Posted on 02/21/2005 1:35:21 PM PST by nickcarraway
HA NOI — Heightened awareness has proved a decisive factor in the initial success against the recent bird flu outbreak, reportedly waning in Viet Nam, reported authorities.
The Animal Health Department of the Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development said nine out of 35 affected provinces and cities have been disease free for over 21 days.
Compared to the previous outbreak, the number of affected zones and culled poultry sharply decreased this time around. Last year, officials killed 37.5 million birds, whereas this year the number only reached 1.5 million.
Bui Quang Anh, director of the department, said the lower number indicated effective prevention and control nationwide. This year, supervision was strengthened in each village and commune, and each poultry farm was sprayed with disinfectant, Anh said.
In addition, officials have killed suspected sick poultry immediately, before disease samples are tested.
Dau Ngoc Hao, deputy director of the department, said residents have played a key role in detecting the outbreak hot spots early.
Localities have strictly followed regulations on hygienic slaughter, banned the sale of poultry and tightened the watch on poultry transport.
Some provinces, including Nam Dinh and Ha Tay, offer a reward for the discovery of affected zones.
However, Anh said, 35 new affected spots were found on Wednesday—nearly 17,000 birds were killed. He has, therefore, requested increased supervision of migratory birds.
Heightened awareness has also decreased the number of human cases, Pham Ngoc Dinh, deputy director of the Central Hygiene and Epidemiology Institute, said.
In the first outbreak, from December 2003 to March 2004, there were 24 cases of human infection, resulting in 16 deaths. Lasting from April to July 2004, the second outbreak saw three cases, all of which were fatal.
The most recent wave of bird flu, December 2004 to the present, has caused 16 cases of human infection, 12 of which lead to death. No more cases, however, have arisen over the last 10 days.
Latest finding
Recent findings of a team of doctors from Viet Nam and England show that the bird flu virus can incite encephalitis and symptoms that are different from traditional respiratory illnesses.
The research was published in this week’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, following investigations of a boy, 4, from Dong Thap Province, who was clinically diagnosed with encephalitis last year and died.
His sister, 9, died after experiencing similar symptoms, including severe diarrhoea leading to a coma, two weeks earlier. It was later discovered through further testing that the boy and his sister died because of avian influenza H5N1.
"Neither patient had respiratory symptoms," the journal recorded. "These cases suggest that the spectrum of influenza H5N1 is wider than previously thought, and therefore they have important implications for the clinical and public health responses to avian influenza."
Among the team of doctors, Trinh Tinh Hien, deputy director of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City, said it was "a surprising result".
Hien explained the intent of the research wasn’t originally directed at bird flu, but was designed to find causes of encephalitis in the southern region, under a co-operation programme between several hospitals in Viet Nam and Oxford University.
Referring to the four-year-old boy, Hien said they needed to investigate further because they did not know what virus had caused the encephalitis. "Subsequently, it was H5N1," he said.
The results showed that avian influenza H5N1’s clinically affects not only the respiratory system, but damages nerves, the digestive system, the heart, kidneys and liver, and can incite encephalitis, Hien said.
He added it is possible that health care units have missed some bird flu patients diagnosing only those with respiratory symptoms, which Hien affirmed was the most typical symptoms of the lethal H5N1 virus.
Pilot success
The Central Hygiene and Epidemiology Institute on Thursday announced the pilot test of a bird flu vaccine on mice and chicken turned out well.
Professor Hoang Thuy Nguyen, the institute’s former director, said mice and chicken produced antibodies after vaccination.
"The test, however, will be repeated many times on mice, poultry and animals, especially monkeys," said Professor Nguyen, who is the head of the group developing the vaccine.
The institute has conducted tests since last April. Its epidemiologists said they hope to produce the vaccine against avian flu H5N1 and reduce the fatality rate of the disease.
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