UNCLASSIFIED
Avian Influenza Daily Digest
August 27, 2008 17:45 GMT
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Article Summaries ...
Quid Novi
Afghanistan: H5N1 reported in Khwost Province
Indonesia: die-off reported in Wonogiri
Indonesia: Die-offs reported in Lebong and Bengkulu city
OIE: Benin Immediate Notification
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Yemen: World Bank gifts $1 mln to strengthen precaution against bird flu
8/27/08 Saba--World Bank announced here on Tuesday that it would gift Yemen about $ 1,000,080 to support the country's efforts to take precautionary measures and encountering the bird flu.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Vietnam: AI Update
8/27/08 VNS, contributed by email--A strain of the H5N1 virus that posed a high risk of infecting humans and caused an avian flu epidemic in China has appeared in smuggled poultry in Vietnam, state media reported, citing an official from the Animal Health Department Thursday.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
OIE: Denmark regains AI free status
8/27/08 OIE--Following a single outbreak of low pathogenic H7N1 notifiable avian influenza on April 24, 2008, Denmark, having met the requirements in article 2.7.12.3 of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code, declares having regained its status as a notifiable avian influenza free country on 24 August 2008.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Japan: Health ministry to introduce 3,600 respirators for new flu pandemic
8/27/08 Japan Today--The health ministry has decided to introduce about 3,600 respirators at medical institutions across Japan to prepare for the possibility of a new influenza pandemic, ministry officials said Wednesday. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare plans to make budgetary request of about 2 billion yen in fiscal 2009 for the respirators, the officials said. Each of the nearly 360 medical districts in Japan would be given 10 respirators.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Nigeria: Poultry Farmers Get N42.5m
8/27/08 All Africa--Eighteen poultry farmers in Ogun, whose birds and eggs were ravaged by Avian influenza, also known as "Bird flu", have received compensation of N42.5 million.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Full Text of Articles follow ...
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Yemen: World Bank gifts $1 mln to strengthen precaution against bird flu
8/27/08 Saba--World Bank announced here on Tuesday that it would gift Yemen about $ 1,000,080 to support the country's efforts to take precautionary measures and encountering the bird flu.
During a meeting gathered here in Sana'a Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Mansur al-Hawshabi and the WB official of the Rainfed Agriculture and Animal Wealth, the WB stipulated that the government has to approve the Avian Flu National Comprehensive Plan to get this grant.
The meeting also reviewed the implementation progress in the project of the rainfed agriculture and animal wealth and the bank's role in improving the agricultural sector in Yemen.
Quid Novi
Afghanistan: H5N1 reported in Khwost Province
8/27/08 ARGUS--International news sources report that H5N1 avian influenza has been found in poultry in Khwost province. The Ministry of Public Health in Afghanistan has confirmed the reports. The Director added that as part of a plan to ensure the safety of food products destined for public consumption, 3 specialized groups would be inspecting the area. The MoPH of Khwost province asks people not to consume any infected animal meat. A public awareness program is also being developed. The MoPH reported health officials in Kandahar province have acknowledged that a few cases of avian influenza have been found last year in the Kalkan community in Kabol province.
Analyst note: An international source reported that in 2006, 26 cases of H5N1 were reported in backyard poultry in 4 provinces of Afghanistan.
Article URL(s)
http://avianinfluenza.blogfa.com/post-1309.aspx
Quid Novi
Indonesia: die-off reported in Wonogiri
8/27/08 ARGUS--A local source reported a bird die-off of 10 chickens in Pengkol settlement (Pokoh Kidul village, Wonogiri district, Wonogiri regency, Central Java province). Rapid testing of these ten chickens confirmed the presence of avian influenza. Limited culling and disinfectant spraying has been implemented. Reportedly, the local livestock agency could not vaccinate chickens in the area because they did not have any more vaccines due to limited funding.
Article URL(s)
http://www.solopos.co.id/sp_search_tamu.asp?keyword=flu+burung#
Quid Novi
Indonesia: Die-offs reported in Lebong and Bengkulu city
8/27/08 ARGUS--A national source reported that ?hundreds? of chickens died suddenly within the past few days in Lebong regency, Rejang Lebong regency, and Bengkulu city. Rapid testing and laboratory results from Lampung confirmed avian influenza in ?several? of these chickens. Standard control measures have been implemented. However, the head of the local livestock agency refused vaccination against avian influenza because they were worried that these vaccines become sources of infection.
Article URL(s)
http://www.antara.co.id/arc/2008/8/26/sumber-penyebaran-virus-h5n1-di-bengkulu-belum-diketahui
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Vietnam: AI Update
8/27/08 VNS, contributed by email--A strain of the H5N1 virus that posed a high risk of infecting humans and caused an avian flu epidemic in China has appeared in smuggled poultry in Vietnam, state media reported, citing an official from the Animal Health Department Thursday.
Bui Quang Anh, head of the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development's Animal Health Department said at a workshop on fighting poultry and cattle diseases in Hanoi August 26 that the infection mechanism of this highly infectious strain of the H5N1 virus, named seven, had not been found so far.
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 Mekong Delta has been strain one, while the Red River Delta has seen strain two, three and four with unknown infection mechanisms.
Anh warned of the high infection rate among poultry, particularly in Mekong Delta provinces.
To prevent the strain from being spread, 242 million doses of H5N1 vaccines and 15 million doses of H5N2 vaccines have been distributed to the localities, according to the department.
At this volume, just 76.5% of poultry will be vaccinated. Localities have typically neglected taking samples of poultry after being vaccinated as only three out of 27 provinces that have undergone bird flu epidemic collected samples to test.
Mekong Delta provinces with a high volume of poultry infected with the H5N1 virus include Vinh Long at 9.25%, Tra Vinh with 8.97%, Soc Trang with 5.32% and Long An with 5%.
So far this year, H5N1 virus has occurred in 74 communes of 51 districts in 27 provinces nationwide, with total poultry dying or being destroyed hitting 75,000.
Vietnam has reported four H5N1 human infections and all of patients died after hospitalization so far this year, raising the country's total infections and deaths since November 2003 to 105 and 51, respectively.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
OIE: Denmark regains AI free status
8/27/08 OIE--Following a single outbreak of low pathogenic H7N1 notifiable avian influenza on April 24, 2008, Denmark, having met the requirements in article 2.7.12.3 of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code, declares having regained its status as a notifiable avian influenza free country on 24 August 2008.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Japan: Health ministry to introduce 3,600 respirators for new flu pandemic
8/27/08 Japan Today--The health ministry has decided to introduce about 3,600 respirators at medical institutions across Japan to prepare for the possibility of a new influenza pandemic, ministry officials said Wednesday. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare plans to make budgetary request of about 2 billion yen in fiscal 2009 for the respirators, the officials said. Each of the nearly 360 medical districts in Japan would be given 10 respirators.
The ministry is studying how many existing respirators owned by Japanese hospitals can be used in the event that a new flu pandemic breaks out. Many people who have contracted the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, which has been spreading in Asia and is feared to mutate into a new flu, have had respiratory problems, making respirators essential in treating them.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Nigeria: Poultry Farmers Get N42.5m
8/27/08 All Africa--Eighteen poultry farmers in Ogun, whose birds and eggs were ravaged by Avian influenza, also known as "Bird flu", have received compensation of N42.5 million.
The pandemic affected 123 poultry farms across nine states in the country, while the amount paid to the farmers in Ogun State represented 67.7 per cent of the compensation.
The compensation, it was gathered, was facilitated by the state government, in conjunction with the Federal Government and World Bank.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Kunle Salako, who accompanied by officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, presented the cheque to the beneficiaries.
Salako expressed the government's sympathy to the farmers over the distortion in their operations as a result of the incident.
He said the animal health component of the World Bank was the first agency to respond to the state's distress call over the pandemic.
"The Federal Government followed suit, while the state government did a lot in the provision of funds for the monitoring and the depopulation of the affected farms.
"We have also conducted enlightenment campaigns for the farmers and the birds' sellers," Salako said.
Also speaking, Dr Adedamola Soremekun, State Director of Veterinary Services, said it was sad for the farm owners to have gone through such "harrowing experience".
According to him, the poultry farmers were skeptical when they were told of the control measure to depopulate their farms before they could get any compensation.
"It was difficult for most farmers to agree with the measure, because, most of you believed that the money may never be paid.
"The depopulation is, however, necessary to control the avian influenza. We can all testify that the measure has been effective as the pandemic had been stopped," he said.
One of the farmers, Dr Taiwo Makinde, who expressed appreciation to the government and the World Bank for the financial support.
Makinde said the fear of poor compensation prompted some farmers to attempt to hide their birds from being destroyed.
Reader comment:
Which farmers were the money given? Can you please investigate and list there names. I am a farmer in Ogun State, and every farmer with whom i have had a conversation, non i repaet non have ever had of these compensation.
Quid Novi
OIE: Benin Immediate Notification
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Benin
Information received on 25/08/2008 from Dr Christophe B. MONSIA, Directeur de l'élevage, Direction de l'élevage, Ministère de l'Agriculture, de l'Elevage et de la Pêche, COTONOU, Benin
Summary
Report type
Immediate notification
Start date
29/07/2008
Date of first confirmation of the event
13/08/2008
Report date
25/08/2008
Date submitted to OIE
25/08/2008
Reason for notification
Reoccurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence
05/2008
Causal agent
Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Serotype
H5
Nature of diagnosis
Laboratory (advanced)
This event pertains to
the whole country
New outbreaks
Summary of outbreaks
Total outbreaks: 1
Outbreak Location and Affected population
LOKOSSA (Lokossa market, Lokossa) : Live chickens purchased at the market in Lokossa as part of the routine surveillance and of the training of managers and other laboratory officials on biomolecular techniques at the Veterinary Laboratory of Parakou.
reverse transcription ? polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
13/08/2008
Positive
Future Reporting
The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will be submitted.
