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[2] Date: Mon 10 Oct 2005 From: Christian Griot Source: EU press release MEMO/05/362, 10 Oct 2005 [edited]___________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Information on suspicion of avian influenza in Romania and Turkey ----------------------------------------------------------------- Romania In the evening of Fri 7 Oct 2005, the Commission services were informed of a suspicion of avian influenza (AI) in Romania. The suspicion has arisen in a backyard flock with 53 chickens/hens and 47 ducks located in the municipality of Ceamurlia-de-Jos in the Danube Delta region, at a distance of about 100 km from the border with Bulgaria. In this flock, 40 ducks and one chicken have died, while the other poultry (mainly chickens/hens) had no clinical signs of disease. All other poultry in the farm have already been killed and carcasses destroyed. Samples have been taken from 3 ducks and 2 chickens. ---------------------------------------- The ducks' blood samples have resulted positive for antibodies against AI virus, while the 2 chicken samples were negative. These findings alone do not lead to the confirmation of avian influenza virus infection (including highly pathogenic AI virus H5N1, that is, the virus strain circulating in Asia), in particular because the finding of antibodies in ducks cannot be considered as a rare event and could be due to prior infection with low pathogenic AI, while the ducks' deaths could be due to diseases other than AI. -------------------------------------- Samples from the dead ducks are also being tested for the detection of avian influenza virus (virus isolation test on embryonated eggs: highly pathogenic AI should kill the chicken embryos in 3-4 days) at the Romanian laboratory. After 4 days, as of Sun 9 Oct 2005, this test has not given any positive result so far; however, a "2nd passage" in eggs is now being performed. --------------------------------------- In relation to these findings, the Romanian authorities have undertaken strong actions, including the stamping-out of all poultry in the farm in which the ducks died and in several other backyard/family type farms in the surrounding, rigorous controls at the border of the "restricted zone" established around the suspected farm, disinfection, etc. ----------------------------------- Samples from some poultry and dead wild swans have been taken on Saturday [8 Oct 2005] in the village concerned and its surroundings and have been sent to the laboratory in Bucharest for testing. -------------------------------------- During the weekend [8-9 Oct 2005], the Romanian veterinary authorities have remained in close contact with the European Commission's services and asked for technical support and laboratory reagents. ---------------------------------------- A community expert team made of Jorgen Westergaard, former highly experienced Commission official (Deputy Head of Unit in SANCO E2), Ruth Manvell, from the Community Reference Laboratory for AI, Weybridge, UK, and Guus Koch, from the National Reference Laboratory for AI in the Netherlands is arriving in Bucharest today, 10 Oct 2005, bringing all necessary laboratory reagents requested by Romania. ------------------------------------------ It is expected that, by Wed 12 Oct 2005, the ongoing laboratory tests should confirm or exclude with a high degree of certainty the occurrence of AI; further tests indicating whether the virus is highly pathogenic or not and for the final characterization of the virus type would take 2 days more. ------------------------------------------- The European Commission will review the situation once these test results are received and will act immediately in accordance with the results. ______________________________________________________________ Turkey On Sun 9 Oct 2005, the European Commission's services have been informed of an outbreak of AI in an open-air turkey farm with 1800 turkeys, 1700 of which died after the 1st clinical signs were detected on 1 Oct 2005. All remaining birds in the farm have been killed and all carcasses destroyed. Disinfection has been applied. -------------------------------------------- The origin of the outbreak is unknown. The farm is located in the Region of Balikesir, in the north western part of Anatolia. ------------------------------------------ Laboratory tests (HI, ELISA and virus isolation on embryonated eggs) have resulted positive for the avian influenza virus, but the exact strain is not yet known, nor is it known whether the strain is of high or low pathogenic avian influenza. ------------------------------------------ The European Commission's services and the Community Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza have immediately offered assistance and laboratory support to the Turkish veterinary authorities. The Turkish authorities will probably send appropriate samples to the CRL, Weybridge, probably today, 10 Oct 2005. Final virus characterization will be available within 24/48 hours from arrival of samples in the laboratory. ----------------------------------------- In view of the positive results of the 1st laboratory tests for the isolation of avian influenza virus, the European Commission will today [10 Oct 2005] adopt a decision by emergency procedure to ban all imports of live birds and feathers from Turkey. Imports from Turkey of all other poultry products, with the exception of heat-treated meat, which treatment kills the AI virus, are already banned. ________________________________________________________________ -- ProMED-mail [The EU statement is a timely update of the disease situation in Romania and Turkey. Generally, the facts are in line with the summary included in posting 20051010.2950, based upon the information collected from newswires published since Sat 8 Oct 2005. --------------------------------------- Both Romania and Turkey have applied severe control measures in relation to the animal health situation; the Romanians, however, have reportedly decided to vaccinate thousands of people within the affected region. This is an exceptional precautionary step which needs explanation. If the news is correct, the background might be sought in their decision to follow the Dutch experience during the H7N7 outbreak there in 2003. The Dutch vaccinated with the then current (human) influenza vaccine (and applied prophylactic treatment with neuraminidase inhibitors to) all people exposed to infected poultry; they did not vaccinate poultry. Their reasoning was the wish to prevent possible mixed infections of humans by human and avian influenza viruses, which might lead to virus reassortment; see 20030501.1092. ------------------------------------------- A better view of the current situation and conclusions that will help further decisions, will, hopefully, become available after the visit of the EU mission to Romania and upon the completion of the OIE expert's mission to assess the avian influenza situation of wildlife in Russia, expected shortly (see 20051005.2906). Thus far, the role of migratory birds in the spread of H5N1 is a matter of debate. - Mod.AS]