H7N9始末:禽流感历史回顾 曾经的那场虚惊

时间:2006年2月，地点:奥地利.维也纳

时文报道：

Experts who conducted tests on 40 songbirds found dead in Vienna say they didn't die of bird flu as initiAlly feared, but slammed into windows after becoming intoxicated from eating fermented berries.

上个月，奥地利首都维也纳有40只燕雀离奇死去，有关专家日前对它们的尸体进行化验分析后表示，这些鸟儿并非如人们最初所担忧的那样死于禽流感，而是在吃了发酵的浆果后进入“醉酒”状态，撞上玻璃丧命的。

The birds — whose remains were carefully examined to ensure they were not victims of avian influenza — had livers so diseased "they looked like they were chronic alcoholics," Sonja Wehsely, a spokeswoman for Vienna's veterinary authority, told Austrian television Thursday.

据美联社2月2日报道，维也纳市兽医部门女发言人索妮娅·威斯利2月2日在接受奥地利电视台记者采访时表示，专家们对这些燕雀的尸体进行了极为严格的检查，最终确认它们并非禽流感的牺牲品。不过这些鸟的肝脏状况却已变得十分糟糕，以至于“它们看上去都像是老资格的酒鬼。”

All died of broken necks after slamming into windowpanes, apparently after gorging themselves on berries that had begun to rot, turning the juice inside to alcohol, Wehsely said. She said the juice probably continued to ferment as the birds digested the berries, causing them to become disoriented and fly into the panes.

威斯利说，这些鸟均是在猛烈撞击窗玻璃后因折断脖子而死亡的。很显然它们食用了大量已经开始腐烂且其汁液正逐步转化成酒精的浆果。她还说，当那些浆果在鸟腹里被消化时，其汁液可能仍处于继续发酵的过程中，这使得燕雀们变得晕头转向，最终扑向玻璃自取灭亡。

Their discovery last month in a residential neighborhood of Vienna had triggered concerns that bird flu had reached the Austrian capital.

报道说，这些燕雀的尸体是在上个月于维也纳一个居民区内被发现的，人们曾一度担心这或许意味着禽流感已经“光临”了奥地利首都。