02/02 | H5N1, Hidden Bird Flu Hazards of Backyard Chicken Farms
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PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
Hidden Bird Flu Hazards of Backyard Chicken Farms
Posted on Wednesday, February 01 @ 10:45:00 CST by xtv News & JournalismMead writes "
Bird Flu Beacon discovers weak biosecurity and high bird flu risk in backyard chicken farms
Los Altos, CA, USA, February 1, 2006 (XTVWorld.Com) -- Bird Flu Beacon (http://www.birdflubeacon.com) posted news on the risk of spread of bird flu in the U.S. and other industrialized countries through backyard chicken farms with free-roaming chickens. From the Hawaiian Islands where large numbers of wild chickens populate Kauai to New York City where live chickens and ducks are sold in street markets, the threat of bird flu infection through roaming backyard chickens looms large.
Industrial scale chicken farms owned by large corporations are not high risk because they house chickens in buildings protected from possible infection from migratory birds. This is not the case with small-scale backyard operations, especially in rural areas, where chickens and other domestic birds often roam freely or are in open cages. While these backyard chickens are most easily exposed to migratory birds, they are largely unmonitored and uncontrolled.
For biosecurity precautions to be implemented widely by backyard chicken farmers protective measures must be simple, affordable and widespread. The USDA has attempted to address this issue with recommendations that fall in 6 categories:
• Isolating flocks
• Minimizing bird-to-human contact
• Sanitization procedures
• Avoiding cross contamination
• Identifying infectious bird diseases
• Reporting sick birds
According to Mead Rose, a founding member of http://www.birdflubeacon.com, relying on backyard chicken farmers to take adequate biosecurity measures is “whistling in the dark.” Even those who wish to be proactive may find the recommendations of the USDA and other sources cumbersome, expensive and impractical when there is no imminent threat. The Catch-22 is that these kinds of precautions are necessary to prevent just such a threat because:
• H5N1 bird flu symptoms are not widely known among backyard chicken farmers.
• Guidelines of the USDA and others are not yet widely circulated among chicken farmers.
• The recommended protective steps can be cumbersome.
• Protective equipment such as goggles, masks, and boots is not routinely stocked by farmers and many do not know how to identify or obtain the most effective equipment.
• There is no incentive for reporting sick or dead birds because the confirmation of H5N1 inevitably leads to the destruction of their flocks.
In the full article The Hidden Bird Flu Hazards of Backyard Chicken Farms posted at http://www.birdflubeacon.com. Mr. Rose has identified three additional key issues: manure management, chickens as pets, and wild chicken populations. For example, human exposure to infected chicken manure can be as deadly as exposure to infected birds. Given the right conditions, Avian Influenza viruses can remain viable in manure for up to 105 days.
“After all the research I had done on bird flu, on a recent trip to Hawaii I was shocked to discover that free range chickens are frequently found in backyards or kept as pets,” Mr. Rose added. “What’s worse, many people I spoke with believe bird flu is a conspiracy, not a health problem. People need to know how to protect themselves and their birds. They need clear guidelines about biosecurity procedures and must know how to recognize sick birds. Convincing people to take this seriously enough to take protective action will go a long way towards preventing catastrophe.”
For a complete description of ways to minimize the threat of bird flu spreading from backyard chickens go to
http://www.birdflubeacon.com/HiddenBirdFluHazards.htm
http://press.xtvworld.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9283
PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
Flu The Coop: Back Yard Bird Flu Precautions
Poultry farmers are holding their breaths on the spread of H5N1 Avian Influenza. It hasn't reached poultry populations in the United States; it hasn't even reached wild bird populations in the United States as far as we know. That's wonderful news...for now.
All but the most optimistic experts feel that H5N1 Avian Influenza will arrive on our shores eventually, if it hasn't already arrived undetected. Fortunately, commercial poultry farmers have been taking precautions to prevent cross-exposure with wild populations. USA Today reports on Foster Farms as one example of the due diligence U.S. poultry farmers perform to protect their populations and the public at large. They keep their fowl inside multiple closed barns and workers always wear coveralls, boots and hairnets which are subsequently washed or discarded. Should they have an outbreak, it won't get far.
However, there are quite a few backyard flocks in coops all over the nation, particularly in rural and lower-income areas. (This author visited 2 households in the last week with at least one chicken roaming free). Backyard chicken coops pose a potential threat if precautions aren't taken. (See list of recommended precautions below). To see the potential, one need only look at the spread of non-H5N1 Avian Influenza in the United States. The same article in USA today revealed that a Texas farmer had to destroy his flock of 7,000 just last year.
The USDA has issued a brochure on preventive measures for backyard flocks. Essential points on the USDA list of recommended biosecurity precautions are as follows:
*
Keep Your Distance:
o
Restrict access to birds.
o
Fence the containment area, and consider the area within the fence to be "dirty" and areas outside to be "clean."
o
Isolate domestic flocks from wild bird populations.
o
Minimize human contact with fowl.
o
Avoid sending handlers to public markets.
o
Use protective wear such as boots & coveralls dedicated for coop use.
*
Keep It Clean:
o
Have a dedicated set of boots & coveralls for coop use.
o
Regularly wash (with soap & water) and sanitize shoes, clothes and hands.
o
Keep cages, food and water clean on a daily basis.
o
Clean and disinfect all equipment that comes into contact with fowl.
o
Bury or incinerate dead birds or otherwise dispose in accordance with local ordinances.
*
Don't Haul Disease Home
o
Clean and disinfect car and truck tires before returning home from potential exposure sites including feed stores.
o
Keep show birds separated from the rest of the flock for at least 2 weeks after exposure to other birds.
o
Keep new birds isolated for at least 30 days after acquiring them.
o
Do not mix old an young birds.
*
Don't Borrow Disease From Your Neighbor
o
Don't share birds, lawn & garden equipment, tools or poultry supplies with neighbors or other bird owners.
o
If you do bring such items home, clean and disinfect them before returning to your property and again before returning them to the original owner.
o
Do not share items such as wooden pallets or cardboard cartons as these cannot be properly cleaned and disinfected.
*
Identifying Infectious Bird Diseases: A list of symptoms
o
Sudden increase in bird deaths in your flock
o
Sneezing, gasping for air, coughing and nasal discharge
o
Watery and green diarrhea
o
Lack of energy and poor appetite
o
Drop in egg production or soft- or thin-shelled mis-shapen eggs Swelling around the eyes, neck and head
o
Purple discoloration of the wattles, combs and legs (Avian Influenza)
o
Tremors, drooping wings, circling, twisting of the head and neck, or lack of movement (Exotic Newcastle Disease)
*
Reporting Sick Birds: 1-866-536-7593
The brochure can be downloaded as a PDF file at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/pub_ahbiosec.pdf
http://www.birdflubeacon.com/FluTheCoopBackYardBirdFluPrecautions.htm
PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
Brazil
Wednesday, 01 February 2006
Beginning next week, bird flu specialists from 40 countries will be linked through an international network to discuss strategies to control and fight the disease, which has already struck various Asian and European countries.
The agreement to create an International Association of Public Health Institutes, bringing together nations such as Brazil, the United States, Great Britain, and China, was signed Tuesday, January 31, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Association is expected to fight all types of epidemics, such as AIDS and dengue fever, but part of its initial efforts will be focused on bird flu, a potentially fatal disease transmitted by birds to humans.
According to the president of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Paulo Buss, who will represent Brazil in the Association, the contact among specialists through the network will be constant and real-time.
"We shall maintain on-line contact on the incidence of cases in the countries that belong to the network, and we shall seek improvements in the prevention and treatment of the disease," he said.
According to Buss, apart from the 40 countries' joint efforts, Brazil has already taken steps to prevent the disease from arriving and spreading in the country.
"The first thing is not to permit the arrival of infected birds. If they do enter, we have to encircle the area where the outbreak occurred and sacrifice the birds en masse. But we also have hospital backup and a stock of Tamiflu, which is the trade name of the medication that, if taken the first day, can control the flu and reduce the aggressiveness of the virus.
And we are prepared to manufacture the vaccine, which can only really be done after the first human infection is detected," he affirmed.
The Association will conduct integrated activities, such as human resource exchanges in the area of public health, information exchanges on diagnostic methods and disease prevention, and the deployment of technical personnel to countries where epidemics occur.
Agência Brasil
http://www.brazzilmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5398&Itemid=53
Brazil Joins 40-Country Network to Fight Bird Flu
Written by Vitor Abdala Wednesday, 01 February 2006
Beginning next week, bird flu specialists from 40 countries will be linked through an international network to discuss strategies to control and fight the disease, which has already struck various Asian and European countries.
The agreement to create an International Association of Public Health Institutes, bringing together nations such as Brazil, the United States, Great Britain, and China, was signed Tuesday, January 31, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Association is expected to fight all types of epidemics, such as AIDS and dengue fever, but part of its initial efforts will be focused on bird flu, a potentially fatal disease transmitted by birds to humans.
According to the president of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Paulo Buss, who will represent Brazil in the Association, the contact among specialists through the network will be constant and real-time.
"We shall maintain on-line contact on the incidence of cases in the countries that belong to the network, and we shall seek improvements in the prevention and treatment of the disease," he said.
According to Buss, apart from the 40 countries' joint efforts, Brazil has already taken steps to prevent the disease from arriving and spreading in the country.
"The first thing is not to permit the arrival of infected birds. If they do enter, we have to encircle the area where the outbreak occurred and sacrifice the birds en masse. But we also have hospital backup and a stock of Tamiflu, which is the trade name of the medication that, if taken the first day, can control the flu and reduce the aggressiveness of the virus.
And we are prepared to manufacture the vaccine, which can only really be done after the first human infection is detected," he affirmed.
The Association will conduct integrated activities, such as human resource exchanges in the area of public health, information exchanges on diagnostic methods and disease prevention, and the deployment of technical personnel to countries where epidemics occur.
Agência Brasil
http://www.brazzilmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5398&Itemid=53
PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
Two birds smuggled illegally into Hong Kong have avian flu
Last Updated 02/02/2006, 01:46:43
The Hong Kong government says that two dead birds, a crested myna and a chicken, illegally brought over from mainland China, have tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza.
The government says it will now cull all birds within five kilometres of the farm where the chicken died.
It's also isolated for tests three people who ate a chicken which had been nesting with one of the birds smuggled into Hong Kong from China.
They are currently in hospital in an isolation ward.
The Hong Kong Government has also ordered all the city's walk-in aviaries be closed.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1560241.htm
PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
Posted 2/1/2006 8:32 PM
WASHINGTON — Your chance of surviving a flu pandemic could depend on where you happen to live.
The USA has a federal pandemic plan. But in an emergency, it will be the local response that matters the most, says Jeffrey Levi, senior policy adviser at the Trust for America's Health, who spoke here Wednesday at a meeting of flu experts. "The basic day-to-day, where the rubber hits the road for pandemic preparedness is being left to state and local governments," he says.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages states to create distribution plans for drugs and vaccines and policies on quarantine and isolation. But details on executing those plans are left to state and local health officials. "In the context of a pandemic, we cannot afford to have state-by-state variation," Levi says. "We have a national interest in making sure that everyone is equally prepared and that we are using consistent strategies."
The flu summit in Washington was sponsored by the CDC, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and other groups and agencies concerned about pandemic flu. Experts warn that a bird flu epidemic that has spread from Asia into Europe could spark a human flu pandemic that could be as severe as the 1918 "Spanish" flu, which killed up to 100 million people worldwide.
The bird flu virus, known as H5N1, has infected at least 160 people and killed 85. This week, the first case was reported in Iraq and two others are being investigated, says CDC flu expert Tim Uyeki. But so far, nearly all cases worldwide can be traced to contact with sick poultry. For the pandemic to occur, the virus would have to mutate where it could spread easily from person to person, and there is no sign that is happening, he says.
To prepare for that possibility, the USA has stockpiled 4.3 million courses of Tamiflu and plans to acquire enough to treat 75 million people. A vaccine is being tested, and others are in development. Congress has so far allocated $3.8 billion for readiness.
But stockpiles should include more than vaccines and anti-virals, says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
"Today we have a just-in-time delivery system for masks, syringes, for IV bags," he says. "Most people don't realize that 80% of the drugs we use in this country come from offshore. Right now, the two manufacturers of N95 masks in this country are operating on 100% capacity. They have no surge capacity. We will run out quickly of all these things. And at that time, we'll be dealing with the equivalent of a 1918 health care system."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-02-01-flu-meeting_x.htm
Pandemic readiness is all local
By Anita Manning, USA TODAYWASHINGTON — Your chance of surviving a flu pandemic could depend on where you happen to live.
The USA has a federal pandemic plan. But in an emergency, it will be the local response that matters the most, says Jeffrey Levi, senior policy adviser at the Trust for America's Health, who spoke here Wednesday at a meeting of flu experts. "The basic day-to-day, where the rubber hits the road for pandemic preparedness is being left to state and local governments," he says.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages states to create distribution plans for drugs and vaccines and policies on quarantine and isolation. But details on executing those plans are left to state and local health officials. "In the context of a pandemic, we cannot afford to have state-by-state variation," Levi says. "We have a national interest in making sure that everyone is equally prepared and that we are using consistent strategies."
The flu summit in Washington was sponsored by the CDC, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and other groups and agencies concerned about pandemic flu. Experts warn that a bird flu epidemic that has spread from Asia into Europe could spark a human flu pandemic that could be as severe as the 1918 "Spanish" flu, which killed up to 100 million people worldwide.
The bird flu virus, known as H5N1, has infected at least 160 people and killed 85. This week, the first case was reported in Iraq and two others are being investigated, says CDC flu expert Tim Uyeki. But so far, nearly all cases worldwide can be traced to contact with sick poultry. For the pandemic to occur, the virus would have to mutate where it could spread easily from person to person, and there is no sign that is happening, he says.
To prepare for that possibility, the USA has stockpiled 4.3 million courses of Tamiflu and plans to acquire enough to treat 75 million people. A vaccine is being tested, and others are in development. Congress has so far allocated $3.8 billion for readiness.
But stockpiles should include more than vaccines and anti-virals, says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
"Today we have a just-in-time delivery system for masks, syringes, for IV bags," he says. "Most people don't realize that 80% of the drugs we use in this country come from offshore. Right now, the two manufacturers of N95 masks in this country are operating on 100% capacity. They have no surge capacity. We will run out quickly of all these things. And at that time, we'll be dealing with the equivalent of a 1918 health care system."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-02-01-flu-meeting_x.htm
PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
UN agency sends team to check on bird flu in Iraq
Thursday, 2 February 2006, 3:34 pmPress Release: United Nations
UN health agency to send team to check on bird flu in Iraq
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today said it will send an expert team to Iraq to examine reports of a fatal case of avian influenza, or “bird flu,” in the war-ravaged country.
Iraq’s Ministry of Health has confirmed that a 15-year old girl died who died on 17 January had been diagnosed with bird flu.
A WHO team will leave tomorrow for Suliamaniya in northern Iraq where the girl, her uncle and a third suspected case have been found.
Meanwhile, the virus has been confirmed in neighbouring Turkey. A WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom has confirmed that 12 of the 21 cases that were suspected from Turkey were indeed bird flu. Four people have died.
Worldwide, the disease has killed 79 people and led to the slaughter of millions of chickens in an effort to prevent further transmission from birds to humans. So far, the virus has not spread among humans, but WHO has warned that it could change into a form that spreads easily from person to person, triggering an influenza pandemic which could kill tens of millions of people worldwide.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0602/S00033.htm
The Flying Dutchman
Deceased
=
<B><font size=+1 color=red><center>Staying home </font>
By S. Ann Robinson, Ashburn
01/31/2006
<A href="http://www.timescommunity.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=16041448&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=564239&rfi=6">www.timescommunity.com</a><?center>
County Health Dr. David Goodfriend spoke at the Leesburg Town Council meeting last week about ongoing work to minimize the effects of West Nile virus, malaria and other serious diseases that we would all hope to avoid. </b>
Part of his speech emphasized the importance of each person seeing a doctor immediately upon experiencing symptoms. I've heard this before in relationship to the flu -- especially new strains now being viewed with some horror in possible pandemic terms.
Let's think about the idea of self-responsibility here. The concept of staying home from work and seeing a doctor when first experiencing symptoms is both responsible and prudent for the individual and the community. However, consider all of the workers in our area (and in our nation) who do not have health insurance or sick leave. Many lose their jobs if they don't show up for work. They will go to work sick.
Who are they? In many cases, they are day-care workers, restaurant cooks and waiters, nursing home caregivers, hotel maids. In other words they have hands-on contact with the population that is supposedly covered by insurance and has access to doctors. Our current health-care system is not sufficient to prevent the resulting epidemic.
This is a perfect example of interdependence, and we cannot secure our own health and well-being without securing it for others as well. I hope we don't have to actually experience a pandemic in order to understand that.
<B><font size=+1 color=red><center>Staying home </font>
By S. Ann Robinson, Ashburn
01/31/2006
<A href="http://www.timescommunity.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=16041448&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=564239&rfi=6">www.timescommunity.com</a><?center>
County Health Dr. David Goodfriend spoke at the Leesburg Town Council meeting last week about ongoing work to minimize the effects of West Nile virus, malaria and other serious diseases that we would all hope to avoid. </b>
Part of his speech emphasized the importance of each person seeing a doctor immediately upon experiencing symptoms. I've heard this before in relationship to the flu -- especially new strains now being viewed with some horror in possible pandemic terms.
Let's think about the idea of self-responsibility here. The concept of staying home from work and seeing a doctor when first experiencing symptoms is both responsible and prudent for the individual and the community. However, consider all of the workers in our area (and in our nation) who do not have health insurance or sick leave. Many lose their jobs if they don't show up for work. They will go to work sick.
Who are they? In many cases, they are day-care workers, restaurant cooks and waiters, nursing home caregivers, hotel maids. In other words they have hands-on contact with the population that is supposedly covered by insurance and has access to doctors. Our current health-care system is not sufficient to prevent the resulting epidemic.
This is a perfect example of interdependence, and we cannot secure our own health and well-being without securing it for others as well. I hope we don't have to actually experience a pandemic in order to understand that.
The Flying Dutchman
Deceased
=
<B><font size=+1 color=brown><center>Copper 'prevents spread of flu' </font>
04:59 - 02 February 2006
<A href="http://www.suttonobserver.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=185916&command=displayContent&sourceNode=186002&contentPK=13948362">www.suttonobserver.co.uk</a><?center>
Using copper for door handles, surfaces and sinks in hospitals could help prevent the spread of flu infections, including bird flu, researchers have said.</b>
A team from the University of Southampton found that the influenza A virus was virtually eradicated within six hours after coming into contact with copper surfaces.
The finding suggests that using more copper in hospitals and public places could reduce the spread of flu infections and reduce deaths.
<B><font size=+1 color=brown><center>Copper 'prevents spread of flu' </font>
04:59 - 02 February 2006
<A href="http://www.suttonobserver.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=185916&command=displayContent&sourceNode=186002&contentPK=13948362">www.suttonobserver.co.uk</a><?center>
Using copper for door handles, surfaces and sinks in hospitals could help prevent the spread of flu infections, including bird flu, researchers have said.</b>
A team from the University of Southampton found that the influenza A virus was virtually eradicated within six hours after coming into contact with copper surfaces.
The finding suggests that using more copper in hospitals and public places could reduce the spread of flu infections and reduce deaths.
The Flying Dutchman
Deceased
=
<B><font size=+1 color=green><center>Indonesian teenager dies of suspected bird flu </font>
<A href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/02/content_4128785.htm">www.chinaview.cn </a>
2006-02-02 12:26:59 </center>
JAKARTA, Feb. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- A 15-year-old boy whose results from local tests came back positive for bird flu has died at Hasan Sadikin Hospital in the Indonesian town of Bandung, local press reports said Thursday.</b>
If the local lab tests are confirmed by the WHO-accredited lab in Hong Kong, it would be Indonesia's 15th human fatality from bird flu, said The Jakarta Post newspaper.
The teenager, a resident of Padalarang in Bandung regency, some150 km south of Jakarta, was admitted to the hospital on Monday with a high fever and in severe respiratory distress, classic bird flu symptoms.
He died Wednesday morning.
The boy was the second suspected bird flu patient to have died at the hospital in a month. In mid-January, a three-year-old boy died of bird flu. The native of Indramayu was being treated at the hospital with his sister and parents, who were all released last Saturday.
According to Bandung regency's health office, some 20 chickens reportedly died near the boy's house shortly before he became ill. Enditem
<B><font size=+1 color=green><center>Indonesian teenager dies of suspected bird flu </font>
<A href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/02/content_4128785.htm">www.chinaview.cn </a>
2006-02-02 12:26:59 </center>
JAKARTA, Feb. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- A 15-year-old boy whose results from local tests came back positive for bird flu has died at Hasan Sadikin Hospital in the Indonesian town of Bandung, local press reports said Thursday.</b>
If the local lab tests are confirmed by the WHO-accredited lab in Hong Kong, it would be Indonesia's 15th human fatality from bird flu, said The Jakarta Post newspaper.
The teenager, a resident of Padalarang in Bandung regency, some150 km south of Jakarta, was admitted to the hospital on Monday with a high fever and in severe respiratory distress, classic bird flu symptoms.
He died Wednesday morning.
The boy was the second suspected bird flu patient to have died at the hospital in a month. In mid-January, a three-year-old boy died of bird flu. The native of Indramayu was being treated at the hospital with his sister and parents, who were all released last Saturday.
According to Bandung regency's health office, some 20 chickens reportedly died near the boy's house shortly before he became ill. Enditem
The Flying Dutchman
Deceased
=
<center>Palm Beach, Fla.
<font size=+1 color=blue><b>Health officials discuss ways to confront a flu pandemic</font>
By Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
<A href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/treasurecoast/content/local_news/epaper/2006/02/02/m1b_tcpandemic_0202.html">www.palmbeachpost.com</a>
Thursday, February 02, 2006</center>
Mort Laitner asked a room full of public health officials Wednesday who among them trusted the government to protect their family in the case of an avian flu pandemic.</b>
"I see no hands in this illustrious room of bureaucrats and first responders," said Laitner, chief legal counsel for Florida's Department of Health.
Laitner wasn't trying to scorn the 160 emergency responders from Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast who attended the Pandemic Preparedness Summit at the Indian River Community College Chastain Campus south of Stuart.
He was emphasizing that health officials must better explain the threat of a potential pandemic to the public.
"Most people don't even know what avian flu is," Laitner said. "And what percent of people are going to be prepared? Maybe one percent."
A strain of bird flu, H5N1, has killed at least 86 of the 161 humans infected since December 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
Health officials worry this flu will become a pandemic — an epidemic affecting a large region — if it mutates and becomes contagious among humans. The only way to catch the virus is through exposure to an infected bird.
Vince Bonvento, assistant Palm Beach County administrator, said his pandemic plans would mirror efforts to handle the 2000 election crisis, the 2001 anthrax scare and hurricanes in subsequent years.
"It's critical that people know how to take care of themselves," he said.
Many health officials agreed that hurricane experience would help in the event of a pandemic.
"I think Florida is a little ahead of everyone else because that organizational structure is already in place," said Lynn Frank, a former chief of public health for Montgomery County, Md.
Frank, who works as a consultant and lives in Stuart, has a national reputation in biological defense and has served on committees to help finance and plan homeland security programs. She gave the keynote lunch speech at the seminar.
Frank is also a consultant for IRCC, which started homeland security and disaster relief classes this semester. The college received $500,000 from the state legislature last year to develop its homeland security program, and it plans to break ground on a $30 million training complex in Fort Pierce in August.
Frank said in the case of an avian flu pandemic, she is most worried about the poor.
"How can they stockpile their meds?" she said. "They can't get all of their medication now."
Dr. Daniel Lucey, director of a Georgetown University program dedicated to biohazards and infectious disease, said families need to plan for about two months worth of supplies. Lucey also gave a keynote speech.
"It takes a long time to make a new vaccine," he said. "And that will be a very serious problem."
<center>Palm Beach, Fla.
<font size=+1 color=blue><b>Health officials discuss ways to confront a flu pandemic</font>
By Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
<A href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/treasurecoast/content/local_news/epaper/2006/02/02/m1b_tcpandemic_0202.html">www.palmbeachpost.com</a>
Thursday, February 02, 2006</center>
Mort Laitner asked a room full of public health officials Wednesday who among them trusted the government to protect their family in the case of an avian flu pandemic.</b>
"I see no hands in this illustrious room of bureaucrats and first responders," said Laitner, chief legal counsel for Florida's Department of Health.
Laitner wasn't trying to scorn the 160 emergency responders from Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast who attended the Pandemic Preparedness Summit at the Indian River Community College Chastain Campus south of Stuart.
He was emphasizing that health officials must better explain the threat of a potential pandemic to the public.
"Most people don't even know what avian flu is," Laitner said. "And what percent of people are going to be prepared? Maybe one percent."
A strain of bird flu, H5N1, has killed at least 86 of the 161 humans infected since December 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
Health officials worry this flu will become a pandemic — an epidemic affecting a large region — if it mutates and becomes contagious among humans. The only way to catch the virus is through exposure to an infected bird.
Vince Bonvento, assistant Palm Beach County administrator, said his pandemic plans would mirror efforts to handle the 2000 election crisis, the 2001 anthrax scare and hurricanes in subsequent years.
"It's critical that people know how to take care of themselves," he said.
Many health officials agreed that hurricane experience would help in the event of a pandemic.
"I think Florida is a little ahead of everyone else because that organizational structure is already in place," said Lynn Frank, a former chief of public health for Montgomery County, Md.
Frank, who works as a consultant and lives in Stuart, has a national reputation in biological defense and has served on committees to help finance and plan homeland security programs. She gave the keynote lunch speech at the seminar.
Frank is also a consultant for IRCC, which started homeland security and disaster relief classes this semester. The college received $500,000 from the state legislature last year to develop its homeland security program, and it plans to break ground on a $30 million training complex in Fort Pierce in August.
Frank said in the case of an avian flu pandemic, she is most worried about the poor.
"How can they stockpile their meds?" she said. "They can't get all of their medication now."
Dr. Daniel Lucey, director of a Georgetown University program dedicated to biohazards and infectious disease, said families need to plan for about two months worth of supplies. Lucey also gave a keynote speech.
"It takes a long time to make a new vaccine," he said. "And that will be a very serious problem."
The Flying Dutchman
Deceased
=
<B><center>Workplace likely to be pandemic's front line
<font size=+1 color=purple>Flight attendants pack Tamiflu to prepare themselves for a bird flu pandemic -- despite concerns about shortages.</font>
H.J. Cummins, Star Tribune
Last update: February 01, 2006 – 8:58 PM
<A href="http://www.startribune.com/168/story/220369.html">www.startribune.com</a></center>
Sue Ludwig is a Northwest Airlines flight attendant who carries Tamiflu on her trips these days. That's the drug doctors use to treat avian flu.
Virginia Cherne is another, and she figures that at least half the attendants she flies with do the same.</b>
Those who regularly fly to parts of the world where bird flu is spreading believe that their work puts them right up front if the disease eventually begins spreading among humans.
These attendants don't see anyone else watching out for them, so they are taking their own precautions.
It's hard to know how many other professionals are also not waiting for official help and instructions. Pilots? Border guards? Traveling salesmen? Poultry butchers?
The Professional Flight Attendants Association (PFAA) is preparing a recommendation for members on carrying Tamiflu, the antiviral drug that has increased survival rates for some types of avian flu.
Ludwig expects it to say something like this: Tamiflu is a good thing to have on hand but it's a long way from a "cure."
Ludwig is PFAA's occupational and environmental health coordinator, tracking things such as air quality and contagion in airplanes. She flies to Asia out of her Detroit base.
"We know the government expects the flu to come in by airplane, so the idea that flight attendants are not first responders [like doctors and police] is just wrong," she said.
The flight attendants' schedules often keep them away from home for three to five days at a stretch, and Tamiflu works only if started within the first 48 hours of an outbreak.
"What I'm really scared of is getting trapped, because the CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] will shut everything down," said Cherne, based in Minneapolis. "I'll be somewhere in a hotel full of sick people."
Virgin Atlantic Airways, based in Britain, bought 10,000 Tamiflu doses for its employees, saying the company considers them to be on the front lines of any pandemic.
But some health officials criticized such a move, citing limited supplies. They said hoarding by the "worried well" could mean shortages for the sick. In addition, the treatment regimen might be lengthening from five days to eight -- so attendants who carry the original five-day course of pills will find themselves three days short.
Despite such concerns, a State Department travel advisory in December encouraged Americans traveling or living abroad to consult a physician about obtaining Tamiflu.
A big fear is that widespread use of Tamiflu will cause the bird flu virus to mutate, becoming resistant to the drug, said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
That's what viruses do.
A CDC study three years ago found that only 2 percent of 120 flu strains tested were resistant to two widely used drugs; last year, 91 percent were resistant.
Business must cooperate with government, Osterholm said. That's why his policy center has organized a national summit, "Business Planning for Pandemic Influenza," Feb. 14-15 in Minneapolis.
"We're trying to address this issue head-on," Osterholm said.
It might turn out that avian flu does not threaten the world, he said.
"But a pandemic is coming," he said. "They are like earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis. They occur."
One of the biggest decisions will be who must show up to keep society running -- medical professionals, vaccine producers and police almost certainly, he said. They should be at the top of the list for drugs, if there are shortages.
But other possibilities are tech staffs to tend to the Internet, which suddenly will be expected to be everyone's connection to everything, and people who transport necessities such as food, water and medicine.
None of that can come too soon for worried working people.
"Once this starts, it's going to go everywhere," Cherne said. "I'm not paranoid. I just have genuine concerns."
<B><center>Workplace likely to be pandemic's front line
<font size=+1 color=purple>Flight attendants pack Tamiflu to prepare themselves for a bird flu pandemic -- despite concerns about shortages.</font>
H.J. Cummins, Star Tribune
Last update: February 01, 2006 – 8:58 PM
<A href="http://www.startribune.com/168/story/220369.html">www.startribune.com</a></center>
Sue Ludwig is a Northwest Airlines flight attendant who carries Tamiflu on her trips these days. That's the drug doctors use to treat avian flu.
Virginia Cherne is another, and she figures that at least half the attendants she flies with do the same.</b>
Those who regularly fly to parts of the world where bird flu is spreading believe that their work puts them right up front if the disease eventually begins spreading among humans.
These attendants don't see anyone else watching out for them, so they are taking their own precautions.
It's hard to know how many other professionals are also not waiting for official help and instructions. Pilots? Border guards? Traveling salesmen? Poultry butchers?
The Professional Flight Attendants Association (PFAA) is preparing a recommendation for members on carrying Tamiflu, the antiviral drug that has increased survival rates for some types of avian flu.
Ludwig expects it to say something like this: Tamiflu is a good thing to have on hand but it's a long way from a "cure."
Ludwig is PFAA's occupational and environmental health coordinator, tracking things such as air quality and contagion in airplanes. She flies to Asia out of her Detroit base.
"We know the government expects the flu to come in by airplane, so the idea that flight attendants are not first responders [like doctors and police] is just wrong," she said.
The flight attendants' schedules often keep them away from home for three to five days at a stretch, and Tamiflu works only if started within the first 48 hours of an outbreak.
"What I'm really scared of is getting trapped, because the CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] will shut everything down," said Cherne, based in Minneapolis. "I'll be somewhere in a hotel full of sick people."
Virgin Atlantic Airways, based in Britain, bought 10,000 Tamiflu doses for its employees, saying the company considers them to be on the front lines of any pandemic.
But some health officials criticized such a move, citing limited supplies. They said hoarding by the "worried well" could mean shortages for the sick. In addition, the treatment regimen might be lengthening from five days to eight -- so attendants who carry the original five-day course of pills will find themselves three days short.
Despite such concerns, a State Department travel advisory in December encouraged Americans traveling or living abroad to consult a physician about obtaining Tamiflu.
A big fear is that widespread use of Tamiflu will cause the bird flu virus to mutate, becoming resistant to the drug, said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
That's what viruses do.
A CDC study three years ago found that only 2 percent of 120 flu strains tested were resistant to two widely used drugs; last year, 91 percent were resistant.
Business must cooperate with government, Osterholm said. That's why his policy center has organized a national summit, "Business Planning for Pandemic Influenza," Feb. 14-15 in Minneapolis.
"We're trying to address this issue head-on," Osterholm said.
It might turn out that avian flu does not threaten the world, he said.
"But a pandemic is coming," he said. "They are like earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis. They occur."
One of the biggest decisions will be who must show up to keep society running -- medical professionals, vaccine producers and police almost certainly, he said. They should be at the top of the list for drugs, if there are shortages.
But other possibilities are tech staffs to tend to the Internet, which suddenly will be expected to be everyone's connection to everything, and people who transport necessities such as food, water and medicine.
None of that can come too soon for worried working people.
"Once this starts, it's going to go everywhere," Cherne said. "I'm not paranoid. I just have genuine concerns."
The Flying Dutchman
Deceased
=
<B><center>2/1/2006 8:32 PM
<A href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-02-01-flu-meeting_x.htm">www.usatoday.com</a>
<font size=+1 color=red>Pandemic readiness is all local</font>
By Anita Manning, USA TODAY</center>
WASHINGTON — Your chance of surviving a flu pandemic could depend on where you happen to live.
The USA has a federal pandemic plan. But in an emergency, it will be the local response that matters the most, says Jeffrey Levi, senior policy adviser at the Trust for America's Health, who spoke here Wednesday at a meeting of flu experts. "The basic day-to-day, where the rubber hits the road for pandemic preparedness is being left to state and local governments," he says. </b>
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages states to create distribution plans for drugs and vaccines and policies on quarantine and isolation. But details on executing those plans are left to state and local health officials. "In the context of a pandemic, we cannot afford to have state-by-state variation," Levi says. "We have a national interest in making sure that everyone is equally prepared and that we are using consistent strategies."
The flu summit in Washington was sponsored by the CDC, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and other groups and agencies concerned about pandemic flu. Experts warn that a bird flu epidemic that has spread from Asia into Europe could spark a human flu pandemic that could be as severe as the 1918 "Spanish" flu, which killed up to 100 million people worldwide.
The bird flu virus, known as H5N1, has infected at least 160 people and killed 85. This week, the first case was reported in Iraq and two others are being investigated, says CDC flu expert Tim Uyeki. But so far, nearly all cases worldwide can be traced to contact with sick poultry. For the pandemic to occur, the virus would have to mutate where it could spread easily from person to person, and there is no sign that is happening, he says.
To prepare for that possibility, the USA has stockpiled 4.3 million courses of Tamiflu and plans to acquire enough to treat 75 million people. A vaccine is being tested, and others are in development. Congress has so far allocated $3.8 billion for readiness.
But stockpiles should include more than vaccines and anti-virals, says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
"Today we have a just-in-time delivery system for masks, syringes, for IV bags," he says. "Most people don't realize that 80% of the drugs we use in this country come from offshore. Right now, the two manufacturers of N95 masks in this country are operating on 100% capacity. They have no surge capacity. We will run out quickly of all these things. And at that time, we'll be dealing with the equivalent of a 1918 health care system."
<B><center>2/1/2006 8:32 PM
<A href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-02-01-flu-meeting_x.htm">www.usatoday.com</a>
<font size=+1 color=red>Pandemic readiness is all local</font>
By Anita Manning, USA TODAY</center>
WASHINGTON — Your chance of surviving a flu pandemic could depend on where you happen to live.
The USA has a federal pandemic plan. But in an emergency, it will be the local response that matters the most, says Jeffrey Levi, senior policy adviser at the Trust for America's Health, who spoke here Wednesday at a meeting of flu experts. "The basic day-to-day, where the rubber hits the road for pandemic preparedness is being left to state and local governments," he says. </b>
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages states to create distribution plans for drugs and vaccines and policies on quarantine and isolation. But details on executing those plans are left to state and local health officials. "In the context of a pandemic, we cannot afford to have state-by-state variation," Levi says. "We have a national interest in making sure that everyone is equally prepared and that we are using consistent strategies."
The flu summit in Washington was sponsored by the CDC, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and other groups and agencies concerned about pandemic flu. Experts warn that a bird flu epidemic that has spread from Asia into Europe could spark a human flu pandemic that could be as severe as the 1918 "Spanish" flu, which killed up to 100 million people worldwide.
The bird flu virus, known as H5N1, has infected at least 160 people and killed 85. This week, the first case was reported in Iraq and two others are being investigated, says CDC flu expert Tim Uyeki. But so far, nearly all cases worldwide can be traced to contact with sick poultry. For the pandemic to occur, the virus would have to mutate where it could spread easily from person to person, and there is no sign that is happening, he says.
To prepare for that possibility, the USA has stockpiled 4.3 million courses of Tamiflu and plans to acquire enough to treat 75 million people. A vaccine is being tested, and others are in development. Congress has so far allocated $3.8 billion for readiness.
But stockpiles should include more than vaccines and anti-virals, says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
"Today we have a just-in-time delivery system for masks, syringes, for IV bags," he says. "Most people don't realize that 80% of the drugs we use in this country come from offshore. Right now, the two manufacturers of N95 masks in this country are operating on 100% capacity. They have no surge capacity. We will run out quickly of all these things. And at that time, we'll be dealing with the equivalent of a 1918 health care system."
Trasael Adnepos
Inactive
As a guy who grows and raises organic food, with chickens only cooped at night that eat out of the compost and whose droppings are spread in my garden when I clean the coop, I opine that the chances of bird flu are exponentially higher for the mega-farms due population concentration and far less hardy birds. These critters don't mind the rain unless it's torrential, don't eat other ground up animal by-products or chemical steroids in their food to make them grow into fryers in 10 weeks, do get a decent amount of greens and variety in their diet, have plenty of lime under the straw in their house and nests, and even get the leavings of the sauer kraut when I empty a crock, not to mention the excess kombucha lichens. I admit I have redoubled my efforts to keep the crows away, but those know this is protected air space anyway, and mostly do.
I'll probably coop `em if there's a major outbreak, since there's a small screened yard attached to the coop, but I still think you will see the mega-farms being the problem if it gets loose here.
Tras
__________
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." President Ronald Reagan
I'll probably coop `em if there's a major outbreak, since there's a small screened yard attached to the coop, but I still think you will see the mega-farms being the problem if it gets loose here.
Tras
__________
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." President Ronald Reagan
PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
Three in Hong Kong hospital amid bird flu fears
01/02/2006 5:39:00 PM
Three people have been admitted to hospital in Hong Kong after coming in contact with a chicken which died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu.
The three, including a 79-year-old woman, were placed in an isolation ward after the chicken, which was smuggled in from China as a Lunar New Year present, fell sick and died. Preliminary tests showed it had the virus.
They had eaten another chicken brought from China which had nested with the infected bird, the health department said Wednesday.
The three, a 42-year-old man, his mother and a 39-year-old female relative, live in Sha Tau Kok village on the border with mainland China.
Another infected bird -- a local wild species -- found dead in an urban public park was also found to have died of the disease.
The new H5N1 detections follow the discovery last week of two wild birds that had died of the virus.
"We have followed up three persons potentially exposed to the chicken, which showed a positive response to testing for H5N1," said Thomas Tsang, director of Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection.
"We have placed the three into an isolation ward as a precautionary measure.
"So far they have not shown any symptoms of influenza -- no fever -- but we will have the results of preliminary tests tomorrow," Tsang added.
A hospital spokesman later said their temperatures were normal and they had been given Tamiflu as a precaution.
Acting agriculture chief Thomas Sit said it was not known whether the diseased chicken was infected before or after it was brought into Hong Kong.
However, he said as the family lived in an area where another bird was last week found to have died of the disease, it was possible avian influenza had returned to the former British colony after being first detected there in 1997.
"There are two possibilities -- it was already sick when it was brought in across the border or that the chicken subsequently caught H5N1," he said. "We cannot exclude any possibilities."
Bird flu outbreaks on the mainland have made it illegal for poultry or pet birds to be brought into Hong Kong without a licence. But the great demand for fresh chicken has led many people to smuggle birds in across the border from China rather than pay higher prices for imported ones.
The family kept the bird with another chicken, which they slaughtered and ate as a traditional Chinese New Year dish.
When the smuggled bird suddenly died on Tuesday, the family called health officials who ordered they be admitted to hospital.
Sit said he would order a cull of poultry on farms and kept in homes within a five-kilometre (three-mile) radius of the village. He gave no indication of how many farms or birds would be included in the cull.
He added that all walk-in aviaries and the sprawling Mai Po Nature Reserve bordering China, which is a haven for migratory species, would be closed as a further precaution.
The H5N1 virus has killed 85 people since it reappeared in 2003 and international health officials fear it will claim millions more if it mutates into a form easily transmitted by humans.
The first cases of H5N1 in humans were recorded in Hong Kong in 1997 when six people died.
Hong Kong has maintained rigorous checks on poultry and imposed import bans on nations whose flocks have been affected by the disease, including China, and recorded its last confirmed human case in early 2003.
Experts believe the dead birds found in the past two weeks had been infected after coming into contact with infected wild birds in China.
http://www.terra.net.lb/wp/Articles/DesktopArticle.aspx?ArticleID=269242&ChannelId=4
PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
15th bird flu death in Indonesia
02/02/2006 - 08:00:31
An Indonesian teenager died of bird flu after he came into contact with dead chickens, health officials said today, citing local test results.
Blood and swab samples for the 15-year-old boy have been sent to a World Health Organisation-sanctioned laboratory in Hong Kong for confirmation, said Runizar Roesin, of the bird flu information centre.
If the tests come back positive, the boy – who died yesterday in the city of Bandung – will be Indonesia’s 15th confirmed human bird flu death.
Health officials are also awaiting WHO confirmation for a market vendor who died last week after coming into contact with sick poultry.
Hundreds of millions of chickens and ducks have died or been culled since the H5N1 strain of bird flu started ravaging poultry stocks across Asia in 2003. It has also jumped to humans, killing at least 85 people in Asia and in Turkey.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong officials have isolated three people in a hospital and closed aviaries and a nature reserve after discovering the H5N1 virus in a wild bird and a chicken smuggled from mainland China.
The dead crested myna was found in a playground and had the H5N1 bird flu virus, according to preliminary tests yesterday, said Thomas Sit, acting assistant director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
Hong Kong has found bird flu in dead wild birds in recent weeks, but it’s the first time the disease has been detected in chicken – a staple in local Chinese cuisine.
It was not immediately known where in mainland China the chickens came from, or how they were smuggled into Hong Kong, Tsang said.
He said it was not clear whether the sick chicken was infected in Hong Kong or China, but it was only in Hong Kong for a few days before becoming ill and dying.
The villager with the infected chicken lived near the border with mainland China where two dead oriental magpie robins infected with bird flu were found earlier.
http://www.eecho.ie/news/bstory.asp?j=171410446&p=y7y4yyy5z&n=171411206
PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
Breakthrough in bird flu quest
Thursday February 02, 2006 11:03 - (SA)
PARIS - Scientists say they have crafted a revolutionary vaccine that in tests on lab mice offers the hope of thwarting an influenza pandemic sparked by H5N1 bird flu.
If confirmed as safe and effective for humans, the vaccine could also be manufactured swiftly and in large quantities, making it ideal for stockpiling in the event of a pandemic, they say.
The problem with present flu vaccines is that they stimulate the immune system against specific sub-types of influenza strains.
However, these sub-types are a shifting target - they mutate into forms that evade the vaccines.
Most times, the mutation is a slight and relatively innocuous drift, but occasionally it can be a genetic leap which transforms the virus into a vicious new foe against which humans have no immunity.
This remote risk is what drives the present scare: the fear that the H5N1 virus, which at the moment can kill humans but is not transmissible between individuals, picks up genes that makes it highly contagious as well as lethal.
The mutation problem means it is usually pointless to try to devise a pandemic vaccine before the killer strain erupts.
The profile of the killer strain would be little more than a guess, and precious resources would be wasted if the bet proves wrong.
But Indian-born scientists working in the United States believe they have taken a giant step towards hitting the H5N1 virus across a range of sub-types.
In a report published online by the British health journal The Lancet, the team describe how they took an adenovirus - the virus that causes the common cold - and engineered it to produce a protein called haemagglutinin (HA).
HA is a spike-like protein on the surface of a flu virus that helps the microbe to attach itself to a cell prior to entering it and hijacking it.
In this case, the HA produced by the adenovirus appears to be common across the range of H5N1 sub-types.
Mice were injected with the engineered vaccine or alternatively with a harmless saline solution, and then exposed to high levels of two types of H5N1, found among people who fell sick in Hong Kong in 2003 and in Vietnam in 2004.
The modified adenovirus "gave 100-percent protection," said one of the co-authors, Suryaprakash Sambhara of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Among immunised animals, there was minimum body weight loss, sickness and morbidity...(and) there were no side effects," he said in a phone interview.
Vaccines typically prime antibodies, the foot soldiers of the immune system, into recognising a pathogen, or part of it.
If the intruder enters the body, antibodies swarm over it.
However, the adenovirus stimulated a very low antibody response.
Instead, it works by activating the heavy artillery - a type of white blood cell called CD8 T cells.
A long road lies ahead of refining the prototype vaccine, testing it further on lab animals and then, if everything works out, cautiously giving it to human volunteers to assess that it is safe and effective.
But Sambhara said current findings suggest that by attacking the H5N1 on a part of its genome that is less prone to mutate, the vaccine was aiming at a fixed target, not a moving one.
Asked if the vaccine would shield humans in the event of an H5N1 pandemic, he replied, "It should, it should. It should also protect there, too."
Almost as exciting, he said, was that the engineered vaccine could be manufactured in a culture in a matter of days.
At present, vaccines are usually grown in eggs, a process that takes six months - a timescale that could put millions of people at risk if a pandemic does occur.
"The population at risk is about 1.2 billion people, according to the WHO [World Health Organisation], so you are looking at some four to six billion eggs, and we don't have the manufacturing facilities for this," said Sambhara.
In addition, avian flu is lethal for chickens, which could make it hard to get the eggs in the first places, he said.
"The beauty of this approach is that we can use it for stockpiling" vaccines ahead of any outbreak, he said.
There other flu strains that are different from the H5 strain, and which could in the future also threaten a pandemic.
However, Sambhara said that by getting an adenovirus vaccine to express internal proteins that are common to all flu virus strains, the hope was, one day, for a "universal" shield against all forms of influenza.
Sapa-AFP
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimesNEW/basket7st/basket7st1138871036.aspx
New Freedom
Veteran Member
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/...oms_in_northern_Iraq_with_162_suspected_cases
"Al-Sulaimaniya, Iraq/Cairo - A fresh bird flu scare has erupted in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq with reports of 162 suspected cases almost two weeks after a 15-year-old girl died of the deadly strain.' (see link for rest of story)
"Al-Sulaimaniya, Iraq/Cairo - A fresh bird flu scare has erupted in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq with reports of 162 suspected cases almost two weeks after a 15-year-old girl died of the deadly strain.' (see link for rest of story)
New bird flu cases in Kurdish Iraq
[from www.bangkokpost.com three hours ago]
Al-Sulaimaniya, Iraq/Cairo (dpa) - A fresh bird flu scare has erupted in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq with reports of 162 suspected cases almost two weeks after a 15-year-old girl died of the deadly strain.
In the Thursday issue of pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, the head of the pre-emption committee in the Kurdistan Province Najm Eddin Mohammed announced that 162 people have been admitted to the diagnosis center on suspicion of contracting the virus.
Mohammed told al-Hayat that the virus has proliferated throughout Rania, a region southwest of al-Sulaymania on the border with Turkey, and described the influx as a "crisis."
"The threat (of bird flu) has been confirmed after the virus has been able to cross the province's borders," he said.
The virus is believed to have spread from neighboring Turkey, which has seen four deaths and a number of suspected cases so far. On January 17, a 15-year-old villager in Rania died of the deadly flu.
"Two other citizens have died of the infectious virus while two other cases are in intensive care, in addition to four other cases," Mohammed added.
The World Health Organizations has announced that two suspected cases of bird flu are currently being investigated in its London laboratory.
The testing of the samples of the young girl's 33-year-old uncle, who died on January 27 and another 54-year-old woman, who has been admitted to the hospital in northern Iraq after showing flu-like symptoms, is underway.
The health minister in al-Sulaymania, Mohammed Khoshnaw, had earlier confirmed that there are no bird flu cases in the area, stating that the preemptive measures implemented by the authorities in the city "are capable of preventing the influx or spread of the disease in the province."
But the authorities retracted their statement later, admitting that bird flu had spread to northern Iraq.
Following the authorities' confirmation of the bird flu cases, alarm has spread among the inhabitants of the Kurdish region Zakho after a large number of slaughtered birds were seen along the Khabour River that flows from bordering Turkey.
The villagers in Zakho have reported the incident to the local authorities in Zakho and Dahouk.
A health official in Dahouk said that villagers spotted ashore the river more than 100 dead birds, all suspected of having been slaughtered by Turkish villagers across the border in a bid to det rid of all infected birds.
Meanwhile in Kurdish city of Erbil, health minister Jamal Abdel Hamid decried the lack of tools that would enable the government to handle an imminent outbreak.
"The preemptive measures implemented by the heath authorities are ineffective in the face of the increasing number of infected people in Kurdistan," Abdel Hamid was quoted in al-Hayat as saying.
Al-Hayat reported that a 35-year-old woman identified as Sarya Mirza is being hospitalized in an Erbil hospital on suspicion she has sustained the deadly flu.
The Iraqi authorities have imposed a quarantine on the villages bordering Turkey and sent in launched teams to slaughter fowl in areas suspected of carrying the disease. Roads into the mountainous Rania area, site of the first flu death, have been blocked.
The area comprises some 50 villages, home to 400,000 people.
PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
UPDATE: Hong Kong, Bird Flu In Mind, Shuts All Aviaries
By Chris Oliver
HONG KONG (Dow Jones) -- Officials in Hong Kong announced the closure of all public aviaries and a local wetland nature reserve, effective from Thursday, as a "precautionary measure" in the battle against avian influenza.
Authorities are concerned about a possible outbreak among poultry on Hong Kong's door step in Guangdong Province.
Those concerns were sparked after a family living near the border with China contacted authorities after a chicken they had smuggled from the mainland about a week ago fell ill and died. Tests showed the bird was infected with the deadly H5N1 virus.
Three people who had come into contact with the infected bird were placed under observation Wednesday in hospital and given the anti-viral drug Tamiflu. Preliminary test results released Thursday were negative.
The Hong Kong government has ordered all residents within a five-kilometer radius of the infected household to surrender their chickens for destruction.
So far this year there have been three cases of wild birds testing positive in Hong Kong. In the most recent incident, lab tests show a crested mynah found dead in an urban playground had been a carrier, raising concerns the wild birds could be carrying avian flu into urban communities.
The bird-flu virus made its first known jump to humans in 1997 in Hong Kong, a global travel hub. Hong Kong's last confirmed human cases of H5N1 were three years ago.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
02-02-060915ET
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/N...eadlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na
The Flying Dutchman
Deceased
SSTemplar said:
On this observation - I must vigorously dis-agree....
I am not frightened - but I am watchful. If this bug does appear in CONUS. I want us all to be aware of it's enterence. If it doesn't well....
The Middle East has enough distension to give anyone (with any powers of observaion - the willies). But I also am *watching it* If it blows, then we'll be aware of it - in the final stages (I hope). If not, it was only prudent to have watched the situation - just as it is only prudent to watch the developement of H5N1....
justRose
Inactive
To me, a larger threat is our golf courses. Many in Michigan have water hazards and ponds with large numbers of ducks, geese, and swans which are specific migratory birds carrying the H5N1 virus. Several area doctors and other professional people golf weekly. I believe that our very doctors are more at risk than our poultry handlers. The doctors we will turn to for help may be infected and unable to respond.
Also add all public places where people feed the birds especially water fowl.
Also add all public places where people feed the birds especially water fowl.
New Freedom
Veteran Member
justRose said:
Interesting observation.......
PCViking
Lutefisk Survivor
New Freedom said:http://news.monstersandcritics.com/...oms_in_northern_Iraq_with_162_suspected_cases
"Al-Sulaimaniya, Iraq/Cairo - A fresh bird flu scare has erupted in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq with reports of 162 suspected cases almost two weeks after a 15-year-old girl died of the deadly strain.' (see link for rest of story)
HOLY GUACAMOLE NF... This will be the story to watch today... M&C is another good source for cutting edge news. Just another example of how if you want news, you have to look beyond the MSM... Apparently this story comes from an German news source (dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur)... I wonder how long it will take to get into our MSM, if ever?
New Freedom
Veteran Member
PCViking said:
This will be the story to watch today... M&C is another good source for cutting edge news. Just another example of how if you want news, you have to look beyond the MSM... Apparently this story comes from an German news source (dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur)... I wonder how long it will take to get into our MSM, if ever?
HOLY GUACAMOLE???? PCV.....you're funny!!!
And from WHO....
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_02_02/en/
2 February 2006
Specimens from Iraq’s first reported case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus have now been tested at a WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom. The case was a 15-year-old girl from the northern part of the country who died of severe respiratory disease on 17 January. Test results have now confirmed her infection.
Specimens from the girl’s 39-year-old uncle, who died on 27 January, and a 54-year-old woman under treatment for respiratory illness are being sent to the UK laboratory but have not yet arrived.
A joint WHO/FAO/OIE team of international experts has been despatched to Iraq at the request of the Ministry of Health. The initial small team of epidemiologists and experts on animal disease will conduct a rapid assessment of the situation in the Sulaimaniyah area of northern Iraq. Because of the security situation, the team is not expected to arrive in the area until early next week.
At present, an additional two people, showing symptoms suggestive of H5N1 infection, have been hospitalized for treatment in the Sulaimaniyah area. Health officials, with support from WHO staff, have set up an emergency operations room to respond to the outbreak, investigate rumours, and address public concerns.
Rumours of possible human cases in other parts of the country have been systematically followed up. To date, no such rumours have been substantiated.
The detection of the country’s first human case occurred despite the absence of confirmed outbreaks of the disease in poultry. Detection of the case indicates a high level of awareness of the clinical features of this disease and good vigilance on the part of clinicians. It also points to an urgent need to investigate the extent of bird outbreaks in northern Iraq and possibly elsewhere. Team members with veterinary expertise will assess animal health issues and support the government in its efforts to control the spread of the disease in poultry.
Experiences with poultry outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in other countries have shown how quickly this virus can establish itself in poultry populations and spread widely when detection and control measures are delayed. Poultry culling is under way in northern Iraq and large numbers of birds have already been destroyed.
WHO-led teams are currently conducting or completing field assessments in nine countries in the area: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Lebanon, Moldova, Syria, and Ukraine.
Perhaps many more cases in these areas above.
Avian influenza – situation in Iraq - Update
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_02_02/en/
2 February 2006
Specimens from Iraq’s first reported case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus have now been tested at a WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom. The case was a 15-year-old girl from the northern part of the country who died of severe respiratory disease on 17 January. Test results have now confirmed her infection.
Specimens from the girl’s 39-year-old uncle, who died on 27 January, and a 54-year-old woman under treatment for respiratory illness are being sent to the UK laboratory but have not yet arrived.
A joint WHO/FAO/OIE team of international experts has been despatched to Iraq at the request of the Ministry of Health. The initial small team of epidemiologists and experts on animal disease will conduct a rapid assessment of the situation in the Sulaimaniyah area of northern Iraq. Because of the security situation, the team is not expected to arrive in the area until early next week.
At present, an additional two people, showing symptoms suggestive of H5N1 infection, have been hospitalized for treatment in the Sulaimaniyah area. Health officials, with support from WHO staff, have set up an emergency operations room to respond to the outbreak, investigate rumours, and address public concerns.
Rumours of possible human cases in other parts of the country have been systematically followed up. To date, no such rumours have been substantiated.
The detection of the country’s first human case occurred despite the absence of confirmed outbreaks of the disease in poultry. Detection of the case indicates a high level of awareness of the clinical features of this disease and good vigilance on the part of clinicians. It also points to an urgent need to investigate the extent of bird outbreaks in northern Iraq and possibly elsewhere. Team members with veterinary expertise will assess animal health issues and support the government in its efforts to control the spread of the disease in poultry.
Experiences with poultry outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in other countries have shown how quickly this virus can establish itself in poultry populations and spread widely when detection and control measures are delayed. Poultry culling is under way in northern Iraq and large numbers of birds have already been destroyed.
WHO-led teams are currently conducting or completing field assessments in nine countries in the area: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Lebanon, Moldova, Syria, and Ukraine.
Perhaps many more cases in these areas above.
New Freedom
Veteran Member
Quote from JPD:
WHO-led teams are currently conducting or completing field assessments in nine countries in the area: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Lebanon, Moldova, Syria, and Ukraine.
Perhaps many more cases in these areas above.[/QUOTE]
I think you are right.....why else would they send WHO teams there.......field assessments, my as$...........try field 'investigations'.......JMHO, of course!!!
WHO-led teams are currently conducting or completing field assessments in nine countries in the area: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Lebanon, Moldova, Syria, and Ukraine.
Perhaps many more cases in these areas above.[/QUOTE]
I think you are right.....why else would they send WHO teams there.......field assessments, my as$...........try field 'investigations'.......JMHO, of course!!!