retrieve the location rapidly on a mapping system, Davison said. The systems also enable researchers to identify surrounding farms in an affected area and send teams for sampling very quickly. 

Bird flu is expected to arrive in North America this summer through migrating birds  flying from Asia to Alaska. Tests on wild birds in Alaska show no signs of bird flu so far.

The system has been used to detect and control minor outbreaks of bird diseases in Pennsylvania.

It was first used in 1998 and other US states have since adopted the system.