Bird flu case in Mongolia

Written by Ulaanbaatar correspondent Friday, 30 June 2006
AVIAN FLU UPDATE, MONGOLIA: RESULTS OF ADDITIONAL CASE OF H5N1,
KHUNT NUUR, SAIKHAN SOUM, NORTHERN MONGOLIA, MAY 4, 2006.


US Embassy, Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia has reported one additional case of H5N1 Avian Influenza, in a wild whooper swan. The swan was found sick at Khunt Nuur, Saikhan Soum, on May 4 in Bulgan, a northern province, during surveillance activities by the Central Veterinary Laboratory. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture did an initial rapid test for H5 and sent a sample to the OIE reference laboratory at Hokkaido University in Tokyo for confirmation of H5N1. This was confirmed on May 29. Active surveillance has been implemented in the western and central parts of Mongolia following the main flyways of migratory birds. A total of 182 samples have been collected from birds belonging to 27 different wild species. The Government of Mongolia (GOM) has quarantined the area and has found no further dead birds. There have been no human cases of avian influenza in Mongolia.

The U.S. Embassy reminds U.S. citizens in Mongolia to review information about H5N1 Avian Influenza A, including suggested precautions, on the U.S. Department of State’s “Avian Flu Fact Sheet,” at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1181.html The State Department website includes answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s), and links to websites of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Guidance on how private citizens can prepare for a “stay in place” response to an avian flu pandemic or a variety of other emergencies is available on the websites of the CDC, the American Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (http://www.fema.gov) and http://pandemicflu.gov/ websites.