- Hello Jeff - You may notice one thing that seems
to permeate each country's report - the human involvement in keeping bird
flu outbreaks going. Humans do so when they either sell off or hide poultry
from officials or participate in the cock fighting business.
-
- As long as bird flu exists in poultry and migratory bird
populations, humans are at risk of contracting it. As the bird flu virus
continues to spread, so, too, the risk of H5N1 evolving into an easily-transmissible
human form of the virus.
-
- Patty
-
- From ProMed Mail
-
-
- EGYPT
-
- Another Case Of Human H5N1
- By Joseph S. Mayton
- All Ahead News
-
- Egypt has reported another human case of avian flu on
Tue 12 Jun 2007. A girl from Qena, south of Cairo, has been reported transferred
to a hospital after she was diagnosed with the deadly bird flu, Abdel Rahman
Shahin, spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Health, said in a press
release.
-
- The girl, 4, is the 36th person infected with the H5N1
virus in Egypt. 16 of those infected have died from the disease.
-
- At the same hospital, another man is being treated for
symptoms that may be due to the virus. The hospital in Qena is currently
running tests to determine whether another infection has been discovered.
-
- Egypt is the worst hit nation outside East Asia, where
the deadly disease was 1st discovered in humans. That the country is on
a major migratory route for birds is the main reason that Egypt has been
hit with the disease.
-
- Many of the victims have come into contact with infected
dead birds, which occurs mostly in the near vicinity of their homes.
-
- http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7007632436
-
-
- -- Communicated by: ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall
-
- The WHO reports 36 cases of human H5N1 avian influenza
virus infections, with 15 deaths (one less than the 16 reported above).
It is true that Egypt is located on a major bird migration route, but one
must not automatically assume that migratory birds, and not movement of
domestic poultry, are responsible for the introduction of the virus into
the country. Establishing indemnity payment for culled poultry is not a
simple matter: if the payments are less than current market value, outbreaks
are likely to go unreported and especially valuable birds hidden or moved
to avoid their sacrifice. Education is critical to insure proper disposal
of culled or other dead infected birds to avoid exposure of other poultry
populations or of humans to the virus.
-
-
- INDONESIA
-
- Source: AP via Jakarta Post
- http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20070613151921&irec=3
-
- Many Muslim countries are ill-equipped to tackle a bird
flu outbreak because of insufficient financial resources and the public's
lack of awareness about the disease, a UN health official said Wednesday
[13 Jun 2007].
-
- The Organization of the Islamic Conference, whose 57-member
nations comprise nearly one third of the world's population, should take
a more pro-active role in helping countries that are not adequately prepared,
said Hassan el Bushra of the World Health Organization [WHO].
-
- The health official suggested the OIC facilitate programs
such as the production of bird flu vaccines and anti-viral drugs.
-
- "There is a big disparity between countries (within
the OIC)," said El Bushra, the WHO's adviser for communicable disease
surveillance and response in the eastern Mediterranean region.
-
- "Some countries can do a lot but some countries
are really in need" of preparedness programs, he told reporters on
the sidelines of a meeting of OIC health ministers and officials.
-
- He said Muslim countries that are of the most immediate
concern are the ones where there have been human cases of bird flu, such
as Indonesia, Egypt and Turkey.
-
- Bird flu has killed at least 190 people since it began
ravaging Asian poultry stocks in 2003, with 79 deaths in hardest-hit Indonesia,
according to the World Health Organization.
-
- El Bushra said Indonesia was the biggest challenge, especially
as many people do not understand the need to cull all the poultry in the
village after some birds are found to be infected with H5N1.
-
- "They need a lot of education. It is a matter first
of all of changing the mentality of the people to really understand the
disease," he said.
-
- In Indonesia, and other relatively poor, developing countries,
poultry is a crucial part of their cultural lifestyles and economic livelihoods,
El Bushra said.
-
- "We need to find acceptable measures to support
those who suffer economic losses, especially when compensation is a problem,"
he said.
-
-
- By Karima Anjani and Jason Gale
-
- Bloomberg 6-12-7
-
- Bird flu-infected poultry in Indonesia that show no signs
of the disease may heighten risks to humans, though more research is needed
to establish the cause of their infection, scientists said.
-
- Indonesia has recorded fewer poultry deaths from the
H5N1 strain of avian influenza this year [2007] than last year, and some
fowl in infected backyard coops haven't died from the lethal virus, Musny
Suatmodjo, Indonesia's director of animal health, told reporters in Jakarta
yesterday [11 Jun 2007].
-
- Scientists are conducting surveys of poultry to gauge
the frequency of asymptomatic H5N1 infections, their cause and risks to
people. Four of every 5 human H5N1 cases have been fatal in Indonesia.
Of 15 cases confirmed there last month [May 2007], doctors weren't able
to identify the cause of infection in 8 of them.
-
- "If there's virus circulation and the animals appear
clinically healthy, then it can be a human health risk because people keep
on handling those animals" without being aware of the risks, said
Christianne Bruschke, a veterinarian leading an avian influenza project
for the World Organisation for Animal Health [OIE].
-
- Bruschke spoke in an interview yesterday [11 Jun 2007]
in Jakarta, where she addressed the International Avian Influenza Virus
Vaccination Seminar.
-
- Indonesia is under international pressure to control
H5N1, which threatens to mutate into a form capable of spreading easily
between people, setting off a deadly pandemic.
-
- During the past 2 years, 99 Indonesians are known to
have been infected with the virus, 79 of them fatally. Globally, 190 people
have died from H5N1 and a further 121 have survived infection, according
to World Health Organization statistics last updated yesterday [11 Jun
2007].
-
- It's possible that the H5N1 virus is capable of infecting
humans more easily than it used to, Bayu Krisnamurthi, chief executive
officer of Indonesia's committee on avian and pandemic flu, said last week.
-
- Indonesians should be "cautious" when handling
poultry because they may be shedding the virus without showing symptoms
of disease, Krisnamurthi told reporters yesterday [11 Jun 2007]. "It
can't be a general conclusion yet," and further scientific studies
are needed to support the hypothesis, he said.
-
- About 7000 chickens, quail and other poultry are recorded
to have died of H5N1 in Indonesia so far this year [2007], compared with
1.5 million in the whole of 2006, the agriculture ministry's Suatmodjo
said.
-
- Fewer recorded poultry deaths from H5N1 could be attributed
to many factors, including immunity to the virus and changes in the virus
itself, said John Weaver, a senior adviser with the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations in Jakarta.
-
- "At this stage, we haven't got clear evidence that
there has been any change" that has altered the virus's pathogenicity,
he said. "Maybe the public is less inclined to report the disease
now because there's no benefit" in doing so.
-
- Indonesia's vaccination program aimed at controlling
poultry outbreaks may also be obscuring infections, said Bruschke of the
OIE.
-
- "If you implement a vaccination program, it's extremely
important that you also implement a monitoring program and keep checking
whether there's still virus circulation," she said.
-
- The Indonesian government allocated 60 million doses
of vaccine for poultry this year [2007], enough to protect about 1/5th
of the 285 million chickens raised in backyards across the country, an
archipelago of about 18 000 islands.
-
- http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=afhASkp8W55k
-
-
- -- Communicated by: ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org>
-
- [The accuracy of the above information on the ostensible
appearance of asymptomatic H5N1 infections in chickens in Indonesia deserves
to be assessed with caution; it might have been based upon misquotations
of the officials interviewed.
-
- Dr Peter Roeder, FAO, a veterinary virologist with long
experience with the Indonesian animal health situation and currently visiting
there, has kindly provided us with the following observations, which are
gratefully acknowledged:
-
- "There have been some anecdotal accounts of increased
survival rates but nothing documented with supporting evidence. I have
seen no new information on this subject, and if there is any, it has not
been shared with me. Of course, one would expect the virus to change its
characteristics towards lower virulence over time, but, quite remarkably,
this does not seen to have happened in chickens. It is well known that
the situation in ducks is very different, with widespread subclinical infection;
could it be that which is being reported?"
-
- Indonesia's last official follow-up report (No. 14) was
submitted to the OIE on 25 Sep 2006.
-
- In spite of the lacking reporting on H5N1 in poultry,
WHO's avian influenza map, titled "World: Areas reporting confirmed
occurrence of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry and wild birds since 1 Jan
2007, status as of 8 Jun 2007 (latest available update)," shows the
major Indonesian territories of Sumatra and Java as infected. This might
be a reflection of the unfortunate situation when humans play the role
of H5N1 sentinels; see http://gamapserver.who.int/mapLibrary/Files/Maps/Global_SubNat_H5N1inAnimalConfirmed_2007_20070608.png
-
- . On top of the said territories, ProMED-mail has posted,
during 2007, media-derived information on the disease observed in poultry
in Bali and Papua; see references. - Mod.AS]
-
- AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN (97): VIET NAM, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
-
- **************************************************************
-
-
- [1] Date: 12 Jun 2007 Source: Reuter's Alert Net [edited]
- http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HAN63192.htm>
-
-
- Bird flu infects 2 Vietnamese women have bird flu - report
- ---------------------
- Two Vietnamese women have tested positive for the H5N1
bird flu virus, but one has recovered while the other is in intensive care,
a state-run newspaper reported on Tuesday [12 Jun 2007].
-
- The online newspaper Vietnamnet (<<http://www.vnn.vn>www.vnn.vn>)
quoted the director of the Vietnam Administration of Preventive Medicine
Nguyen Huy Nga as confirming the 2 women, aged 28 and 29, from the northern
provinces of Thanh Hoa and Ha Nam, had bird flu. Nga said both had been
admitted to a hospital in Hanoi.
-
- The 29-year-old woman from Thanh Hoa, who was infected
after eating dead duck, had recovered, while other woman was using a respirator
to breathe, Nga said. Both Thanh Hoa and Ha Nam are among a list of 15
provinces and a city that have reported bird flu outbreaks in poultry since
early May [2007].
-
- The 2 new human cases came only a day after doctors said
a man who was Vietnam's 1st human bird flu case in a year and a half has
won the battle against the virus, leaving hospital on Monday [11 Jun 2007].
-
- Doctors were still treating a 2nd patient, a slaughterhouse
worker from outside Hanoi who became sick late last month [May 2007, see
references below]. The patient was recovering well, they said.
-
- Bird flu has killed 42 people out of 95 cases of infection
in Vietnam since it emerged in late 2003. Meanwhile, the Animal Health
Department said 3 bird flu cases in poultry were found on [7 Jun 2007]
and [8 Jun 2007] in the northern province of Thai Binh, which had reported
outbreaks in other districts in the province.
-
- -- Communicated by: PRO/MBDS
- promed-mbds@promedmail.org>
-
- ****** [2] Date: 12 Jun 2007 Source: Xinhua Net [edited]
- ttp://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-06/12/content_6233059.htm>
-
-
- Vietnam has 2 more bird flu patients
- -------------------
- Vietnam's Health Ministry has reported 2 additional human
cases of bird flu infections, raising the total number in the country since
November 2005 to 4. The 2 latest cases include a 29-year-old man from northern
Thanh Hoa province, and a 20-year-old woman from northern Ha Nam province,
according to the country's Preventive Medicine Department on Tuesday [12
Jun 2007].
-
- Specimens from the man, who was discharged from hospital
on [3 Jun 2007] after showing such bird flu symptoms as fever, coughing
and pneumonia, have recently been tested positive to bird flu virus strain
H5N1. He ate a sick white-winged duck before falling ill, the department
said.
-
- The woman, suffering from severe pneumonia, is under
treatment at the Tropical Disease Hospital in Hanoi capital. Local doctors
are probing into why she has contracted H5N1.
-
- Vietnam's 1st bird flu patient since November 2005, a
30-year-old man from northern Vinh Phuc province, was discharged from hospital
on [11 Jun 2007] after 26 days of treatment. He exhibited bird flu symptoms
on [10 May 2007] after having slaughtered chickens for a wedding party.
-
- Now, 2 local people are under treatment at the Tropical
Disease Hospital: the woman from Ha Nam and a local man from northern Thai
Nguyen province. The man, Vietnam's 2nd bird flu patient since November
2005, worked at a poultry slaughterhouse in Hanoi on [14 May 2007] and
developed bird flu symptoms 5 days later.
-
- To date, Vietnam has reported a total of 97 human cases
of bird flu infections, including 42 fatalities. However, the World Health
Organization has yet to confirm the 4 latest cases of infections in the
country's northern region.
-
- Vietnam's Health Ministry has asked preventive medicine
centers, Pasteur institutes and hygiene and epidemiology institutes nationwide
to establish hotlines to receive bird flu information from the community.
The ministry is also coordinating with the World Health Organization to
probe into the possibility of H5N1 mutation.
-
- Since early May [2007], bird flu has hit poultry in 16
Vietnamese cities and provinces nationwide, namely Nghe An, Nam Dinh, Son
La,Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho, Ninh Binh, Bac
Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Ha Nam, Quang Nam, Hung Yen, Thai Binh and Phu Tho, according
to the country's Department of Animal Health.
-
- -- Communicated by: PRO/MBDS
- promed-mbds@promedmail.org>
-
- [The above newswires seem to have inconsistencies in
epidemiologic data that require clarification. In the 1st newswire there
is mention of 2 new cases -- a 29-year-old woman from Thanh Hoa Province
and a 28-year-old woman from Ha Nam Province. In the 2nd newswire, there
is mention of a total of 4 cases -- the 2 prior cases, a 29-year-old man
from northern Thanh Hoa Province and a 20-year-old woman from Ha Nam Province.
In either event, both cases come from provinces where avian influenza outbreaks
among poultry have been reported, and one of the cases has already been
documented to have had contact with a sick avian. Clarification of these
discrepancies would be appreciated.
-
- Maps of Viet Nam with provinces can be found at:
- http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/vietnam_admin01.jpg
and
- http://www.angelfire.com/co/hongnam/vnmap.html> -
Mod.MPP]
-
- AVIAN INFLUENZA (98): MALAYSIA (SELANGOR), OIE
-
- **********************************************
-
-
- [1] Immediate notification [2] Follow-up report No. 1
-
- ****** [1] Immediate notification Date: Fri 8 Jun 2007
Source: OIE Disease Information, WAHID (World Animal Health Information
Database), weekly disease information, 2007; 20(24) [edited]
- http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/public.php?page=weekly_report_index&admin=0
-
-
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Malaysia
- -------------------------------------------
- Information received on (and dated) 8 Jun 2007, from
Dr Dato Dr Abd Aziz Bin Jamaluddin Jamaluddin, Director General, Department
of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry,
Putrajaya, Malaysia
-
- Report type: immediate notification Start date: 2 Jun
2007 Date of confirmation of event: 5 Jun 2007 Report date: 8 Jun 2007
Date submitted to OIE: 11 Jun 2007 Reason for notification: reoccurrence
of a listed disease Date of previous occurrence: 22 Mar 2006 Manifestation
of disease: clinical disease Causal agent: highly pathogenic avian influenza
virus, serotype H5 Nature of diagnosis: clinical, laboratory (advanced),
necropsy Report pertains to: entire country
-
- New outbreaks Summary of outbreaks Total outbreaks: 1
(JPH/AI/01/07) Outbreak location: Paya Jaras Hilir, Sungai Buloh, Petaling
(Selangor) Date of start of outbreak: 2 Jun 2007 Outbreak status: continuing
(or date resolved not submitted) Epidemiological unit: village Affected
animals Species: birds Susceptible: 67 Cases: 67 Deaths: 67 Destroyed:
0 Slaughtered: 0 Affected population: semifree-ranging village chickens
-
- Outbreak statistics Species: birds Apparent morbidity
rate: 100 percent Apparent mortality rate: 100 percent Apparent case fatality
rate: 100 percent Proportion susceptible removed*: 100 percent * Removed
from the susceptible population either through death, destruction, or slaughter
-
- Epidemiology Source of infection: unknown or inconclusive
-
- Diagnostic test results: Laboratory name and type: Veterinary
Research Institute, Ipoh (National laboratory) Species: birds Test: real-time
reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RRT-PCR) Test date: 5
Jun 2007 Result: positive
-
- -- Communicated by: ProMED-mail
- promed@promedmail.org>
-
- ****** [2] Follow-up report No. 1 Date: Tue 12 Jun 2007
Source: OIE Disease Information, WAHID (World Animal Health Information
Database), weekly disease information, 2007; 20(24) [edited]
- http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/public.php?page=weekly_report_index&admin=0
-
-
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Malaysia
- -------------------------------------------
- Information received on (and dated) 12 Jun 2007, from
Dr Dato Dr Abd Aziz Bin Jamaluddin, Director General, Department of Veterinary
Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, Putrajaya, Malaysia
-
- Report type: follow-up report No. 1 Start date: 2 Jun
2007 Date of confirmation of event: 5 Jun 2007 Report date: 12 Jun 2007
Date submitted to OIE: 12 Jun 2007 Reason for notification: reoccurrence
of a listed disease Date of previous occurrence: 22 Mar 2006 Manifestation
of disease: clinical disease Causal agent: highly pathogenic avian influenza
virus, serotype H5N1 Nature of diagnosis Clinical, Laboratory (advanced),
necropsy Report pertains to: entire country Outbreaks: there are no new
outbreaks in this report.
-
- Epidemiology Source of infection: unknown or inconclusive
Epidemiological comments: causal agent was highly pathogenic avian influenza
virus serotype H5N1, as confirmed by Veterinary Research Institute.
-
- Stamping out (1-km-radius zone around the index case)
and disinfection started on 6 Jun 2007, and were completed on 10 Jun 2007.
The total number of birds culled was 4127, consisting of village chickens
(63.17 percent), fighting cocks (16.89 percent), ducks (2.43 percent),
quails (1.89 percent), and other birds (15.62 percent).
-
- Clinical and laboratory surveillance is ongoing in the
surveillance zone (10-km-radius zone around the index case). Similarly,
surveillance in the whole country is also ongoing.
-
- Diagnostic test results Laboratory name and type: Veterinary
Research Institute, Ipoh (National laboratory) Species: birds Test: real-time
reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RRT-PCR) Test date: 5
Jun 2007 Result: positive
-
- -- Communicated by: ProMED-mail
- promed@promedmail.org>
-
- The location of the outbreak is in the middle of the
peninsular section of Malaysia can be seen at the WAHIS (World Animal Health
Information System) OIE report site referenced above. Of interest in the
follow-up report is that fighting cocks were almost 17 percent of the culls
in this clean up or "stamping out" campaign. I wonder what density
of fighting cocks in a population constitutes an excess risk for ongoing
transmission. - Mod.PC
-
-
- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
- Univ of West Indies
-
-
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
|
