Avian Flu Surveillance Project

Various ^ | May 9, 2005 | Vanity

[Dog Gone]

Some folks suggested that we begin a thread similar to the Marsburg Surveillance Project for monitoring developments regarding Avian Flu.

The purpose is to have an extended thread where those interested can post articles and comments as this story unfolds.

If we're lucky, the story and this thread will fade away.

[Domestic Church]

It's being spread easier now...

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/c15c236a-2bcf-11da-995a-00000e2511c8.html

[unseen]

Looks like the west is starting to see the looming crisis:

Health experts from the United States, Australia, and Canada have begun arriving in Jakarta to help Indonesia deal with its growing bird flu problem.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-09-23-voa34.cfm

[Oorang]

Interesting senerio, thanks DC.

Here is another, from Malaysia:

The threat to humanity is right next door

[EBH]

Daily Bird Flu News Updates:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/LatestNews/?AREA=LatestNews&Display=6187

As usual follow the link for the full stories!

Reuters - 26th September 2005
Philippines fears migratory birds may bring flu
PHILIPPINES - The Philippines said on Monday it was monitoring bird sanctuaries because of concerns that the seasonal arrival of migratory birds next month might bring avian flu to the country. The government also said it had ordered tighter surveillance of illegal trading of exotic birds in southern Mindanao island, and their immediate destruction if they came from bird-flu affected countries such as Indonesia. "The disease has continued to spread in many neighbouring Asian countries. Active infection in migratory birds in Russia and China was also confirmed," Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban said in a statement.

---

The Jakarta Post - 26th September 2005
Bird traders hard hit by bird flu
INDONESIA - Faisol, a trader in the Bratang bird market here, looked over his birds which a much more careful eye than usual. With reports of bird flu dominating the news for the last few weeks, such caution is necessary to prevent his birds falling victim to the lethal virus. Another fear over which Faisol has little or no control is the fear that his business is suffering since bird flu killed four people in Jakarta. He said he had not sold a bird in the past week. The situation is difficult, because in normal times Faisol sells four to six birds a day.

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BBC - 26th September 2005
Indonesia bird flu toll increases
INDONESIA - Another two people are confirmed to have died from bird flu in Indonesia, bringing the death toll there to six. Test results show that both a young girl who died last week and a 27-year-old woman who died on Monday had been exposed to the H5N1 virus. Several other recent fatalities are being investigated, and about 20 people are in hospital with bird flu symptoms. The deadly disease has already killed dozens of people across Asia, and led to millions of birds being culled.

---

ABC News - 26th September 2005
Tests on dead Indonesian woman positive for bird flu
INDONESIA - Tests carried out on a woman who died in a Jakarta hospital on Monday showed she had been suffering from bird flu, an Indonesian health ministry official said. "It's confirmed H5N1," I Nyoman Kandun, the ministry's head of disease control, told a news conference. The H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus has killed more than 60 people in Southeast Asia.

[unseen]

Bird Flu makes cover of National geographic. Very good article also

[EBH]

New dog flu virus came from horses, experts say
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent--Reuters
Tue Sep 27, 2:05 AM ET
http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=dog%20flu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new dog flu virus that has killed some racing greyhounds made an unusual jump from horses to dogs and may threaten pets but not people, experts said on Monday.

And the virus can also infect dogs without making them sick, meaning it is not as deadly as some reports have suggested, they said.

But studying it has important implications for understanding the H5N1 avian flu virus now devastating flocks of poultry and which has killed 65 people in four Asian nations since late 2003.

The new dog virus is an influenza A virus called H3N8, a designation that describes two important proteins in the virus.

There is no evidence that it can infect people, said Dr. Ruben Donis of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who has published a report on the new virus in the journal Science.(excerpt)

---

Dog Flu Spreads Worry Nationwide
New Disease Kills Dogs in at Least Seven States
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1152491&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

Sept. 26, 2005 — A newly-discovered virus has killed dogs in at least seven states, and veterinarians, kennel operators and pet owners are concerned because researchers say there is no vaccine and dogs do not have immunity to the new flu.

Dr. Cynda Crawford, an immunologist at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine, said in an audio interview posted on the university Web site that the disease is only deadly in rare cases — about 10 percent in puppies and old dogs — but is of concern because it is spreading rapidly. (excerpt)

[EBH]

Daily Bird Flu News Updates:
ChannelNewsAsia.com - 27th September 2005
Indonesia has to do much more to combat bird flu
INDONESIA - It has been a week since Jakarta declared that the country was facing an extraordinary bird flu outbreak, but as the disease claimed the sixth victim in the country yesterday, the government was facing criticism for its handling of the crisis. Officials have been accused of being slow in sharing information, slow to carry out checks and held back by ponderous bureaucracy. However, it is important to bear in mind that the Indonesian government cannot combat the disease by itself.

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Reuters - 27th September 2005
Limited funds hurt Indonesia's bird flu battle
INDONESIA - Indonesia's efforts to stamp out bird flu are being cramped by a lack of funds, a shortage of veterinary doctors, and incomplete data on flocks of commercial breeders, a senior livestock official said on Tuesday. Indonesia has not begun mass culls of infected birds because a recent outbreak of bird flu took authorities by surprise, Agus Heryanto, deputy director of animal surveillance in the agriculture ministry, said in an interview.

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Xinhuanet - 27th September 2005
Four-tier alert system to prevent bird flu
CHINA - Shenzhen's disease prevention and control center has created a four-level warning system to prevent against possible outbreak of the avian flu pandemic and strengthen protection of people prone to the disease. The World Health Organization has warned that the recent outbreak of avian influenza in Southeast Asian countries could be the premonition of next global influenza pandemic. The H5N1 virus could most probably be the source of next outbreak. However, there is no effective vaccine against the disease.

[Judith Anne]

I've read that massive amounts of Tamiflu are being sent to Jakarta by WHO and others...but as far as I recall, that was only going to be done if there was human-to-human transmission in a 3rd world country that couldn't afford to contain the virus on its own...

I'm wondering if those Tamiflu doses are by any chance going to the Indonesian wealthy, or is this the breakout breakout?

[EchoFoxtrot1]

That really hits home. I live a 40 minute drive from Toronto. Haven't heard anything on the news or newspapers. I'll try looking actively now.

[Iowa Granny]

I thought I read earlier on this thread that Tamiflu wasn't considered effective on Bird Flu. what's up with that?

Are there Elderberry capsules? It's probably too late for most of us to harvest wild elderberrys for the homemade stuff.

What alternatives are available in health food stores for those of us who want to protect our grandchildren. I'm not so sure my daughters in law would approve of me dosing their children with a combination of elderberrys and vodka.

[Judith Anne]

Someone may have posted that Tamiflu is not effective on Avian flu, but it is. Amantadine may or may not be. They each work on different sections of the virus. Some sources have said that Amantadine was used by the Chinese, given to their chickens to prevent flu outbreaks in the chickens, so that the flu when they get the Avian Flu, it's resistant.

But we don't know that for sure. Amantadine is readily available and cheaper than Tamiflu. Tamiflu is getting hard to find, and the prices for what is available are going up. Another poster said that the price is now $100 for 10 tablets, used to be $60 for 10 tablets.

Elderberry cough drops are available, and Sambucol is still available. It isn't know how potent the elderberry cough drops are. Ricola is one company that makes them. Sambucol is still under $10 for a 6-8 ounce bottle as far as I know. Drugstore.com carries it. Sambucol is the one that has been researched as effective against influenza and other viruses, and is an elderberry preparation.

[Judith Anne]

I wonder if the National Geographic article is online...?

[CaptainK]

How can you get Tamiflu and Amantadine without a prescription?

[Judith Anne]

Type either in Google. Lots of sources.

Best way, though, is to ask your own doctor for a prescription. Tell him why. If you have a good relationship, you'll likely get it. Then, if you have insurance, it may even pay for it.

[Judith Anne]

Here's one source:

http://www.drugdelivery.ca/s3353-s-TAMIFLU.aspx

[unseen]

Not sure but it is a very good article. I would recommend it.

[CaptainK]

Thank you so much!

[Iowa Granny]

thank you for that link

[Gritty]

I think it is about time to start archiving the chart of cases from CIDRAP as the numbers as sure to change soon...

Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A (H5N1) in Recent Waves of Disease
Country	12/3/03–3/10/04	7/19/04–10/8/04	12/16/04–present		TOTAL SINCE 12/3/03
	Cases (Deaths)	Cases (Deaths)	Cases (Deaths)		Cases (Deaths)
			Official*	Unofficial†	Official*	Unofficial†
Vietnam	23 (16)	4 (4)	64 (21)	68 (23)	91 (41)	95 (43)
Thailand	12 (8)	5 (4)	0 (0)	0 (0)	17 (12)	17 (12)
Cambodia	0 (0)	0 (0)	4 (4)‡	4 (4)‡	4 (4)‡	4 (4)‡
Indonesia	0 (0)	0 (0)	3 (2)	7 (5)	3 (2)	7 (5)
Total	35 (24)	9 (8)	71 (27)	79 (32)	115 (59)	123 (64)
*Reported on WHO Web site (see WHO reports of confirmed human cases—click on most recent entry). †Includes new cases reported by media in addition to most recent official WHO cases. ‡Two patients became ill in Cambodia but died in a Vietnamese hospital.

[Iowa Granny]

what is the significance of the numbers in parentheses