03/20 | Daily BF: Troubling signs for bird flu

Link to yesterday's thread: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=190295

Since January, 2004 WHO has reported human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the following countries:

* East Asia and the Pacific:
o Cambodia
o China
o Indonesia
o Thailand
o Vietnam

* Europe & Eurasia:
o Turkey

* Near East:
o Iraq

For additional information about these reports, visit the
World Health Organization Web Site.

Updated February 8, 2006

Since December 2003, avian influenza A (H5N1) infections in poultry or wild birds have been reported in the following countries:

* Africa:
o Cameroon
o Niger
o Nigeria

* East Asia & the Pacific:
o Cambodia
o China
o Hong Kong (SARPRC)
o Indonesia
o Japan
o Laos
o Malaysia
o Mongolia
o Myanmar (Burma)
o Thailand
o Vietnam

* Europe & Eurasia:
o Albania
o Austria
o Azerbaijan
o Bosnia & Herzegovina (H5)
o Bulgaria
o Croatia
o France
o Georgia (H5)
o Germany
o Greece
o Hungary
o Italy
o Poland
o Romania
o Russia
o Serbia and Montenegro (H5)
o Slovak Republic
o Slovenia
o Sweden
o Switzerland
o Turkey
o Ukraine

* Near East:
o Egypt
o Iraq (H5)
o Iran

* South Asia:
o India
o Kazakhstan
o Pakistan (H5)


For additional information about these reports, visit the
World Organization for Animal Health Web Site.

Updated March 17, 2006

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/outbreaks/current.htm#animals

WHO, Avian Flu Timeline in .pdf: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/timeline.pdf

Troubling signs for bird flu​

DenverPost.com

Avian flu is spreading across the world twice as fast as scientists originally predicted. In less than a year, infected birds could reach the United States, arriving in Alaska and then spreading into Canada and the lower 48 states, including Colorado.

The virus already has spread across Asia and into Europe and Africa. Of the roughly 180 people sickened by the virus, 98 have died, according to the World Health Organization. The rapid spread has heightened public worries, and health officials urge citizens to be mindful of potential dangers but not to panic.

Human health, of course, is the major concern. Will some Americans get the disease from birds, as has happened elsewhere? More important, will the virus at some point mutate so it can be transmitted from one human to another, possibly triggering a pandemic like that of 1918? If that happens, disease specialists warn that tens of millions of Americans could become ill and millions could die.

Colorado chief medical officer Ned Colange notes no one yet knows what will happen. If the virus spreads, it won't necessarily be a pandemic. It could be less serious, like large flu outbreaks in 1958 and 1968. It's also possible that the flu could become less virulent as it spreads, he said.

The state has already stockpiled hospital beds, breathing devices and other equipment, and citizens might think about having extra food and water on hand, Colange said.

If the disease spreads in humans, it could take as long as four months to develop a vaccine. Scientists would need to first determine the strain of flu and its virulence. Colange said the National Institutes for Health is working on a faster way to produce vaccines.

A pandemic influenza summit will be held in Denver next Friday. Federal and state officials will help state, local and private sector officials work on planning, prevention, response and recovery strategies. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt is scheduled to attend. Leavitt said last week that more than half of the $3.3 billion allocated by Congress for bird flu will be used for vaccines. States also will receive some of the money. Colange said Colorado is getting $1.6 million for pandemic preparations. Still, Leavitt is urging states and local governments to make their own preparations.

That strikes us as very wise advice.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_3614237

Dogs eat chicken, die; probe ordered​

By: PTI
March 19, 2006

Hazaribag, Jharkhand: The death of two street dogs after reportedly consuming dead chicks caused a bird flu scare at Ramgarh, in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district, with the district administration ordering a probe.

Deputy Commissioner Rahul Purwar told reporters here that he had asked the team formed to look into the reported incident, to submit a report within 24 hours.

Appealing to the people not to get panicky, he said the administration was waiting for the report by the high-level team before deciding the next action.

Local people claimed that the street dogs died after consuming dead chicks, which were lying near a poultry farm in Ramgarh town yesterday.

Ramgarh Sub-Divisional Officer D Choubey went to the area to ascertain the fact and take stock of the situation.

http://web.mid-day.com/news/nation/2006/march/133348.htm

Minor Mutations in Avian Flu Virus Increase Chances of Human Infection​

By Eric Sauter

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology have identified what the researchers described as a possible pathway for a particularly virulent strain of the avian flu virus H5N1 "to gain a foothold in the human population."

The H5N1 avian influenza virus, commonly known as "bird flu," is a highly contagious and deadly disease in poultry. So far, its spread to humans has been limited, with 177 documented severe infections, and nearly 100 deaths in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Iraq, and Turkey as of March 14, 2006, according to the World Health Organization.

"With continued outbreaks of the H5N1 virus in poultry and wild birds, further human cases are likely," said Ian Wilson, Scripps Research professor of molecular biology and head of the laboratory that conducted the recent study. "The potential for the emergence of a human-adapted H5 virus, either by re-assortment or mutation, is a clear threat to public health worldwide."

Of the H5N1 strains isolated to date, the researchers looked at A/Vietnam/1203/2004 (Viet04), one of the most pathogenic H5N1 viruses studied so far. The virus was originally isolated from a 10-year-old Vietnamese boy who died from the infection in 2004. The hemagglutinin (HA) structure from the Viet04 virus was found to be closely related to the 1918 virus HA, which caused some 50 million deaths worldwide.

Using a recently developed microarray technology—hundreds of microscopic assay sites on a single small surface—the study showed that relatively small mutations can result in switching the binding site preference of the avian virus from receptors in the intestinal tract of birds to the respiratory tract of humans.These mutations, the study noted, were already "known in [some human influenza] viruses to increase binding for these receptors."

The study was published on March 16, 2006 by ScienceXpress, the advance online version of the journal Science.

Receptor specificity for the influenza virus is controlled by the glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) on the virus surface. These viral HAs bind to host cell receptors containing complex glycans—carbohydrates—that in turn contain terminal sialic acids. Avian viruses prefer binding to a2-3-linked sialic acids on receptors of intestinal epithelial cells, while human viruses are usually specific for the a2-6 linkage on epithelial cells of the lungs and upper respiratory tract. Such interactions allow the virus membrane to fuse with the membrane of the host cell so that viral genetic material can be transferred to the cell.

The switch from a2-3 to a2-6 receptor specificity is a critical step in the adaptation of avian viruses to a human host and appears to be one of the reasons why most avian influenza viruses, including current avian H5 strains, are not easily transmitted from human-to-human following avian-to-human infection. However, the report did suggest that "once a foothold in a new host species is made, the virus HA can optimize its specificity to the new host."

"Our recombinant approach to the structural analysis of the Viet04 virus showed that when we inserted HA mutations that had already been shown to shift receptor preference in H3 HAs to the human respiratory tract, the mutations increased receptor preference of the Viet04 HA towards specific human glycans that could serve as receptors on lung epithelial cells," Wilson said. "The effect of these mutations on the Viet04 HA increases the likelihood of binding to and infection of susceptible epithelial cells."

The study was careful to note that these results reveal only one possible route for virus adaptation. The study concluded that other, as yet "unidentified mutations" could emerge, allowing the avian virus to switch receptor specificity and make the jump to human-to-human transmission.

The glycan microarray technology, which was used to identify the mutations that could enable adaptation of H5N1 into the human population in the laboratory, could also be used to help identify new active virus strains in the field by monitoring changes in the receptor binding preference profile where infection is active, according to Jeremy M. Berg, the director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The glycan microarray was developed by The Consortium for Functional Glycomics, an international group led by Scripps Research scientists and supported by the NIGMS.

"This technology allows researchers to assay hundreds of carbohydrate varieties in a single experiment," Berg said. "The glycan microarray offers a detailed picture of viral receptor specificity that can be used to map the evolution of new human pathogenic strains, such as the H5N1 avian influenza, and could prove invaluable in the early identification of emerging viruses that could cause new epidemics."

Other authors of the study include James Stevens of Scripps Research; Ola Blixt of Scripps Research and Glycan Array Synthesis Core-D, Consortium for Functional Glycomics; Terrence M. Tumpey, Influenza Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Jeffery K. Taubenberger, Department of Molecular Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and; James C. Paulson, Scripps Research and Glycan Array Synthesis Core-D, Consortium for Functional Glycomics.

The work was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Institutes of Health.

http://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/e_20060320/avian.html

USA: a worthy reminder

Not new news, but very important news that's dropped off the radar...

Military's Role in a Flu Pandemic
Troops Might Be Used to 'Effect a Quarantine,' Bush Says​

By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2005; A05

President Bush said yesterday that he would consider using the military to "effect a quarantine" in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza in the United States.

Responding to a question during a news conference, Bush also suggested that putting National Guard troops under federal, rather than state, control might be one part of a response to the "catastrophe" of an avian influenza outbreak. The president raised the same idea after Hurricane Katrina, suggesting that he is considering a greater role for the military in natural disasters.

The president gave no details on the specific role troops might play or what sort of quarantine might be invoked. The federal government's pandemic-response plan, the product of more than a year of work, is expected to be released soon.

Most public health experts believe it is impossible to entirely isolate neighborhoods, towns, cities or regions during an outbreak of disease. Instead, quarantines today generally refer to a variety of strategies for identifying and limiting the movement of people who are infected with a contagious pathogen or are at high risk.

That might include screening travelers for fever and flu symptoms; prohibiting large gatherings of people, including at some workplaces; and requiring that people exposed to infected individuals stay at home until the incubation period for the illness has passed. China took these measures during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003.

"The policy questions for a president in dealing with an avian flu outbreak are difficult," Bush said. "One example: If we had an outbreak somewhere in the United States, do we not then quarantine that part of the country? And how do you, then, enforce a quarantine? . . . And who best to be able to effect a quarantine?"

He did not answer his own questions, but after the last one, he said: "One option is the use of a military that's able to plan and move. So that's why I put it on the table. I think it's an important debate for Congress to have."

The president said some governors object to the idea of federal control of state National Guard units in emergencies. He added that, as a former governor, "I understand that. . . . But Congress needs to take a look at circumstances that may need to vest the capacity of the president to move beyond that debate. And one such catastrophe or one such challenge could be an avian flu outbreak."

A strain of avian influenza called H5N1 has led to the death of more than 140 million birds in Asia. It has infected 116 people, of whom 60 have died.

The government is stockpiling antiviral medications and an experimental "bird flu" vaccine as a defense against the virus, should it develop the capacity to spread easily and quickly in human beings.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100400681_pf.html

Alaska

Alaska to Test Migrating Birds for Avian Flu​

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska and federal officials plan to ramp up testing of migratory birds for the deadly avian flu virus in the state, considered the likely North American entry point for the H5N1 strain.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service, along with state agencies, plan to test 16,000 migratory and hunted birds from across Alaska in the spring and fall, officials told Reuters on Friday. An earlier estimate called for testing 13,000 birds.

After capturing the live birds in nets or other devices, officials swab the birds to pick up feces samples. Further details of the testing program are scheduled to be released on Monday by Fish and Wildlife Service officials.

In the next few weeks, Alaska will start to see the first of millions of migratory birds that stop and nest in the state after traveling from Asia to North America. "We just have to be prepared for all possibilities," said Richard Mandsager, director of Alaska's Division of Public Health.

The H5N1 influenza virus has spread rapidly west since it re-emerged in China and South Korea in 2003. Four Asian nations and Denmark became the latest countries affected, but experts agree it will inevitably spread to birds across the globe.

It has not yet been detected in North America. Biologists tested thousands of wild birds in Alaska last year and found no sign of the deadly virus.

The Steller's eider, lesser snow goose, lesser sandhill crane, eastern yellow wagtail and Arctic warbler are among 26 species on a list of birds considered important to test, due in part to the amount of time spent near viral hot spots in Asia.

Although avian-to-human transmission is rare, people can contract bird flu after coming into contact with infected birds. The World Health Organization says at least 98 people are known to have died so far from the H5N1 strain.

Alaskan health authorities recommend hunters wear gloves and refrain from eating, drinking or smoking when handling birds. And hunters should avoid harvesting birds that appear sick and stay clear of birds that are already dead.

Government agencies have also asked Alaskan residents to be on the lookout for any unusual bird die-offs.

The rapid spread of the virus across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia has stoked fears it could mutate into a form capable of human-to-human transmission, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.

Story by Yereth Rosen

Story Date: 20/3/2006

http://www.planetark.com/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=35708

Reminder....

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, Secretary of Health & Human Services, Mike Leavitt, and Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, will discuss preparations for avian influenza in the U.S. The briefing will include details of the expanded migratory bird monitoring system, and an update on response plans in the event of an outbreak among domestic birds. Secretary Leavitt will discuss public health preparedness.

When:
Monday, March 20, 2006 1:00 p.m. EST

The event will also be available via live web cast from the PandemicFlu.gov Web site.

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/

JPD said:

Reminder....

The briefing will include details of the expanded migratory bird monitoring system, and an update on response plans in the event of an outbreak among domestic birds.

The event will also be available via live web cast from the PandemicFlu.gov Web site.

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/

Click to expand...

Thanks JPD

northern Malaysia

This is the first time I've seen it stated that H5N1 was found in an ecotourism park...

H5N1 bird flu detected in northern Malaysia​

20/03/2006 - 09:21:42

The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu has spread to northern Malaysia, authorities said today, after several dead chickens were found infected in a poultry-rearing village.

Officials will slaughter more than 200 birds in Permatang Bagak Village in Penang state after tests confirmed that at least six chickens died there of H5N1 last week, said Veterinary Services Department acting director general Mustapa Abdul Jalil.

It was the first bird flu outbreak in Penang following two cases reported last week in neighbouring Perak state, where the virus was detected among chickens in a village and birds in a wildlife ecotourism park.

The first outbreak this year occurred in four villages outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s largest city.

http://www.eecho.ie/news/bstory.asp?j=145034800&p=y45x3538x&n=145035409

Israel

Mar. 20, 2006 13:17

Government confirms bird flu at Nir Oz and Amioz​

By JPOST.COM STAFF

The Agriculture Ministry confirmed early Monday afternoon that the H5N1 strain of bird flu was responsible for the deaths of poultry at Kibbutz Nir Oz and the community of Amioz in the western Negev.

The two communities have been ordered to cull thousands of birds, as has the poultry processing plant Of Kor in Shear Hanegev, which recently received shipments of poultry from Amioz.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1139395641157&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull

between the fact that there was never a lot of publicity about dubya's saying that quarantines would be needed, and the fact that the govt. had a website up that no one seems to take seriously, I am more concerned about the birdflu than I think I have ever been before.

H5N1 bird flu found in Kazakhstan fowl
20 Mar 2006 10:43:47 GMT

Source: Reuters


ASTANA, March 20 (Reuters) - The deadly H5N1 bird flu strain has been found in wild fowl in western Kazakhstan, an agriculture ministry official said on Monday.

Birds in Kazakhstan were hit by an H5N1 outbreak in 2005. The virus has crept back into the region this year, appearing in Russia and Azerbaijan.

"Bird flu type A H5N1 ... was found in a sample taken from a dead wild swan," Asylbek Kozhmuratov, head of the ministry's veterinary department, told reporters.
[snip]

Update on the Orissa story...

India fever identified

[from BBC UK]


Sources of drinking water are to be cleaned up

A mystery fever which has killed more than 100 children in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in southern India, has now been identified as viral meningo encephalitis.
A state health official told a BBC correspondent in Hyderabad that the virus was spread by the combination of a heat wave followed by monsoon rains, but the outbreak was now starting to decline.

Doctors say the disease spreads quickly among poor children in rural areas, where they are bitten by infected mosquitoes.

The state health official said a campaign was now underway to clean drains where the insects breed.

"We have found that the people living in the periphery of the villages, especially near the fields and water bodies, have fallen victim to this disease," P Laxmi Rajyam, director of health services for Andhra Pradesh told the AP news agency.

Confusion

She said the viral meningo encephalitis, which causes inflammation of the brain, has affected at least 196 children across the state.

The disease hits India every year, but usually in the drier months of October-December and causes fewer deaths.

Malnourished children in the 2-14 age group have been the main victims of the killer disease.

The leading symptoms of the disease are high fever followed by diarrhoea and convulsions.

A state government report says deaths have occurred in eight districts of the state.

Hundreds of children are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the endemic areas.

The state government has been heavily criticised over the way it has tackled the crisis.

Medical experts and opposition parties blame the authorities for not taking correct preventive measures and not reacting quickly enough when the outbreak occurred.

The state's chief minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, has admitted to "some laxity" on the part of health department officials over preventive measures.

Mr Naidu has offered 50,000 rupees ($1,000) each to the families of the dead children and 5,000 rupees to other children affected by the disease.

The government is carrying out a sanitation drive. People's representatives, officials and non-governmental organisations will fan out across the state to clean all drinking water sources, remove garbage, clear drains and take anti-mosquito measures.

Bird Flu-No SWIMMING except indoors once birds are sick and other tidbits of info...

If you read this official report
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/353/13/1374
you can pick up a lot of information about avian influenza that we HAVEN'T been told or hasn't been discussed. Don't let the technical jargon put you off reading it, there are PLENTY OF PLAIN ENGLISH facts that will open your eyes a bit wider. For example:

Once the bird flu is present in the WILD birds, SWIMMING in any bird virus laden lakes or ponds may well give you a mouth, eyes and NOSE FULL OF AVIAN FLU VIRUS and COULD potentially make you or your MORE SUSCEPTIBLE CHILDREN contract it. (I will be advising my grandkids to restrict their swimming to indoor pools this summer.)

*They are finding much MORE VIRUS IF THEY SWAB THE THROAT than if they swab the nose.
*Playing with or touching ASYMPTOMATIC (APPARANTLY HEALTHY, but INFECTED ) DUCKS have caused many people to contract Bird flu.
*One case of severe illness was reported in a nurse exposed to an infected patient in Vietnam.(Human to human)
*Exposure to ill poultry and butchering of birds were associated with seropositivity(their blood tested positive) for influenza A (H5N1)(anti-bodies)
*The case fatality rate was 89 percent among those younger than 15 years of age in Thailand.
*Most hospitalized patients with avian influenza A (H5N1) have required ventilatory support within 48 hours after admission,
*Death has occurred an average of 9 or 10 days after the onset of illness (range, 6 to 30),
*Cultivable virus generally disappears within two or three days after the initiation of oseltamivir (TAMIFLU) among survivors, but clinical progression despite early therapy with oseltamivir(TAMIFLU) and a lack of reductions in pharyngeal viral load have been described in patients who have died.



Here are a few helpful tips to make some of it more understandable:

1.They say "nosocomial" when they mean "originating or taking place in a hospital" (Like a picking up a germ you DIDN'T have when you entered the hospital but DID have when you left!)
2.They say "fomite" when they are referring to "an inanimate object (as a dish, toy, book, doorknob, pen, or clothing) that may be contaminated with infectious organisms and serve in their transmission"
So, "contamination of hands from infected fomites and subsequent self-inoculation." would mean you TOUCHED something that was covered with bird flu germs and then "self-inoculation" infected yourself by transplanting those viruses from your hand into your eye, nose, or mouth.

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Threads merged

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N2012779.htm

U.S. study defines two clear bird flu strains
20 Mar 2006 14:02:08 GMT

Source: Reuters

MORE
(For release at 1:15 p.m. EST/1815 GMT)

ATLANTA, March 20 (Reuters) - The H5N1 strain of bird flu in humans has evolved into two separate strains, U.S. researchers reported on Monday, which could complicate developing a vaccine and preventing a pandemic.

One strain, or clade, made people sick in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand in 2003 and 2004 and a second, a cousin of the first, caused the disease in people in Indonesia in 2004.

Two clades may share the same ancestor but are distinct -- as are different clades, or strains, of the AIDS virus, the team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

"Back in 2003 we only had one genetically distinct population of H5N1 with the potential to cause a human pandemic. Now we have two," said the CDC's Rebecca Garten, who helped conduct the study.

Speaking to the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Garten said the pool of H5N1 candidates with the potential to cause a human influenza pandemic is getting more genetically diverse, which makes studying the virus more complex and heightens the need for increased surveillance.

"As the virus continues its geographic expansion, it is also undergoing genetic diversity expansion," Garten said in a statement.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has spread across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia and killed about 100 people worldwide and infected about 180 since it re-emerged in 2003.

Although it is difficult to catch bird flu, people can become infected if they come into close contact with infected birds. Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could pass easily between humans, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.

All influenza viruses mutate easily, and H5N1 appears to be no exception.

"Only time will tell whether the virus evolves or mutates in such a way that it can be transmitted from human to human efficiently," Garten said.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department has already recognized the two strains and approved the development of a second H5N1 vaccine based on the second clade.

Several companies are working on H5N1 vaccines experimentally, although current formulations are not expected to protect very well, if at all, against any pandemic strain.

A vaccine against a pandemic flu strain would have to be formulated using the actual virus passing from person to person.

For their study, Garten and colleagues analyzed more than 300 H5N1 virus samples taken from both infected birds and people 2003 through the summer of 2005.

The majority of the viruses, including all the human cases, belonged to genotype Z. Now there are two clades of the Z genotype. There were also small numbers of viruses in birds that were genotype V or W or recently identified genotype G.

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<B><center>Sunday, 19 March 2006, 15:47 GMT

<font size=+1 color=blue>Egypt has 'second bird flu case' </font>


The arrival of bird flu in Egypt last month caused panic
<A href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4822912.stm">news.bbc.co.uk</a></center>
Egypt has reported a second suspected human case of bird flu, a day after it announced that a 30-year-old woman is thought to have died from the virus.
The health ministry says a man was admitted to hospital on Thursday after suffering symptoms of the disease, and has since recovered. </b>

Both cases of the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of the virus originated in the Qaliubiya region, north of Cairo.

Further tests are being carried out to confirm the virus in both cases.

Drug treatment

The official Mena news agency said that the 28-year-old man was treated with the drug Tamiflu and appeared to have recovered.

Egypt said on Saturday that a woman who maintained a domestic bird farm despite a ban on the practice had died of a fever at Cairo's main hospital a day earlier.

Last month, the government ordered the slaughter of all poultry kept in homes, as part of efforts to stop the spread of the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.

The H5N1 strain has killed at least 90 people since early 2003, mostly in South-East Asia.

The virus can infect humans in close contact with birds. There is still no evidence that it can be passed from human to human.

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<B><font size=+1 color=purple><center>After bird flu scare, pig disease grips Mizoram</font>

UNI
Aizwal, March 19, 2006
<A href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7454_1653559,0008000500040000.htm">www.hindustantimes.com</a></center>
Hardly has the bird flu scare died down in the region, a pig disease is now stalking the state leaving more than 1000 pigs dead.

The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department has identified the disease as "swine fever" and ruled out any relationship of this disease with the dreaded bird influenza.</b>

Animal Husbandary and Veterinary Director Dr C Sanghania said, "We have collected blood samples and have sent them to laboratories outside the state. We are waiting for the verifiction of what we understand to be as swine fever".

The official also denied the rumours that the pigs died because of the bird flu.

"Although pigs are also vectors of the avian influenza, they are not susceptible to the disease. The disease that is killing these pigs is rather the swine fever, which has been found in Mizoram as early as 1987," the director added.

Dr Sanghania also assured that it is still safe to consume pork and chickens and said the state would be hardly hit by bird flu since migratory birds do not visit Mizoram.

The officials believe that the disease has been transmitted through the pigs imported form Myanmar.

They assured the people that strict vigil is on at the Indo-Myanmar border to ensure that no animals are being imported.

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<B><font size=+1 color=red><center>Experts prepare advice in event of bird flu outbreak</font>

By Andrew Jack and Fiona Harvey
March 19 2006 22:02
<A href="http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6c844f6e-b777-11da-b4c2-0000779e2340,_i_rssPage=247a7efa-c8dc-11d7-81c6-0820abe49a01.html">news.ft.com</a></center>
Britain is gearing up for a possible outbreak of the lethal H5N1 flu virus in birds during April, and the still greater likelihood of infection this coming autumn, according to government officials.

Experts believe there is a risk of incidents in the coming weeks as wild birds return north from their winter migration, even though the UK is not within the main “fly away” zone, and a higher probability that cases will occur during the next migration southwards later in the year.</b>

One government official said surveillance efforts have been stepped up to monitor live birds for cases of infection, as well as mobilising groups led by the Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds to identify any dead animals that can be analysed for signs of infection.

However, planners remain confident that rapid identification and culling, combined with carefully monitoring in a 10km zone around any outbreak, should be able to prevent the spread of the virus, as illustrated by the apparent success of the same approach in France after a case of H5N1 was identified in domesticated poultry.

They are finalising advice in the event of such an outbreak, which is likely to call on farmers to bring livestock under cover to reduce the risk of infection, and to pet owners to keep cats inside and dogs on a leash.

The RSPB has been actively monitoring wild birds for signs of the disease since last year. But it maintains that the chances of the disease being brought to the UK by wild birds is very small. “It’s still regarded as a low risk,” an official said.

She said most migrating water birds, which are believed to be at the highest risk of the disease, were leaving the UK and the birds that were arriving for spring were mainly song birds, such as swallows and warblers, which were coming from areas – such as South Africa and west Africa – that had not been affected by the virus. Such birds do not frequent the wetland habitats that have been most associated with the disease in wild bird populations up to now.

Separately, the Association of British Insurers is set to issue guidance to employers stressing that they are unlikely to benefit from compensation for business disruption in the event of a human flu pandemic.

The ABI will warn that companies should prepare continuity plans because a pandemic is unlikely to be covered in the usual categories triggering business disruption payments such as earthquakes and floods.

However, it will also stress that life assurance contracts for individuals should cover a pandemic. Nearly 100 people around the world have been confirmed as dead from H5N1, and there have been no indications of a mutation in the virus to make it easily transmitted between humans – the precondition for a pandemic. Were that to occur, the government estimates up to 700,000 could die within the UK.

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<B><center> March 18, 2006 11:57 pm

<font size=+1 color=brown>Red Cross wants public to be prepared</font>

By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
The Meridian Star
<A href="http://www.meridianstar.com/local/local_story_077235717.html">MERIDIAN — </a></center>
Cheri Barry, executive director of the Key Chapter of the American Red Cross, said that while people should not panic about the potential spread of bird flu, they should be prepared to protect themselves if the flu becomes a pandemic. </b>

Barry said that while no human-to-human cases of the avian influenza have been reported, there is a growing concern that the flu could mutate and spread rapidly from person to person. For now, Barry said, those at risk of infection are those who handle poultry.

“There’s no certainty if or when a pandemic might occur, but we should take it seriously and build our capacity to be prepared,” Barry said.

Barry said bird flu was first detected in Asia in 1997. Since then, 16 countries have seen an outbreak of bird flu, and more than 200 million birds have been affected. She said there have been 176 human cases of bird flu and 97 deaths worldwide.

“Everything is an assumption at this point, but if it mutates and infects humans, it will spread rapidly,” Barry said.

Symptoms of bird flu are similar to those of the seasonal flu, but she said the Red Cross is working to make people aware. The Key Chapter will hold classes to inform the community of ways to prevent getting the flu and what to do if bird flu comes to Lauderdale and surrounding counties.

“Ten percent of people infected will not know they have the virus, so they would be out in the community infecting others,” she said. “We just don’t know anything about the survival rate, and there is not yet a vaccine.”

Barry said the virus usually affects a young age group because those are the ones who are working with poultry.

Dr. Jim Watson, state veterinarian, said people should use good hygiene when preparing poultry.

“We are asking people to use common sense when handling poultry,” he said, adding the state is working on a plan of action in the case bird flu is detected in Mississippi.

Barry said people should prepare by making sure they have a gallon of water for each person in a household, extra medications, canned food and enough supplies to last from four days to four weeks.

She said the American Red Cross would be in charge of feeding those who may be quarantined after becoming infected with the flu.

“We will take care of the immediate needs of those who have been infected,” she said. “We continue to need volunteers because if this hits, the hospitals will be full and people will have to be prepared to stay in their homes.”

Denmark

Denmark confirms nine more bird flu cases ​

2006-03-20 23:43:48

STOCKHOLM, March 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Neighboring Denmark on Monday confirmed nine more cases of H5N1 type bird flu, four days after the deadly strain was first detected in the country.

Reports from Danish capital Copenhagen said tests on nine wild ducks found dead on the island of Aeroe had revealed they were carrying the highly pathogenic strain of the virus.

Danish authorities established a protection zone on the small island, located about 170 kilometers southwest of Copenhagen, wheninitial tests on Friday indicated that the birds were carrying thedisease.

The country confirmed its first case of H5N1 on Thursday, when a buzzard tested positive. Samples were sent to the European Unionreference laboratory in Britain for verification.

Since the first outbreak in 2003, the H5N1 virus has killed at least 98 people in Asia, the Middle East and Turkey, according to the World Health Organization.

Experts fear it may mutate into a form passed easily between people, sparking a pandemic. But to date there have been no confirmed cases of the virus transmitting from person to person. Enditem

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-03/20/content_4324416.htm

Sweden

Stockholm swans had bird flu​

Published: 20th March 2006 16:34 CET

Two swans with an aggressive form of bird flu have been found in central Stockholm, the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the National Veterinary Institute (SVA) has announced.

One swan was found on the island of Skeppsholmen, just across the harbour from the Royal Palace. Another was found nearby in Nybroviken. The Board of Agriculture is now enforcing protection and observation zones around the places where the swans were discovered.

Restrictions have been introduced to stop the infection spreading to domestic birds.

The regulations will have minimal impact on people in the area, according to the board.

"It is not currently intended to seal off the areas of the finds," wrote the board and the SVA in a joint press release.

http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=3327&date=20060320

March 19, 2006

Hold the mayo
Will canned tuna save lives in a bird-flu pandemic? ​

The duct tape you bought on Tom Ridge's suggestion to ward off bio-terror is gathering dust in the garage. Now the government suggests you stock up for a possible bird flu epidemic by assembling more survival gear.

No panic buying, mind you, but ''when you go to the store and buy three cans of tuna fish, buy a fourth and put it under the bed,'' Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said last weekend.

''When you go to the store to buy some milk, pick up a box of powdered milk, put it under the bed. When you do that for a period of four to six months, you are going to have a couple of weeks of food. And that's what we're talking about.''

What we're really talking about, it seems, is the breakdown of society as we know it. Barricading the door. Hoarding food. Should we get a box of fresh ammo for the old 12 gauge, so we won't have to share any of that tuna?

People who lived through the Cold War and the backyard-fallout-shelter phase are feeling the buzz again. The Internet is crackling with survival Web sites selling dehydrated stores and 3M face masks. The vegan and organic crowd have their own strategies.

''Pandemics happen,'' Leavitt said last year. There have been 10 in the past 300 years. ''We're overdue...''

Less prominent lately are the public health experts who urge calm, such as Marc Siegel, an internist, associate professor at New York University and author of ''False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear'' (Wiley, $24.95). He told USA Today, ''We're going to have a lot of problems if we keep alarming ourselves about things that aren't going to happen.'' The H5N1 virus currently afflicting birds may mutate to spread easily human-to-human, but in the process it could lose it virulent nature. Or it could just die off, he said.

In its checklist, HHS warns people to plan for disruptions in normal services, work and school closings. But how bad would the flu death rate have to be to scare us into staying home from work and school and the supermarket for a month, or three months, which is what public health specialist Michael Osterholm, PhD., of the University of Minnesota, says would be necessary to avoid the germ? Osterholm is a government advisor but nevertheless pans the latest checklist. For instance, he notes there's no practical way to stockpile prescription medicine through your doctor, as the HHS advises, because drug manufacturers do not stockpile product and most insurance plans authorize no more than a 30-day supply.

Judging by Internet postings, this instinct toward holing up is a worldwide phenomenon among people who can afford it. But how long until the call to civic duty, to family loyalty, coaxes us out of our sealed-off rooms?

The thought of apocalypse stirs us to our primitive roots. If a well-stocked pantry takes the edge off, what's the harm?


(Published: March 19, 2006)

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/edits/ed19.htm

from www.pandemicflu.gov the news release about today's press conference:



USDA, DOI AND HHS EXPAND SCREENING FOR HIGHLY PATHOGENIC H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA IN MIGRATORY BIRDS

USDA, DOI and HHS Spotlight Interagency Readiness Plans

Also See: PandemicFlu.gov & AvianFlu.gov

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2006 - Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton and Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt today moved to further ensure the protection of people, domestic poultry and wild birds by unveiling an enhanced national framework for early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild migratory birds in the United States. This readiness plan and system builds on, significantly expands and unifies ongoing efforts among federal, state, regional and local wildlife agencies. Those agencies have been monitoring and testing for the presence of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus in migratory birds for several years. The increased efforts come as the spring migration of migratory birds is underway and the spread of avian influenza continues across continents.

Wildlife experts and public health officials have been monitoring the spread of the highly pathogenic H5N1 since it first appeared in Hong Kong in 1997. Since 1998, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has tested over 12,000 migratory birds in the Alaska flyway and since 2000, USDA has tested almost 4,000 migratory birds in the Atlantic flyway. All birds in these flyways have tested negative for the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus of concern. Since the summer of 2005, the Department of Interior (DOI) has been working with the State of Alaska to strategically sample migratory birds in the Pacific flyway. DOI has already carried out more than 1,700 tests on samples from more than 1,100 migratory birds. There have been 22 avian influenza isolates identified, but none have been highly pathogenic.

"The Department of Agriculture is working on many fronts, with many partners to further strengthen our ability to detect and respond to highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza," said Johanns. "By intensifying our monitoring of migratory bird populations, we increase the likelihood of early detection, which is key to controlling the spread of the virus, particularly in our domestic poultry. Having said that, it's important for the public to know two things; a detection of Asian H5N1 in the United States would not signal the start of a human pandemic; and properly prepared poultry is safe to eat, because proper cooking kills this virus."

Wildlife biologists, migratory bird specialists, veterinarians and epidemiologists from the USDADOI and Health and Human Services (HHS), along with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Association of Public Health Veterinarians and the State of Alaska have developed "An Early Detection System for Asian H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Migratory Birds -- U.S. Interagency Strategic Plan".

"We do not know for sure what role wild migratory birds play in the movement of this virus, but the potential exists for them to carry this virus to North America, and we have a responsibility to prepare for that possibility," said Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton. "Working closely with our state, local and federal partners, we can detect and respond to disease events involving wild birds and screen birds for highly pathogenic H5N1 virus. These actions will help us provide an early warning to the agriculture, public health and wildlife communities if the virus is detected in migratory birds."

The ability to effectively prevent the spread of highly pathogenic H5N1into domestic poultry operations is greatly enhanced by being able to rapidly detect the pathogen if it is introduced into wild migratory birds in the United States. The interagency plan outlines five specific strategies for early detection of the virus in wild migratory birds, including:

Investigation of disease-outbreak events in wild birds
Expanded monitoring of live wild birds
Monitoring of hunter-killed birds
Use of sentinel animals, such as backyard poultry flocks
Environmental sampling of water and bird feces


Because Alaska is at the crossroads of bird migration flyways, scientists believe the strain of highly pathogenic H5N1 currently affecting Southeast Asia would most likely arrive there if it spread to North America via migratory birds. Thus, the plan recommends a prioritized sampling system with emphasis in Alaska, elsewhere in the Pacific Flyway and the Pacific islands, followed by the Central, Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways. In 2006, USDA and its cooperators plan to collect between 75,000 to 100,000 samples from live and dead wild birds. They also plan to collect 50,000 samples of water or feces from high-risk waterfowl habitats across the United States.

The wild bird monitoring plan is part of the President's National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Preparedness. President Bush allocated $29 million in his avian influenza supplemental funding package for implementation of the wild bird monitoring plan.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt noted that highly pathogenic H5N1 is still a disease of birds, not people, and that most human cases in other countries have come from extensive direct contact with infected birds or their droppings. He cautioned, however, that scientists are concerned that the virus could develop the ability to efficiently transmit from person to person, and "such a development could trigger a worldwide pandemic."

Leavitt said HHS is using a multi-pronged approach, which includes increased monitoring to spot disease outbreaks at home and abroad; development of vaccines and vaccine manufacturing capability; stockpiling of both vaccines and antivirals; planning at the state and local level, and communications to inform the public.

Noting that the disease could show up in many communities all at the same time, Leavitt called local preparedness "the foundation of pandemic readiness" and said: "any community that fails to prepare - with the expectation that the federal government can offer a lifeline - will be tragically wrong." To assist local efforts, HHS is holding planning summits in all 50 states and providing checklists to local and state governments, businesses, schools, home health care providers, faith-based and community organizations and individuals and families.

Historically, wild birds have been natural reservoirs for low pathogenic avian influenza viruses and often show little or no signs of disease. Various forms of low pathogenicity avian influenza have existed in the United States since the early 1900's. They can cause varying degrees of illness in birds and have not posed a public health threat. If a virus mutates or mixes with another avian influenza virus it can become highly pathogenic, causing higher fatality rates in birds. The HPAI strain of H5N1 currently affecting countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and other geographic areas is highly infectious between birds, but has never been found in the United States. Other forms of HPAI have been detected in domestic poultry three times in this country: in 1924, 1983 and 2004. The 2004 outbreak was confined to one flock and eradicated. There were no human illnesses reported in connection with these outbreaks, however the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus has caused human illness and death in other countries where people have handled or been in close contact with infected birds.
[snip]

USDA, DOI AND HHS EXPAND SCREENING FOR HIGHLY PATHOGENIC H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA IN MIGRATORY BIRDS​

USDA, DOI and HHS Spotlight Interagency Readiness Plans

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2006/03/0095.xml

Release No. 0095.06

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2006 - Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton and Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt today moved to further ensure the protection of people, domestic poultry and wild birds by unveiling an enhanced national framework for early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild migratory birds in the United States. This readiness plan and system builds on, significantly expands and unifies ongoing efforts among federal, state, regional and local wildlife agencies. Those agencies have been monitoring and testing for the presence of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus in migratory birds for several years. The increased efforts come as the spring migration of migratory birds is underway and the spread of avian influenza continues across continents.

Wildlife experts and public health officials have been monitoring the spread of the highly pathogenic H5N1 since it first appeared in Hong Kong in 1997. Since 1998, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has tested over 12,000 migratory birds in the Alaska flyway and since 2000, USDA has tested almost 4,000 migratory birds in the Atlantic flyway. All birds in these flyways have tested negative for the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus of concern. Since the summer of 2005, the Department of Interior (DOI) has been working with the State of Alaska to strategically sample migratory birds in the Pacific flyway. DOI has already carried out more than 1,700 tests on samples from more than 1,100 migratory birds. There have been 22 avian influenza isolates identified, but none have been highly pathogenic.

"The Department of Agriculture is working on many fronts, with many partners to further strengthen our ability to detect and respond to highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza," said Johanns. "By intensifying our monitoring of migratory bird populations, we increase the likelihood of early detection, which is key to controlling the spread of the virus, particularly in our domestic poultry. Having said that, it's important for the public to know two things; a detection of Asian H5N1 in the United States would not signal the start of a human pandemic; and properly prepared poultry is safe to eat, because proper cooking kills this virus."

Wildlife biologists, migratory bird specialists, veterinarians and epidemiologists from the USDADOI and Health and Human Services (HHS), along with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Association of Public Health Veterinarians and the State of Alaska have developed "An Early Detection System for Asian H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Migratory Birds -- U.S. Interagency Strategic Plan".

"We do not know for sure what role wild migratory birds play in the movement of this virus, but the potential exists for them to carry this virus to North America, and we have a responsibility to prepare for that possibility," said Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton. "Working closely with our state, local and federal partners, we can detect and respond to disease events involving wild birds and screen birds for highly pathogenic H5N1 virus. These actions will help us provide an early warning to the agriculture, public health and wildlife communities if the virus is detected in migratory birds."

The ability to effectively prevent the spread of highly pathogenic H5N1into domestic poultry operations is greatly enhanced by being able to rapidly detect the pathogen if it is introduced into wild migratory birds in the United States. The interagency plan outlines five specific strategies for early detection of the virus in wild migratory birds, including:
Investigation of disease-outbreak events in wild birds
Expanded monitoring of live wild birds
Monitoring of hunter-killed birds
Use of sentinel animals, such as backyard poultry flocks
Environmental sampling of water and bird feces

Because Alaska is at the crossroads of bird migration flyways, scientists believe the strain of highly pathogenic H5N1 currently affecting Southeast Asia would most likely arrive there if it spread to North America via migratory birds. Thus, the plan recommends a prioritized sampling system with emphasis in Alaska, elsewhere in the Pacific Flyway and the Pacific islands, followed by the Central, Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways. In 2006, USDA and its cooperators plan to collect between 75,000 to 100,000 samples from live and dead wild birds. They also plan to collect 50,000 samples of water or feces from high-risk waterfowl habitats across the United States.

The wild bird monitoring plan is part of the President's National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Preparedness. President Bush allocated $29 million in his avian influenza supplemental funding package for implementation of the wild bird monitoring plan.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt noted that highly pathogenic H5N1 is still a disease of birds, not people, and that most human cases in other countries have come from extensive direct contact with infected birds or their droppings. He cautioned, however, that scientists are concerned that the virus could develop the ability to efficiently transmit from person to person, and "such a development could trigger a worldwide pandemic."

Leavitt said HHS is using a multi-pronged approach, which includes increased monitoring to spot disease outbreaks at home and abroad; development of vaccines and vaccine manufacturing capability; stockpiling of both vaccines and antivirals; planning at the state and local level, and communications to inform the public.

Noting that the disease could show up in many communities all at the same time, Leavitt called local preparedness "the foundation of pandemic readiness" and said: "any community that fails to prepare - with the expectation that the federal government can offer a lifeline - will be tragically wrong." To assist local efforts, HHS is holding planning summits in all 50 states and providing checklists to local and state governments, businesses, schools, home health care providers, faith-based and community organizations and individuals and families.

Historically, wild birds have been natural reservoirs for low pathogenic avian influenza viruses and often show little or no signs of disease. Various forms of low pathogenicity avian influenza have existed in the United States since the early 1900's. They can cause varying degrees of illness in birds and have not posed a public health threat. If a virus mutates or mixes with another avian influenza virus it can become highly pathogenic, causing higher fatality rates in birds. The HPAI strain of H5N1 currently affecting countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and other geographic areas is highly infectious between birds, but has never been found in the United States. Other forms of HPAI have been detected in domestic poultry three times in this country: in 1924, 1983 and 2004. The 2004 outbreak was confined to one flock and eradicated. There were no human illnesses reported in connection with these outbreaks, however the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus has caused human illness and death in other countries where people have handled or been in close contact with infected birds.

Additional information about avian flu and security relating to domestic poultry, wild bird monitoring and research, as well as pandemic planning nationwide is available at the U.S. government's comprehensive website for pandemic preparedness at

Bird Flu Information

Fact Sheet: Screening For Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza In Migratory Birds

Fact Sheet: United States Prepares For Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza In Wild Birds

Bird flu likely in U.S. this year -gov't​

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N20272505.htm

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - Bush administration officials said on Monday it was "increasingly likely" that bird flu would be detected in the United States as early as this year but added it would not mean the start of a human pandemic.

Speaking to reporters, Interior Secretary Gail Norton, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt unveiled a plan to increase monitoring of migratory birds that are likely to bring the bird flu virus to U.S. shores.

Norton said the early detection plan would prioritize sampling in Alaska and the Pacific islands, where scientists believe the strain of highly pathogenic H5N1 virus currently affecting Southeast Asia would most likely arrive.

The H5N1 avian flu virus has spread across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia and killed at least 98 people worldwide since 2003.

Norton said she anticipated initial, so-called "presumptive" H5N1 results could be announced some 20 to 100 times this year but those first tests would not tell whether the virus was high or low pathogen.

Discovery of bird flu in the United States will not be reason to panic, Johanns said, noting that positive test results could turn out to be a harmless version of the virus.

Should U.S. domestic poultry become infected, the Agriculture Department would "act quickly" to quarantine an affected area and destroy the infected flock, he said. Poultry farmers would be compensated for their loss, he added.

Although hard to catch, people can contract bird flu by coming into contact with infected birds. Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could pass easily between humans, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.

CDC:Avian Influenza: Current Situation​

Full Report:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/outbreaks/current.htm

Excerpt:

Assessment of Current Situation

The avian influenza A (H5N1) epizootic (animal outbreak) in Asia and parts of Europe is not expected to diminish significantly in the short term. It is likely that H5N1 infection among birds has become endemic in certain areas and that human infections resulting from direct contact with infected poultry will continue to occur. So far, the spread of H5N1 virus from person-to-person has been rare and has not continued beyond one person. No evidence for genetic reassortment between human and avian influenza A virus genes has been found; however, the epizootic in Asia continues to pose an important public health threat.

There is little pre-existing natural immunity to H5N1 infection in the human population. If these H5N1 viruses gain the ability for efficient and sustained transmission among humans, an influenza pandemic could result, with potentially high rates of illness and death. In addition, genetic sequencing of influenza A (H5N1) viruses from human cases in Vietnam and Thailand shows resistance to the antiviral medications amantadine and rimantadine, two of the medications commonly used for treatment of influenza. This would leave two remaining antiviral medications (oseltamivir and zanamivir) that should still be effective against currently circulating strains of H5N1 virus. Efforts to produce vaccine candidates that would be effective against avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses are under way. However, it will likely require many months before such vaccines could be mass produced and made widely available.

Research suggests that currently circulating strains of H5N1 viruses are becoming more capable of causing disease (pathogenic) in mammals than were earlier H5N1 viruses. One study found that ducks infected with H5N1 virus are now shedding more virus for longer periods without showing symptoms of illness. This finding has implications for the role of ducks in transmitting disease to other birds and possibly to humans as well. Additionally, other findings have documented H5N1 infection among pigs in China and H5N1 infection in felines (experimental infection in housecats in the Netherlands and isolation of H5N1 viruses in tigers and leopards in Thailand ).

Notable findings of epidemiologic investigations of human H5N1 cases in Vietnam during 2005 have suggested transmission of H5N1 viruses to at least two persons through consumption of uncooked duck blood. One possible instance of limited person-to-person transmission of H5N1 virus in Thailand has been reported. This possibility is being further investigated in other clusters of cases in Vietnam and Indonesia.

The majority of known human H5N1 cases have begun with respiratory symptoms. However, one atypical fatal case of encephalitis in a child in southern Vietnam in 2004 was identified retrospectively as H5N1 influenza through testing of cerebrospinal fluid, fecal matter, and throat and serum samples. Further research is needed to ascertain the implications of such findings.

Click to expand...

Bird flu splits into two strains​

Last Update: Tuesday, March 21, 2006. 9:31am (AEDT)

The H5N1 bird flu in humans has evolved into two separate strains, a development that will complicate the search for a vaccine and the prevention of a pandemic, US researchers have reported.

The genetic diversification of the pool of H5N1 avian influenza viruses with the potential to cause a human influenza pandemic heightens the need for careful surveillance, researchers said at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta.

"Back in 2003 we only had one genetically distinct population of H5N1 with the potential to cause a human pandemic. Now we have two," said Rebecca Garten of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, who helped conduct the study.

One of the two strains, or clades, made people sick in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand in 2003 and 2004 and the second, a cousin of the first, caused the disease in people in Indonesia in 2005.

Two clades may share the same ancestor but are genetically distinct - as are different clades, or strains, of the AIDS virus, the team from the CDC found.

"This does complicate vaccine development. But we are moving very swiftly to develop vaccines against this new group of viruses," said Dr Nancy Cox, chief of the CDC's influenza branch.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has spread across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia and killed nearly 100 people worldwide and infected about 180 since it re-emerged in 2003.

Although it is difficult to catch bird flu, people can become infected if they come into close contact with infected birds.

Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could pass easily between humans, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.

All influenza viruses mutate easily, and H5N1 appears to be no exception.

But Dr Cox said the evolution of a second clade does not move the virus closer to human-to-human transmission.

"Like the group one or clade one viruses, the group two or clade two viruses are not easily transmitted from person to person," she said.

"It really doesn't take us closer to a pandemic. It simply makes preparing for the pandemic a bit more difficult."

The US Health and Human Services Department has already recognised the two strains and approved the development of a second H5N1 vaccine based on the second clade.

Several companies are working on H5N1 vaccines experimentally, although current formulations are not expected to protect very well, if at all, against any pandemic strain.

A vaccine against a pandemic flu strain would have to be formulated using the actual virus passing from person to person.

Researchers said while vaccines were needed against different strains of the virus, a vaccination against one clade could provide partial protection against another.

"We would expect the priming (of a patient) with a clade one (vaccine) could potentially reduce the severity of disease," Dr Cox said.

For their study, Ms Garten and colleagues analysed more than 300 H5N1 virus samples taken from both infected birds and people from 2003 through the summer of 2005.

Ms Garten said the bird flu strains being detected in Europe were generally clade two strains.

-Reuters

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1596739.htm

Israel

Moshav Workers Suspected to Have Contracted Bird Flu ​

00:33 Mar 21, '06 / 21 Adar 5766

(IsraelNN.com) Two foreign workers in Moshav Ami Oz were transported to Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva on Monday night, suspected of having contracted avian [bird] flu. They are being monitored.

http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=100492

Israel Confirms First Outbreak of Bird Flu
Mar 20 9:17 AM US/Eastern

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI
Associated Press Writer


JERUSALEM


Israel on Monday confirmed its first outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. In a statement on its Web site, the Agriculture Ministry said the flu had been found in birds at two communal farms in southern Israel and at a farming community in central Israel.

Fearing the worst, Israel had gone ahead Saturday with the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of chickens and turkeys.



The H5N1 virus has killed or forced the slaughter of tens of millions of chickens and ducks across Asia since 2003, and recently spread to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

World health officials fear H5N1 could evolve into a virus that would easily be transmitted between people, potentially triggering a global pandemic, though there is no evidence that is happening.

About 100 people have died from the disease worldwide, most after having been directly infected by sick birds.

On Sunday, Egypt reported its second human case of avian flu _ a 30- year-old Egyptian who worked on a chicken farm in the province of Qalyoubiya.

The man was recovering in the hospital after being admitted Thursday with a fever, Deputy Health Minister Nasser el-Sayyed said.

The country's first known human case, a woman who died Friday, was from the same province, north of Cairo. The two victims had not had any contact and were from different villages, el-Sayyed said.

The Egypt-based U.S. Naval Medical Research was conducting additional tests to confirm whether the illnesses were caused by the H5N1 strain, the Health Ministry said in a statement run by the state Middle East News Agency.

Egypt discovered its first cases of the virus in birds last month.


http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/20/D8GFBJ481.html

US regulators urge banks to plan for bird flu​

http://www.finextra.com/fullstory.asp?id=15069

Published:
20/03/2006 09:18:00

US regulators are urging financial institutions across the country to devise contingency plans for dealing with a possible widespread outbreak of avian flu.

The Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision have issued a joint advisory notice calling on banks to consider the impact of a possible bird flu pandemic on business.

"A pandemic event is a potential threat to any financial institution regardless of size and location," the advisory statement says.

The document states that financial firms should have business contigency plans to deal with possible high levels of absenteeism in the event of an outbreak. Measures to control possible infection in the workplace should also be considered, including options for working at home for staff who are ill.

In January the US Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council (FSSCC) said a possible avian influenza pandemic poses a "unique threat" to the industry and called on banks to re-examine current contingency plans which may not be adequate for dealing with bird flu.

Some banks in Europe have already been working plans to deal with a possible avian flu pandemic.

HSBC has estimated that a widespread bird flu pandemic could affect up to 50% of its global staff. The bank has been preparing for staff that have to care for family members to work from home using video link and teleconference facilities and is also planning for office cleaning once an hour in an effort to limit infection.

HSBC's 50% figure is higher than official forecasts, including estimates from the World Health Organisation (WHO) which is expected to advise companies to plan for 25% absence.

Health Officials May Vaccinate Before a Human Pandemic Begins​

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=aCE9n0Tnx2TU&refer=canada

March 20 (Bloomberg) -- Health officials are considering vaccinating people in high-risk countries even before avian flu becomes contagious among humans.

Keiji Fukuda, head of the World Health Organization's global influenza program in Geneva, said for the first time that health officials are weighing whether to use vaccines created to combat the current H5N1 strain before an outbreak occurs, an aggressive tactic that some suspect may help slow the growth of a pandemic that many say is inevitable.

``Can we begin vaccinating rural populations against an avian influenza where it is a problem now?'' he asked in a wide- ranging interview at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta. ``It's one of the things that has to be talked through.''

Fukuda wants to explore whether current vaccines, such as those made by Sanofi-Aventis SA and Chiron Corp., can be given safely since they're still undergoing testing, and health officials have limited experience with them. The vaccines are created using killed viruses that have proteins on their surfaces like those on the germ circulating in birds.

Fukuda didn't say who would fund such a vaccination program that focuses on poor people in undeveloped countries. The U.S. government paid Sanofi and Chiron to develop shots that can be stockpiled for use in case the strain of flu spreading in birds mutates into a human disease.

Fukuda's comments come the same day the U.S. government released a study showing that the bird flu virus spreading around the world is mutating into more variations with genetic characteristics that increase the risk of infection in humans.

Variant Virus

Researchers are finding more human cases of the disease caused by a variant that had only been seen in birds before 2005, said Rebecca Garten, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist who led the study. The research was presented today at the same conference where Fukuda spoke with a Bloomberg reporter.

More surveillance is needed to track new forms of the virus that may acquire the ability to spread from person-to-person, Garten said. Government officials said earlier this month that federal laboratories are developing a second bird flu vaccine to provide more protection against new strains.

``As the virus continues its geographic expansion, it is also undergoing genetic diversity expansion,'' Garten said in an e-mailed statement before the conference. ``Change is the only constant.''

Data Sharing

Fukuda, who became head of the WHO flu effort this year, also said in the interview that he and his colleagues at the WHO are also pushing for greater sharing of data on the virus and more virus testing sites in poor nations. The organization is currently seeking sites in Africa to fit laboratories for bird flu testing, Fukuda said.

The H5N1 bird virus has spread from Asia to Africa, the Middle East and Europe, and has recently shown increased ability to infect mammals, such as cats, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. The disease has infected 177 people, mostly though close contact with birds, and killed 98 of them, according to the WHO Web site.

Health officials are preparing for the chance that it will mutate into a lethal form that might spread quickly around the world, like the Spanish flu of 1918 that killed at least 50 million people worldwide, 500,000 of them in the U.S.

Six-Month Gap

Experts believe it will take at least six months to develop a vaccine against a pandemic strain of influenza after it mutates into a form contagious to people. A worldwide disease outbreak would probably also cut off international travel and interfere with vaccine distribution in remote areas and poorer countries, Fukuda said.

``When I look at the current possibility for vaccination in the face of a pandemic, it doesn't look very good to me,'' Fukuda said.

Sanofi and Chiron's vaccines are still undergoing testing to see if they can be safely boosted with chemicals called adjuvants so that smaller doses will protect more people, said Nancy Cox, chief of the CDC's influenza branch.

The vaccine might be most appropriate for people at the highest risk of infection, such as health workers or those culling poultry, she said.

``It's very wise to debate and discuss how to use this vaccine that's already been produced,'' she said in an interview. ``Certainly this vaccine has the potential to provide some level of protection to those who might be at the front lines.''

Bird Testing

Fearing that the U.S. may be hit with the particularly lethal bird flu in the coming months, the departments of the Interior and Agriculture said March 8 they would ramp up testing for bird flu beginning in April. About 100,000 migratory birds are expected to be tested this year, compared with an average of about 12,000 in years past.

Testing will be concentrated in Alaska and Hawaii, said Chuck Higgins, director of the National Park Service's office of public health, on March 16. Millions of birds nest in Alaska each year, coming from Asia and North America, he said.

The genetic type of H5N1 that began infecting humans last year is called genotype Z, clade 2 and contains numerous variations that have been seen in humans, the study researchers said. In 2003 and 2004, clade 1 viruses were responsible for most

JPD said:

Health Officials May Vaccinate Before a Human Pandemic Begins​

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=aCE9n0Tnx2TU&refer=canada

March 20 (Bloomberg) -- Health officials are considering vaccinating people in high-risk countries even before avian flu becomes contagious among humans.

Keiji Fukuda, head of the World Health Organization's global influenza program in Geneva, said for the first time that health officials are weighing whether to use vaccines created to combat the current H5N1 strain before an outbreak occurs, an aggressive tactic that some suspect may help slow the growth of a pandemic that many say is inevitable.

``Can we begin vaccinating rural populations against an avian influenza where it is a problem now?'' he asked in a wide- ranging interview at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta. ``It's one of the things that has to be talked through.''

Fukuda wants to explore whether current vaccines, such as those made by Sanofi-Aventis SA and Chiron Corp., can be given safely since they're still undergoing testing, and health officials have limited experience with them. The vaccines are created using killed viruses that have proteins on their surfaces like those on the germ circulating in birds.

Fukuda didn't say who would fund such a vaccination program that focuses on poor people in undeveloped countries. The U.S. government paid Sanofi and Chiron to develop shots that can be stockpiled for use in case the strain of flu spreading in birds mutates into a human disease.

Fukuda's comments come the same day the U.S. government released a study showing that the bird flu virus spreading around the world is mutating into more variations with genetic characteristics that increase the risk of infection in humans.

Variant Virus

Researchers are finding more human cases of the disease caused by a variant that had only been seen in birds before 2005, said Rebecca Garten, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist who led the study. The research was presented today at the same conference where Fukuda spoke with a Bloomberg reporter.

More surveillance is needed to track new forms of the virus that may acquire the ability to spread from person-to-person, Garten said. Government officials said earlier this month that federal laboratories are developing a second bird flu vaccine to provide more protection against new strains.

``As the virus continues its geographic expansion, it is also undergoing genetic diversity expansion,'' Garten said in an e-mailed statement before the conference. ``Change is the only constant.''

Data Sharing

Fukuda, who became head of the WHO flu effort this year, also said in the interview that he and his colleagues at the WHO are also pushing for greater sharing of data on the virus and more virus testing sites in poor nations. The organization is currently seeking sites in Africa to fit laboratories for bird flu testing, Fukuda said.

The H5N1 bird virus has spread from Asia to Africa, the Middle East and Europe, and has recently shown increased ability to infect mammals, such as cats, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. The disease has infected 177 people, mostly though close contact with birds, and killed 98 of them, according to the WHO Web site.

Health officials are preparing for the chance that it will mutate into a lethal form that might spread quickly around the world, like the Spanish flu of 1918 that killed at least 50 million people worldwide, 500,000 of them in the U.S.

Six-Month Gap

Experts believe it will take at least six months to develop a vaccine against a pandemic strain of influenza after it mutates into a form contagious to people. A worldwide disease outbreak would probably also cut off international travel and interfere with vaccine distribution in remote areas and poorer countries, Fukuda said.

``When I look at the current possibility for vaccination in the face of a pandemic, it doesn't look very good to me,'' Fukuda said.

Sanofi and Chiron's vaccines are still undergoing testing to see if they can be safely boosted with chemicals called adjuvants so that smaller doses will protect more people, said Nancy Cox, chief of the CDC's influenza branch.

The vaccine might be most appropriate for people at the highest risk of infection, such as health workers or those culling poultry, she said.

``It's very wise to debate and discuss how to use this vaccine that's already been produced,'' she said in an interview. ``Certainly this vaccine has the potential to provide some level of protection to those who might be at the front lines.''

Bird Testing

Fearing that the U.S. may be hit with the particularly lethal bird flu in the coming months, the departments of the Interior and Agriculture said March 8 they would ramp up testing for bird flu beginning in April. About 100,000 migratory birds are expected to be tested this year, compared with an average of about 12,000 in years past.

Testing will be concentrated in Alaska and Hawaii, said Chuck Higgins, director of the National Park Service's office of public health, on March 16. Millions of birds nest in Alaska each year, coming from Asia and North America, he said.

The genetic type of H5N1 that began infecting humans last year is called genotype Z, clade 2 and contains numerous variations that have been seen in humans, the study researchers said. In 2003 and 2004, clade 1 viruses were responsible for most

Click to expand...

Can anyone say Russian Roulette, perhaps human guinea pigs?

Egypt reports third human bird flu case​

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L20354196.htm

CAIRO, March 20 (Reuters) - Egypt said on Monday a third suspected human case of bird flu had been discovered and the woman infected was in hospital.

She is the third infected person Egypt has reported in three days. All are from Qaloubiyah governorate, about 40 km (25 miles) north of Cairo.

A man admitted to hospital on Sunday recovered after being administered Tamiflu, but a woman died on Friday despite receiving the drug.

Initial tests in the two cases had shown virus infection, but authorities are awaiting further tests for final confirmation.

The state-run MENA news agency did not say whether the woman in the latest case had been tested for the bird flu virus.

"It was proven that she had handled infected birds and slaughtered some of these birds 15 days ago," MENA quoted Health Minister Hatem el-Gabali as saying.

Tamiflu is one of the most effective ways of treating humans with bird flu, which has spread across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia, and killed more than 90 people worldwide since 2003.

The highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus was first found in birds in Egypt last month. So far, 17 of Egypt's 26 governorates and the city of Luxor have reported cases in birds.

Although hard to catch, people can contract bird flu after coming into contact with infected birds. Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could pass easily between humans, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.

Pledged aid fails Africa in bird flu fight - U.N​

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2071631.htm

(Recasts Nabarro quotes, adds several countries testing birds)

By Antoine Lawson

LIBREVILLE, March 20 (Reuters) - Massive aid pledged to help poor countries tackle bird flu has not materialised and African countries and the United Nations must plug the shortfall to fund emergency plans, the U.N. bird flu coordinator said on Monday.

David Nabarro, senior U.N. coordinator for avian influenza, was speaking to U.N. and government officials from across Africa at the region's biggest meeting so far to tackle bird flu after it claimed its first human victim on the continent.

Many delegates had been expecting the meeting to concentrate on allocating funds for national and regional response plans.

Donors pledged $1.9 billion at a special conference in China in January to help developing countries strengthen health and veterinary services and boost global surveillance measures to control the deadly H5N1 disease.

"There are insufficient resources available at the present time to put in place emergency plans and prepare a coordinated response," Nabarro told the gathering.

"African countries and the United Nations system must contribute resources to make up for this, in the hope that development partners will react rapidly," Nabarro said.

Nabarro did not specify why the money pledged in Beijing had not materialised, but his comments echoed similar complaints by Indu Bhushan, chairman of the Asian Development Bank's Task Force on Avian Influenza, who told reporters in Bangkok last week that few countries had received money.

"To my knowledge, out of the $1.9 billion pledged, not much actual money has been seen by the countries," Bhushan said.

Nabarro said lack of funding had hampered the implementation of emergency plans in African countries affected by bird flu.

He also said the long wait for results from foreign laboratories, which he said could take 10 to 20 days, had cost valuable time in activating emergency control plans.

Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Egypt -- which said at the weekend that a woman had become the continent's first human victim of the H5N1 -- have all confirmed H5N1 bird flu outbreaks and several countries are testing dead birds, including Gabon.

FIRST DEATH

Egypt, one of four African countries known to have the disease, said at the weekend the virus was found in the blood of a dead woman, the first human casualty on the continent which experts fear is the least prepared to handle a mass outbreak.

The H5N1 avian influenza strain has killed at least 98 people, mainly in Asia and the Middle East, since 2003, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) figures.

Experts say weak medical, veterinary and laboratory capacity on the world's poorest continent, coupled with the fact many Africans live closely with chickens and other fowl, could leave them vulnerable to contracting the disease from birds.

Major existing killer diseases and epidemics like malaria and HIV/AIDS could also hinder control of outbreaks in Africa -- especially if, as scientists fear, the virus mutates to pass directly from one person to another in a pandemic.

"The threat to human health from bird flu must be taken into account in African countries and financial means committed to strengthening their epidemiological capacity," Mike Ryan, WHO director for Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response, said in a statement before Monday's summit.

Delegates from 46 African countries were expected at the summit, which was due to end on Wednesday.

WHO Suspects 14 People Infected with Bird Flu in Azerbaijan​

http://mosnews.com/news/2006/03/20/azerflu.shtml

Created: 20.03.2006 16:56 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:05 MSK, 10 hours 51 minutes ago

MosNews

Experts from the World Health Organization suspect 14 more people are infected with bird flu in Azerbaijan where two girls died of the the H5N1 virus earlier this month, Interfax reported Monday.

A group of WHO experts reported their suspicions after visiting the Salyansky district of Azerbaijan, 150 km to the south of the capital Baku.

Earlier three residents of the district were provisionaly diagnosed with bird flu.

Meanwhile, the state commission for preventing the spread of bird flu in Azerbaijan and coordinating the work of relevant government bodies has issued a statement that says no new areas of bird flu outbreak have been discovered, Regnum news agency said.

“Bird flu has not been discovered in new areas. The Health Ministry has said no-one has been hospitalized [with suspected bird flu] in recent days, and that it has stockpiled the medications and disinfectants necessary to prevent and treat the bird flu virus,” the statement read.

Indian Government silent but pressure on lab shows bird flu epidemic is spreading fast in India​

http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/7478.asp

Bird flu epidemic is spreading fast in India. The Government officials are quiet knowing very well the seriousness of the prblem in worlds'' regions of densest population. The actual scene is understood when one looks and talks to people in India's Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal.

According to media sources, in India's only laboratory equipped to handle the avian influenza H5N1 virus, the cold room is brimming with tiny vials of chicken blood and globs of poultry tissue from across the country.

Several thousand samples arrive each week, packed in ice boxes, from places where farmers have sensed unusual chicken deaths and from routine surveillance sites.

Overwhelmed by the influx, veterinary pathologist Hare Krishna Pradhan, who heads the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal, is fast running out of space and time.

"There is pressure, but my scientists are very good," said Pradhan.

Six out of the eight rooms in the laboratory are now engaged in H5N1 work, distributed across a dozen scientists. In one room, research associate Nidhi Srivastava performs a test to detect the H5 and N1 genetic signatures of the virus. Scientists S. Nagarajan, B. Pattnaik, and C. Tosh run molecular tests on another set of samples.

"We''ll learn from this experience - it's preparing us for the future," said Pradhan.

A molecular biologist from Bilaspur and a virologist from Hissar will join the team next week as research associates on a consolidated salary of 13,000 rupees [about 292 dollars] a month.

Pradhan says the lab can handle a maximum of about 2,000 blood samples and 100 tissue and faecal samples a week. It has been receiving 4,000 samples each week over the past month.

The pressure is forcing Pradhan to pick and choose samples. "The top priority is for samples from sites with mortality," he said.

"Such pressure is not good when speed is crucial," said Shahid Jameel, head of virology at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in New Delhi. "There's a danger of delays in processing samples."

The samples from the outbreak in Jalgaon took more than two weeks for a diagnosis to be made because they were waiting. Another such lab, which Pradhan and others experts have suggested for years, could have helped. Biosecurity labs can''t be built in haste.

"From conception to completion, this lab took 25 years," Pradhan says. It cost about 22 crore [220m] rupees [about 4.95m dollars]. Another now might cost up to 40 crore rupees.

Just caught a "blurb" on the radio news on my way home from work tonight.
"Avian Flu could reach the US before the end of the year"
My eyes got real big

Cameroon [interview]: 'Bird Flu is Deadly, Contagious And Virulent'​

http://allafrica.com/stories/200603200815.html

The Post (Buea)

INTERVIEW
March 20, 2006
Posted to the web March 20, 2006

Modeste Mba Talla


Okwen Tenjoh-Okwen studied forestry at the University of Dschang, Cameroon, before moving over to Germany where he obtained his MSc. Since 2003, he has been working as an independent consultant for the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, FAO.

Okwen explains what the bird flu is and expresses fears of the devastating effects of the bird flu should it settle and spread in Cameroon. Yet, he hopes that with proper and effective sensitisation and preparedness, the bird flu could be checked and diverted. Information contained in this interview represents the views of the author only and do not necessarily imply the official position of FAO or any other organisation cited.

What is bird flu?

Bird flu - known technically as avian influenza - is a highly contagious viral disease, which occurs naturally in birds. It was first discovered in Italy more than 100 years ago. It can be caused by any one of about 20 different strains of the influenza virus. Many wild birds are thought to be natural hosts of avian influenza viruses (AIV) without necessarily becoming ill.

This disease, however, can kill domestic birds, mostly chickens, ducks as well as turkeys. Several of these strains are known to be capable of infecting humans, with some of them responsible for the flu pandemics recorded in the past century. The world's attention is currently focused on a highly contagious and virulent strain known as H5N1. It refers to the specific nature of two proteins, haemagglutinin and neuraminidase, found on the surface of the virus.

What is the difference between avian flu and bird flu? Or are they the same?

Yes, they are the same. Avian is another word for bird. There are several names commonly used as synonyms for bird flu. Some of them include: avian flu, influenza virus A flu, type A flu, avian influenza virus flu or genus A flu.

Why would the bird flu be devastating for Africa?

The H5N1 virus has a high ability to cause disease in birds that is capable of interfering with the proper functioning of multiple internal organs. This can result in a mortality rate of up to 100 percent in less than a week for poultry farmers. We equally have inadequate crisis management mechanisms: limited resources, difficulty in tracing infected animals to the farm owner, limited number of trained staff for monitoring and sensitisation, poor transport networks, etc.

Is there a possibility of the bird flu jumping into humans?

Until now, the AIV is not adapted to human-to-human transmission. However, there are two potential routes through which this can be facilitated. According to some scientists, a pig can be the medium for mixing of genes when infected by both a human flu virus and the H5N1 virus.

This in turn creates a hybrid that is easily transmitted by man. This is particularly possible in Africa where pig-human-poultry interactions are common. Also considering the fact that the H5N1 virus could potentially cause disease in other wild animals, several animal-to-animal strains may develop.

If a primate strain of the virus, for example, becomes available in the wild, the virus would have moved a step closer to a human strain. Consumption of primate bush meat may result in our being infected with such a virus with the potential of easily mutating into a human strain.

How dangerous is bird flu?

It kills very rapidly on infection and there is no vaccine against it. Another issue is its aggravating an already fragile nutritional and economic state of affairs within many households in Africa. Poultry is probably the best managed investment by the rural poor in Africa. As food or a source of income, H5N1 has the potential of disrupting this pattern.

More than 80 people have already died of bird flu infection in Asia. Do Africans have any chance of escaping with their lives?

Africa is fortunate that a lot is already known about the disease from its outbreak in Asia. With appropriate planning, technical and financial assistance, the situation could be far less severe. The key to Africa's escape, nonetheless, lies in massive sensitisation and awareness-raising campaigns combined with efficient monitoring of crisis management mechanisms.

Extensive use should be made of schools, churches, mosques, the radio, and television...well before the disease affects a given country.

What could FAO have done do to prevent the bird flu from leaving Nigeria?

FAO just urged neighbouring countries to tighten border inspections. They are currently giving Nigeria technical assistance in applying standard procedures recommended by FAO and the OIE international guidelines.

One major problem is that it is not clear if infection is a result of imported chicken or migratory birds. The Nigerian authorities are known to have banned the import of poultry as far back as early 2004. This, in theory, should mean migratory birds introduced the virus.

What measures should Cameroon take now?

A few months ago, it was announced that the Cameroonian government had established a bird flu crisis management plan. I am not aware of the details of the plan but I might as well say that most of what is valid for Nigeria is equally valid for Cameroon and may already have been included in this plan.

However, closing the border to poultry and bird related products from the rest of the world; this includes eggs, feather bags, pillows made of feathers, could minimise the risk of further introduction of AIV in Cameroon. Stockpiling TAMIFLU, the medication known to be most effective against the flu, against an explosion of the virus could be helpful. Educating district doctors on rapid detection mechanisms to facilitate rapid administration of the required therapy is another thing to do.

What else could be done to control the spread of the flu?

The Ministries of Public Health and Animal Husbandry, which prepared the crises management plan of Cameroon, are quite limited. Emphasis should thus be placed on the participation of the Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry and Education in monitoring and sensitising the population.

Do you think that Cameroonian authorities are ready to face bird flu?

By preparing a crisis management plan, Cameroonian authorities demonstrated their commitment to the fight against bird flu. Companies such as CDC, PMUC, Guinness Cameroon, etc, should come up with awareness raising activities and clear strategies for their staff and their families in order to reduce pressure on the government crisis management teams.

If cross-infection to humans is still relatively rare, and the experts say if the H5N1 strain mutates so it can be passed between humans, it could become a global pandemic. That is scaryâ-oe

Certainly, especially when one considers the fact that improved transportation facilities have not only shortened travel time around the world, but have equally increased travel frequency. Yet, never before have awareness and preparation for a flu pandemic been so intense.

Besides, recent advancements in technology imply we are clearly smarter than during the previous flu pandemics. These two factors have enhanced the ability of international community to control a flu pandemic at an early stage, should we get there.

One last wordâ-oe?

Bird flu is no laughing matter. Beside the potential impact of the disease on humans, its effect on livelihoods is clearly devastating. In Asia, nutritional patterns, income generating activities and even socio-cultural patterns have been adversely affected. Animal breeding has become an issue for the privileged and as a result, the poor, with limited options, become even poorer.

Equally important are the economic losses caused by fear of the disease; tourism, international trade options and business travels are at a minimum. This could happen in much of Africa, including Cameroon.

As a forestry expert, I am very much aware of what the potential transmission of the AIV virus through migratory birds implies: it is our responsibility to be at the battlefront, identifying infected birds and animals well in advance, and preventing them from contaminating domestic animals and humans.
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Given the huge amount of financial, technical and human resources needed, combined with the complexity of the threat, this is extremely difficult to achieve. But much can be achieved if we make use of conservation agencies such as Birdlike International, CBCS, WWF, WCS, etc that are actively present in different parts of the country. My fear is that the battlefront may move to the next stage (domestic animals and humans), overburdening animal husbandry and medical experts.

There is equally a group of professionals that can clearly make a difference: teachers. They have an abundance of the much-needed skills for sensitisation campaigns and they are present in almost every village in the country; Cameroon needs their help.

U.S. expects bird flu this year​

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-03-20-bird-flu_x.htm

By Anita Manning, USA TODAY
Leaders of three federal agencies on Monday said bird flu could reach the USA this year on the wings of migratory birds, but the appearance of the flu strain "will not constitute a reason for panic," Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said.

"We are closely monitoring the rapid spread of the (bird flu) overseas, and we now believe it is likely we will detect it within our borders in the U.S.," he said. "It is important to understand a detection of this virus in birds does not signal the start of a pandemic in people."

The highly pathogenic H5N1 has spread across Asia, Europe and parts of Africa. It is contagious and deadly to poultry and many species of wild birds, and it has infected at least 177 people, killing 98. The virus can't spread easily in humans, but scientists warn it could mutate into a form that is contagious among people, causing a pandemic. (Graphic:

Interior Secretary Gale Norton said a program to test up to 100,000 wild birds for signs of infection this year will focus on breeding grounds in Alaska and islands in the Pacific where migrating birds from Asia are now heading.

All samples taken from birds that test positive for the H5N1 virus will undergo further testing to determine if the strain is highly pathogenic or a more benign form, known as low pathogenic North American H5N1, which previously has been found in the USA and Canada.

She said officials expect up to 100 probable H5N1 test results may be found this year, and tests to determine whether they're the highly pathogenic form may take up to 10 days.

"During that time, the public will need to understand this is a disease of birds," Norton said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said it's important to prepare but to keep matters in perspective. "At this point, if you're a bird, it's a pandemic. If you're a human being, it is not," he said.

HHS is funding development of vaccines for possible pandemic flu strains and is stockpiling drugs and other medical supplies. The United States expects to have 26 million courses of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu on hand by the end of this year, he said.

But local communities need to make their own pandemic plans, Leavitt said.

"Any community that fails to prepare with the expectation that the federal government will, at the last moment, be able to come to the rescue will be tragically wrong. Not because the federal government lacks will, not because we lack wallet, but because there is no way in which 5,000 different communities can be responded to simultaneously, which is a unique characteristic of a human pandemic."

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration said it will ban the use of Tamiflu and other human anti-flu drugs in poultry. The drugs are not labeled for use in poultry, but veterinarians can legally use them off-label to prevent flu in animals.

World health experts fear overuse of the drugs in animals could encourage the emergence of flu strains that are resistant to the anti-virals, according to the FDA.