Saturday, June 17, 2006

Is PEI flu H5N1?? from Canadian Press

PEI goose tests positive for avian flu virus

A domestic goose that died in western Prince Edward Island earlier this week tested positive for an H5 avian flu virus, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed yesterday.

Samples are being sent to CFIA's National Centre for Foreign Animal Diseases in Winnipeg so that confirmatory tests can be run.

The goose was part of a free-range flock of chickens, geese and ducks. Four of 11 geese were discovered dead on Monday. None of the other birds fell ill.

Jim Clark, CFIA's director of animal health, said there is no indication this virus is the virulent Asian H5N1.

Michael Tansey, a spokesman for the Public Health Agency of Canada called the PEI cases isolated and pointed out that they aren't the first in Canada.Canadian Press, Staff

Insurance for avian flu?

HOT TOPICS & ISSUES UPDATES
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
A current influenza outbreak, formally called H5N1 after two distinctive proteins on the flu virus (but commonly referred to as bird or avian flu), has so far mainly affected birds. In the last decade the virus has appeared in birds in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Viet Nam, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkey, Romania, England, and Canada. Six countries–Thailand, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Cambodia, China, and Turkey–have reported a total of 151 human cases of the H5N1 flu since December 2003. Eighty-two people have died, usually after being sick for a week or two at most. These people are thought to have caught the disease by contact with infected birds. There has been no known human-to-human transmission of the virus.
It is possible that the H5N1 virus could mutate so that it can pass much more easily from birds to humans and from there spread among humans. If that were to happen, public health experts warn that the disease could spread to kill 200,000 to 1.9 million people in the U.S., and 180 million to 360 million people world-wide.

Other strains of flu viruses that affect birds but not humans are also active. A recent outbreak at a poultry farm in Gonzales County, Texas prompted quarantine, the slaughter of more than 6,600 chickens and several international bans on importation of U.S. poultry, including into Mexico. According to the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/facts.htm), the strain found in Texas was not the H5N1 strain, and is not believed to be infectious for humans. However, it is highly contagious among certain kinds of birds and industry officials are worried the Texas strain could spread and kill entire flocks of chickens. The potential ramifications for U.S. insurers could be far-reaching and involve a number of complex tort issues.

Even if the H5N1 strain does not mutate to infect humans, the economic costs associated with avian flu strains could easily be in the billions if other countries, such as Mexico, impose bans on imported U.S. poultry and U.S. consumers avoid buying domestic poultry. Still, the economic costs are very different from the insurance costs. The following is an overview of potential types of insurance coverages and the exposures involved:
Potential Exposures If People Are Infected

Workers Compensation: Workers involved in the handling of poultry could be at risk. Because such an exposure is work-related, workers compensation coverage would apply. In most states workers compensation coverage is mandatory for all employers. However, farmers in some states under some circumstances are exempt from workers compensation statutes.

Tort-Related Exposures: If the infected poultry were found to have gotten into the food supply and people become ill as a result, litigation could ensue. Although a non-infected plaintiff may seek compensation for emotional distress from eating tainted poultry, fear of developing a disease is not normally compensable.

Negligence: If people do contract the H5N1 virus, it could be an avenue for a tort case, depending on the source of the infection. Eating meat from birds infected with the virus is not dangerous because it is not a food-borne illness and dies at high temperatures. But touching the birds may infect humans. The argument could be made, if the tainted poultry reaches the food supply, that the farmer, meat packer, processors, retailer/restaurant etc., were all negligent and caused (or suffered) economic damage. In that case, these parties would file suits against each other and against outside parties.

Business operation: Business might have difficulty operating in normal patterns because a large percentage of employees might be unable or unwilling to come to work for the duration of the outbreak and/or quarantine. Parents of school-age or younger children might want to (or be forced to) stay home with them, particularly if day care facilities close. Retail activity might shift strongly toward Internet- or phone-based shopping. Travel-related businesses might be severely affected.

Employee benefits: If people do contract the H5N1 virus and some die from it, experience-rated employer-sponsored health insurance, short-term disability income, and life insurance benefit plans could see greater than anticipated claims levels and incur substantial rate increases, at least temporarily. Retirement plans that provide death benefits would also have unexpected payouts and might experience liquidity problems.

Personal finance: If the disease hits families with children who have insufficient life and/or health insurance, they could face severe financial hardship.

Friday, June 16, 2006

China update avian flu: WHO


Avian influenza – situation in China – update 12

16 June 2006

The Ministry of Health in China has confirmed the country’s 19th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

The patient is a 31-year-old man employed as a truck driver in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, near the border with Hong Kong. He developed symptoms on 3 June and was hospitalized on 9 June. He remains hospitalized, in critical condition, with severe pneumonia.

Investigation of his source of infection is under way. Preliminary reports indicate the man visited a local market where live poultry are sold on several occasions prior to symptom onset. However, health authorities have not been able to determine whether he was exposed to infected poultry at that market or elsewhere. H5N1 infections in poultry have not been officially reported in the area.

Of the 19 laboratory-confirmed cases in China reported to date, 12 have been fatal.

Migrating birds


Official says bird flu spreading among migratory birds


China's chief veterinary officer on Thursday warned that bird flu is on the rise among migratory birds in China this year.

Jia Youling said in a statement to Xinhua that great progress has been made in China's fight against avian influenza this year, but the virus was killing a rising number of wild birds.

Jia, director of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture, said bird flu among migratory birds in China last year was only found near Qinghai Lake in the southwestern Qinghai province.

However, this year the scope had been enlarged to Jinzhou and Panjin cities in the northeastern Liaoning province, and to Yushu, Golog and Haibei prefectures in Qinghai, and Nagqu in Tibet Autonomous Region.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 1,168 migratory birds had been found dead in Qinghai and Tibet by June 1. The disease was striking more species of wild birds than last year.

Experts said these areas were all on bird migration routes between east Africa and west Asia.

Countries and regions on this route had reported outbreaks of avian influenza since July 2005, including Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, China, India and others, said experts.

Jia said the Ministry of Agriculture would target future supervision on the migration paths in China, especially on areas with a record of infection, and border and lake areas.

A nationwide immunization drive had also been launched in China's vast rural areas to contain the virus.

The ministry said 31 groups of inspectors had been dispatched to 248 villages in 62 counties around the country to study the effectiveness of previous immunization efforts. They found the measures had proved effective in rural areas.

The Ministry of Agriculture would study migration patterns of the wide birds to prepare for the epidemic controls in autumn, another peak migration season.

Source: Xinhua

Avian Flu Transmission

Fri Jun 16, 7:36 AM ET

HONG KONG (AFP) -

Bird flu

Bird flu may have become more virulent, increasing the risk to humans, Hong Kong's health chief has warned following the latest infection in a neighbouring Chinese city. On Thursday, China confirmed its 19th human case of bird flu, a 31-year-old man from the southern economic boom town of Shenzhen bordering Hong Kong who is critically ill in hospital. Health Secretary York Chow said Friday he was particularly worried about the latest H5N1 infection as it had occurred in a city-dweller with no history of close or prolonged contact with poultry.

The fact that the infection occurred in the summer, rather than the winter like most other outbreaks, was a further cause for concern, Chow said. "We have a suspicion, but we have not confirmed it yet, that the virus might have become more virulent and more widespread than we have expected. If that is the case, the risk for human to be infected in future is higher," he warned. Humans are believed to contract the virus mainly from direct contact with infected animals. Scientists fear a global pandemic if the virus mutates and becomes easily transmissible between humans.

Chow said the authorities would continue to monitor the situation for similar cases, warning there might be more outbreaks among poultry and human infections in the coming winter. The patient, a truck driver who remained critical in hospital, came down with fever and pneumonia-like symptoms on June 3. Test results released Thursday confirmed the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.</p> <p> Investigation found he visited a local market where live poultry was sold several times before he became ill.

None of the people who were in close contact with him had shown any symptoms, the authorities said. He was the 19th human to have contracted the strain in China. Twelve of those cases have been fatal.

Hong Kong has been particularly concerned about the case in Shenzhen as thousands of people cross the border daily from Shenzhen and Guangdong province. The Hong Kong government said it was maintaining temperature screening at immigration for all arrivals, with customs stepping up surveillance to combat smuggling of poultry into the territory.

Hong Kong was the scene of the world's first reported major bird flu outbreak among humans in 1997, when six people died and more than two million poultry were culled. But the southern Chinese territory has remained free of bird flu since early 2003 with stringent border control and reduction of the number of poultry imports from China.More than 120 people worldwide have died from bird flu since it re-emerged as a threat in 2003, with most of the victims in Asia.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Update Indonesia and China Avian Flu


Avian flu cases confirmed in Indonesia, China

Jun 15, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) today reported Indonesia's 50th human case of H5N1 avian influenza, while Chinese authorities said further tests have confirmed a case reported yesterday in a man from Guangdong province.

The WHO said the Indonesian Ministry of Health confirmed that a 7-year-old girl who died Jun 1 had the illness. She was the 38th Indonesian to succumb to the infection. The government's announcement followed confirmation of her case in a WHO-accredited laboratory, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report today.

The girl, from Tangerang district in Banten province, became ill on May 26 and was hospitalized May 30, the WHO said. Her 10-year-old brother died of a respiratory illness May 29, but the cause of his death is unknown because no samples were taken for testing before his burial, the agency said.

Investigators found "a history of chicken deaths in the household and neighborhood" before the girl got sick, the WHO said. Testing of surviving family members and close contacts has uncovered no more cases.

I Nyoman Kandun of the health ministry said initial tests in the girl's case, run at a laboratory in Hong Kong, were negative, but another sample was sent for testing, according to the AFP report.

In China, health officials said test results today confirmed avian flu in a 31-year-old man from the southern city of Shenzen, according to another AFP report. Initial news reports on the man's case yesterday said he had tested positive in a Shenzen lab and that samples had been sent to China's Ministry of Health for confirmatory testing.

The health ministry said the man, surnamed Jiang, had fallen ill with fever and pneumonia-like symptoms on Jun 3, according to AFP. His case is China's 19th, of which 12 have been fatal. The WHO has not yet included the case in its official count, which stands at 226 cases with 129 deaths since late 2003.

According to AFP, the health ministry said the man had repeatedly visited a market where live poultry were sold before he got sick. Officials said close contacts of the man have been under observation and none have been ill so far.

The man's case has raised alarm in nearby Hong Kong. The city's health secretary, York Chow, today announced a 3-week ban on poultry imports from the mainland, AFP reported.

In other news, the Jakarta Post reported today that many people across Indonesia are refusing to support the government's program to contain avian flu, resisting government orders to kill poultry in outbreak areas.

Residents of the Karo district in North Sumatra, where the largest known family cluster of cases occurred in May, yesterday protested a decree that all poultry within 1 km of an outbreak must be culled, the newspaper reported.

"We reject the decree because we don't believe our fowl have caught bird flu," one demonstrator was quoted as saying.

In Gowa regency in South Sulawesi, thousands of chickens have been dying daily, with random testing pointing to avian flu in most cases, the Post reported. Residents burn the dead birds, but they leave the survivors alone, allowing the disease to spread, the story said.

"I don't want to kill the rest of my chickens because the government has not promised me any compensation," one resident told the newspaper.

The story said the government has allocated about US $3.3 million to compensate people for culled poultry, which works out to a per-chicken payment well below the market price.

See also:

Jun 15 WHO statement on Indonesian case
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_06_15/en/index.html

Family planning revisited

FROM THE CDC WEBSITE:

Overview

As you plan, it is important to think about the challenges that you might face, particularly if a pandemic is severe. It may take time to find the answers to these challenges. Below are some situations that could be caused by a severe pandemic and possible ways to address them. A checklist and fill-in sheets for family health information and emergency contact information have been prepared to help guide your planning and preparation.

Checklist, Guide, and Information Sheets


* Pandemic Flu Planning Checklist for Individuals and Families [Personal Planning Checklist] [PDF - 121KB]
Pronto pondremos a su disposición esta información en español.
* Family Emergency Health Information Sheet [PDF - 122KB]
* Emergency Contacts Form [PDF - 63KB]
* Pandemic Influenza Planning: Guide for Individuals and Families [PDF - 251KB]
The Guide contains the information found in the above three links, and related background information.



Social Disruption May Be Widespread


* Plan for the possibility that usual services may be disrupted. These could include services provided by hospitals and other health care facilities, banks, stores, restaurants, government offices, and post offices.
* Prepare backup plans in case public gatherings, such as volunteer meetings and worship services, are canceled.
* Consider how to care for people with special needs in case the services they rely on are not available.



Being Able to Work May Be Difficult or Impossible


* Find out if you can work from home.
* Ask your employer about how business will continue during a pandemic. (A Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist is available at www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/businesschecklist.html.)
* Plan for the possible reduction or loss of income if you are unable to work or your place of employment is closed.
* Check with your employer or union about leave policies.



Schools May Be Closed for an Extended Period of Time


* Help schools plan for pandemic influenza. Talk to the school nurse or the health center. Talk to your teachers, administrators, and parent-teacher organizations.
* Plan home learning activities and exercises. Have materials, such as books, on hand. Also plan recreational activities that your children can do at home.
* Consider childcare needs.



Transportation Services May Be Disrupted


* Think about how you can rely less on public transportation during a pandemic. For example, store food and other essential supplies so you can make fewer trips to the store.
* Prepare backup plans for taking care of loved ones who are far away.
* Consider other ways to get to work, or, if you can, work at home.



People Will Need Advice and Help at Work and Home


* Think about what information the people in your workplace will need if you are a manager. This may include information about insurance, leave policies, working from home, possible loss of income, and when not to come to work if sick. (A Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist is available at www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/businesschecklist.html.)
* Meet with your colleagues and make lists of things that you will need to know and what actions can be taken.
* Find volunteers who want to help people in need, such as elderly neighbors, single parents of small children, or people without the resources to get the medical help they will need.
* Identify other information resources in your community, such as mental health hotlines, public health hotlines, or electronic bulletin boards.
* Find support systems—people who are thinking about the same issues you are thinking about. Share ideas.



Be Prepared

Stock a supply of water and food. During a pandemic you may not be able to get to a store. Even if you can get to a store, it may be out of supplies. Public waterworks services may also be interrupted. Stocking supplies can be useful in other types of emergencies, such as power outages and disasters. Store foods that:

* are nonperishable (will keep for a long time) and don’t require refrigeration
* are easy to prepare in case you are unable to cook
* require little or no water, so you can conserve water for drinking

See a checklist of items to have on hand for an extended stay at home.

Handwashing revisited to prevent flu transmission



There's the rub...


Handwashing. We have been told to do it since we were tiny children. We know we need to wash our hands before we eat or after we use the restroom. Handwashing is an extremely effective way of preventing colds and flu, but only when done effectively and only when done on a frequent basis. Children today are taught to sing the verses of "Row, Row, Row your boat" or of the alphabet song " A,B,C,D,E,F,G..." in order to promote handwashing for the proper amount of time.

From the CDC website:
The most important thing that you can do to keep from getting sick is to wash your hands.

By frequently washing your hands you wash away germs that you have picked up from other people, or from contaminated surfaces, or from animals and animal waste.

What happens if you do not wash your hands frequently?
You pick up germs from other sources and then you infect yourself when you

* Touch your eyes
* Or your nose
* Or your mouth.

One of the most common ways people catch colds is by rubbing their nose or their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with the cold virus.

You can also spread germs directly to others or onto surfaces that other people touch. And before you know it, everybody around you is getting sick.

The important thing to remember is that, in addition to colds, some pretty serious diseases -- like hepatitis A, meningitis, and infectious diarrhea -- can easily be prevented if people make a habit of washing their hands.

When should you wash your hands?
You should wash your hands often. Probably more often than you do now because you can't see germs with the naked eye or smell them, so you do not really know where they are hiding.

It is especially important to wash your hands

* Before, during, and after you prepare food
* Before you eat, and after you use the bathroom
* After handling animals or animal waste
* When your hands are dirty, and
* More frequently when someone in your home is sick.


What is the correct way to wash your hands?

* First wet your hands and apply liquid or clean bar soap. Place the bar soap on a rack and allow it to drain.
* Next rub your hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces.
* Continue for 10 - 15 seconds or about the length of a little tune. It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove germs.
* Rinse well and dry your hands.

It is estimated that one out of three people do not wash their hands after using the restroom. So these tips are also important when you are out in public.

I now carry the liquid hand sanitizer in my car, as well as antibacterial baby type wipes. After going to the bank, the grocery store or the pharmacy, I wash my hands before staring to drive. Since I wear glasses, I am very conscious now of how often my hands go my face, and I have increased my handwashing in response to this.

The other place I am becoming a little obsessive about cleanliness is at work. I work with many other people coming in contact with the surfaces that I touch. I start out my workday, by cleaning the phone, the computer and keyboard, the desk and other items that I know I will be touching throughout my shift. I place a fresh box of Kleenex on the desk, so everyone can use and cover the sneezes or coughs. (If you do not have tissue, the proper way to cough is into your elbow area, not into your hands. Your hand will take the germs from your cough and pass it to the next surface they touch). To clean surfaces at work I use an antibacterial wipe that comes prepackaged in individual packs, but any good cleanser and rubbing will reduce the germs markedly. Good way just to prevent colds from spreading. Dont't forget wash your hands frequently!

Cytokine storm in avian flu


New evidence of cytokine storm in avian flu cases
Jun 14, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – Scientists in Hong Kong have reported new experimental evidence that avian influenza infections in human cells are more likely to trigger a destructive immune-system overreaction, or "cytokine storm," than human flu viruses are.

Writing in the July 1 Journal of Infectious Diseases, the researchers report that two avian flu viruses, a 1997 strain of H5N1 and a 1997 H9N2 strain, caused immune system cells in lab cultures to produce much greater levels of certain chemokines (a class of cytokine, or messenger protein) than such cells did when infected with an ordinary human flu virus.

"In general, the chemokines and chemokine-receptor responses of MDMs [monocyte-derived macrophages, a type of immune cell] to avian influenza viruses were much stronger than those to human virus, which may account for the high pathogenicity of avian viruses," the report states.

In addition, the H5N1 strain caused immune cells from adults to produce higher levels of certain cytokines than similar cells from newborn babies did. The authors say that finding may help explain why Hong Kong's human H5N1 outbreak in 1997 killed 5 of 9 infected adults (older than 12) but only 1 of 9 infected children. That sharp difference in adult and child mortality rates has not been seen in the current wave of H5N1 cases dating to late 2003.

Scientists have suggested that the cytokine storm played a role in the high death rate in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and is playing a similar role in human cases of H5N1 infection today. Autopsies of H5N1 avian flu victims in Vietnam and elsewhere have revealed lungs choked with debris from excessive inflammation triggered by the virus. Similar severe lung damage was frequently reported in victims of the 1918 pandemic, which disproportionately killed people with the strongest immune systems—young, healthy adults.

The new study was conducted by a University of Hong Kong team that has previously reported experimental evidence of a cytokine storm in H5N1 avian flu. The team includes J. S. Malik Peiris and, as first author, Jianfang Zhou.

In view of the severe lung damage caused by H5N1 in humans, the team decided to measure the expression of four chemokines and two chemokine receptors induced in MDM cells by avian and human flu viruses. They also sought to compare the chemokine production induced by these viruses in adult-derived MDMs and in neonatal MDMs derived from umbilical cord blood.

Three viruses were used: a strain from the 1997 human outbreak in Hong Kong, a 1997 strain of H9N2 from quail, and a 1998 strain of H1N1 human flu from Hong Kong. The H9N2 virus is a precursor of the H5N1 virus, with which it shares six internal proteins, the report says. Because of the safety risks involved in working with H5N1 viruses, the team first did the experiment with the H9N2 virus and then repeated it with the H5N1 virus in a biosafety level 3 facility.

The investigators found that all three viruses replicated at similar rates in both adult and neonatal MDMs, as indicated by similar numbers of viral matrix gene copies in the cells. That suggested that differences in chemokine production are not due to greater growth of the avian viruses.

The MDMs generally showed much greater chemokine responses to the avian flu viruses than to the human flu virus, and the differences were often greater for the adult MDMs than the neonatal MDMs, the report says.

For example, the adult MDM responses to the H5N1 strain were roughly 20-fold greater than their responses to the H1N1 virus. For one particular chemokine, called CCL3, the increase for adult MDMs was about 25-fold, but for neonatal MDMs, it was significantly lower—less than 10-fold, as shown on a graph in the report. For the other three measured chemokines, the responses of adult MDMs to H5N1 also exceeded those of the neonatal MDMs, but the differences were smaller.

Also, compared with the H1N1 virus, the H5N1 virus caused adult MDMs to express 6- to7-fold greater levels of the two chemokine receptors (CCR1 and CCR5). But the H5N1 strain induced no significant increase in expression of chemokine receptors by the neonatal MDMs.

"We have demonstrated that human MDMs have differential responses to human influenza virus H1N1/98 and avian viruses H9N2/G1 and H5N1/97, in spite of their similar infectivity and viral replication," the authors write. "Moreover, stronger chemokine and chemokine-receptor responses to avian influenza viruses were detected in adult MDMs than in neonatal MDMs."

They add that the higher CCL3 response to H5N1 by adult MDMs, as compared with neonatal MDMs, may be "one of the important factors" in the higher adult mortality rate in Hong Kong's 1997 outbreak. They note that higher levels of CCL3, along with several other chemokines, have been found in plasma from people who died of H5N1 disease than in people who survived it.

Overall, the authors conclude, "These data suggest that host factors may influence the disease process or outcome."

The latest findings parallel evidence that Peiris and colleagues reported last November concerning the cytokine storm hypothesis. In that study, lung cells growing in a lab culture reacted much more intensely to two strains of H5N1 virus than to an ordinary human flu virus (see link below).

Zhou J, Law HKW, Cheung CY, et al. Differential expression of chemokines and their receptors in adult and neonatal macrophages infected with human or avian influenza viruses. J Infect Dis 2006 Jul 1;194:61-70 [Abstract]

See also:

Nov 16, 2005, CIDRAP News story "Lab study supports idea of 'cytokine storm' in H5N1 flu"




Wednesday, June 14, 2006


HK bird flu experts head for Shenzhen


Hong Kong medical and veterinary experts will go to Shenzhen City in south China's Guangdong Province to gather more information on the human case of avian influenza there, a Hong Kong official said Wednesday.

Hong Kong Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow said the case is worrying and could see the suspension of live Mainland chicken imports for three weeks if confirmed.

He added that what concerns health authorities most is that the patient has no specific history of close contact with poultry, similar to two previous cases in Shanghai and Guangdong. Repeated cases on the Mainland may mean there might be some "silent infections" among poultry, which might carry the virus while not showing symptoms.

Chow assured that Hong Kong has all the tools and mechanisms to detect human avian flu and contain it.

"We should not panic, but at the same time we should be cautious," said Chow.

The Hong Kong delegation will discuss the case with Mainland authorities later Wednesday, and share information on epidemiological, laboratory and animal investigation findings, as well as clinical treatment of the case.

Hong Kong Department of Health will continue temperature checks at boundary checkpoints, and accidents and emergency wards have been reminded to step up monitoring of unknown sources of pneumonia.

The Health Bureau of Shenzhen City on Tuesday reported a suspected case of human infection of bird flu. the 31-year-old man is still in critical condition.

Secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China Li Hongzhong on Tuesday announced a second-degree emergency precaution scheme against bird flu in the city.

Source: Xinhua

US employers need to prep for bird flu




Press release distributed in partnership with ...
Employers Not Prepared for Avian Flu, Survey Finds

American businesses are ill-prepared for the potentially devastating effects of a global avian flu pandemic, according to a new survey by Thompson Publishing Group.

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB via HRMarketer) June 14, 2006 -- American businesses are ill-prepared for the potentially devastating effects of a global avian flu pandemic, according to a new survey by Thompson Publishing Group. The survey found that 76% of the 468 respondents have no contingency plan for an avian flu outbreak, even though 47% said senior management considers the issue important.

“Moderate estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that up to 25% of the workforce could be lost in a pandemic,” says John Ortman, Thompson’s editor in chief. “This should spur companies to protect against an outbreak.” However, of the 63% of the survey respondents who reported having a business continuity plan, only about one-quarter of them have contingencies for a possible avian flu outbreak.

What are employers worried about? Human resources-related issues (72%) and remote work agreements (48%) are the areas of greatest concern in developing a plan. Other concerns include IT/data processing (41%) and coordination with state and local governments (35%). IT issues may be less important, according to Ortman, because IT contingency plans are already in place in most large and medium-sized business and in the public sector.

Of the 225 people known to be infected with the virus as of June 6, 2006, 128 have died, according to the WHO. Although the virus has mostly spread to humans through contact with infected birds, the possibility of the virus mutating and transmitting human-to-human has health authorities concerned. The World Bank believes that the economic consequences of a pandemic will be severe, costing the global community an estimated $800 billion a year. The U.S. cost alone could top $625 billion.

“For employers, this means a contingency plan could be essential to their survival,” Ortman says. “Developing programs to cross-train employees, creating telecommuting policies and revising sick leave allowances are recommended ways for an employer to prepare.”

Thompson Publishing Group, a Washington, D.C.-based information services provider, has been a leading source of analysis and guidance for business and government executives since 1972. Professionals rely on Thompson for help in tracking, and complying with, the dynamic regulatory mandates facing their organizations in a variety of areas including human resources; pensions and benefits; grants seeking and grants management; education, including Title I; FDA; environment and energy; and health care.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

New avian flu case in China


Shenzhen man may have bird flu
(Xinhua)

Updated: 2006-06-14 06:07

Shenzhen health officials yesterday reported a new human case of suspected bird flu.

The victim was identified as a 31-year-old man surnamed Jiang, who was listed in critical condition last night.

He began complaining of fever, coughing and back pain on June 3 and was admitted to Shenzhen People's Hospital last Friday, according to authorities in the Guangdong Province city in China's south.

The Shenzhen Center for Disease Control said Jiang tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus. The Guangdong provincial health bureau then reported the case to the Ministry of Health for verification.

The patient was transferred to the city's Donghu Hospital yesterday for advanced treatment after his body temperature measured 40 degrees Celsius.

Medical staff were disinfecting all possible contamination sites in the city.

If state health officials confirm the preliminary diagnose, Jiang would become China's 19th human case of the disease. Twelve of the victims have died.

Ukraine bird flu cases



Archive Number 20060613.1646
Published Date 13-JUN-2006
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (136) - Ukraine


AVIAN INFLUENZA (136) - UKRAINE
*********************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Mon 12 Jun 2006
From: Mary Marshall
Source: Reuters Alertnet, 12 Jun 2006 [edited]



1st bird flu cases in northern Ukraine
-------------------------------------------
Teams of veterinarians have been sent to destroy domestic poultry in
northern Ukraine after the 1st appearance of bird flu in the region,
Interfax Ukraine news agency reported on Monday [12 Jun 2006].

Avian flu had previously been detected late last year [2005] in the Crimea
peninsula, a major stopover point on migratory routes, jutting into the
Black Sea in southern Ukraine.

Interfax, quoting Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry, said 77 specialists had
been sent along with police to a village in Sumy region, near the border
with Russia, after cases were noted on Sunday [11 Jun 2006]. Plans called
for 7200 birds to be destroyed.

It said villagers had been offered compensation.

The dispatch, however, made no mention of whether the virus detected was
the deadly H5N1 type, as was found in Crimea. Previous instances of bird
flu in Ukraine have required further checks at laboratories in western Europe.

Specialized teams of sanitary workers destroyed well over 200 000 birds
after the outbreak in Crimea. No human cases were recorded.

Ukraine's authorities have said that the outbreak was brought under control
but have predicted further difficulties during the passage of migratory
birds through the country this year [2006].

--
ProMED-mail

HELP FOR AVIAN INFLUENZA RESEARCH


The Threat Of Avian Flu
Dr. Luc Montagnier 06.07.06
Paris -

The epidemic of avian flu in poultry does not appear to be fully controlled in Southeast Asia and in some Eastern European countries such as Romania.

Further, the risk of human-to-human transmission of the unmutated avian virus already exists and should not be underestimated. Consider the evidence: In Indonesia, an entire family was decimated by the virus--and without any record of contact with contaminated birds. Because time is working against us, we must prepare all of our defenses now.

Scientists, international institutions, governments and pharmaceutical companies have been working hard to identify effective solutions. But the current focus is on only two areas: discovering a new preventive vaccine and relying on inhibitory drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza.

Given a worst-case scenario--the mutation of this virus, rendering it highly transmissible from human to human--is this enough?

Our past history with epidemics, from the Spanish flu of 1918 (which killed millions) to AIDS, requires us to consider some complementary approaches.

HIV has a remarkable ability to mutate, which allows it to escape a single course of treatment and makes the hunt for effective vaccines more difficult. In fact, initial efforts to use a single drug to control the virus were complete failures. We learned that the only way to control the virus's multiplication and improve the condition of infected patients was to combine three drugs acting on the virus at different levels.

If we apply this lesson to avian flu, it means we need to combine several inhibitors acting differently to make the emergence of resistant mutants much more difficult, protect those not yet ill and help cure patients who have been exposed to the virus.

Recent studies of the reconstructed Spanish flu virus have unraveled the molecular basis for its high virulence. Unlike other strains, this virus was able to induce a fulminant pneumonia, killing healthy young adults within three days. Its aggressiveness seems to be due in part to the neutralization, by a viral protein, of a very important natural defense mechanism against viruses: interferons.

Interferons are made by our cells and represent the first line of defense against viruses. The body mobilizes them within hours of the first exposure to a virus. The H5N1 avian virus, like the Spanish flu virus, appears to possess the potential to neutralize interferons by a specific viral protein.

This is the race we have to win: to sufficiently mobilize the interferon system early enough so it will knock out the virus multiplication before the virus launches its dangerous missile against interferons.

One prime candidate for this task already exists. It's a substance called Alferon LDO (low-dose oral), the Hemispherx Biopharma (amex: HEB - news - people ) version of the body's systemic alpha interferons, prepared from blood cells obtained at transfusion centers. An injected form of Alferon, already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is currently being used in the treatment of a certain viral infection and has the potential to act on native avian virus as well as on its humanized form.

It's time to pick up the mantle and protect those most at risk before they are stricken with the avian flu virus: health care personnel, farmers and poultry workers.

Think of it in these terms: What do we have to lose? Countless lives across the globe. What do we have to gain? A population safe from a virulent strain of avian flu. Any immediate measures will also help buy time to develop an efficient vaccine that can be made generally accessible.

We have the skills, the experience and the resources to meet this new challenge. In the best traditions of science, history and humanity, let's resolve to work together, draw on what we know and find a solution.

And let's do it now.

Dr. Luc Montagnier is the co-discoverer of the AIDS virus and HIV. He is President of the Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention. He serves as an unpaid adviser on the Scientific Advisory Board of Hemispherx Biopharma, which discovered Alferon.

FOSTER FARMS BIRD FLU INFO FROM WEBSITE




Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) FAQ

At Foster Farms, the safety and quality of our poultry products are our highest priorities. We realize that the current news about Avian Influenza (H5N1) may have you concerned and seeking good information. For your reassurance and interest, we have answered frequently asked questions about Avian Influenza below. We are also available to respond to your questions through our hotline, 1-800-255-7227, and to provide you additional resources for further research.
Basic Information about Avian Influenza

There are many different strains of influenza, all generally specific in their ability to infect animals, birds, or humans. The strain of Asian bird influenza that has been in the news, H5N1, is a highly pathogenic form of avian influenza that does not currently, nor has it ever, existed in the United States. At Foster Farms, we treat any potential threat to our flocks very seriously and have stringent bio-security plans in place to protect our birds from the introduction of any disease, including any form of avian influenza. Our poultry husbandry programs and procedures are far more modern and sophisticated than the poultry practices used in the villages of Asia, where the virus first appeared. However, because we take any threat to health and well being of our poultry seriously, Foster Farms is working closely with our poultry industry partners, animal and human health agencies in the state to monitor birds in California as well as throughout United States for any sign of the virus. In the unlikely event of an introduction of H5N1 into the United States, the early detection and quick response systems developed through this cooperation will protect our flocks and provide quick control of the virus.
What is Bird Flu?

"Bird Flu" is the common name for a specific avian influenza virus, H5N1, plaguing Asia at this time. It is a respiratory disease of birds that is caused by the virus. Influenza viruses are, by nature, species-specific i.e. avian viruses infect birds, human viruses infect people. There have been rare occasions when humans have been infected after having very close physical contact with infected birds.
How serious is Avian Influenza?

There are several different types of avian influenza. The milder forms occur routinely around the world just as human influenza occurs yearly. The more serious form is termed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) because the disease is much more severe in birds, and it results in high mortality in poultry flocks. The bird flu occurring right now in Asia is an HPAI virus identified as H5N1.

Of the millions of people potentially exposed to the virus throughout Asia only a small number have been infected, and those by direct contact with infected live birds. Thus the threat of humans catching the disease directly from other humans is at this time quite rare, if not non-existent, because the virus in its current form has not changed into one that could easily be contracted by humans.
Will poultry be a likely source of a human AI pandemic in the United States?

The form of the avian influenza virus that could cause a pandemic does not exist today anywhere in the world. The "bird flu" H5N1 virus would have to mutate or change significantly from what it is today to gain the ability to cause a pandemic. As deadly as it is to poultry in Asia today, it cannot cause a pandemic in its current form.

Experts agree that if a human pandemic were to occur from this disease, the most likely source of transmission would be from human-to-human contact most likely occurring through difficult-to-control, international travel.
Can humans get avian influenza from other humans?

It is possible for a human to acquire the H5N1 HPAI virus from another infected human if there is extremely close contact. However, scientists say that the virus has not yet developed the ability to pass easily from human to human, and human-to-human transmission is extremely unlikely.
Can I get any form of Avian Influenza from eating chicken, turkey or other poultry products?

No. Health agencies throughout the world agree it is not possible to get Avian Influenza from eating properly prepared poultry.
Do your poultry products come from chickens that have AI?

No. The avian influenza virus that is infecting flocks in Asia does not exist in the U.S., nor has it ever. All Foster Farms products are grown locally throughout the West Coast on farms that we watch over closely to ensure the safety of each bird. Because avian influenza H5N1 has never existed in the U.S., our poultry products have not ever been exposed to this virus.
Does Foster Farms use poultry imported from countries outside the United States?

No. Foster Farms poultry products are always grown locally on farms in the United States.
Can I get Avian Influenza from handling raw Foster Farms products?

No. Foster Farms birds have never been exposed to the H5N1 virus and the company has stringent biosecurity safeguards in place to protect their birds from an unlikely introduction.

More importantly the United States does not have the H5N1 HPAI virus and does not import poultry from the countries where known outbreaks of AI have occurred.
What is Foster Farms doing to protect its birds and to prevent spread of the disease?

Foster Farms makes every effort to protect its birds from introduction to any disease. The company's animal welfare and preventative health programs are among the best in the industry, and the company continuously updates its procedures to assure that its birds are well-protected and treated.

Foster Farms is always vigilant in its own systems to detect and prevent avian diseases from wherever they may originate. To further protect the health of its poultry and ensure the safety of its products, Foster Farms has long employed strict and increasingly sophisticated practices on its farms based on the following bio-security principles:

Isolation of poultry farms - poultry flocks are isolated from all other animals during the entire time they are grown on the farm. Waterfowl and other wildlife are prevented from entering any poultry houses. Workers raising the poultry wear protective and sanitized clothing.

Traffic Control - in order to prevent outside contamination, only necessary traffic is allowed to enter premises where poultry are present. Only authorized personnel under controlled circumstances may visit both the farms and the processing plants.

Sanitation - all equipment and vehicle traffic entering farms are cleaned and disinfected upon entry and exit.

Care - a highly nutritious and complete feeding program designed by a specialist in poultry nutrition, along with clean, sanitary drinking water are continually available to promote good health. The most modern husbandry practices and housing restrict the exposure of birds to poultry pathogens such as Avian Influenza. Two veterinarians, board-certified in poultry medicine, are employed full time by Foster Farms to ensure the highest level of biosecurity is maintained and preventative health programs are in place to optimize flock health.

Depopulation and eradication - in the unlikely event that a flock is exposed to significant disease, the farm site would be immediately quarantined and controlled with the assistance and guidance of the USDA, state agricultural officials, and local agencies. Any disposal of infected birds would involve humane euthanasia guidelines and they would not be used for human consumption. A new flock of birds would not be reintroduced to the farm until it was thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and tested for the presence of the virus by USDA.

Foster Farms is committed to providing premium quality poultry products that are healthy, delicious and safe.
How does Foster Farms test its flocks to ensure that they are not infected with AI?

Foster Farms' avian medicine specialists have a regular and consistent program of testing to ensure flock health. Poultry flocks raised by Foster Farms are blood tested for avian influenza before they are processed.
Additional Resources

If you would like to find out more about avian influenza, these sites may also be of interest:

* National Chicken Council
* USDA
* World Health Organization
* Centers for Disease Control
* National Turkey Federation
* www.avianinfluenzainfo.com
* www.pandemicflu.gov
* Food safety & security

Samples negative for bird flu so far


.S. Bird Flu Samples Test Negative
USAgNet - 06/13/2006

Several thousand samples from both live and subsistence-hunted birds in Alaska have so far tested negative for the avian flu virus, according to government officials.

Scientists from federal, state and local governments are cooperating in a nationwide survey to see if wild migratory birds may have brought the disease to the North American continent. The plan is to sample between 75,000 and 100,000 wild birds around the country.

Most of the sampling will be done in Alaska, considered a migratory crossroads for birds traveling between Asia and the Lower 48.

Spokesman Bruce Woods said agencies under the Department of the Interior have collected samples from more than 4,000 birds in Alaska, mostly subsistence hunted fowl.

Just under half of those samples have been tested at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis., and none has shown any trace of the highly pathogenic virus.

Spokeswoman Gail Keirn with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the department has have collected almost 700 samples so far and all have tested negative for the virus. Those tests are being conducted at USDA certified veterinary labs around the country and the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colo.

The goal is to sample 19,000 live and hunter-killed birds in Alaska this year and collect another 1,500 fecal samples from wetlands where large numbers of birds mingle.

Scientists hope to test at least 200 samples each from 28 different species that are considered the most likely to be carriers of the virus and the most practical to sample.


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Cats and bird flu



Debate over pets' role in spread of avian flu
No cases passed yet by dogs or cats, but experts want study

Bernadette Tansey, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, June 12, 2006


If the bird flu virus arrives in the United States on the wings of migrating wildfowl, pet owners may need to take special precautions to protect their household members -- both human and animal.

No case has been reported anywhere in the world of a human being infected by a cat or dog, but researchers are calling for heightened study of the question before a potentially deadly avian flu virus extends its global reach.

Scientists are looking at animals in general as possible contributors to the spread of the dangerous H5N1 virus that originated in birds in Asia. Pigs raised close to infected poultry, or wild animals living near sick migratory birds, might help the virus break out of the bird population and invade mammal populations in farms or forests.

But health authorities are also looking at pets because they often live a dual life -- roaming outdoors, chasing birds and then returning home to nuzzle and play with people. Cats have caught the H5N1 virus by eating infected birds, though the reported cases are rare. So far, most experts think the risk is very low that pets could pass the disease to humans. But they can't say for sure.

"Cats can serve as an intermediary to move the virus from essentially a wild bird environment into people's houses,'' said Walter Boyce at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Health authorities say the most likely scenario would place any risk of infection solely with the pets. People who live near an outbreak of the virus in birds may need to keep their cat or dog indoors for a time, just to protect the animal from getting sick. But other scientists say pets can't be dismissed as possible carriers of the virus into the human population. They also speculate that cats or other animals could incubate an H5N1 strain that would be better equipped to infect mammals, including humans.

So far, the H5N1 virus is still primarily a bird disease that can devastate poultry flocks, but is hard for people to catch. Of the 225 people infected since 2003, almost all have been in close contact with stricken birds. The virus does not appear to have gained genetic traits to ease its direct transmission from person to person. That's the feared mutation that could touch off a deadly human pandemic, making the lethal bird virus as easy to catch as the ordinary winter flu.

But the disease's death rate is so high, even in its current form as a bird-borne virus, that scientists are examining every other possible route by which it could infect people -- even if that route seems unlikely. Of the 225 cases in humans, 128 have died, according to the World Health Organization.

Cat species have come under particular scrutiny because they are known to be vulnerable to H5N1 infection. Tigers and leopards in Thailand zoos died in 2004 after they ate infected raw chickens. By the same route, cats have caught the disease and died in scattered cases in Germany, Iraq and possibly in other countries.

Much less is known about the bird flu's possible impact on dogs. The American Veterinary Medical Association says a single unpublished paper from a health agency in Bangkok noted that dogs can be infected with the virus, but they don't seem to get sick.

The close, affectionate contact between many pets and their owners makes them a candidate for the study of disease transmission. "I know people who get woken up because the cat's lying on top of their nose,'' Boyce said.

Right now, the risk that an animal in the United States will contract the virus by hunting birds is near zero, because the virus hasn't been detected here.

In countries where the virus has arrived, no human infections have been linked to the cats that sickened or died of the disease. At this point, U.S. and world health authorities say it's unlikely that cats will infect people.

"We don't believe that cats pose a risk to humans at this time,'' said Ben Sun, a public health veterinarian with the California Department of Health Services. "But we have so little information that we can't make a confident recommendation that they do not pose any risk.''

A team of scientists from the Netherlands raised a stir in April when they accused government health agencies of doing too little to monitor the presence of H5N1 in cats, dogs and other carnivores. Officials shouldn't downplay the risk to humans when so many questions remain unanswered, said virologists Thijs Kuiken and Albert Osterhaus and their colleagues in a commentary in the science journal Nature.

The research team reported that cats can pass the virus to each other and can also shed virus particles before they show symptoms. Fortunately, cats release far fewer virus particles than chickens, which may make them much less efficient transmitters of the disease. Whether asymptomatic cats or dogs could infect people is still an open question.

That said, the biggest worry about H5N1 is that the virus will mutate into a form that passes easily from one person to another. That's the critical step that scientists fear could unleash a pandemic killing millions worldwide, and that crucial modification, say the virologists in the Netherlands, could take place in a cat or other host animal.

Some scientists postulate that pigs are the mammals most likely to incubate a human-adapted pandemic virus. In Asian countries where bird flus in the past have evolved into human influenza strains, pigs are often kept in close proximity to poultry and people. A pig might simultaneously become infected with a deadly bird virus and an ordinary human-adapted seasonal influenza, the theory goes. Viruses in the same host have the ability to swap genes, so the bird flu could acquire genes that make it easily transmissible from person to person.

If those key mutations occur, in no matter what host, it would be people -- not animals -- who would become the most effective vehicles spreading the disease worldwide, as they cram into commuter trains or hop on jets to other countries.

"Then we may be the ones spreading it to the cats,'' said Bruno Chomel, a UC Davis expert on zoonoses, the study of the role of animals in disease transmission.

No vaccine against H5N1 is available at doctors' offices, although the government has ordered a stockpile of experimental vaccines that it would carefully dole out in the event of a U.S. outbreak in people. In addition, antiviral drugs like Tamiflu might alleviate symptoms of avian flu.

Although experts aren't able to give definitive answers about the possible role of pets in bird flu transmission, Boyce at the UC Davis veterinary school wants cat and dog owners to learn about the issue now. Then they can take appropriate precautions, he said, but avoid wild overreactions if and when the bird flu arrives here.

Boyce fears that Americans will act on the same fearful impulse that led scores of Europeans to surrender their cats unnecessarily to overwhelmed animal shelters. Authorities had only ad- vised cat owners to keep their cats inside in regions where the bird flu had cropped up in wildfowl.

"What I hope will not happen is that people will abandon their animals because they're afraid of them,'' Boyce said.

Even if no risk of pet-to-human transmission ever proves real, cat owners can guard against the known risk that their animal companions could become infected by sick birds.

In the United States, owners who are already concerned about H5N1 exposure can maintain a cat's risk at zero by keeping it indoors. Many veterinarians already recommend this to protect cats from cars, fleas, fights with other animals, and germs other than the bird flu virus.

"Indoor cats live a lot longer than outdoor cats,'' said Heather Coburn, medical director of Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek.

Other owners may want to wait and watch the news. The avian virus has not yet appeared in this country, though surveillance teams are testing poultry and wildfowl to detect its arrival.

Sun, the state public health veterinarian, said there's no vaccine against the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus for dogs or cats. But owners can limit contact between wild birds and their cats, dogs and pet birds. Cat owners should wash their hands thoroughly after changing kitty litter, Sun said.

Keep away from feral or unknown cats and minimize your cat's contact with them, he said.

If your cat is sick, call the vet. Cats infected with H5N1 virus may become weak, inactive and feverish. Their breathing may become labored, and they can die suddenly.

If your cat dies, avoid direct contact with the body. Call the local animal control agency for disposal instructions, Sun advises.

At some point, if the bird flu risk seems high in a certain region, local health agencies might take measures to control feral cat populations, Sun said. But no such moves are contemplated now. "Most people don't have intimate contact with feral cats,'' said Sun.

Chomel of UC Davis said people shouldn't be kissing their cats, or allowing them on the kitchen counters. He said he was appalled at a recent survey reporting that nearly half of pet owners slept with their animals. "That should not be done,'' he said.

Cat owners in rural areas may be more likely to face the need to confine their animals indoors, Chomel said, because bird flu outbreaks are more likely to arise there. But the danger may pass, allowing the cat to go out again.

Pet owners should stay updated on the issue, but avoid panic, said Chomel.

"We are right to be concerned, but we should not be overly alarmed,'' he said.

E-mail Bernadette Tansey at btansey@sfchronicle.com

Monday, June 12, 2006

Wash those hands!


Last Update: Monday, June 12, 2006. 6:39pm (AEST)
Pandemic preparations: Professor Plant says good hygiene helps prevent the flu spreading.

(Reuters)

'Hygiene better than drugs' in bird flu fight

Health professionals at a conference in Perth have been told anti-viral medication offers little protection against any future influenza pandemic.

At a bird flu seminar, doctors have been told too much emphasis is placed on drugs such as Tamiflu, and stringent hygiene routines offer better protection from viruses.

Infectious diseases expert Aileen Plant told the conference she has been surprised by the number of medical professionals she has seen ignoring infection control procedures.

Professor Plant says basic cleanliness is needed to fight the spread of any future flu pandemic because anti-viral drugs offer limited protection and may not reduce the number of deaths.

"The anti-virals are good for stopping people getting infection, so in other words if they take them before they are exposed to somebody who's sick or even after they're exposed to somebody who's sick, if they take them quickly they're useful," she said.

"We're still not really sure what's going to happen in terms of whether that will affect hospitalisation and mortality, we hope so but we don't know yet."
Pandemic preparations

Professor Plant says even though the virus has not reached birds in Australia, people need to prepare for a possible pandemic.

"We've never seen anything like we've seen with the birds this year where we've seen it go from about 13 countries at the beginning of the year to well over 30," she said.

"We are concerned to see that many places with both bird cases and a few human cases of course have spread to more countries too."

She says health professionals need to be vigilant.

"A pandemic is eventually inevitable and the best thing to ameliorate it is to be well prepared," she said.

She says if bird flu infects people in Australia it will be difficult for doctors to recognise because its symptoms are like those of any other influenza.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Travelers and bird flu


By Kathleen Doheny
Originally published June 11, 2006
If a bird flu pandemic hits the United States, travelers should expect more scrutiny from customs officials worldwide, public health officials say.

Depending on the U.S. airport, you may be asked to undergo testing if you appear sick. But beyond those steps, most public health agencies and travel industry groups and agencies are taking a wait-and-see approach. Implementation of additional protective measures depends on whether the virus, called H5N1, shows up in the United States.

As of June 1, more than 218 human cases of avian influenza have been confirmed worldwide, including in Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam, according to the World Health Organization; 127 have died from the disease.

The virus primarily has affected poultry flocks in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia. More than 200 million chickens have died of the disease or been killed to stem its spread, the United Nations reports. So far, bird flu has not been transmitted person to person, but a recent outbreak in a group of family members in Indonesia has scientists more worried than ever that the virus could mutate to a form that spreads easily among people.

Customs officers already are trained to deal with infectious disease threats, says Leah Yoon, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"If a customs officer notices that you are looking sick, he will get in touch with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," she says. It's up to the health officials to decide the next step.

Travelers should be honest in completing their customs declarations forms, she says. "A lot of times, travelers forget about where they have been or what they have been in contact with."

Customs officials are on heightened alert, Yoon says, to prevent travelers from smuggling in birds.

Late last year, Honolulu International Airport began a monitoring program in which officials test people who appear to be sick if they agree to it.

"If an individual is very sick on an incoming flight, the flight crew will alert the on-call nurse at the airport to provide assistance to the passenger," says Janice Okubo, a spokeswoman for Hawaii's State Department of Health.

"If the passenger agrees, a sample will be taken from their nose with a swab. The sample will be sent to the state laboratory for testing. Results will determine if the passenger has the flu and what type of flu."

Passengers suspected of having avian flu are detained at the airport for six to eight hours until test results are available. If it is not suspected, the traveler is free to leave and can get test results in two to three days.

Since November, 21 travelers have been tested for bird flu. Four tested positive for seasonal influenza, but none for avian flu, Okubo says.

Symptoms of bird flu in humans can include a fever, cough and sore throat, as well as eye infections and respiratory problems, according to the CDC. Prescription medicines used to treat other human influenza strains are expected to work, but additional studies are needed, the agency says.

Honolulu's program, an expansion of routine flu surveillance conducted by all states, was undertaken because of the large number of Asian visitors to the islands, Okubo says.

The Honolulu airport also has one of the 18 CDC quarantine stations at U.S. ports of entry; there is one at Dulles International Airport in Virginia as well. But the CDC has no plans to begin flu testing at the other quarantine stations, says Jennifer Marcone, a CDC spokeswoman.

"Most international airports are providing leaflets to the public about the dangers of bird flu," says Dr. David Nabarro, the United Nations system influenza coordinator.

This month, the U.N. plans to launch an Internet site where travel agencies booking tours can look for updates on the avian flu situation, Nabarro says. "Reputable companies will all be participating in this because they want to be sure they have the most up-to-date advice."

Already, large tour companies are arming their guests with information, says Maggie Buttweiler, a spokeswoman for Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a network of about 700 travel agencies nationwide. The company points travelers to the CDC Web pages on avian flu, www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm, and urges them to follow the recommendations.

The International Council of Cruise Lines, an industry group made up of most U.S.-based cruise lines, is working with the CDC and its member lines to be sure the cruise ship operators have the latest bird flu information, says council spokeswoman Christine Fischer.

The council encourages cruise lines visiting countries where outbreaks have occurred to remind passengers to take precautions, such as washing hands often and avoiding poultry farms.

Travelers to those countries also are asked not to handle dead birds or move live birds across borders, Nabarro says.

But "there is no case for people to stop eating poultry," he adds. "If I am in Vietnam, where there is bird flu, that doesn't mean I should not eat properly cooked poultry in a tourist hotel in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. If the poultry is properly cooked, that poultry is safe to eat."

Meanwhile, wildlife experts are keeping a close eye on Alaska, where the disease, if it appears in this country, would be likely to show up first.

"It's not correct to say biologists 'definitely' expect it to show up in Alaska in the next few weeks," says Matt Robus, director of wildlife conservation for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Alaska is under scrutiny because Asian bird flyways and North American migratory bird flyways intersect in Alaska, Robus says.


Kathleen Doheny is a freelance writer for the Los Angeles Times.