HEALTH 8/24/08- 8/31/08 Weekly Bird Flu Thread:UAE takes strict precautions against Bird Flu

Link to last Week's Thread:

8/16/08- 8/23/08 Weekly Bird Flu Thread:H9N2 bird flu threat understated in humans

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=297813&highlight=bird


Avian influenza is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.

Infected birds shed influenza virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. Susceptible birds become infected when they have contact with contaminated secretions or excretions or with surfaces that are contaminated with secretions or excretions from infected birds. Domesticated birds may become infected with avian influenza virus through direct contact with infected waterfowl or other infected poultry, or through contact with surfaces (such as dirt or cages) or materials (such as water or feed) that have been contaminated with the virus.

Infection with avian influenza viruses in domestic poultry causes two main forms of disease that are distinguished by low and high extremes of virulence. The “low pathogenic” form may go undetected and usually causes only mild symptoms (such as ruffled feathers and a drop in egg production). However, the highly pathogenic form spreads more rapidly through flocks of poultry. This form may cause disease that affects multiple internal organs and has a mortality rate that can reach 90-100% often within 48 hours.
Human infection with avian influenza viruses

There are many different subtypes of type A influenza viruses. These subtypes differ because of changes in certain proteins on the surface of the influenza A virus (hemagglutinin [HA] and neuraminidase [NA] proteins). There are 16 known HA subtypes and 9 known NA subtypes of influenza A viruses. Many different combinations of HA and NA proteins are possible. Each combination represents a different subtype. All known subtypes of influenza A viruses can be found in birds.

Usually, “avian influenza virus” refers to influenza A viruses found chiefly in birds, but infections with these viruses can occur in humans. The risk from avian influenza is generally low to most people, because the viruses do not usually infect humans. However, confirmed cases of human infection from several subtypes of avian influenza infection have been reported since 1997. Most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry (e.g., domesticated chicken, ducks, and turkeys) or surfaces contaminated with secretion/excretions from infected birds. The spread of avian influenza viruses from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and has been limited, inefficient and unsustained.

“Human influenza virus” usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. There are only three known A subtypes of influenza viruses (H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2) currently circulating among humans. It is likely that some genetic parts of current human influenza A viruses came from birds originally. Influenza A viruses are constantly changing, and they might adapt over time to infect and spread among humans.

During an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry, there is a possible risk to people who have contact with infected birds or surfaces that have been contaminated with secretions or excretions from infected birds.

Symptoms of avian influenza in humans have ranged from typical human influenza-like symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches) to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases (such as acute respiratory distress), and other severe and life-threatening complications. The symptoms of avian influenza may depend on which virus caused the infection.
Studies done in laboratories suggest that some of the prescription medicines approved in the United States for human influenza viruses should work in treating avian influenza infection in humans. However, influenza viruses can become resistant to these drugs, so these medications may not always work. Additional studies are needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these medicines.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/facts.htm

Johns Hopkins on influenza:

http://www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/33/450/Rashid Chotani.pdf

National Avian Influenza Surveillance Information:

http://wildlifedisease.nbii.gov/ai/

CDC

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm

WHO
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/index.html

CIDRAP

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/

Official U.S. Government Web site

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/

FAO

http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/subjects/en/health/diseases-cards/special_avian.html

Public Health Agency of Canada

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/influenza/avian_qa_e.html

European Union

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/dyna/influenza/country_en.htm

The World Bank

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXT...68427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:1793593,00.html

UAE takes strict precautionary measures against bird flu ​

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/24/content_9677052.htm

ABU DHABI, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is gearing up for a battle against bird flu as the season of birds' migration approaches with strict precautionary measures to prevent an outbreak of the disease in the country, local newspaper Khaleej Times reported on Sunday.

Technical teams of the UAE National Committee for Emergency Response to the Bird Flu will intensify field surveys on the UAE coastlines, islands and other locations to monitor birds, and take random samples for testing from the beginning of September, according to the report.

The measures will coincide with the beginning of the season of birds' migration from the North to the South. Migratory birds often arrive in different parts of the UAE during September every year.

The program for observing and watching the wild and migratory birds will be conducted through special devices, which cover 25 square km along the country's coast.

The committee has also intensified surveillance at the border check-points, airports and sea beaches to ensure that birds entering the country are not infected with the deadly H5N1 virus.

Any birds and poultry products to be imported into the UAE will be examined by the Environment Agency and the Food Control Authority to ensure they are safe, free of any contagious diseases, and fit for human consumption.

Concern Tamiflu resistance will grow​

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/413551/2029239

Questions are arising over how long the Tamiflu retro-viral drugs being stockpiled by the New Zealand government - and many other countries - will remain an effective weapon against the next flu pandemic.

Tamiflu-resistant forms of the "ordinary" seasonal influenza are rapidly spreading and the drug may be ineffective in fighting the dominant flu strain in South Africa this winter.

World Health Organisation (WHO) data shows tests on 107 people in South Africa with the H1N1 strain - one of the three most common flu viruses in humans - found all had a mutant bug resistant to Tamiflu, the WHO said in a statement. Only one of the patients was taking Tamiflu at the time of sampling.

Tests on 788 samples taken from H1N1 flu patients in 12 countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere, from April 1 to August 20 found that 242, or 31%, had the so-called H274Y mutation associated with Tamiflu resistance, the WHO said.

Southern hemisphere incidence of the mutation in tests on the H1N1 virus ranged from 100% in South Africa to 13% in Chile, compared with a resistance rate of 16% found in 7528 samples tested from the last quarter of 2007 to March 31 in 34 countries, mostly in the northern hemisphere.

"What we're seeing is the evolution of the resistance gene and the distribution of it throughout the world," said Christchurch Lance Jennings, a clinical virologist with the Canterbury District Health Board, who is chairman of the Asia-Pacific Advisory Committee on Influenza.

"We have a lot to learn about the molecular epidemiology of influenza viruses."

The Tamiflu-resistant form of flu has been reported in 40 countries in Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia since widespread resistance to the pill was first reported to the WHO by Norway in January.

Until birdflu vaccines are developed for the specific pandemic influenza virus once it evolves and starts spreading - work likely to take three months or more -- Tamiflu and another retroviral treatment, Relenza, are the main medical weapons to battle pandemic flu.

Also known by the chemical name oseltamivir, Tamiflu is being stockpiled by the WHO and governments around the world for use in the event of a pandemic, and to treat the H5N1 avian flu strain that has so far infected humans in 15 of the 60 countries to which it has spread.

Last year, Swedish researchers warned that sewage systems do not break down Tamiflu, and that the drug was being discharged in rivers and streams used by the waterfowl thought to be the main carriers of avian flu.

They urged doctors not overprescribe Tamiflu to avoid creating resistance in avian flu carried by ducks. If those viruses combined with other viruses that made humans sick they could mutate into strains resistant to Tamiflu, they said early in 2007.

"Antiviral medicines such as Tamiflu must be used with care," said Bjorn Olsen, a researcher at Uppsala University: "Otherwise there is a risk that they will be ineffective when most needed, such as during the next influenza pandemic."

Less than 1% of H1N1 virus samples in the US during the 2006-07 northern hemisphere winter showed Tamiflu resistance, and none were found in Japan or Europe.

Some experts had assumed that flu viruses with the mutation were less fit to survive and spread, but the mutated seasonal flu virus now appears robust enough to persist even between flu seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres.

In New Zealand, Health Minister David Cunliffe said earlier this year that 103 of the 1229 treatment courses of Tamiflu the Government had purchased at a cost of $300,000 had reached their expiry dates.

Sumatra Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever(?) Deaths Continue to Increase​

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/08220802/H5N1_Sumatra_Dengue_Rise.html

Tanjungbalai (SIB) one person more the sufferer of the dengue fever illness (DBD) that was treated in RSU the Mansyur Tanjungbalai Tank died, on Thursday night (21/8). Casualties who died that, Wagi Anto (6 years) the inhabitants of the Serojoh Kelurahan Shoal the Kecamatan Sei Tualang Raso Tanjungbalai Turret shrine.

Wagi Anto (6) the child was from the fisherman Yadi treated in RSU Tengku Mansyur for 5 days, but the condition for casualties increasingly worsened because of experiencing the bleeding from the nose and the anus.

The 7 casualties DBD yan died that, Junita (7), Dara(5), Maulana Safira (5), Safrianti (6), Wagia Anto (6), Bahdani (7) and Rama Dinar (4).

The above translation descibes additional deaths of patients in North Sumatra. Although there have been H5N1 poultry deaths in the area, these patients, who are dying with bird flu symptoms, are said to be victims of dengue hemorrhagic fever. These is no indication that the diagnossi of any of these patients has been laboratory confirmed. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a frequent misdiagnosis for H5N1 including clusters.

Similarly, the WHO team investigating the deaths of three other victims have not commented on the cause of death and WHO has not acknlwdged the lab confimred H5N1 fatalities of victims infected in July.

The continued silence by WHO and the increasing death of patients in the area with bird flu symptoms continues to be cause for concern.

Employers warned as three new flu strains head to UK ​

http://www.easier.com/view/Finance/I...le-198172.html

The UK is at risk of three new strains of the flu virus this winter, referred to by the World Health Organisation as A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1)-like virus; A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus; B/Florida/4/2006-like virus.

Companies looking to avoid large-scale sickness absence and major disruptions in the workplace, are being advised by Bupa, the leading health and care company, to vaccinate staff against the three new forms of flu ahead of an outbreak.

Dr Peter Mace, assistant medical director at Bupa Wellness, says: "People often downplay flu but it can be a very nasty illness and cause significant debility.

Flu is one of the major reasons for short-term sickness among UK workers, and we recommend that even individuals who have received flu vaccinations previously should still be given the new vaccine to ensure they are protected from the 3 new strains. Any previous vaccines will not be effective in protecting against the new strains."

Dr Mace continues: "Most people suffer from the flu symptoms for around a week, but it often leaves the body very weak, affecting energy levels. This in turn affects productivity at work. We are advising employers to protect their staff from these new strains of the flu virus, to avoid their staff being ill and away from work."

Clients on Bupa's flu vaccine programme, such as Barclays, are already taking steps to protect their staff. Indeed, Barclays has been giving its 50,000 employees the chance to get immunised for two years. Barclays Reward Manager Claire Walker said: "The initiative is a great way for us to help look after the health of all of our colleagues and Bupa understands our needs. They are very flexible in their operation, working around our various requirements. We continue to be impressed with the high standard of service we receive."

Each flu vaccination programme from Bupa can be individually tailored to suit the client and cause minimum disruption to the business and its staff, for instance the vaccine can be distributed either in the client's offices or in a Bupa health centre. Bupa also provides an online vaccination booking system, a telephone helpline and expert advice and literature on flu prevention.

A new feature for the programme this year will be immunisation vouchers, which Bupa is providing in conjunction with Boots. The new service, which was previously used in Barclays' 2007 programme, will mean that employees can redeem their free flu vaccine from participating Boots stores throughout October and November. This assures companies that all their staff can be immunised, even those who work in an office which might not otherwise have access to the jab.

Bupa will be offering the vaccine, effective in preventing 70% - 90% cases of adult flu, to all its members.

A survey showed that 97.7 percent of Bupa's clients would consider repeating the vaccination programme as a direct result of its 2007 success.

Crews sample ducks for avian influenza in N.D., northwestern Minnesota​

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=84969&section=Outdoors

Researchers again this fall are testing waterfowl for avian influenza in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.

In North Dakota, the Game and Fish Department is collecting 300 samples from live birds during duck-banding efforts this month and September. Game and Fish crews also plan to collect another 500 samples during hunting season bag checks.

Geese aren’t part of the sampling effort because they aren’t known carriers of the virus.

Sampling in northwestern Minnesota is set for Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge and the Thief Lake and Roseau River wildlife management areas. As in North Dakota, most of the sampling will occur in September during annual duck-banding operations, when biologists capture ducks early in the morning with rocket nets over baited sites.

As part of the sampling in northwestern Minnesota, biologists will collect throat and reproductive tract swabs and draw blood from each bird. Samples will be sent to the University of Georgia for testing.

Overseeing the sampling effort in northwestern Minnesota is Jeremy Heise, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Originally from Hudson, Wis., Heise has been employed as a seasonal biological technician at Agassiz since May 2007.

Most of the news about avian influenza has focused on the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the disease. While the strain hasn’t shown up in North America, lower pathogenic forms of avian influenza occur naturally in the continent’s migratory birds, including those that pass through North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.

According to a news release, researchers last year sampled 1,482 mallards at Agassiz, Thief Lake and Roseau River. Results of that sampling showed a 6 percent prevalence rate of the low-strain avian influenza at Agassiz, with a 21 percent rate at Thief Lake and 10 percent at Roseau River.

Other sampling efforts planned for northwestern Minnesota include collecting water and sediment throughout the year at Agassiz to look for the virus, and late-summer “nightlighting” efforts, in which crews capture and sample ducks after dark by netting the birds out of airboats.

As in North Dakota, crews also will collect samples while conducting bag checks during hunting season.

Meanwhile, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department said in a news release that biologists plan to keep tabs on any unusual bird die-offs or illnesses through October. Mike Johnson, migratory game bird management supervisor for Game and Fish, said tests to date continue to show no signs of the dangerous H5N1 bird flu strain that affected people in southeast Asia and caused fears of a pandemic.

Avian influenza testing efforts began nationwide in 2006, and all samples for the highly pathogenic H5N1 subtype have tested negative. By learning more about low-strain avian influenza, researchers say they hope to be better able to respond if the H5N1 strain of the disease ever shows up in North America.

Adopt bio-security measures to check bird flu, say experts​

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-...easures-to-check-bird-flu-say-experts/352570/

Ludhiana, August 23 The veterinary pharmacists, who attended a three-day training programme on the threat posed by the bird flu virus, were told to adopt bio-security measures in and around the poultry farms.

During the three-day workshop, the pharmacists were made aware of the disastrous impact of an avian influenza outbreak on the economy.

Dr Vinay Mohan, a senior scientist at the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL) in Jalandhar, called for having a dedicated surveillance to keep a check on the bird flu outbreak.

“Strict vigilance, timely guidance and sincere advise to poultry farmers in particular and the public in general will go a long way in clearing all kinds of doubts and misconceptions about bird flu,” Mohan told the attending pharmacists.

He also asked them not to encourage farmers to have a mix of poultry and pig farming.

Dr Joginder Singh, Assistant Director, Animal Husbandry, Ludhiana told the trainees to keep a strict watch on the movement of migratory birds which are potential carriers of the virus.

Earlier in the day, Joint Director of Animal Husbandry in Punjab government, Dr Darshan Singh said: “Avian Influenza virus can wreck havoc with the economic status of poultry farmers followed by the state and the nation. A full-fledged and flourishing poultry belt can be reduced to ashes within a span of 24 hours.”

During the workshop that concluded on Saturday, the pharmacists were informed about the basic characters of the ever mutating avian influenza virus.

They were also taught about various sampling techniques that are adopted in case of bird flu outbreak.

The pharmacists were also trained in the scientific way of using the Personal Protective Equipment.

Tamiflu-resistant viruses spreading rapidly​

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4667440a20475.html

Tamiflu retroviral drugs being stockpiled by the Government may not be an effective weapon against the next flu pandemic.

Tamiflu-resistant forms of the "ordinary" seasonal influenza are rapidly spreading and the drug may be ineffective in fighting the dominant flu strain in South Africa this winter.

World Health Organisation data show tests on 107 people in South Africa with the H1N1 strain one of the three most common flu viruses in humans found all had a mutant bug resistant to Tamiflu, the WHO said. Only one patient was taking Tamiflu at the time.

Tests on 788 samples taken from H1N1 flu patients in 12 countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere, from April 1 to August 20 found that 242, or 31 per cent, had the so-called H274Y mutation associated with Tamiflu resistance, the WHO said.

Southern hemisphere incidence of the mutation in tests on the H1N1 virus ranged from 100% in South Africa to 13% in Chile, compared with a resistance rate of 16% found in 7528 samples tested from the last quarter of 2007 to March 31 in 34 countries, mostly in the northern hemisphere.

"What we're seeing is the evolution of the resistance gene and the distribution of it throughout the world," said Lance Jennings, a clinical virologist with the Canterbury District Health Board, who is chairman of the Asia-Pacific Advisory Committee on Influenza. "We have a lot to learn about the molecular epidemiology of influenza viruses."

The Tamiflu-resistant form of flu has been reported in 40 countries in Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia since widespread resistance to the pill was first reported to the WHO by Norway in January.

Until birdflu vaccines are developed for the specific pandemic influenza virus once it evolves and starts spreading work likely to take three months or more Tamiflu and another retroviral treatment, Relenza, are the main medical weapons to battle pandemic flu.

Tamiflu is being stockpiled by the WHO and governments around the world for use in the event of a pandemic, and to treat the H5N1 avian flu strain that has infected humans in 15 of the 60 countries to which it has spread.

Last year, Swedish researchers warned that sewage systems do not break down Tamiflu, and that the drug was being discharged in rivers and streams used by the waterfowl thought to be the main carriers of avian flu.

They urged doctors not to overprescribe Tamiflu to avoid creating resistance in avian flu carried by ducks. If those viruses combined with other viruses that made humans sick they could mutate into strains resistant to Tamiflu, they said early in 2007.

Health Minister David Cunliffe said this year that 103 of the 1229 treatment courses of Tamiflu the Government had bought at a cost of $300,000 had reached their expiry dates.

Campaigns take bird flu education to villages​

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/08/25/campaigns-take-bird-flu-education-villages.html

Red spaghetti, a chicken roll and hot chili fried eggs replaced the usual banners, posters and stickers in a bird flu campaign here Sunday.

The campaigner, one of the country's biggest Muslim organizations Muhammadiyah, said it knew better approaches were needed to ensure its campaigns could engage locals.

"Specific activities would make them feel they're really involved in the campaigns against bird flu," event organizer Ahmad Imam M. Rais said.

In the past two and half years, Muhammadiyah has seen 12,000 members in 12,000 villages carry out bird flu campaigns across the country, Ahmad said.

Campaigners work to remove poultry from residential areas, train local residents to properly handle infected chickens by covering up and burying diseased fowl instead of dumping it in rivers, and promote regular use of disinfectants to kill the H5N1 virus.

Under the Muhammadiyah Team to Tackle Avian Influenza, the organization has also established a network of 7,000 "Avian Influenza Force" volunteer groups in nine provinces: Jakarta, North Sumatra, Lampung, Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java and Bali.

"Our approach is to make people believe there is nothing to be afraid of with bird flu, because it is preventable," Ahmad said.

However, he said, it was not easy to teach villagers about the epidemic, especially when it comes to changing their deep-rooted knowledge and behavior.

"In many cases, villagers were confused about the difference between symptoms of bird flu and those of Newcastle disease (ND). So, when they found their H5N1-infected chickens died, they thought it was simply because of ND, resulting in improper burying and the spread of the virus," Ahmad said.

The government has said it cannot control the avian influenza epidemic on its own due to limited resources.

"As the government can't walk alone in fighting bird flu, community groups can definitely act to bring bird flu campaigns closer to the public as they have members across the country," Health Ministry Director General for Disease Control and Environmental Sanitation, I Nyoman Kandun, said during the campaign.

He said Muhammadiyah, with some 30 millions members, could help the government prevent and control bird flu outbreaks across the country.

"With 500 hospitals and health clinics, as well as 17,000 educational institutions across the country, Muhammadiyah can back the government's effort to fight the epidemic in remote areas," Kandun said.

Besides Muhammadiyah, professional and religious groups like the Indonesian Veterinarian Association and Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama have also been working with the government in fighting bird flu for the past few years, Kandun said.

Researchers find weak spot in bird flu viruses ​

http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/398989/cs/1/

Researchers have uncovered the Achilles heel of dreaded flu viruses, potentially opening the way for combating them and other virulent strains much more effectively.

'Our work uncovers an Achilles heel of influenza A viruses that cause human epidemics and high mortality pandemics,' said Gaetano T. Montelione, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at Rutgers University.

Working jointly with Texas University researchers, he determined the structure of a key site on an influenza A virus protein in 3D, that binds to one of its human protein targets, suppressing one's defences and helping the virus replicate.

This so-called NS1 virus protein is shared by all influenza A viruses isolated from humans - including avian influenza, or bird flu, and the 1918 pandemic influenza virus.

Previously, Robert M. Krug of Texas University discovered that the NS1 protein binds a human protein known as CPSF30, known to protect human cells from flu infection.

Once bound to NS1, the human protein can no longer generate molecules needed to suppress flu virus replication. Montelione and Krug of Rutgers identified the novel NS1 binding pocket that grasps the human CPSF30 protein.

The breakthrough was detailed in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Early Edition and is scheduled for publication in its forthcoming print edition.

Protein Structure Discovery Opens Door For Drugs
To Fight Bird Flu, Other Influenza Epidemics​

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825132113.htm

Researchers at Rutgers University and The University of Texas at Austin have reported a discovery that could help scientists develop drugs to fight the much-feared bird flu and other virulent strains of influenza.

The researchers have determined the three-dimensional structure of a site on an influenza A virus protein that binds to one of its human protein targets, thereby suppressing a person's natural defenses to the infection and paving the way for the virus to replicate efficiently. This so-called NS1 virus protein is shared by all influenza A viruses isolated from humans – including avian influenza, or bird flu, and the 1918 pandemic influenza virus.

A paper detailing this breakthrough discovery appears in the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) Early Edition and will be published in an upcoming issue of the PNAS print edition.

About 10 years ago, Professor Robert M. Krug at The University of Texas at Austin discovered that the NS1 protein binds a human protein known as CPSF30, which is important for protecting human cells from flu infection. Once bound to NS1, the human protein can no longer generate molecules needed to suppress flu virus replication. Now, researchers led by Rutgers Professor Gaetano T. Montelione and Krug identified the novel NS1 binding pocket that grasps the human CPSF30 protein.

"Our work uncovers an Achilles heel of influenza A viruses that cause human epidemics and high mortality pandemics," said Montelione, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry. "We have identified the structure of a key target site for drugs that could be developed to effectively combat this disease."

X-ray crystallography, which was carried out by Kalyan Das, Eddy Arnold, LiChung Ma and Montelione, identified the three-dimensional structure of the NS1 binding pocket. "The X-ray crystal structure gives us unique insights into how the NS1 and human protein bind at the atomic level, and how that suppresses a crucial antiviral response," said Das, research professor at Rutgers.

Rei-Lin Kuo, Jesper Marklund, Karen Twu and Krug at The University of Texas at Austin verified the key role of this binding pocket in flu replication by genetically engineering a change to a single amino acid in the NS1 protein's binding pocket, which in turn eliminated the protein's ability to grasp the human protein that is needed to generate antiviral molecules. These investigators then produced a flu virus with an NS1 pocket mutation and showed that this mutated virus does not block host defenses, and as a consequence has a greatly reduced ability to infect human cells.

"These experiments validate the NS1 pocket as a target for antiviral drug discovery," said Krug, professor and chair of molecular genetics and microbiology. "Because this NS1 pocket is highly conserved in all influenza A viruses isolated from humans, a drug targeted to the pocket would be effective against all human influenza A strains, including the bird flu."

This project was supported by two different institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), demonstrating how several NIH initiatives can complement each other. Support for the Rutgers research was provided in part by the Protein Structure Initiative (PSI) of the NIH Institute of General Medical Sciences, a follow-on to the human genome project, which is providing large numbers of protein samples and three-dimensional structures of biologically important proteins to the broad scientific community.

"This work underscores the value of scientific collaborations between large-scale structural centers and individual biomedical research labs," said John Norvell, director of the PSI.

The University of Texas at Austin research was supported by a long-standing grant from the NIH Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID). In addition, NIAID has recently awarded a grant to investigators at The University of Texas at Austin and Rutgers to develop antiviral drugs directed against this NS1 binding pocket.

Other Rutgers faculty members on the research team were James Aramini, Rong Xiao, Li Zhao and Brian Radvansky. Most of the Rutgers investigators are also researchers at the Center for Advanced Biology and Medicine, a joint research institute of Rutgers and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Krug is also a member of the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology at The University of Texas at Austin.

Rutgers University (2008, August 25). Protein Structure Discovery Opens Door For Drugs To Fight Bird Flu, Other Influenza Epidemics.

Bird flu strain in India, Bangladesh similar​

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...Bangladesh_similar/rssarticleshow/3405330.cms

NEW DELHI: The bird flu virus, that caused India's worst Avian Influenza (AI) outbreak this year, has been found to be "a lot similar" to the one that created havoc in Bangladesh.

This has been confirmed by Indian scientists after it studied the genetic make-up of Bangladesh's H5N1 virus strain. India's eastern neighbour, after much persuasion, finally shared the genetic sequencing data of its virus with India earlier this month.

The sequencing was completed in the OIE Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza in Weybridge, UK. The H5N1 outbreak, that broke out in West Bengal in January this year, spread to nearly 13 of the state's 19 districts.

A animal husbandry department source told TOI: "Both India and Bangladesh finally exchanged genetic information of its H5N1 strains. We have found that both the strains are related. However, we can't say that Bangladesh was the cause of the outbreak in West Bengal because we don't have documented proof to show that infected poultry was smuggled into India."

He added: "We now know that both the viruses was of clade 2.2 variety which is a sub-lineage of the highly pathogenic Qinghai strain. The strain, however, is different to the one that caused the Manipur and Maharashtra outbreaks."

India was almost certain that the virus came from Bangladesh through illegal poultry trade. Even agriculture minister Sharad Pawar had openly said so. The animal husbandry department then made a formal request to the Bangladesh government through the ministry of external affairs to share the genetic history of its virus.

The H5N1 virus was first detected in Bangladesh in March 2007. Since then, over 47 of the country's 64 districts had been affected by bird flu.

Even though Bangladesh reported a human infection, India was lucky on that count and did not see any humans getting infected. The outbreak in Bengal saw over 42 lakh birds being culled.

Sources said that India had also made a formal complaint to FAO and OIE (World Organisation of Animal Health) about Bangladesh's slack handling to contain the virus, seriously putting at risk India's internal security. A team of the Border Security Force, manning the West Bengal-Bangladesh border, had once reported to the Centre how Bangladeshi citizens were seen dumping dead birds in no-man's land.

Vaccine Mismatch Drives Spread of H1N1 Tamiflu Resistance​

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/08250801/H274Y_Mismatch_Spread.html

Although A/Solomon Islands/3/2006-like viruses and A/Brisbane/59/2007-like A/H1N1 viruses were represented only by minor clades during the 2006–2007 season (H and F, respectively), Solomon Islands-like viruses achieved global A/H1N1 dominance by the start of the 2007–2008 season, and the reassortant clade of Brisbane-like viruses rose to dominance later during the 2007–2008 season [39].

The above comments from today’s PLOS paper on H1N1 and H3N2 circulation in the United States during the 2006/2007 season is based on the MMWR characterization of H1N1 in the 2007/2008 season, which is misleading and adds to the confusion regarding the emergence of oseltamivir resistance in H1N1.

The emergence is readily followed through phylogenetic analysis which distinguishes four different sub-clades, New Caledonia/20 (clade 1), Solomon Island/3 (clade 2A), Brisbane/59 (clade 2B), and Hong Kong/2652 (clade 2C). In the United States in 2006/2007, clade 1 was dominant, and there were small numbers of clade 2A and clade 2B in circulation. However, clade 1 and clade 2A were replaced by clade 2B and clade 2C in 2007/2008, but these isolates were initially called Solomon Island–like because of cross reactivity of ferret anti-sera with isolates grown in chicken eggs. The differences between the titers from Solomon Island/3 and Brisbane/59 was only a factor of two, so all isolate were initially classified as Solomon Island/3–like and a match for the new vaccine, which used Solomon Island/3 as the target.

However, when Brisbane/59 grown in mammalian MDCK cells was used as a target, the dramatic differences in antigenicity were clear. The titer for Brisbane/59 (clade 2B) was 320, but the level dropped to 40 for the anti-sera against Hong Kong/2652 (clade 2C), and was below the limits of detection (40) for the anti-sera against Solomon Island/3 (clade 2A) or New Caledonia/20 (clade 1).

Thus, the differences between the sub-clades were significantly different by both phylogenetic analysis and serology, but the poor serological data of egg grown tragets led to an initial grouping of all three clade 2 sub-clades into the Solomon Island/3–like group. However, though there was no reported Solomon Island/3–like H1N1 in circulation in the 2007/2008 season. The Solomon Island/3 vaccine target was a mismatch, but the confusion generated by the earlier MMWR still persists in peer reviewed publications as well as this month’s European surveillance report.

In the upcoming flu season in the northern hemisphere, the Solomon Island/3 target is being replaced by Brisbane/59, but recent sequence data from South Africa raises concerns that the Brisbane/59 vaccine will have limited utility in the fall, because the dominant H1N1 strain in South Africa is oseltamivir resistance and already has acquired a cluster of non-synonymous changes flanking the receptor bind domain at position 190 (H3 numbering). Initially, South Africa reported that the first 23 isolates that were sequenced all had H274Y. More recently, the 100% resistance was extended to the first 107 isolates. Similarly, the first 10 H1N1 isolates from Australia this season have H274Y.

Although the isolates in South Africa can be divide into two groups, all isolates link back to the clade 2B linear in circulation in the northern hemisphere. Thus, the emergence and spread of H274Y can be easily followed via phylogenetic analysis, which applies to the three gene segments which had been recently sequenced, HA, NA, and MP, although there is more genetic diversity in the HA and NA genes and there fore easier to see independent introductions.

H274Y was first reported in clade 2C in China in the 2005/2006 season, which was followed by acquisition of H274Y by clade 1 in the 2006/2007 season in United States. In October, 2007, the first report of H294Y in the clade 2B was reported in two isolates in Hawaii. All of the above isolates had identical sequences downstream from H274Y. The polymorphisms was subsequently acquired in a related clade 2B sequence which then became dominant and was a precursor for the dominant sequence in South Africa.

Thus, the H1N1 mismatch last year may have contributed to the dominance of the clade 2B sequence, which has subsequently led to increases in oseltamivir resistance to 100% of H1N1 isolates in South Africa and Australia.

CDC publishes 1918 pandemic flu ‘storybook’​

http://continuitycentral.com/news04109.html

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released an online storybook containing narratives from survivors, families, and friends about the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed millions of people around the world. The storybook provides valuable insight for public health officials and others preparing for the possibility of another pandemic sometime in our future.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the 1918 influenza pandemic. The Internet storybook contains about 50 stories from individuals from 24 states around the country as well as photos and narrative videos from the storytellers.

“Complacency is enemy number one when it comes to preparing for another influenza pandemic,” said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. “These stories, told so eloquently by survivors, family members, and friends from past pandemics, serve as a sobering reminder of the devastating impact that influenza can have.”

The idea for such a storybook emerged during crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC) training CDC has been conducting with health professionals over the past few years. The online storybook contains narratives from survivors, families, and friends who lived through the 1918 and 1957 pandemics. The agency welcomes new submissions and plans to update the book each quarter. Narratives from the 1968 pandemic are also welcome.

“It’s an excellent resource, not only for public health professionals, but for people of all ages,” said Sharon KD Hoskins, a public affairs officer who coordinated the project for CDC. “It’s probably the closest to experiencing the real thing that many of us can imagine.”

The storybook can be found at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/storybook/index.html

Sharp unveils new anti-bird flu air purifier​

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gsPVOTTNTb2FJTj9DN7d5C7R3U-A

TOKYO (AFP) — Japan's Sharp Corp. said Wednesday that it has developed an air purifier that eliminates 99.9 percent of the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu within 10 minutes.

The system has been improved from an earlier version which was shown in 2005 to have eliminated 99 percent of the H5N1 virus when airborne, Sharp official Kenji Ota told reporters.

The plasmacluster ion technology, developed in 2000, disables airborne micro-organisms by releasing positive and negative ions into the air.

Direct contact with infected poultry, or surfaces contaminated by their faeces, is currently considered the main cause of human infection with the H5N1 virus, according to the World Health Organization.

But influenza is a hard virus to beat and will need several lines of defence, said John Oxford, a University of London professor who heads Retroscreen Virology, a British research institute involved in the project.

"This kind of new technology will add something to (our) ammunition box," he told the same press conference.

Plasmacluster ions have also proved effective against 26 other kinds of harmful airborne substances, including bacteria and allergens, Sharp said.

During the tests, the H5N1 virus was sprayed in a one-cubic metre (1.3-cubic yard) box with a concentration of 50,000 ions per cubic centimetre. Samples were then taken 10 minutes later and injected into cell cultures.

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed more than 240 people worldwide since late 2003, according to the World Health Organization.

The virus typically spreads from bird to human through direct contact, but experts fear it could mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans, with the potential to kill millions in a pandemic.

Plasmacluster technology can be installed in air conditioners, dehumidifiers and air purifiers for home and industrial use, although Sharp gave no indication of when the latest technology might be used commercially.

Sanyo Electric Co. has also developed a similar technology that proved 99 percent efficient in removing the bird flu virus using electrolysed tap water.

Deadly H5N1 strain detected​

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01HEA270808

HA NOI — A strain of the H5N1 virus that poses a high risk of infecting humans and caused an avian flu epidemic in China, has appeared in smuggled poultry in Viet Nam according to Bui Quang Anh, the head of the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development’s Animal Health Department yesterday.

The infection mechanism of this highly infectious strain of the H5N1 virus, named seven, had not been found so far, Anh said.

"We are studying more about this strain in our poultry and will soon know the results," said Nguyen Van Cam, the director of the Central Animal Diagnosis Centre.

The avian flu strain that has typically appeared in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta has been strain one, while the Song Hong (Red River) Delta has seen strain two, three and four with unknown infection mechanisms.

To prevent the strain from being spread, 242 million doses of H5N1 vaccines and 15 million of doses of H5N2 vaccines have been distributed to the localities, according to the department.

At this volume, just 76.5 per cent of poultry will be vaccinated.

Localities have typically neglected taking samples of poultry after being vaccinated. Only three out of 27 provinces that have undergone bird flu epidemics collected samples to test.

Some Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces with a high volume of poultry infected with the H5N1 virus include Vinh Long at 9.25 per cent, Tra Vinh with 8.97 per cent, Soc Trang with 5.32 per cent and Long An with 5 per cent.

Anh said that more vaccines were being prepared.

Novavax Claims, Its New Bird Flu Vaccine Is Promising​

http://eyugoslavia.com/featured/27/novavax-claims-its-new-bird-flu-vaccine-is-promising-22558/



Novavax Inc. said a new type of bird flu vaccine using a mock version of the virus is safe for testing. The results of the human safety trials conducted by the Rockville, Maryland-based biotech company appeared to be promising against the H5N1 A/Indonesia/05/2005 avian influenza strain.

This strain was first seen in humans in 2005 in Indonesia and has resulted in 135 human cases, 81 % of which were fatal.

Novavax President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Rahul Singhvi told investors in a conference call, “These results are strong and very competitive and they compare well with any vaccine against pandemic flu, whether licensed or in development.”

Most vaccines use either a live but weakened flu virus or a killed virus to stimulate the immune system. The vaccines have to be reformulated every year to keep pace with the constantly mutating and changing flu strains. This process can takes months as specially grown live chicken eggs are used. Novavax uses a process the company feels will be quicker than the current method employed by growing the vaccine in lab dishes of caterpillar cells and using a decoy of the virus. “It looks like the virus in that it has the same size and shape as the virus,” Singhvi said. “It is not a virus but the body views it as a virus,” he said as it does not have the genes though to replicate itself.

Though the avian virus rarely strikes humans, it has killed 243 out of the 385 people infected since 2003 and experts worry it could mutate into a more infectious and dangerous form. Currently the H5N1 avian influenza virus is affecting poultry in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Several companies are working at making a vaccine that could protect against H5N1 and Novavax is developing the avian flu vaccines with GE Healthcare, a division of General Electric. The company said the highest dose of the vaccine stimulated a protective level of antibodies in 94% of the people who were vaccinated.

Dr. Robert Belshe of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri, who served on the Data and Safety Monitoring Board for the study, said in a statement, “Two doses of this novel vaccine — which is designed to prevent bird flu — gave strong immune responses. The data are encouraging that this new vaccine approach can help prevent pandemic influenza.”

Novavax’s chief medical officer Dr. Penny Heaton said, “We will proceed with clinical development when we have a partner.”

The company plans to begin testing a seasonal flu vaccine later this year and has said it would submit its findings for review. They are also working on trying to avoid potentials of human disasters by using quick and inexpensive deployment in outbreak prone areas where the vaccine could be developed in as little as three months time. Dr. Singhvi said, “These results are strong and very competitive and they compare well with any vaccine against pandemic flu, whether licensed or in development.”

Flu season arrives Down Under​

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/35768

It's flu season! Gotcha. Okay, it's winding down in the Southern Hemisphere and won't get rolling in the northern half of the world for a few more months.

But just because the viruses are mainly Down Under doesn't mean they're not making medical news -- and not necessarily good news.

Development one is data from the World Health Organization that shows about a third of nearly 800 people from South Africa to Chile to Australia tested from April to August were infected with a flu virus strain that's resistant to one of the frontline, anti-flu drugs, oseltamivir, or Tamiflu.

That's about twice the resistance rate detected in the same family of virus from a larger survey done mostly in the Northern Hemisphere between September 2007 and last March.

Tamiflu is one of the drugs people turn to if they realize quickly that they're coming down with the flu. It uses an enzyme that stops the spread of virus from infected to healthy cells. It also is considered one of the stopgap drugs that might be used in the event that a flu pandemic (say from a mutant bird flu strain) should break out.

Now the presumed good news is that the nation's flu experts decided early last spring to order up an entirely new mix of flu strains to be included in the flu shots for the upcoming season.

Last season's vaccine formula turned out to be largely a mismatch for the strain that by January was infecting most people coming down with the flu nationwide.

So the new vaccine mix includes bits of that flavor of virus, A-Brisbane-10-2007, as well as a good match for the strain being found resistant to Tamiflu, A-Brisbane-59-2007, (an H1NI-like strain).

Not only are experts hoping for a better vaccine fit this winter, the vaccine industry and public health agencies across the country are gearing up to deliver a record number of flu shots, starting as early as next month.

With the addition of kids 5 to 18 to the pool of people for whom flu shots are recommended, basically only young babies and healthy adults under 50 who don't work in health care are left out of groups particularly encouraged to get a flu shot this fall.

And flu vaccine manufacturers are well on their way to shipping a record 143 million doses to doctors, pharmacies and clinics, with a goal of having most of the serum in place by the end of October.

Flu is viewed most dangerous for young children and older adults, because their immune systems aren't thought to be as strong as healthy adults in their prime.

But another study involving 32 survivors of the 1918-19 flu pandemic, reported online recently by the journal Nature, found that all still had antibodies that reacted to a 1918 virus protein recovered from the frozen body of a victim buried in Alaskan permafrost.

Researchers were able to recover rare B cells -- immune cells that produce antibodies -- from eight blood samples taken from the survivors - aged 91 to 101, and found they were still ready to defend against a renewed assault from the virus that killed some 50 million people.

They went on to test the antibodies in lab mice infected with the 1918 flu. Those given the highest doses of the antibodies lived, but those given low doses, or none, died.

Scientists involved in the study say it not only demonstrates how long-lived immunity can be, but suggest the antibodies might be reproduced in large quantities to protect people if another virus similar to the 1918 flu breaks out again.

In the meantime, a number of vaccine developers are working with gene-altered bacteria and cold viruses to deliver so-called "universal' flu vaccines that could either block uptake or generate a broad immune response against many flu strains at once.

Ideally, such technology might one day eliminate the dicey choosing of flu strains for the seasonal shots, eliminate the risk of shortages, and offer protection against sudden surges of new and deadly strains of flu.

On the Net: http:www.nature.com

www.cdc.gov/flu/

www.who.int

H5N1 turns up at Benin poultry market​

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/aug2708avian-br.html

Aug 27, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – Agriculture officials in Benin recently reported that two chickens at a live poultry market tested positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, the country's first outbreak since the virus was detected there at the end of 2007.

Authorities found the virus during routine surveillance at a market in Lokossa, the capital of Mono department, located in the southern part of the country near the coast, according to an Aug 25 report from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Testing performed at Benin's national laboratory in Parakou revealed H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza, according to the report. The surveillance activity at the Lokossa market was also a training exercise for the lab's managers and officials, the OIE report said. In December 2007, when the country confirmed its first H5N1 outbreak, the samples were tested at an Italian lab.

Animal health officials have not determined the source of the outbreak, according to the report. Authorities disinfected market stalls and have restricted the movement of poultry within the country.

Outbreaks in 2007 affected two farms, also located near Benin's southern coastal area, according to previous reports. Several countries surrounding Benin have reported poultry outbreaks over the past few years, including Nigeria, Togo, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

In other developments, agriculture officials in Vietnam said yesterday that an unusual strain of H5N1 virus is starting to appear in smuggled poultry, the state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported in a sketchy story today. Bui Quang Anh, head of the agriculture ministry's animal health department, told VNA that the strain poses a high risk of infecting humans and had previously caused an outbreak in China.

Anh told VNA that the H5N1 strain was named "seven." The story did not mention a clade number. Typically, the story said, "strain one" of the H5N1 virus has infected birds in the Mekong delta, while strains two, three, and four have been found to infect birds in the country's Red River Basin.

Nguyen Van Cam, director of Vietnam's Central Animal Diagnosis Centre, told VNA the lab was doing more tests to better characterize the strain and that he expected results soon.

How Long Does Flu Immunity Last?​

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1835907,00.html?xid=rss-health

Every year in the fall, physicians dispense a new flu vaccine. Typically it is designed to protect against the three flu strains that epidemiologists predict will be the most pervasive that season. But how often have patients received the flu shot, only to catch a bad illness anyway? The problem is that cold and flu viruses mutate so rapidly that sometimes they're unrecognizable to the antibodies created by the body in response to any particular vaccine. It turns out, however, that those antibodies — unlike those against illnesses like tetanus or whooping cough — can provide a formidable and life-long defense against the flu, as long as they're pitted against the correct strain. For an explanation, TIME asks Eric Altschuler, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and co-author of a recent paper in Nature about antibodies to the 1918 pandemic flu virus.

Q: How long do flu antibodies last?

A: According to our study, it appears they can last the entire lifespan of the human organism — 90 years plus.

In our study we were looking for antibodies to the 1918 flu. This flu virus was reconstructed a number of years ago in the lab, so we were able to test to see if 90 years later we could still find antibodies. I recruited survivors, people who were born in 1915 or earlier and thus presumably survived the 1918 flu. We found that virtually all the people born in 1915 or earlier — about 90% of them — had good "titers" to the 1918 flu, which means they still had reasonably high concentrations of the antibodies in their blood, whereas among controls, people who were born in 1926 or later, it was only about 10%. That was really quite a remarkable finding.

The important question in this study is whether the antibodies still work after all that time, and I think my colleagues really found some very decisive results. I sent the blood samples from the survivors to my colleagues, Chris Basler at Mount Sinai, who's a professor of microbiology, and James Crowe at Vanderbilt, who's in pediatrics, microbiology and immunology. Dr Crowe and his colleagues at Vanderbilt isolated five different antibodies to the 1918 flu. Then Dr. Basler and colleagues looked at how those antibodies bind to the virus. It was quite strong and specific. We tried to compare it to other viruses, studying, for example, whether the antibody would bind to the flu of 1999 or to earlier ones, like the 1943 flu. Most antibodies bound to 1918, and only 1918. One of them bound, but much more weakly, to a couple of others. So that was really quite good evidence, we thought.

I think the most definitive experiment we did was in mice. If you give mice the 1918 influenza, it kills them quite rapidly. It's very lethal. Terry Tumpey at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention infected mice with the various strains that made up the 1918 flu. Then we treated the mice either with our five antibodies or with controls. (There were two controls. One was human gamma globulin, which are just pooled antibodies that bind to a lot of different things. The other was the antibody to one of the modern bird flus.) And all of the control-treated mice, whether they got the gamma globulin or the bird-flu antibody, they all died. All of those mice died. Meanwhile all the mice that were treated with the highest doses of our antibodies survived. That's really very strong evidence — the strongest — that these antibodies are functional against this virus.

I think that diseases, other viruses and other pathogens, can behave differently. Antibodies are made by something called memory B cells, and the memory B cells for the 1918 flu clearly live for the lifespan of the human organism, which is wonderful. It raises important questions for looking at other pathogens, however, and it's important to try to look at these questions for different pathogens individually. Evidence shows it's important to get a regular tetanus booster, for example. Still, our new study may suggest another angle to look at things, which is how long do memory B cells last for this or that? Maybe there's some underlying biology that could explain why one thing might last longer than another.

Tasmania

Flu outbreak: 291 off school​

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/flu-outbreak-291-off-school/2008/08/28/1219516630225.html

Several primary school students and a teacher in Tasmania have been hospitalised by a flu outbreak that has affected almost 300 children and staff from the one school.

The Lauderdale Primary School near Hobart is dealing with a suspected Influenza A epidemic with 271 students and 20 staff off sick today - almost half the school's population.

School principal Mike Woods today said several children and one teacher had been treated in hospital for suspected Influenza A.

"Most alarmingly it seems to be affecting young children's breathing and several children have been hospitalised, usually overnight, over the last week, as a precaution," Mr Woods said.

"We did have a staff member admitted to hospital for a couple of nights as well but she's home now.

"Today we have 271 students absent and 20 staff, including 11 classroom teachers."

Mr Woods said symptoms of the virus which started spreading at the school 10 days ago included vomiting, diarrhoea, aches and pains, and headaches.

Health authorities have decided against closing the school unless the situation deteriorates.

India


A panel of scientists, including experts from National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, has been formed to contain a mysterious fever that has claimed over 120 lives in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur division in the last three weeks, an official said Wednesday.

'The scientific panel will be headed by M.M. Gore of NIV. At present, Gore is associated with NIV's field station in Gorakhpur district (of Uttar Pradesh),' an NIV scientist told IANS on phone from Pune.

Gore's field of specialisation is anti-viral immunology, she said.

Besides NIV experts, scientists and doctors from Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science, Lucknow, B.R.D. Medical College Gorakhpur and other hospitals are also the members of the panel, sources said.

I.S. Srivastava, director general (medical and health), confirmed that the scientific panel has been constituted to counter the mysterious fever.

The unofficial count of the deaths due to the mysterious disease in six districts of Kanpur division is 160.

The worst hit by the mystery disease is Akbarpur district, where 100 people have died, said a district administration official.

Several villages of the district including Akorhi, Satti, Naseerpur and Chataina are badly affected, he added.

Even as experts fear the disease can spread to adjoining districts of Kanpur division, health officials refused to comment.

The mysterious disease, which is afflicting about 8-10 people daily, is marked by high fever, an official said. Symptoms of the mystery disease are similar to that of malaria and jaundice, he added.

A team of officials from the union health ministry arrived in Kanpur rural district and collected patients' blood samples.

Poultry production capacity falls​

http://www.kurdishglobe.net/displayArticle.jsp?id=C97B32EE48CFB96054029EBC97CEED02

The Kurdish Globe

75% of poultry farms close due to power and fuel crises.

The amount of imported frozen chicken is on the increase as the searing summer and lack of fuel and electricity have forced the majority of Kurdistan Region's poultry farms to close their doors.

According to statistic published by the Kurdistan Association for Raising Poultry, during the three months of May, June, and July 2007, around 1,080,000 chickens were produced in Suleimaniya's poultry farms, while during the same period of 2008, only 545,000 chickens re produced in those poultries.

This 50% decrease during one single year alarms owners and agriculture economists.

As one of the very few sectors of local production, poultry production used to satisfy most of the region's demand; the rest was imported from outside, and particularly from Brazil.

However, as the bird flu became a threat to the region's residents in 2006, imported chicken meat was banned by the Health Ministry as a preventive measure against the transmission of the epidemic from already affected regions. Hence, people were forced to buy locally produced chicken meat and eggs only. But even after the bird flu threat was over and imported chicken and eggs regained entry into Kurdistan, people were still afraid to consume imported poultry products and stuck to local products, something that continues today.

But now, as local production capacity has fallen significantly, the question is whether consumers can easily shift back to Brazilian chicken or are ready to pay more for local chicken?

Lack of basic services on poultry farms has, in addition to shutting down many farms, increased cost of production and decreased quantity of production. The increasing sales price in the market has already opened the way for imported frozen chicken.

Awat Hama Aziz, deputy director general of animal resources and health in Suleimaniya, says that in spite of the extraordinarily high temperatures of this summer, the public sector has failed to supply sufficient electricity to most of the farms and those who have electricity are using their own power generators. Besides, the farm owners are not able to afford all this fuel consumption of their generators.

"Most of the owners' capital goes to providing electricity and fuel," Aziz told a local newspaper. "The process of raising young chickens costs too much and using private power generators is a main part of the production cost, which in turn pushes the selling price up."

Aziz added that this lack of electricity and fuel is despite the fact that poultry farms are in need of 24-hour supply.

"This is because of many reasons; for example, the air refreshment system needs electricity to operate. Farms also need to use fridges and freezers in addition to food preparation machines," said Aziz.

Sarwar Karim Agha, head of Kurdistan Association for Poultry Raising, confirms Aziz's claims and says that if the government provides the poultry farms with continuous power supply, the farms would save US$1,800 per one production cycle.

Yet another challenge facing poultry farm owners is the notable increase in the price of corn, which is the main food for chickens. According to what Agha says, a chicken consumes between 4 and 5 kilograms of corn in 50 days, which is a very high level of corn consumption.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has allegedly allocated US$16 million for 800 projects for the production and preservation of animal protein in all three provinces of Erbil, Suleimaniya, and Duhok. However, as Agha claims, this amount has not been spent and none of the projects have entered the implementation phase. He also expressed his concern about the government's carelessness about poultry farms and claimed that it has to promote local production.

Many investors in local production sectors as well as economists are concerned about the fact that the KRG doesn't yet have a law to protect local production against imports and imported goods have already taken control over the Kurdish market. Even many economists believe that the system in the region is exactly opposite to most other economic systems in the world as it promotes imports and foreign products and favors them over locally produced goods.

All these difficulties facing poultry farms have disappointed investors and thus become threats to the poultry production in Kurdistan Region.

Kenya on bird flu alert​

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/647098

KENYA Government has banned with immediate effect the transportation of live birds and chicken by long distance trucks entering the country through Malaba and Busia as a caution to avian influenza which it said had reached Southern Sudan.

Kenya has also banned transportation of cattle horns from Uganda and other Great Lakes countries by buses saying passengers risked contacting zoonotic diseases related to the horns.

Livestock development ministry officials have been put on high alert at Malaba and Busia in Kenya to ensure that the order is observed.

Ministry officials said the entry of bird flu into the country was imminent considering that it had been detected in Southern Sudan, thus the institution of the tough measures.

“No cases of Birds Flu have been detected in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania but we are worried that trucks coming from beyond Uganda and carrying live birds and chicken could be putting the country at risk of the pandemic,” he said.

Similarly, an official in Malaba told Saturday Vision that research had revealed horns of the Ankole cattle contained a virus which could easily be spread to human beings if transported in the same bus with passengers.

“We have no problem if these horns were transported by trucks, from the country of origin to the Port of Mombasa for onward export but not by buses,” he said.

Five bird flu suspects detected in Malang​

http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/8/30/five-bird-flu-suspects-detected-in-malang/

Malang, East Java (ANTARA News) - Five bird flu suspects were detected, and one of them was confirmed positively infected with the type-A avian influenza virus, in Malang district, East Java, in the January-August period in 2008, a local health official said.

The bird-flu infected patient was identified by the initials as Sl (47), a resident of Bululawang, Malang Health Service Chief, Wahyu Agus Arifin said here on Saturday.

Malang health authorities had recorded 10 bird-flu-related cases and 13 happenings in August when a number of poultry had died.

"Most of the areas infected by the bird flu virus were poultry farms where the environment was not clean," Endy Kuasaery, head of the Malang Animal Husbandry Service, said.

A total of 1,189 poultry died during the period January-August 2008, he said.

Most of the bird-flu cases occurred in nine sub districts, namely Pagak, Wonosari, Tumpang, Sumberpucung, Kepanjen, Pakis, Bululawang, Gondanglegi and Pagelaran.(*)

Link to next weeks thread:

9/1/08- 9/7/08 Weekly Bird Flu Thread:H1N1 Tamiflu Resistance At 100% in Honduras?

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=299484