UNCLASSIFIED
Avian Influenza Daily Digest
August 14, 2008 14:00 GMT
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Article Summaries ...
Quid Novi
Vietnam: Tests confirm H5N1 in Ba Tri District
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Vietnam: FAO reports bird flu impact lessened
8/14/08 VNA--A representative from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations said Vietnam 's efforts have lessened impacts from bird flu in the country, especially on humans.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
LAOS: New veterinary law targets bird flu
8/14/08 IRIN--A new Veterinary Law passed on 25 July is good news in the fight against avian influenza (AI - bird flu), given that Laos is surrounded by neighbours that have suffered severe AI outbreaks.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Indonesia rules out H5N1 case cluster in Sumatra
8/13/08 CIDRAP--In an online statement posted yesterday, the Indonesian government said 12 villagers from North Sumatra who were hospitalized for suspected avian influenza symptoms had tested negative for the disease, dampening speculation about a possible case cluster.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Indonesia: More than 80% of bird flu cases die
8/14/08 Reuters--diagnosis and treatment means that more than 80 per cent of people infected with H5N1 avian influenza in Indonesia have died, researchers reported on Wednesday.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
China: Public health incidents claim 38 lives in July
8/14/08 Xinhua--Public health incidents killed 38 people on the Chinese mainland last month with 114 incidents recorded and 2,762 people involved, the Ministry of Health said Thursday.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Namibia: Health Experts, Security Personnel Meet Over Bird Flu
8/14/08 All Africa--Officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, marine experts, and representatives of the Police and the Namibian Defence Force are in Walvis Bay for a two-day workshop on avian influenza, commonly referred to as bird flu.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Nigeria: Ghana, Togo, Benin Parley over Bird Flu
8/14/08 This Day--Ghana's Veterinary Services Directorate, alarmed at the resurgence of avian influenza (bird flu) in Nigeria, is seeking a meeting with its eastern neighbours, Togo and Benin Republic to discuss common measures to prevent it from spreading to their countries.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Indonesia: SMS Bird flu alert
8/14/08 Jakarta Post (Editorial/Reader's Forum)--Your comments on the reappearance of bird flu cases in North Sumatra in which at least 13 suspected patients of the disease are hospitalized
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
FAO GLEWS: Vietnam Update
FAO Field Officer, 12/08/08: Since 23 July 2008, in Tiga Sembilan Village, Air Batu sub District, Asahan District, North Sumatra Province, four chickens were bought in Pekanbaru area where the status of infection was unknown. Introduced in kampong, chickens were...
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Science and Technology
Scientists Dispute Role of Wildlife Migration in Advancing Nigeria's Latest Bird Flu Outbreak
8/14/08 Voice of America [Download (MP3) audio clip]--Scientists are doubtful that the latest disease-producing strain of avian flu detected in Nigeria originated with wild migratory birds that annually migrate there from Europe or Central Asia. They say the newly discovered strain most likely stems from the illicit or unreported trade of domestic poultry across borders, a process that can be monitored and regulated if governments and health authorities work to implement stronger, protective safeguards. Dr. Kristine Smith is Assistant Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society?s Global Health Programs. She says that the current Class Three wave of bird influenza means a loss of trade and the precautionary destruction of thousands of domestic poultry.
AI Research
Hong Kong: Applications for health research funds open
8/14/08 Hong Kong Govt News--Two research funds for disease control and health services will open for applications August 15 to November 17.
Science and Technology
UK: Nottingham Trent Develops Bird Flu Detector
8/14/08 Nottingham--Lives could be saved from bird flu thanks to two new machines being developed with help from Nottingham Trent University. Experts from the university's school of science and technology are playing a key role in the 3m Euro project. They will help design tests for portable machines for vets and GPs which can identify the disease quickly.
Science and Technology
Pandemic Preparedness
WHO: Infection control recommendations for avian influenza in health-care facilities
2008 WHO--English [pdf 83kb]--The current avian influenza A(H5N1) epizootic in birds began in south-east Asia in 2003 and has since spread to other parts of the world. Human cases have been reported in several countries since December 2003 and health-care facilities in several countries now face the challenge of providing care for patients infected with avian influenza (AI). It is critical that health-care workers use appropriate infection control precautions when caring for these patients in order to minimize the possibility of transmission of AI to themselves, other health-care workers, patients, and visitors.
Pandemic Preparedness
Full Text of Articles follow ...
Pandemic Preparedness
WHO: Infection control recommendations for avian influenza in health-care facilities
2008 WHO--English [pdf 83kb]--The current avian influenza A(H5N1) epizootic in birds began in south-east Asia in 2003 and has since spread to other parts of the world. Human cases have been reported in several countries since December 2003 and health-care facilities in several countries now face the challenge of providing care for patients infected with avian influenza (AI). It is critical that health-care workers use appropriate infection control precautions when caring for these patients in order to minimize the possibility of transmission of AI to themselves, other health-care workers, patients, and visitors.
Quid Novi
Vietnam: Tests confirm H5N1 in Ba Tri District
8/14/08 ARGUS--According to a national source, the Ben Tre's Veterinary Department confirmed H5N1 avian influenza in samples of 420 ducks from a household in An Loi hamlet (An Binh Tay commune, Ba Tri district). The Department has so far destroyed a total of 620 ducks due to the disease. On 12 August, the Ben Tre's People Committee has officially announced the new outbreak of H5N1 in An Binh Tay commune (Ba Tri district).
Another source also reported that the Ben Tre's People Committee has committed a fund of 2 billion Vietnam Dong [US$120,000] to address the outbreaks and minimize disease spread.
Article URL(s)
http://10.11.1.15:8080/newsstand/priv/display_article.jsp?format=html&src=nld3240&id=vi_20080812_nld3240_241566630001&qryid=4765
http://10.11.1.15:8080/newsstand/priv/display_article.jsp?format=html&src=vov3242&id=vi_20080813_vov3242_242318080013&qryid=4765
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Vietnam: FAO reports bird flu impact lessened
8/14/08 VNA--A representative from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations said Vietnam 's efforts have lessened impacts from bird flu in the country, especially on humans.
Dr. Andrew Speedy was speaking at a conference reviewing the strategy on the prevention and control of bird flu, which FAO co-hosted with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Hanoi on Aug. 13-14.
The FAO official also called on concerned agencies to be cautious when making any change to the strategy and pay more attention to developing human resources in response to the disease in case it becomes a pandemic.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong said bird flu outbreaks have become limited to small flocks of fowls that have not yet been vaccinated in line with requirements.
According to the Ministry, bird flu had affected 60,000 fowls in 26 provinces and cost the lives of five people so far this year.At present, the disease is still affecting Mekong delta Dong Thap and Kien Giang provinces and central Quang Ngai province.
Bird flu first appeared in Vietnam in 2003 and its spread and economic damage has been reduced recently thanks to the country's concerted actions in tightening breeding regulations and vaccination popularisation.(VNA)
Today In Asia : Last Update : 10:42:44 14 August 2008 (GMT+7:00)
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
LAOS: New veterinary law targets bird flu
8/14/08 IRIN--A new Veterinary Law passed on 25 July is good news in the fight against avian influenza (AI - bird flu), given that Laos is surrounded by neighbours that have suffered severe AI outbreaks.
?This is a significant milestone in infectious disease preparedness for this country,? Subhash Morzaria, the AI programme team leader of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Laos, told IRIN. ?It is an indication that the government recognises the significance of animal - and public - health and the importance of ensuring bio-food security,? Morzaria said.
The Veterinary Law 2008 establishes a regulatory framework to strengthen veterinary services, contains provisions for greater transparency in reporting AI and other emerging diseases, and sets out disease control measures, including animal and by-product movements, bio-security and hygiene standards.
Because poultry is one of the cheapest sources of protein, Morzaria explained, failure to protect it could worsen food security and poverty. Strong measures to safeguard the health of animals against infectious diseases such as AI are therefore of the utmost importance, he said.
Last year, two people died in Laos from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and another outbreak earlier this year resulted in the culling of 5,000 poultry in six northern villages of Luang Nam Thaa Province, according to the authorities.
However, mountainous Laos, with its low population density and scattered poultry farming, has been spared the severity of AI outbreaks in Vietnam and China, according to Kristina Osbjer, operations officer with the FAO AI Programme. Laos thus has some breathing space to develop disease preparedness strategies, she said, but the country lacks basic infrastructure, and its porous borders make it a likely victim of further AI outbreaks.
?Short- and long-term capacity are major issues in Laos,? explained Osbjer. ?We are therefore working with the government to provide capacity building at grassroots level so they can identify the disease and respond faster to nip it in the bud before it becomes entrenched.?
The programme includes training veterinary staff, animal health workers and village veterinary workers in surveillance techniques; improved detection; and systematic recording and reporting of suspected AI cases.
FAO is also leading an active surveillance project on domestic fowl with the Department of Livestock and Fisheries, focusing on the most at-risk sites.
To complement the enhanced surveillance and identification capacities, FAO is expanding the laboratory capacity of the National Animal Health Centre to conduct improved serology and virus isolation on an increased number of samples, said Osbjer.
Awareness raising
Reinforcing all this work is the communications programme led by the UN Children?s Fund (UNICEF) which is ensuring that prevention, recognition and containment information reaches all strata of society.
"Getting out the message about the threat posed by AI has been absolutely central to the whole campaign," said UNICEF head of communications in Laos Simon Ingram. "Thanks to some generous funding that we received from the government of Japan in 2006, UNICEF has supported a massive public information campaign delivering key prevention messages to millions of families, using everything from radio and TV spots to touring puppet troupes and networks of village leaders."
While considerable achievements have been made to prepare Laos for future AI outbreaks, Osbjer said the new Veterinary Law alone would not be enough. ?We must stress the need for long-term capacity in the animal and public health sector - not just to deal with avian influenza but all infectious diseases. And for that, the government must educate more staff.?
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Indonesia rules out H5N1 case cluster in Sumatra
8/13/08 CIDRAP--In an online statement posted yesterday, the Indonesian government said 12 villagers from North Sumatra who were hospitalized for suspected avian influenza symptoms had tested negative for the disease, dampening speculation about a possible case cluster.
The statement from the health ministry's avian flu committee, known as KOMNAS FBPI, was dated Aug 9, but appeared on the group's Web site yesterday. It said 12 villagers from Air Batu village tested negative for the H5N1 virus. All were being treated at Kisaran Hospital, except for a 7-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy who were at Adam Malik Hospital in Medan, the provincial capital, where they were reported to be in stable condition.
The ministry's statement did not mention three deaths from suspicious symptoms that have been mentioned along with accounts of up to 13 sick patients in recent media reports. Yesterday, however, Chandra Syafei, an official from North Sumatra's health office, acknowledged that three people had died and said his office was on "extraordinary occurrence" alert status, according to a Jakarta Post report.
"The three people died following the discovery of dead poultry, but we don't know whether or not it [avian influenza] was the cause," Chandra told the Post. He said his office had not received autopsy reports from the health ministry.
The suspected cases were identified by provincial and local health officials between Aug 5 and 7, and the patients were given oseltamivir when they were hospitalized, the health ministry's statement said. Also, it said the ministry was conducting surveillance in the area for more patients with suspicious symptoms.
The ministry's message, its first since Jun 19, said the tests were conducted by its Health Research and Development Center. Official news out of Indonesia about H5N1 developments has been scarce since early June, when Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said the country would stop reporting human cases as they occur and instead announce them at longer intervals, perhaps as long as 6 months.
Syafei said several health workers, including a team from the World Health Organization (WHO), were in Asahan to investigate the illnesses and monitor developments, according to the Post report.
He said animal health officials had destroyed 276 infected birds, and an official from nearby Labuhan Ratu regency said local veterinary workers culled 1,126 birds after hundreds of recent poultry deaths, the Post reported.
The health ministry statement said tests conducted by North Sumatra's livestock office on 15 poultry that died suddenly on Jul 28 were positive for avian influenza. (The statement did not specify the subtype.)
Meanwhile, flu blogs and message boards have been following developments in what some fear could represent an H5N1 case cluster, an event that suggests the possibility of human-to-human transmission and an increased risk of a pandemic. For example, members of Flu Trackers and Flu Wiki have been translating foreign-language media reports for clues and developments, though the translations are often difficult to interpret and can be unreliable.
ProMED-mail, the Internet based reporting system of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, has also been posting media reports on the suspected case cluster and has appealed for more information on the cases and deaths. On Aug 10, after noting conflicting reports about the cases, ProMED said it would no longer report suspected avian flu cases in Indonesia until they have been confirmed by the nation's health ministry. But a protest from a reader prompted the service to say yesterday it would reconsider the decision.
See also:
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Indonesia: More than 80% of bird flu cases die
8/14/08 Reuters--diagnosis and treatment means that more than 80 per cent of people infected with H5N1 avian influenza in Indonesia have died, researchers reported on Wednesday.
An analysis of outbreaks in Indonesia, the country hardest hit by bird flu, affirms that quick treatment with anti-viral drugs can save lives. But local health care workers are not properly trained in diagnosing bird flu and often do not have the needed drugs to treat it.
Indonesia has had one-third of the world's known cases of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza. It rarely infects people but globally has killed 243 out of 385 sickened since 2003. In Indonesia, 135 people have been infected and 110 have died, according to the World Health Organisation.
Dr Toni Wandra of the Ministry of Health in Jakarta and colleagues analysed the known cases as of February and found it took on average six days for patients to be admitted to a hospital.
By the time they were admitted, 99 per cent had a fever, 88 per cent were coughing and 84 per cent had breathing problems, they reported in the Lancet medical journal.
But for the first two days they were ill, most patients had hard-to-identify symptoms - only 31 had both fever and cough, and nine had fever and breathing problems.
On average it took seven days to get oseltamivir - Roche AG and Gilead Sciences Inc's Tamiflu.
More than a third of patients who got Tamiflu within six days survived, compared to 19 per cent treated at seven days or later survived.
This confirms other research that shows treatment with flu drugs such as Tamiflu needs to start right away to be effective, they said.
'There is a clear need to identify definite causes for high-case fatality,' Dr Wandra's team wrote.
'Poultry surveillance is being stepped up, and active human case finding by local health centers and village officials is being instituted in areas of poultry deaths.'
Workers need to be trained in getting information about whether patients with flu-like symptoms were around sick poultry, they added.
'Finally, all health-care workers should be trained in case management of early H5N1 influenza, and should be equipped with oseltamivir to enable timely administration.'
H5N1 currently infects mostly birds and has killed or forced the destruction of 300 million in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
It rarely infects humans and almost all cases have been infected by sick birds. Doctors fear it could change into a form that easily infects people, in which case it could sweep the world, killing millions of people in months.
Tamiflu and GlaxoSmithKline's and Biota's Relenza can treat the infection, but are in short supply, and a vaccine would take months or years to manufacture and deliver. -- REUTERS
AI Research
Scientists Dispute Role of Wildlife Migration in Advancing Nigeria's Latest Bird Flu Outbreak
8/14/08 Voice of America [Download (MP3) audio clip]--Scientists are doubtful that the latest disease-producing strain of avian flu detected in Nigeria originated with wild migratory birds that annually migrate there from Europe or Central Asia. They say the newly discovered strain most likely stems from the illicit or unreported trade of domestic poultry across borders, a process that can be monitored and regulated if governments and health authorities work to implement stronger, protective safeguards. Dr. Kristine Smith is Assistant Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society?s Global Health Programs. She says that the current Class Three wave of bird influenza means a loss of trade and the precautionary destruction of thousands of domestic poultry.
?For Nigeria in particular, it?s been quite serious as far as their economy goes and the direct impact on their poultry industry. H5N1 being a zoonotic disease, meaning infectious to humans, it continues to pose a threat to humans? health. These high-path H5N1 strains, as far as Nigeria is concerned, we are watching it quite closely in the poultry markets because it obviously is a food security issue,? she said.
Smith says the reason that scientists who are tracking the spread of the disease are dispelling reports of wild bird migrations causing the current bout in Nigeria is that it has been shown that this year?s migration season has not yet begun.
?What we have suspected has caused most of the outbreaks has been through the movement of domestic poultry ? domestic chickens or domestic ducks. These animals are moved both legally and illegally within a nation and internationally, and that is how this disease spreads quite a bit. However, wild birds have played a relatively small role in moving the disease from country to country during their migration movements; however, a lot of those times, those infections don?t result in larger infections of poultry and people. This particular strain that has just hit Nigeria has hit well before the migratory movement of birds heading south from Europe and Asia, and so therefore, it?s not likely at all that wild birds played a role in this new outbreak,? she stated.
The Wildlife Conservation Society, which is based at New York?s famed Bronx Zoo, continues to make a serious effort to heighten awareness of the need to trace how poultry enters our food supply system. Calling illegal food trade across borders a multi-billion-dollar industry ?comparable to the international drug trade,? Smith says the threat posed by shipping poultry to markets domestically and across borders today is greater than ever before.
?It?s huge, and it?s not limited to poultry and even influenza, but both legal and illegal movement of domestic and wildlife animals and products is largely unrecorded and unregulated and undefined. And given the increased globalization of today?s world, where we have much more contact with different species of animals, wildlife, and livestock and humans, with the trade, we?re seeing an increase in occurrence of these major infectious diseases,? she notes.
Smith, a field veterinarian, credits the capability of Nigerian authorities to curb the spread of the influenza.
?Nigeria has been one of those countries that have been wonderfully working very diligently -- their government, with their internal forces and external international assistance. And they?re doing a wonderful job of responding to these outbreaks,? she says.
Smith points to some advantages that Nigeria has that have enabled its medical and civil authorities to contain the country?s multiple outbreaks effectively.
Sometimes, even though a developing country may have a little bit less infrastructure, sometimes it?s easier for them to contain some of these outbreaks because you don?t have the highways, you don?t have so many commercial poultry farms, where you have people moving from one to another constantly. And so in some ways, it?s almost easier to keep a handle on some of these outbreaks in developing countries as opposed to more developed countries. But it always varies on the type of outbreak that occurs, where it occurs, and in what species it occurs,? she notes.
Although vaccines to lessen the severity of the illness continue to be developed, Smith notes that the virus is constantly adapting and unfolding in new strains. While, the impact of bird flu has thankfully not reached the dreaded levels that were feared two and three years ago, more work remains to be done to find a definitive explanation of how the avian influenza makes its way to countries like Nigeria or to countries like Egypt and Indonesia, where it has taken an even greater economic and human toll.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
China: Public health incidents claim 38 lives in July
8/14/08 Xinhua--Public health incidents killed 38 people on the Chinese mainland last month with 114 incidents recorded and 2,762 people involved, the Ministry of Health said Thursday.
Emergent public health incidents refer to major epidemics, diseases of unknown origin, major food or occupational poisoning cases, and other incidents like bird flu.
The number of such incidents rose 4.59 percent year-on-year, while the people involved and the fatalities down 25.81 percent and 30.91 percent respectively, the ministry said in a report.
There was no report of such incidents in July in seven provincial areas -- Hubei, Shandong, Jiangxi, Ningxia, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and Beijing, according to the ministry.
Experts warned that with high temperatures in current season, public health incidents such as intestinal infectious diseases and food poisoning might increase.
The conditions of the outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) remained stable recently and saw a dropping trend. But experts pointed out the disease was still with a relatively high incidence rate.
The ministry urged its local bureaux to step up surveillance of contagious diseases, especially in the earthquake-hit regions.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Namibia: Health Experts, Security Personnel Meet Over Bird Flu
8/14/08 All Africa--Officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, marine experts, and representatives of the Police and the Namibian Defence Force are in Walvis Bay for a two-day workshop on avian influenza, commonly referred to as bird flu.
The workshop is aimed at formulating a Rapid Response Team at local level to complement the country's efforts as part of SADC countries' efforts to control the spread of the disease. The workshop follows an earlier visit by representatives of the FAO to the coastal towns to assess the implementation of avian influenza response.
At SADC level, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in South Africa organised similar workshops where training and sensitisation on bird flu was provided. The training was aimed at passing on knowledge to the various countries' representatives, who would in turn pass over the knowledge to relevant stakeholders in their own countries.
Avian influenza is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza viruses. These influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide are reported to carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can infect domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, often killing them.
Infected birds shed influenza virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and faeces. 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.
Migratory birds making their way into other countries beyond their origins have been reported as one of the major factors fuelling the spread of bird flu to those countries. Due to the large presence of migratory birds often found along the Namibian shores and coastline, the Ministry of Health deemed it necessary to convene the workshop as a direct response to earlier regional efforts to prevent a catastrophe in the event of another outbreak of the disease.
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, H5N1 virus, spreads more rapidly through flocks of poultry. This form may cause diseases that affect multiple internal organs and has a mortality rate that can reach 90-100 percent often within 48 hours.
The State veterinarian at Walvis Bay, Dr Elizabeth Homateni-Kamberuka, who is facilitating the workshop, said the workshop became vital in order to form a Rapid Response Team that would be deployed in the event of an outbreak of bird flu.
"This workshop is important for the region to be prepared and respond as rapidly as possible in the case of an outbreak, as these people will be deployed in the field to deal with a confirmed or suspected outbreak of Avian influenza in humans or birds," she said.
Although the H5N1 virus does not usually infect people, infections with these viruses have been reported in humans. Most of these cases have resulted from people having direct or close contact with H5N1-infected poultry or H5N1-contaminated surfaces.
Of the human cases associated with H5N1 outbreaks in poultry and wild birds, more than half of the people reported to be infected with the virus have died. Most cases have occurred in previously healthy children and young adults and have resulted from direct or close contact with H5N1-infected poultry or H5N1-contaminated surfaces. In general, H5N1 remains a very rare disease in people. The H5N1 virus does not infect humans easily, and if a person is infected, it is very difficult for the virus to spread to another person.
While there has been some human-to-human spread of H5N1, it has been limited, inefficient and unsustained. Nonetheless, because all influenza viruses have the ability to change, scientists are concerned that H5N1 virus one day could be able to infect humans and spread easily from one person to another.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Nigeria: Ghana, Togo, Benin Parley over Bird Flu
8/14/08 This Day--Ghana's Veterinary Services Directorate, alarmed at the resurgence of avian influenza (bird flu) in Nigeria, is seeking a meeting with its eastern neighbours, Togo and Benin Republic to discuss common measures to prevent it from spreading to their countries.
Dr Enoch Koney, Acting Director, said a similar cross border meeting had been planned with Cote d'Ivoire to the west and Burkina Faso to the north.
Nigeria is sited to the east of Ghana. Ghana declared itself free from the disease about two years ago after culling and other measures.
Speaking on Tuesday in Kumasi at a day's simulation exercise on avian influenza, he said all regional directors of agriculture as well as veterinary officers had been informed about the new case in Nigeria.
Koney said this was to strengthen surveillance in all avian influenza risk-prone areas and asked them not to be complacent in their prevention and control measures.
He urged them to have a constant check at all live bird markets and monitor the staging posts of migratory wild birds at wetlands while they strictly enforced import permits for poultry and poultry products.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that a new strain of avian influenza never before reported in Africa has been identified in Nigeria.
It said tests conducted by Nigeria and by the FAO showed that the new virus strain which was similar to strains identified last year in Italy, Afghanistan and Iran was genetically distinct from other forms detected in Nigeria in 2006 and 2007.
It pointed to other avenues the virus could have taken to Nigeria, such as international trade or illegal and unreported movement of poultry. "This increases the risk of an avian influenza spread to other countries in Western Africa,"
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Indonesia: SMS Bird flu alert
8/14/08 Jakarta Post (Editorial/Reader's Forum)--Your comments on the reappearance of bird flu cases in North Sumatra in which at least 13 suspected patients of the disease are hospitalized
More interesting is the wording of the announcement of this SMS poll in The Jakarta Post. You ask only what's wrong with the government handling and not what's right with it.
The freedom of the press should not extend to serve the political goals of others. Maybe the health minister has upset somebody by being too honest.
The handling of the bird flu problem has been difficult and challenging. The role of Namru, WHO and the American government in the distribution of the virus samples has never been clearly explained in the press.
I find it interesting that as the election campaign starts to warm up that the Post chooses this subject for an opinion poll. Perhaps the old political guard is nervous that the health minister may prove to be a viable presidential candidate and more importantly one who makes decisions which do not conform with old and redundant political interests.
ROBERT
Jakarta
Bird flu is an uncommon disease which gets heaps of publicity from the United States corporate media and its brain-dead Indonesian counterpart. You have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than contracting bird flu.
The government and The Jakarta Post should concentrate on diseases and conditions that cause scores more deaths than bird flu, such as TB, malaria and malnutrition.
IAN HAMILTON
Jakarta
The large number of people dead due to the bird flu epidemic indicates that the government has failed to wipe it out completely. In future, I hope that the government will have integrated programs -- not only focusing on bird flu suspects, but also destroying its source to prevent the spread of the disease.
I am sure if this could be implemented consistently we could totally eliminate the disease from the country.
ABDUL RAHIM
Tangerang, Banten
Science and Technology
Hong Kong: Applications for health research funds open
8/14/08 Hong Kong Govt News--Two research funds for disease control and health services will open for applications August 15 to November 17.
For the research fund for the control of infectious diseases, applications should relate to aetiology, epidemiology and public health, basic research, and clinical and health services research. Funding applications relating to respiratory infectious diseases, such as avian flu and tuberculosis, and vector-borne diseases will be given higher priority.
The priority of the health and health services research fund will be accorded to applications relating to public health, health services and Chinese medicine.
All applications will be reviewed according to their scientific merit, local relevance, administering institutions' research capacity, applicants' track records and research ethics.
Details of the thematic priorities, application guidelines and application forms are available here. Enquiries can be made by fax at 3150 8993 or via email.
Science and Technology
UK: Nottingham Trent Develops Bird Flu Detector
8/14/08 Nottingham--Lives could be saved from bird flu thanks to two new machines being developed with help from Nottingham Trent University. Experts from the university's school of science and technology are playing a key role in the 3m Euro project. They will help design tests for portable machines for vets and GPs which can identify the disease quickly.
The Portfastflu project, funded by the EU, would cut current diagnosis times from up to a week to just two hours.
A swab containing human saliva or animal tissue sample would be passed through the machine which would carry out molecular recognition of the virus strains.
It would then identify the influenza and even the type or subtype of strain - cutting out the need for samples to be sent to a testing laboratory.
The technology would make it possible to set up exclusion zones and cull infected birds faster, before infection spreads.
Dr Alan McNally, an expert in molecular biology at the university, and a former avian flu researcher for the Government, said: "At present influenza immunity relates only to specific strains and simply does not exist in the event of a new pandemic outbreak.
"Therefore the ability to detect and type influenza virus immediately is essential in setting up appropriate controls as quickly as possible to minimise the spread of any potential pandemic virus.?
Although the H5N1 strain of the virus does not pass easily from birds to humans, it has so far claimed almost 243 lives from 385 confirmed cases worldwide.
The new tool would allow fast, on-the-spot screening of sick people, distinguishing those carrying deadly strains from those subject to lesser flu variations.
The research team - which consists of universities, research organisations and businesses, and is being led by the French company Genewave - is developing two machines, one briefcase-sized for veterinary surgeons or doctors out in the field, and a larger, table-top one for GPs and hospitals.
The machines are expected to be created by December 2010.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
FAO GLEWS: Vietnam Update
FAO Field Officer, 12/08/08: Since 23 July 2008,
in Tiga Sembilan Village, Air Batu sub District,
Asahan District, North Sumatra Province, four
chickens were bought in Pekanbaru area where
the status of infection was unknown. Introduced
in kampong, chickens were not kept separately
and began to die, 1 out of 16 pigeons was
reported. On August 4th, a chicken bought from
Pekanbaru tested positive with Rapid test.
Following the Rapid test, the Participatory
Disease Surveillance and Response (PDSR) officers
implemented control measures by culling
chickens and disinfecting the village. The officers
are continuing to conduct surveillance in
neighbouring villages.
