Posted on 08/14/2006 4:34:09 PM PDT by Lady GOP
Edited on 08/14/2006 4:48:58 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Dow Jones- U.S. government officials are waiting to see whether the discovery of bird flu in a pair of Michigan swans will disrupt exports by the U.S. poultry industry.
While genetic screening by U.S. government scientists has determined that the virus found in the wild birds isn't the deadly Asian form of the H5N1 virus, countries such as Russia and Japan have clamped down before on imports of U.S. chickens when other forms of bird flu were detected in the U.S. These countries want to protect their domestic flocks from the highly-contagious respiratory disease.
(Excerpt) Read more at birdflubreakingnews.com ...
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Am putting up a link to Niman's site re his latest commentary. Am paying to attention to the fact the latest human isolates in Indonesia DO NOT match avian samples:
http://www.recombinomics.com/whats_new.html
14 August 2006
China Reports Human Bird Flu Death with Unknown Infection Source
Additional case detected in Indonesia, but patient survives Washington – The Ministry of Health in China reports another human death attributed to the highly pathogenic avian influenza strain H5N1, but the source of the patient’s infection is proving difficult to identify.
This most recent case – China’s 21st reported human case since 2003 – is of a 62-year-old male farmer from Xinjiang who developed symptoms on June 19 and died on July 12. Attribution of his death to the H5N1 strain that has killed almost 140 people worldwide was only confirmed after a second round of specimen tests, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, which verified the announcement from China.
This strain of flu has killed hundreds of millions of birds as it has charged across Asia and most recently into Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Among the countless occasions that humans have been exposed to ailing birds, almost 240 cases of human sickness have been detected, resulting in 139 deaths.
International health officials warn that the virus could mutate to become more contagious among humans, a development that could lead to a global influenza pandemic.
Because of that threat, health officials are concerned about looking at every human infection and identifying how or where the individual might have come into contact with the virus, and who else might have been exposed. In many cases, the path of exposure has been obvious -- the patient was known to have handled or slaughtered birds that demonstrated visible signs of illness.
In this most recent case in China, the source of infection is not so obvious. The WHO reports that the disease investigators have been unable to find that the Xinjiang farmer had a history of exposure to dead or ailing birds, and no recent outbreaks had been reported in the vicinity of the man’s home. The inability of the epidemiological team to trace the infection could suggest that the man’s exposure came through some vector that has not been identified previously.
patients monitored for bird flu Compiled from agencies
A total of 46 Thai patients suspected of contracting the deadly avian influenza are under close medical supervision, while Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has approved a budget to build 100 more patient rooms at hospitals nationwide, said Public Health Minister Pinij Jarusombat on Sunday.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said that no victim of the deadly disease has been found in Bangkok.
Rumours of Bangkok victims had caused concern last week. The capital has suffered a spate of influenza, including many serious cases, but none has proved to be H5N1 bird flu, authorities said.
Mr Pinij said the prime minister had given the green light for a budget to build 100 more rooms for patients suspected of contracting the disease. Most of the rooms will be built at hospitals in provinces where the situation is severe such as Phichit, Uthai Thani, Kampaengphet and Nakhon Sawan and they will be completed within three months.
Mr Pinij said he expected the budget would likely be given by the Bureau of the Budget on Tuesday or Wednesday (August 15-16).
More than 50 health and government officials from Asia and the Pacific will meet in Singapore this week to discuss ways to strengthen the region's response to avian influenza pandemic.
The two-day workshop, starting Monday (August 14), is a follow-up to a bird flu exercise coordinated by Australia in June involving the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) member economies
Mr Pinij visited two patients having bird flu-like symptoms at a government-run hospital Sunday afternoon. The first patient is a 24-year-old man from Bangkok's neighbouring province of Samut Prakan, while the second is a 66-year-old woman from the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima.
Both are in critical condition, said Mr Pinij, adding that results would be known Monday (August 14) whether they have come down with bird flu or human influenza.
Mr Pinij said a total of 46 patients in 16 provinces nationwide are now being under the close supervision of doctors.
The northern province of Phichit has most patients with nine, followed by eight in nearby Nakhon Sawan Province and five in Bangkok's neighbouring Nonthaburi Province, he said.
Blam do you have a ping list ..?
August 13 2006 at 01:54PM
The Hague - Two owls found dead at the Rotterdam zoo may have been infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu virus that has killed nearly 140 people, the Dutch agriculture ministry said late on Saturday.
"As part of routine examinations indications were found of the H5N1 bird flu virus," the ministry said in a statement.
A second test returned the same result, while a third is being conducted to determine conclusively whether the owls were infected with H5N1 strain.
Unlike most of the birds at the zoo, the owls had not been vaccinated against the bird flu.
The authorities said there was little risk to the public, and the zoo would remain open, but measures would be taken to ensure there was no contact with birds.
At the beginning of the month a mild form of the H7N7 strain of bird flu was found on a Dutch farm.
In 2003 the Netherlands was hit hard by an epidemic of a stronger H7N7 strain which led to the cull of 25 million birds, about one quarter of the country's poultry population at the time. One veterinarian died.
According to the World Health Organisation 138 people have died from the H5N1 strain of the virus. - Sapa-AFP
http://www.birdflubreakingnews.com/templates/birdflu/window.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iol.co.za%2Findex.php%3Fset_id%3D14%26click_id%3D117%26art_id%3Dqw1155463563676R131
Am not sure as to the source for the Dutch owls. Arent these usually in captivity and not able to mingle with wild flocks ? Possibly something they were fed. Close to UK.
ping.
No.
Ok thanks, Joe has a ping list.
14 August 2006
The Ministry of Health in China has confirmed the country’s 21st case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
The case occurred in a 62-year-old male farmer from the north-western province of Xinjiang. He developed symptoms on 19 June and died on 12 July. Initial tests on patient specimens produced negative results. As a precautionary measure, tests were repeated during July and August and eventually produced positive results, which were confirmed today by the Ministry of Health.
Of the 21 cases confirmed to date in China, 14 have been fatal.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_08_14/en/index.html
14 August 2006
The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 57th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
The case is a 17-year-old male from a remote village in Garut district, West Java Province. He developed symptoms on 26 July and was referred to hospital on 9 August. At the hospital, medical staff suspected H5N1 infection based on his respiratory symptoms and a history of exposure to dead poultry. Because of this suspicion, specimens were collected from the patient and sent for testing. Results received on 12 August were positive for H5N1 infection. The patient is presently recovering.
A thorough field investigation found that chicken and duck deaths occurred in the patient’s household and neighborhood during the week prior to symptom onset. The case reportedly had direct contact with diseased chickens during the disposal of carcasses.
The investigation also obtained information about a 20-year-old male who lived in a neighbouring household where chickens were also dying. The man developed symptoms on 26 July and sought care at the local health centre on 5 August. He died of respiratory disease on 6 August, before arrangements could be made for transfer to hospital and before samples could be taken for testing. The cause of his illness and death remain undetermined.
Of the 57 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 44 have been fatal.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_08_14a/en/index.html
"August 13 2006 at 01:54PM"
Early Bird Flu Warning For Dutch (Article from 2003)
'What made it a human killer?'
Influenza viruses are highly unstable; as they reproduce, they can mutate.
The virus which killed Jan Bosch was H7N7 but it had mutated and become more virulent.
The first symptoms appeared just two days after the 57-year-old had visited an infected chicken farm and spent just two hours screening flocks.
He got a headache and a fever. The family doctor took swabs in case it was H7N7 but for reasons which are unclear the results he got back were negative.
Six days later his condition had deteriorated and he was taken to hospital. Chest X-rays showed pneumonia. He was moved to intensive care and put on a ventilator, but it wasn't possible to save his life.
He died just two weeks after first becoming ill. H7N7 was discovered at autopsy: there was a lot of the virus in his lungs.
The way in which H7N7 attacked, in this case, is similar to the way in which H5N1 - the current strain of flu affecting chickens, ducks and wild birds - has attacked humans in the cases where it has jumped species: it is the lungs which the virus attacks.
No one surrounding the vet caught the virulent form of H7N7 from him. However no one can say categorically whether it could have transmitted or not.
Indeed in some families in the Netherlands the milder form of H7N7 was transmitted from one person to another, so that people who had not had direct contact with chickens nonetheless caught the illness.
This transmission was limited but, if it had been able to spread further and faster, we would have been looking at a much more dangerous situation and potentially a new pandemic starting on European soil.
The low path form is dangerous. Although they are acting like it is the first time in the US it appeared at a poultry farm in NJ not long ago.
(5/1/06)Mild form of bird flu found in New Jersey...
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Authorities have discovered a mild form of avian influenza at a live bird market in New Jersey, but it is not the deadly H5N1 strain governments around the world are trying to contain, the state's agriculture department said.
"The strain was found in a live bird market in Camden County. None of the birds in the market died from this virus, which is an indicator that the virus was low pathogenic and not harmful to humans," said a statement by New Jersey's Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus which was posted on Friday.
Details were not immediately available on precisely when the avian flu in Camden County was discovered.
The H5N1 strain of avian influenza not only kills chickens quickly, but can now infect people, and governments around the world are scrambling to contain its spread. Scientists fear that if the virus acquires the ability to pass easily from person to person, it could cause a pandemic that would kill millions.
The H5N1 avian flu strain has already infected 205 people and killed 113 since 2003. Its spread has forced several countries to ban poultry imports from nations where the disease has spread.
The H5N1 virus has spread from Asia to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Kuperus said preliminary tests from the National Veterinary Services laboratory were negative for type N1 of the virus. More tests are pending at laboratories of the U.S. Agriculture Department in Ames, Iowa, to confirm the strain of the virus, he added.
"The market owner voluntarily depopulated his existing flock, and the market has undergone cleaning and disinfecting under New Jersey Department of Agriculture supervision," said Kuperus.
The market in Camden County will be inspected again by New Jersey's Division of Animal Health before being allowed to reopen.
Right first the low path then the high path forms surface. And also highly doubt the Prince Edward Island dead goslings were low path as they said it never could be determined. All the goslings were found dead.
The Dutch doctor dying of the bird flu in 2003 is what first brought my attention to the danger of bird flus.
L
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