- New Outbreak Of Deadly H5N1
Strain Near Jerusalem
-
- By Amiram Cohen
- Haaretz Daily
- 3-29-6
-
- Authorities are to oversee culling Wednesday
[29 Mar 2006] of 30 000 chickens at Kibbutz Ma'aleh Hahamisha near Jerusalem,
one day after the deadly strain of the bird flu virus was confirmed there.
-
- At midday on Tuesday [28 Mar 2006], an
abnormal death rate of poultry was noted, and samples sent to the veterinary
laboratories in Bet Dagan confirmed with near certainty the presence of
the H5N1 strain.
-
- The Agriculture Ministry's veterinary
services made preparations to cull the poultry. The culling is to begin
on Wednesday [29 Mar 2006] morning. The chiefs of the veterinary services
and agriculture ministry have met to discuss the complete destruction
of all poultry within a 3-km radius from the affected site. It is unclear
whether culling in surrounding areas will take place. The Jerusalem corridor
is home to many moshavim in which poultry growing is a primary source of
income.
-
- Ma'aleh Hahamisha is the 14th location
in Israel where the bird flu virus has been found [sic; should read 8th.
14 probably refers to the number of locations where poultry was culled.
- Mod.AS]. After the virus had spread to Gaza and Jordan, the agriculture
ministry issued a warning of a potential recurrence in Israel. A main danger
is an outbreak in villages of the western Negev, adjacent to the Gaza
Strip.
-
- Poultry farmers have already been compensated
for 50 per cent of the direct economic damage done to them by the culling.
At the same time, the Agriculture Ministry is preparing a report on collateral
harm inflicted by the flu outbreak. The ministry estimates that the direct
damage done to the poultry growers is NIS 24 million [USD 5.11 million].
The growers themselves estimate a greater damage of NIS 30-40 million.
-
- Roy Klieger, chief of the wildlife supervision
department in the Agriculture Ministry, said that the culling and burial
of fowl will be completed [on 29 Mar 2006].
-
- http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/700160.html
-
-
-
- -----
-
- ProMED-mail
- promed@promedmail.org
-
- Ma'aleh Hahamisha is about 10 km north
west of Jerusalem. Map: http://www.eyeonisrael.com/ (go to square 9).
-
- According to the website http://poultrymed.com/files/index.html,
this outbreak occurred in a broiler breeder farm (40 weeks of age). The
(initial) mortality rate was very low (40 out of 30 000 birds in 6 buildings).
The preliminary initial H5 diagnosis and its confirmation as H5N1 were
obtained by PCR at the Kimron Veterinary Institute, Beit Dagan.
-
- The disease spread is rather puzzling;
the location is not adjacent to previous outbreaks, and being a breeder
farm, biosecurity is expected to be of high standard. Information on the
possible source of infection will be welcomed.
-
- The evolution of the H5N1 outbreak in
Israel might be of interest to other countries with similarly dense, intensive
poultry industry. In particular, it will be interesting to see whether
the non-vaccination policy is maintained if additional outbreaks occur.
- Mod.AS
-
-
- Pakistan - Wild Bird And Poultry
Cases Suspected
-
- Pajhwak Afghan News
- 3-29-6
-
- Over 100 dead chickens [and other] birds
in Bamyan district [Punjab] have raised residents' concerns about the
possible outbreak of bird flu in this central province.
-
- Abbas, from Punjab district, told Pajhwok
Afghan News: "Over dozens of crows are dead in Dahangaw village, while
many chickens [died] in Asatian village. A cat also [died] after eating
a dead bird that [had shown] the symptoms of bird flu," he added.
-
- Scores of wild migratory birds had been
found dead in the Ghosak area, he said, adding that the white birds had
arrived here in Nawroz days [during Nawroz festival days. - Copy editor.MSP].
He said people in the area were concerned about the possible outbreak
of bird flu.
-
- Confirming the finding of the dead birds
in Punjab district, Provincial Public Health director Dr Ihsanullah Shahir
said: "It cannot be ascertained what is the reason behind the death
of the chickens; if it is influenza, we don't have facilities for diagnosing
bird flu." He said they had told people to avoid chicken meat. About
2 weeks earlier, many dead birds had been found in a pool in the outskirts
of Bamyan city; people since then had stopped using water from that pool.
-
- http://www.pajhwak.com/viewstory.asp?lng=eng&id=15588
-
- _____
-
- ProMED-mail
-
- Bamyan is in Central Afghanistan, Latitude
34.8167, Longitude 67.8167 Map at http://www.fallingrain.com/world/AF/5/Bamian.html.
-
- This (rather blurred) news item reflects
deficient animal health infrastructure. Hopefully, samples will be taken
and sent to a reference laboratory. - Mod.AS
-
-
- Czech Republic Swan With H5N1
Confirmed
-
- 3-29-6
-
- (Reuters) -- Tests at a UK-based EU reference
laboratory have confirmed a dead swan found in the Czech Republic had
the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus, the Czech State Veterinary
Authority said on Wednesday [28 Mar 2006].
-
- It is the 1st confirmed H5N1 case in
the Czech Republic. The swan was found last week in Hluboka nad Vltavou
in the south of the Czech Republic. All of the central European country's
neighbors -- Germany, Austria, Poland, and Slovakia -- have reported H5N1
cases in dead birds
-
-
-
- EU Confirms H5N1 Bird Flu
In Denmark
-
- 3-30-6
-
- (AFP) -- The European Union's reference
laboratory in Britain has confirmed the 1st of 12 cases of the H5N1 strain
of bird flu in Denmark, according to the Danish Institute for Food and
Veterinary Research.
-
- A wild buzzard, which was found dead
in mid-March 2006 in Svinoe Strand, south of Copenhagen, carried the same
strain of the virus that has previously been found in Germany and Poland.
Denmark has reported 12 cases of H5N1 bird flu so far.
-
- The EU laboratory in Weybridge said it
trusted Denmark's laboratory testing facilities, and therefore the country
did not need to send samples of the other infected birds for confirmation.
"We are pleased, and this speeds up the virus identification process
in Denmark, since we are no longer required to send our tests (to Britain)
and wait for days for the final confirmation," institute director
Jan Mousing told AFP.
-
- _____
-
- ProMED-mail
-
- The identification of H5N1 by the Danish
Institute for Food and Veterinary Research in 11 of the 14 H5-positive
tested wild birds was reported by Denmark to the OIE in follow-up report
No. 1, sent on 24 Mar 2006, which can be seen at http://oie.int/downld/AVIAN%20INFLUENZA/Denmark_AI_24_03_2006.pdf.
-
- The latest news about avian influenza
detected in wild birds in Denmark (including maps of the established protection
and surveillance zones) can be accessed on the Danish Veterinary and Food
Administration's website:
http://www.uk.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/AnimalHealth/
Avian_influenza/Latest_news/forside.htm
-
- Denmark's timely and comprehensive reports
on the infected wild birds, including their scientific names and mapped
locations, are exemplary. - Mod.AS
-
-
- India - Bird Flu Hits Madhya
Pradesh, Icchapur Tests Positive
-
- By Suchandana Gupta
- The Times Of India Online
- 3-29-6
-
- From Jalgaon to Icchapur, the avian flu
has crossed the state borders of Maharashtra and entered Madhya Pradesh.
At 3 p.m. on Tuesday [28 Mar 2006], the state government received a fax
from the Center confirming that the dreaded H5N1 virus had spread to yet
another state.
-
- A report from Mumbai said that for the
3rd time in the last 2 months, the H5N1 virus has been detected in chickens
in Maharashtra. On Tuesday [28 Mar 2006], the Center told state and Jalgaon
district officials that the virus had been detected in 6 new pockets of
Jalgaon district. The new areas Erandol, Uttran, Bhadgaon, Parola, Varad
and Paladhi are located close to the 4 villages of Jalgaon district where
the bird flu virus was earlier detected. For the state government, the
news was not unexpected, as it had made all arrangements for a culling
operation about 10 days back over such fears.
-
- A sample from Icchapur village, Burhanpur
district, bordering Maharashtra tested positive for bird flu, triggering
a panic and forcing the administration to ban movement of birds and animals
from Burhanpur district. Even movement of people was restricted.
-
- _____
-
- ProMed Mail
-
- The above newswire does not specify the
animal species affected nor the evidence of the disease reporting. An official
confirmation, or otherwise, is anticipated; the last official report from
India was sent to the OIE on 8 Mar 2006: http://www.oie.int/eng/info/hebdo/AIS_27.HTM#Sec0. It addressed the outbreaks in Maharashtra and
Gujarat.
-
- A map of Madhya Pradesh is available
at
-
- http://www.supertravelnet.com/maps/index.php?
action=showmap&country=178_9016_5&language=1
-
-
-
- Bird Die-Off In Nepal
-
- Nepaeyes.com
- 3-29-6
-
- Hundreds of wild birds including crows
and doves have died at a village of Kapilvastu district in western Nepal
over the past few days. Locals fear it could be a bird flu epidemic.
-
- "Birds were found dead at jungle
and farmed areas over the past 3 days," said Nityananda Poudel, a
local resident. "Jackals and dogs are feeding on them, which is making
us more anxious."
-
- The District Vet Office said it was investigating
the cause behind the deaths of wild birds at Dabara village of Buddhi VDC
in Kapilvastu district. It was not in a position to confirm or rule out
the possibility of avian influenza. Hundreds of wild and domesticated
birds had died in the far-western district of Kailali and in the eastern
district of Saptari a few days back. The concerned authorities have not,
however, confirmed a single case of bird flu in Nepal.
-
- http://www.nepaleyes.com/read.php?topic=headlines&id=1796
-
- _____
-
- ProMED-mail
-
- Kapilvastu (other names: Piprahwa, Taulia,
Taulihaw) is situated on
- Nepal's (southern) border with India,
Lat 27.5333, Long 83.0500, map at
- http://www.fallingrain.com/world/NP/0/Taulihawa.html.
- Information on the cause of the described
bird mortality would be appreciated. - Mod.AS
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