Multiple Introductions Of H5N1 In Nigeria

Nature Magazine ^ | 5 July 2006 | unknown

[LucyT]

July 24, 2006

(North Dakota) Official: Bird flu threat will not change hunting

The head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says there's no reason to modify upcoming bird-hunting seasons because of the threat of bird flu.

But Dale Hall says it's important to educate hunters on proper sanitary techniques.

He says that includes wearing rubber gloves when cleaning birds, and cooking the meat thoroughly.

Fish and Wildlife is monitoring birds in Alaska and will shift its monitoring efforts to the Pacific Flyway when waterfowl season opens.

http://www.kxma.com/news/local.asp?ID=7092

[LucyT]

[Southeastern Iowa at Lake Odessa Wildlife Management Area; no protective gear]

Duck hunter exposed to type of bird flu
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent 17 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. duck hunter and two state wildlife employees had evidence of an uncommon type of bird flu virus in their blood, researchers reported on Monday in one of the first studies to show that hunters might be at risk.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060724/us_nm/birdflu_hunters_dc_1

[LucyT]

Bird flu spiraling out of control in Indonesia
BirdFluDefense.com ^ | July 24, 2006 | NewsTarget

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1671501/posts

[Smokin' Joe]

Transcript of Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt Regarding Federal Preparedness for Avian Flu

This document includes the intended plan for surveillance for H5N1 (and other avian influenzas) in the wild.

It is a little dated (March 20, 2006), and this statement alone reveals developments have occurred since: Secy Gale Norton: "Thus far there have been no cases reported of humans contacting the disease from contact with wild birds."

However, imo, the piece is worth reading to get an idea of the strategy innvolved.

[LucyT]

Thanks SJ, this information from the article will somewhat alleviate the public's fears:

"Another reason the United States is well positioned in terms of response capabilities is the cooperation that we have with the industry. U.S. poultry producers understand the importance of wiping out this virus the moment that it is detected. This is a $29 billion industry in the U.S. and our producers are as eager as we are to protect the safety of our poultry.

"An important point. Producers know they will be compensated for destroyed birds. Our producers have demonstrated that they will call us at the first sign of sick birds knowing that with high path strains of bird flu we reimburse them for the birds that we destroy.

"So unlike what we have seen in some countries where producers are reluctant to report the virus because of economic loss, our producers know their loss will be covered if they call us. If the virus does reach a commercial flock, we would quickly take action to eliminate the virus following a very, very detailed response plan."

[Gabz]

If the virus does reach a commercial flock, we would quickly take action to eliminate the virus following a very, very detailed response plan."

This is true........but......the private sector will be so far ahead of them, their heads will spin.

[LucyT]

Dengue impact on bird flu not yet known

Thai health officials Thursday said that test results were not yet conclusive regarding a possible role

that dengue fever might have also played in the death

Wednesday of a teenage boy who was confirmed to have succumbed to the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Complex medical reports have some members of the public

worrying that bird flu virus has mutated with dengue fever..."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=111644
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

H5N1 H9N2 Bird Flu Reassortant Identified In Israel

The H5N1/H9N2 reassortant in Israel is cause for concern and human infections may be under-reported.

Israel had reported a suspect case with confirmed antibodies to H5N1, but re-confirmation attempts failed.

The sharing of H5N1 polymorphisms with the first Qinghai H5N1 isolated in the area (western Turkey in 2005), suggest H5N1 had been in Israel long before its first reported case in poultry in 2006.

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/07260602/H5N1_H9N2_Israel_Reassortant.html

[LucyT]

Bird flu reported outbreak in Laos

An outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed more than 2,000 chicken on a poultry farm close to the Mekong River in Laos, Thai media Saturday quoted Lao government and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) officials as saying.

Veterinarians had slaughtered 6,000 more birds on the farm about 25 kilometers south of Vientiane, disinfected the cages and declared a five-kilometer surveillance zone, officials said. The outbreak is just across the river from Thailand.

"The H5N1 strain has been confirmed for this particular farm," Lao foreign ministry spokesman Yong Chanthalangsy was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/29/eng20060729_287990.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BANGKOK, Thailand (UPI) -- Five new patients in the bird flu red zones of Phitsanulok and Phichit Thailand are suspected of having caught the HSN1 virus.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/health/article_1184963.php/More_possible_bird_flu_cases_in_Thailand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

112 admitted for bird flu tests in North

PHICHIT - Thai public health authorities have admitted that over one hundred patients from 14 provinces suspected of having contracted avian influenza and are being monitored and tested for bird flu, but no new cases have been reported following a flurry of new reports during the past week.

No new cases of avian influenza have been confirmed, a senior Public Health Ministry official said Saturday.

Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Prat Boonyawongvirot said a total of 112 patients from 14 provinces, including two from Bangkok, had been admitted for further laboratory tests after earlier tests showed that most suffered from human influenza, but not avian influenza.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=111878
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Japanese researchers to use monkeys for bird flu tests

AFP
Saturday, July 29, 2006 18:31 IST
TOKYO: A team of Japanese researchers reportedly plans to use monkeys for testing the effectiveness of a vaccine against the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.

Researchers from Hokkaido University and the Shiga University of Medical Science will carry out the tests on long-tailed macaques, also known as crab-eating monkeys. The results are expected within about six months.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1044383

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

India says it is bird flu free
http://www.whatistheword.com/story/Lifestyle_919.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dengue impact on bird flu not yet known: Thai official

Thai health officials Thursday said that test results were not yet conclusive regarding a possible role that dengue fever might have also played in the death of a teenage boy who was confirmed to have succumbed to the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Complex medical reports have some members of the public worrying that bird flu virus has mutated with dengue fever after the teenager died from bird flu earlier this week in Thai northern province of Phichit.
---
The suspicion caused concern among some who fear the two viruses could mutate if they meet, but there is no medical evidence that such has occurred.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/28/eng20060728_287406.html

[Smokin' Joe]

png for Nigerian developments (and others)

Thanks Lucy T!

[Smokin' Joe]

ping for Nigerian developments (and others)

Thanks Lucy T!

[LucyT]

[Doesn't the US have a new Naval port in Vn?]

In Vietnam, a Gateway for Bird Flu

Ignoring Chicken Import Ban, Smugglers Bring Virus Over Border From China

By Alan Sipress
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, July 30, 2006; Page A23

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/29/AR2006072900484.html

[LucyT]

Bangkok Post, Thailand - 7 hours ago
New bird flu outbreak in Northeast

Nakhon Phanom (TNA)
More than 300,000 egg- producing hens in Thailand's northeast Nakhon Phanom province bordering Laos are to be culled Sunday after bird flu was confirmed in the province, according to Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Adisorn Piengkes.

The laboratory tests conducted on over 2,000 layers which died mysteriously in the Mekong River province of Nakhon Phanom July 24 to 26 found that the fowl were infected with H5N1 virus.

To prevent a further outbreak, more than 300,000 chickens in 78 farms here must be slaughtered within 24 hours, Mr Adisorn said, after inspecting the outbreak.
---
Currently there are 113 suspected cases of people suffering symptoms similar to bird flu in seven Thai provinces, but health authorities are awaiting laboratory tests to confirm whether the patients have indeed contacted H5N1.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=111888
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Door-to-door effort turning up new bird-flu cases in Indonesia (The Columbus Dispatch)

July 30, 2006 06:01:22 am

http://www.dispatch.com/health/health.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/30/20060730-A15-00.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British company announced this week that it has developed the first effective small-dose bird flu vaccine.

In a clinical trial of the H5N1 vaccine conducted by London-based GlaxoSmithKline, the company found that 80 percent of the 400 adults studied showed a good immune response to the vaccine when it was it was given with doses of only 3.8 micrograms of antigen.

"These clinical trial results represent a significant breakthrough in the development of our pandemic flu vaccine," Dr. Jean-Pierre Garnier, the company's chief executive officer, said Wednesday. "This is the first time such a low dose of H5N1 antigen has been able to stimulate this level of strong immune response."

According the company, previous candidate vaccines have only proven effective when given with high quantities of antigen, the active ingredient that triggers an immune response.

The company hopes to make regulatory filings for the vaccine in the coming months, but it's unclear how soon the vaccine would be available to the general public.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/28/bird.flu.vaccine/index.html?section=cnn_health

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping for more developments...

[LucyT]

Archived:
131 suspected bird flu cases awaiting tests
July 31, 2006

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=111917

[LucyT]

Thailand points finger at Laos over bird flu
31 Jul 2006 10:04:15 GMT

BANGKOK, July 31 (Reuters) - Thailand is offering help to Laos in stamping out bird flu, a Thai official said on Monday, after Bangkok accused its impoverished neighbour of allowing the H5N1 virus to spread across the border.
---
"We know we can't interfere in their domestic issues but we would like to find out what sort of help they need to fight the disease effectively together," Yukol said.
---
Lao Foreign Ministry spokesman Yong Chanhthalansy said there had been no reports of outbreaks across the border from Nakhon Panom and criticised Bangkok for suggesting a link to the Thai cases.

"Those remarks were made by irresponsible and uncouth officials," he told Reuters by telephone. "Under the current critical circumstances, we should work together to solve the problem, rather point fingers at one another.
---
Adopting an extra cautious stance,

health officials have placed more than 800 people

involved in culling in Nakhon Panom or in hospitals in the area on a bird flu watch-list.

The Agriculture Ministry also banned imports of poultry and equipment from neighbouring countries, with violators facing a maximum penalty of 2 years in jail and/or a 40,000 baht ($1,000) fine.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK104369.htm

[LucyT]

OT:
WEST TISBURY, Mass. - State public health officials are warning people on Martha's Vineyard about the dangers of a potentially fatal disease known as "rabbit fever" after six new cases were identified.

Cases of the disease tularemia, or rabbit fever, have occurred on Martha's Vineyard every year since an initial outbreak in 2000 sickened 15 people and resulted in one fatality, according to the Department of Public Health. More than three dozen confirmed cases have been reported on the island in the last five years.

Tularemia is caused by a bacterium found in animals, especially rodents and rabbits. Other species of animals can be infected, including raccoons, skunks, and cats.

"While landscapers should definitely take precautions, anyone working outside near lawn mowing or brush cutting activities should also be careful," Dr. Bela Matyas, DPH medical director for epidemiology, said in a statement.

Health officials said people on the island should seek medical help immediately if they develop fever or respiratory symptoms within seven days of breathing in dust, soil or grasses while landscaping. They should also seek medical help if they develop skin sores, swollen lymph glands or a rash after a tick bite.

Left untreated, about 7 percent of pneumonic tularemia cases in humans are fatal.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060730/ap_on_he_me/rabbit_fever_1

[LucyT]

Study shows hybrid of human-bird flu viruses didn't transmit well in animals

U.S. scientists who artificially engineered viruses containing genes from both the worrisome H5N1 avian flu virus and one that causes human flu found the resulting offspring failed to achieve the one feature H5N1 lacks to trigger a pandemic - transmissibility.
---
Flu viruses mutate constantly and it's not known whether more contemporary H5N1 viruses would come together with H3N2 viruses more readily, or with more alarming results.

"I want to stress that our results can't be generalized and they're only relevant for the viruses that we used in the study," Katz, a branch chief in CDC's influenza division.

Nor do they indicate how likely or unlikely H5N1 is to swap genes with H3N2 or H1N1 in nature, or how transmissible such naturally occurring reassortant viruses would be.

"I think it's an important paper (but) it doesn't tell us anything about the propensity to reassort, because the reassortants were made artificially," Peiris said.

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/health/060731/x073140.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Italy: (AGI) - Rome, Aug 1 - The health ministry bird flu crisis unit is ready to deal with the arrival of the first migratory flows which are expected by August 20,
---
"Bird flu is no longer an isolated disease but a well-established one that we must learn to live with. However, the Italians can feel safe. We are ready to deal with any emergency" the minister said.

http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200608011704-1163-RT1-CRO-0-NF82&page=0&id=agionline-eng.italyonline
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch authorities have detected a low-pathogenic bird flu strain in a poultry farm in the central region of Gelderse Vallei, the agriculture ministry said on Tuesday.

"This strain is much less dangerous than the strain that hit the Netherlands in 2003," the ministry said in a statement.

"But because it might mutate to a more aggressive form... we have closed the farm and launched regular monitoring."

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-01T114450Z_01_L01579617_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-DUTCH.xml&archived=False

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Bird flu still active in one Russian region
19:29 | 31/ 07/ 2006

MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) - The bird flu virus has not yet been eradicated in West Siberia's Tomsk Region, the Agriculture Ministry said Monday.

"As of July 31, bird flu was registered only in one Russian region, and no new outbreaks have been recorded since July 5," the ministry said in a news release.

The epidemic of the deadly virus broke out in 93 settlements in 11 southern regions, and in four Siberian regions this year, resulting in the deaths and cullings of about 1.5 million birds.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060731/52084177.html

[LucyT]

Six H5N1 Suspect Family Members Hospitalized in Karo Sumatra

The above translation describes six family members hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu symptoms. The family is from the Karo Regency, which is the location of the largest familial cluster in Indonesia.
---
The above report indicates chickens in the are have died and tested positive for H5N1. A second large outbreak in the same area is cause for concern. The H5N1 isolated from the previous cluster was similar to H5N1 from poultry in the area, but none of the human H5N1 sequences have been released.

However, a phylogenetic tree indicated the H5N1 was distinct from the human H5N1's from other cases in Indonesia.
http://www.recombinomics.com/News/08010604/H5N1_Karo_6.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three Indonesians in hospital, bird flu suspected

August 2, 2006

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Three Indonesian children have been hospitalised with suspected bird flu in a North Sumatran district where seven members of an extended family died from the disease in May, officials said on Wednesday.

The three -- two siblings aged 10 and six and their 18-month-old neighbour -- were admitted to the state-run Adam Malik hospital on Tuesday after showing symptoms of bird flu, said hospital director Luhur Suroso.

"We are testing samples taken from them," Suroso told Reuters. He declined to give further details.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/2/worldupdates/2006-08-02T101309Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-262052-1&sec=Worldupdates