UNCLASSIFIED
Avian Influenza Daily Digest
September 19, 2008 14:00 GMT
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Article Summaries ...
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Iran: Veterinarians are Working in the Bird Market in Tehran
9/18/08 ARGUS--The Deputy Health Director of Veterinary Medicine in Tehran has confirmed that specialized veterinarians have been working everyday for last 2 years in the bird market in Tehran province. He also mentioned this center has an advanced capability for the detection and diagnosis of avian influenza and in the case of any suspicious circumstances the necessary precautionary measures will be taken.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Japan: NPA releases action plan for flu pandemics
9/18/08 Kyodo News--The National Police Agency released an action plan this week for dealing with outbreaks of new types of influenza to which people have little immunity.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
WHO: Spend money on dengue, not bird flu
9/18/08 MSN--Money spent trying to stop bird flu in the Pacific would be better used fighting a pandemic of dengue fever affecting thousands in the region, the World Health Organisation says. Dr Kevin Palmer, the WHO representative in Samoa, said the Pacific needed more funds to battle what was likely the worst-ever dengue fever outbreak.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Togo: Poultry Farmers and Businesses Have Mixed Reactions to H5n1 Flu Confirmation
9/18/08 All Africa, contributed by email--Togo's government has confirmed the H5N1 bird flu virus is responsible for the 10 September outbreak that killed 3,500 birds and led to the culling of an additional 1,500 others on three farms in Agbata, about 10km east of the capital.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Pakistan: Poultry rates decline after bird flu rumours
9/18/08 PPI, contributed by email--The rates of poultry products have declined in Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Sanghar and other areas owing to the rumours of bird flu in coastal areas of Badin and adjacent areas, sources said on Wednesday.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Full Text of Articles follow ...
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Iran: Veterinarians are Working in the Bird Market in Tehran
9/18/08 ARGUS--The Deputy Health Director of Veterinary Medicine in Tehran has confirmed that specialized veterinarians have been working everyday for last 2 years in the bird market in Tehran province. He also mentioned this center has an advanced capability for the detection and diagnosis of avian influenza and in the case of any suspicious circumstances the necessary precautionary measures will be taken.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Japan: NPA releases action plan for flu pandemics
9/18/08 Kyodo News--The National Police Agency released an action plan this week for dealing with outbreaks of new types of influenza to which people have little immunity.
Health experts fear that new types of influenza, such as bird flu, could soon hit large portions of the world population. The action plan lays out specific measures for the NPA and prefectural police to take if an outbreak becomes a pandemic.
As soon as an outbreak is suspected, a special task force will be set up at the NPA and the prime minister's office, where NPA officials will be dispatched.
Police will then be equipped with masks and other protective gear while working with medical institutions so vaccines can be given to health care officials and others most likely to be exposed to a new flu outbreak.
The plan also calls for riot police to be mobilized around airports, harbors and hospitals. They will also strengthen patrol and security checks in coastal areas to prevent people who might be infected from illegally entering the country to prevent a disease from spreading.
The NPA action plan is based on a set of measures recommended by the government in December 2005. Based on the plan, each prefectural police agency will work out its own steps by the end of this fiscal year.
The NPA plans to seek funding of about ¥155 million to implement the plan.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
WHO: Spend money on dengue, not bird flu
9/18/08 MSN--Money spent trying to stop bird flu in the Pacific would be better used fighting a pandemic of dengue fever affecting thousands in the region, the World Health Organisation says. Dr Kevin Palmer, the WHO representative in Samoa, said the Pacific needed more funds to battle what was likely the worst-ever dengue fever outbreak.
"There has been hundreds of millions of dollars spent on bird flu and bird flu pandemic preparedness. Bird flu is something that hasn't happened and probably won't happen," he said.
"The Pacific is experiencing this dengue outbreak, a dengue pandemic, and it would require only a very small amount of funds to really make a difference.
"This is a pandemic that is real, it is here, it is now, and having a direct effect on the health and the economy of the people that it has hit," Palmer said.
Fiji authorities say 966 people have been affected by the disease this month, causing 118 people to be treated in hospital.
Kiribati has had 831 diagnosed cases this year, New Caledonia had 866 and Samoa had 427.
There have also been serious outbreaks of dengue fever in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands and elsewhere.
"Look at bird flu. How many people? Eight hundred people total have been affected since we started counting years ago. It is minuscule," Palmer said.
Dengue fever is contracted when people are bitten by infected Aedes mosquitoes and if untreated can be fatal.
The disease was unheard of in the Pacific until last century, and is thought to have been introduced with mosquitoes aboard a shipment of used tyres from Asia in the 1960s.
With global warming it was possible more of the Pacific and Australia, where the disease was not currently endemic, would experience dengue problems, Palmer said.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Togo: Poultry Farmers and Businesses Have Mixed Reactions to H5n1 Flu Confirmation
9/18/08 All Africa, contributed by email--Togo's government has confirmed the H5N1 bird flu virus is responsible for the 10 September outbreak that killed 3,500 birds and led to the culling of an additional 1,500 others on three farms in Agbata, about 10km east of the capital.
Since its reappearance in 2003, the highly contagious virus has led to the death of millions of poultry, as well as about 200 people who were infected with the virus by sick birds, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Mixed reactions
IRIN traveled a dozen kilometres outside Lome to Agbata to meet with poultry farmers on 17 September, one day after the government announced its lab confirmation.
Antoine Megbeto told IRIN he is not worried because officials have killed any remaining birds that might have been infected. Immediately following the outbreak, the country's livestock director, Komla Batasse Batawui, told IRIN that officials had culled the surviving birds on all three farms with sick birds.
"We are not scared," said Megbeto, "We received training starting one year ago [after the country's first H5N1 outbreak] on how to prevent the virus from spreading. Which is why as soon as I discovered the gruesome and sudden poultry deaths on my farm, I quickly alerted authorities."
But another farmer who gave his name as Alphonse is less at ease, "I am scared for my family's health. A team of doctors come around every morning to reassure us everything is well. But my family and I are nevertheless scared to eat poultry, even if they tell us that it is safe as long as it is well-cooked."
The government has promised compensation to farmers who lost birds; the farmers say no one has told them how much they will receive or by when.
Profits plummet with poultry ban
Shortly after the country's first H5N1 outbreak in June 2007, the government, like many of its West African neighbours, banned poultry imports from countries with confirmed cases of bird flu.
But despite the ban being in place for about one year, there is still an underground market of illegal poultry imports from countries on Togo's banned list, according to local consumers.
The first bird flu cases in Togo were discovered on a farm that had received a shipment of birds from Ghana, months before Ghana's government announced a bird flu outbreak and an export ban in May 2007.
Poultry vendor and importer, Fiacre Lodonou, told IRIN his profits have slowly sunk over the past year because of the more stringent rules that have cut off his cheapest supply of poultry.
"We only started business 15 years ago. Now, because of this [H5N1] virus, my sales have plummeted by more than 70 percent. I cannot even afford to order new birds now."
The businessman says he fears the flu will not kill only birds, but also his business.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Pakistan: Poultry rates decline after bird flu rumours
9/18/08 PPI, contributed by email--The rates of poultry products have declined in Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Sanghar and other areas owing to the rumours of bird flu in coastal areas of Badin and adjacent areas, sources said on Wednesday.
They told PPI that these rumours spread after some dead migratory birds were found in Badin coastal areas. They claimed that no prior preventive measures had been taken by the concerned authorities, adding officials of District Officer Poultry Department seldom visit their offices.
District Officer Poultry Department, when contacted, said the staff usually perform their duties in field due their peculiar nature of job. Meanwhile, poultry farm owners have complained about the shortage of vaccines and medicines besides non-presence of concerned staff.
The political and social circles and poultry farm owners have demanded of the government to take notice of the issue and ensure proper vaccination in the poultry farms of the affected areas, besides other remedial measures.
