Tests show bird flu is H5N1 virus

The avian flu which killed 2,600 turkeys at a Suffolk farm has been confirmed as the H5N1 virus.

The strain can be fatal if it is passed on to humans but experts said the outbreak was being contained and posed little danger to people.

A spokesman for Bernard Matthews, which runs the farm in Holton, said none of the affected birds had entered the food chain and there was no risk to health.

The 159,000 other turkeys on the farm will now have to be slaughtered.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the European Commission carried out virus tests at laboratories in Weybridge, Surrey.

A three-kilometre protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone will be set up around Holton, which is approximately 27km south-west of Lowestoft.

A Defra statement said further tests to characterise the virus were under way in order to ascertain whether or not it is the Asian strain.

It is the first case on a UK commercial farm of an H5N1 infection. The strain has killed 164 people worldwide - mainly in south-east Asia - since 2003.

However, the virus is not thought to be able to pass easily from human to human at present.

So far, all those who have been infected worldwide have come into intimate contact with infected birds.

Vaccinations

Fred Landeg, Britain's Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, said an investigation was under way but the most likely source of the outbreak was wild birds.

He told BBC News that vaccinations for poultry were not currently being considered.

"There are a number of problems with vaccination in that it takes about three weeks to get immunity."

Mr Landeg said the turkeys at the farm had been too young to enter the food chain and no birds or produce had moved off the site.

Dr Maria Zambon, from the Health Protection Agency, said farm workers who had come into contact with infected birds, and those involved in the culling process, would be offered the anti-viral drug Tamiflu as a precaution.

She stressed that nobody had developed symptoms of bird flu following similar outbreaks among farm birds in continental Europe.

Vets were called to the Bernard Matthews farm on Thursday night.

The company said it was confident the outbreak had been contained and there was no risk to consumers.

National Farmers Union president Peter Kendall told BBC News 24 the priority would be eradicating the outbreak.

"[We will be] making sure we get the message across about how well this will be managed and controlled.

"We're encouraging all farmers to be incredibly vigilant, look at their flocks carefully and we do need to reassure consumers that this is not an issue about the safety of poultry - it's completely safe to eat."

Defra has revoked the national general licence on bird gatherings and bird shows and pigeon racing will not be permitted.

Detergent

Professor John Oxford, a virologist at the London Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, said he was confident the outbreak could be contained.

He said: "I don't think it has made any difference as a threat to the human population. The most likely explanation is that a small bird has come in through a ventilation shaft.

"One good thing about this virus is that it's easily destroyed. You can kill it with a bit of detergent."

Dr Oxford also said that while four strains of the H5N1 virus have been identified so far, all are deadly to birds and show potential of being harmful to humans.

He said that identifying the particular strain found in Suffolk will help scientists work out how the disease is moving around the world.

In May last year, more than 50,000 chickens were culled after an outbreak of the H7 bird flu in farms in the neighbouring county of Norfolk.

One member of staff at the farm contracted the disease and was treated for an eye infection.

In March 2006, a wild swan found dead in Cellardyke, Fife, was found to have the H5N1 strain of the virus.

For more information call the Defra Helpline on 08459 33 55 77

Scene of outbreak All poultry to be culled Visitors disinfected and restricted access 3km Protection Zone Poultry kept indoors and tested 10km Surveillance Zone No movement of poultry to or from area except for slaughter Rail transport restricted to non-stopping movements Bird fairs and markets banned Increased surveillance of wetland areas Domestic birds not to share water used by wild birds Footpath restrictions likely only on free-range farms People in towns not affected unless they keep poultry. Source: Defra

Tamiflu flowing into the waterways?

Avian flu antiviral could cause resistant strain
01/02/2007 10:00:00
FWi

Scientists warn that wide-spread use of the avian flu antiviral, Tamiflu, could cause a resistant strain of the virus to develop in wild birds and threaten poultry flocks.

The team of scientists from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Oxford, predicts that a build up of Tamiflu in rivers could force wildlife and the natural environment to become resistance to the drug, resulting in a mutant strain of the virus developing.

Andrew Singer, lead researcher, CEH, said: “An antiviral drug has never been widely used before, so we need to determine what might happen. During a flu pandemic, millions of people will all take Tamiflu at the same time. Over just 8 or 9 weeks, massive amounts of the drugs will be expelled in the sewage and find its way into the rivers. It could have huge effects on the fish and other wildlife.”

The team estimates that 80% of Tamiflu is excreted in urine and faeces, and it is able to withstand degradation for several weeks. Therefore, one proposed solution is to use a pre-treatment in the toilet bowl to prevent the antiviral transferring into the waterways.

To see the full report, visit www.ehponline.org

Add Nigeria to nations with human dead from bird flu

Nigeria confirms its first human case of avian flu

Jan 31, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – Nigerian officials confirmed today that a 22-year-old woman died of H5N1 avian influenza, making Nigeria the third African country to have a human case, after Egypt and Djibouti.

The woman was from Lagos, the nation's largest city, a government minister told news services.

"Last night our team of 13 scientists were able to conclusively identify the case of avian influenza," Nigerian Information Minister Frank Nweke said at a press conference today, according to a BBC News report. He said samples from the woman would be sent to other laboratories, including the World Health Organization (WHO), for further review.

The woman fell ill after de-feathering and disemboweling an infected chicken, Reuters reported. She died Jan 17, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Nigeria announced 2 days ago it was conducting H5N1 tests on samples from 14 patients, including 3 who died of suspected avian flu and 11 who were exposed to them. The 22-year-old and her mother were two of the victims, according to Reuters. Other news services have said a woman from Taraba state was the third. A WHO official had said preliminary tests were negative and samples were sent to a lab in Britain for further testing.

Earlier reports said the mother and daughter from Lagos had died within 2 weeks after eating chicken bought from a live-bird market during the holidays. An AllAfrica News report had said the family slaughtered the chickens after one died mysteriously.

Africa's first experience with H5N1 avian flu came in 2006 with poultry outbreaks in several countries, plus 18 human cases in Egypt and 1 in Djibouti. Egypt has had 19 cases with 11 deaths, including one fatal case so far this year.

Nigeria has been hit hard by bird outbreaks, with 17 of 36 states affected so far, according to Reuters. A July 2006 report in Nature said the H5N1 virus had entered Nigeria three different times, possibly carried by migratory birds. But the report also said international poultry trade could have been a factor.

WHO spokesperson Gregory Hartl said a human case of avian flu in Nigeria is no surprise, because many poultry flocks live close to humans, much as in Indonesia, which has been hit hard by poultry outbreaks and human cases, Reuters reported.

"It does not change anything from a public health point of view. It had to happen sooner or later," Hartl told Reuters.

At a donors' conference in Bamako, Mali, in December, World Bank officials urged donors to focus their funding on African countries because they are economically weaker and less able to respond to avian flu threats.

In other avian flu news, Japan confirmed today that its third poultry outbreak this winter was caused by H5N1, according to Canadian Press. The outbreak at a chicken farm in Okayama prefecture, about 340 miles west of Tokyo, is Japan's second confirmed outbreak in a week.

The country's first two recent outbreaks occurred in Miyazaki prefecture in southwestern Japan, the country's main poultry-producing area. The fresh round of outbreaks is Japan's first in 3 years.

In Hungary, where an outbreak in some geese was the first European appearance of H5N1 this winter, the outbreak strain is 99.4% similar to the strain found in some European countries in 2006, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reported yesterday in a news release. The finding came from the OIE reference lab in Weybridge, England.

"This information tells us that the genetic characterization of the virus isolated in Hungary has still not mutated significantly," said OIE Director Bernard Vallat.

Meanwhile, government officials in Indonesia said they may declare avian flu a national disaster, AFP reported today. Indonesia has had six avian flu deaths this season, which has prompted a ban on backyard poultry in Jakarta, effective tomorrow.

Declaring avian flu a national disaster would pave the way for centralized measures and greater funding, Planning Minister Paskah Suzetta told the state news agency, Antara, today. He added that the recent avian flu outbreak meets national disaster criteria because it has caused many casualties and its spread could not be contained.

Russia chimes in with H5N1

H5N1 avian flu detected in Russia
30/01/2007 16:30:00
FWi

Russia experienced its first case of H5N1 avian flu this year, confirmed the Russian agricultural agency, Rosselkhoznadzor, on Monday (29 January).

The Russian news agency, RIA-Novosti, quoted Alexei Alekseyenko, Rosselkhoznadzor chief spokesman, as stating: “Deaths of domestic fowl were registered at three farmsteads. Lab analysis revealed the H5N1 bird flu virus strain.”

The three farms are located in the Krasnodar region, southern Russia, according to a statement issued by Rosselkhoznadzor.

by Caroline Lovell

From the US State Department news of bird flu

Bird Flu (Avian Influenza)


Indonesian officials take samples from chicken at a poultry market January 24 in Indonesia. Five people in Indonesia have died from the virus since the start of 2007. (© AP Images)Avian Influenza Causes More Human Deaths in Indonesia, EgyptU.S. Navy scientists and their Egyptian partners working in Cairo are helping confirm new human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in North Africa and the Middle East, and are building laboratory capacity in that region and elsewhere to allows scientists and technicians in many countries to quickly identify and diagnose human illness that arises from outbreaks of deadly bird flu in Asia and Egypt. More Bird Flu Deaths in Humans Reported as Milestone Is PassedIndonesian health authorities are reporting another human death from a dangerous strain of avian influenza -- the fourth in that nation in 2007, according to case histories compiled by the World Health Organization. Indonesia’s latest deaths push its fatalities from this strain of bird flu -- H5N1-- to 61, the highest number for any of the 10 countries where humans have become infected with the virus.

From the US State Department news of bird flu

Bird Flu (Avian Influenza)


Indonesian officials take samples from chicken at a poultry market January 24 in Indonesia. Five people in Indonesia have died from the virus since the start of 2007. (© AP Images)Avian Influenza Causes More Human Deaths in Indonesia, EgyptU.S. Navy scientists and their Egyptian partners working in Cairo are helping confirm new human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in North Africa and the Middle East, and are building laboratory capacity in that region and elsewhere to allows scientists and technicians in many countries to quickly identify and diagnose human illness that arises from outbreaks of deadly bird flu in Asia and Egypt. More Bird Flu Deaths in Humans Reported as Milestone Is PassedIndonesian health authorities are reporting another human death from a dangerous strain of avian influenza -- the fourth in that nation in 2007, according to case histories compiled by the World Health Organization. Indonesia’s latest deaths push its fatalities from this strain of bird flu -- H5N1-- to 61, the highest number for any of the 10 countries where humans have become infected with the virus.

Its Baaack!

The Agricultural Ministry last Wednesday confirmed that the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus has once more been discovered in Hungary, the first time the disease has been detected in the European Union since August 2006. The virus broke out on a goose farm in Csongrád County, southeast Hungary, earlier in the week. Around 40 birds fell sick or died and samples from the deceased animals were brought to Budapest for testing.

“The laboratory has detected the highly-pathogenic H5 virus, and according to tests so far it looks like the N1 strain,” the ministry said in statement.
Samples have been sent to the EU’s official laboratory in Weybridge, England, for further tests and the EU has been officially informed of the situation.
All of the 3,300 geese on the farm have been culled since the new outbreak was discovered and a 3km protective zone – with police roadblocks checking cars – and a 10km surveillance zone have been established around the farm.
The ministry said that the measures brought into place so far were satisfactory, and that further restrictions or culls would not be necessary. The European Commission said it was also satisfied by the measures and that there was no “immediate threat” to Hungarian poultry or exports.
However, neighbouring Croatia and Serbia appeared not to be calmed by the preventative measures, and last Wednesday they froze all poultry imports from Hungary as a precautionary measure. The poultry industry suffered a serious drop in sales during the last bird flu scare, and a further prolonged outbreak could cause more damage.
Hungary’s problems were further compounded by the news that Japan had banned the import of Hungarian pork after swine fever was discovered in three wild boars in North Hungary. The CEO of Pick Szeged, László Kovács, said that Japan was one of Hungary’s key export markets, and that a ban on Hungarian pork exports could cause a major crisis in the industry.
Hungary saw its first cases of bird flu in February 2006, when it cropped up amongst wild birds. The disease spread to domestic poultry, and hundreds of thousands of birds were culled. All protective measures were cancelled in August last year when no more cases were reported. The last reported case of bird flu in the EU was uncovered in a wild bird in Germany in August 2006, but there have been continued cases across Asia.
According to the latest figures released by the World Health Organization, the H5N1 strain has claimed the lives of 163 people. Experts fear the disease could mutate and cause a global pandemic that would wipe out hundreds of millions of people.
Michael Logan

Thats where our money goes. Hopefully it helps!

Avian Flu contingency and UNDP assistance

Sun, 2007-01-28 06:05

Colombo, 28 January, (Asiantribune.com): To prepare for and activate a disaster management plan in the event of an avian influenza outbreak in Sri Lanka, UNDP in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has set up a project to create awareness among poultry farmers and the public.

The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) virus first emerged in 1997. Flocks of wild birds, domestic poultry, and some humans were affected in parts of Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe. The exact roles played by migratory birds in the spread of avian flu to domestic poultry and humans remain uncertain and continue to be debated. Sri Lanka cannot afford to be complacent because a wide range of migratory birds arrive every year from far away lands to their favorite roosting places on the island.

UNDP commissioned the services of an expert consultant Dr.Sarath Arambawela to work with FAO on specific tasks related to the disaster management plan in the event of an Avian Flu epidemic in Sri Lanka. Dr.Arambawela has worked as a government veterinary surgeon in the Department of Animal Production and Health (DAPH), and later as the Project Director of the ADB assisted Livestock Development Project in Sri Lanka.

Under the Avian Influenza project, as a first step a capacity building exercise for the officers of the DAPH was initiated. UNDP provided funds to set up a programme of action to prevent an epidemic and also to handle a crises situation, if Sri Lanka were to face an Avian Influenza & Human Influenza outbreak.

“We have informed the poultry farmers to be watchful of an increase in mortality and if there is a significant drop in the intake of water and meals. Poultry keepers have been asked not to handle sick birds, instead to call a veterinarian immediately,” Those who come into contact with affected birds should wash their hands with soap and water as a first aid,” Dr. Arambawela said.

Further a disaster management plan that has been set up to handle the problem will focus on three major areas. Detailed district maps indicating the numbers of poultry units, categorized as ‘commercial’, ‘smallholder’ and ‘backyard’, and the total poultry population in each Grama Niladari (village officer’s) area.

A register in every government veterinary office will indicate the name and address of each poultry producer and a farm card will be issued to every registered poultry producer, to facilitate payment of compensation in event of mandatory mass culling of farm birds.

Some of the main aspects covered under the currently operational projects are:

* Strengthening of sample collection and laboratory diagnostic activities; production of communication and training material

* Registration of poultry production units and mapping of poultry production and marketing systems

* Organizing district emergency teams and depopulation/decontamination teams and training them further with the assistance of an international consultant; arranging a scheme for compensating owners of the live birds that will have to be culled in case of disease incursion.

* Learning from the experience of countries which had controlled HPAI outbreaks successfully

Apart from these, strict import restrictions and quarantine inspections are undertaken with existing resources, which are to be further strengthened with World Bank assistance. USAID too assists the Department of Animal Production and Health to develop infrastructure and build its capacity to identify and conduct tests in case of an outbreak.

- Asian Tribune -

Disinformation or information? No way to know for sure!

INFORMATION ABOUT BIRD FLU SPREAD IN AZERBAIJAN IS NOT TRUE, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE
[January 28, 2007, 14:12:09]

Azerbaijan Minister of Agriculture Ismat Abbasov said information about spread of the deadly bird flu virus across the country is not true.

Commenting on results of the tests on a 14-year-old boy from Salyan province, suspected of having contracted the H5N1 virus, the Minister said they proved negative.

The boy was hospitalized after he fell sick with a high temperature, and local doctors feared he might have contracted bird flu.

But analysis carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Veterinary Service and Ministry of Health found no signs of H5N1.

Another Day of H5N1 Outbreak News

New Bird Flu Outbreak In Japan Is H5N1

Article Date: 28 Jan 2007 - 8:00 PST

Authorities in Japan have confirmed that a new bird flu outbreak in Hyuga, southern Miyazakito prefecture, was caused by H5N1 infection, the virulent bird flu virus strain. Another possible H5N1 case has also appeared in a farm in Takahashi, Okayama prefecture, where 22 chickens have died during this weekend.

The Takahashi farm has about 12,000 chickens.

News of this second outbreak appeared just hours after the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry confirmed H5N1 in the first outbreak. Authorities are asking bordering farms to stop moving livestock.

50,000 chickens are being culled in the area where the the first outbreak occured.

H5N1 infection among birds was detected in Japan in February 2003. Since then there have been occasional outbreaks.

Scientists worry that the H5N1 bird flu virus strain may one day mutate and become easily human transmissible. The most likely way it could do this would be to infect a human who already has the normal flu. The bird flu virus would then have the opportunity to exchange genetic information with the normal human flu virus and acquire its ability to spread easily from person-to-person. If this happened we could then be facing a serious global flu pandemic.

So far, humans do not catch bird flu easily from birds, and for a human to infect another human is extremely rare.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today