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Avian Influenza Daily Digest
October 9, 2008 14:00 GMT
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Article Summaries ...
Quid Novi
Indonesia: Chicken die-off reported, rapid testing positive for H5N1
Indonesia: Suspected human case of AI
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
OIE: Cambodia follow up #1, Final Report
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Cambodia Information received on 07/10/2008 from Dr Kao Phal, Director, Department of Animal Health and Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Phnom Penh 3, Cambodia Summary Report type Follow-up report No. 1 (Final report) Start...
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Viet Nam seeks world help with avian-flu vaccination
10/9/08 VNS--Chairman of the National Steering Committee on Avian Influenza Control and Prevention Cao Duc Phat yesterday called for further assistance from the international community to help Viet Nam vaccinate poultry vulnerable to avian flu, at a meeting in Ha Noi.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
USAID continues to bolster Sri Lanka's defense against Avian Influenza
10/9/08 Sri Lanka News--The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) today handed over a real-time Polymerase Chain Reactor machine to the Veterinary Research Institute of the Ministry of Livestock Development, which will dramatically improve the Sri Lanka's ability to diagnose quickly any possible outbreak of avian influenza.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Science and Technology
Influenza A Virus Infections in Land Birds, People's Republic of China
10/9/08 EID/CDC--Water birds are considered the reservoir for avian influenza viruses. We examined this assumption by sampling and real-time reverse transcription?PCR testing of 939 Asian land birds of 153 species. Influenza A infection was found, particularly among migratory species. Surveillance programs for monitoring spread of these viruses need to be redesigned.
AI Research
Iowa Lab Helps Validate New Rapid Influenza Test
10/9/08 The University of Iowa--The University Hygienic Laboratory was one of six public health laboratories in the nation to participate in the validation for a new test that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved on Oct. 1 for the rapid detection of influenza virus.
Science and Technology
New Avian Flu Vaccine Strategy Proposed
10/9/08 Health Day--Advance shots protect those most exposed in possible pandemic, researchers suggest People can be protected against a potential avian flu epidemic by getting advance shots of a vaccine that may or may not be effective against the strain causing the epidemic, British researchers suggest. That apparently daffy strategy is scientifically sound, according to a letter in the Oct. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, because priming people with an old vaccine would make any new vaccine work faster and better.
Vaccines
Molecular characterization of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses isolated in Sweden in 2006
10/9/08 Virology Journal [link to full text pdf]--AbstractBackground The analysis of the nonstructural (NS) gene of the highly pathogenic (HP) H5N1 avian influenza viruses (AIV) isolated in Sweden early 2006 indicated the co-circulation of two sublineages of these viruses at that time. In order to complete the information on their genetic features and relation to other HP H5N1 AIVs the seven additional genes of twelve Swedish isolates were amplified in full length, sequenced, and characterized.
AI Research
Pandemic Preparedness
CDC Awards $16.9 Million Contract to Improve Capabilities to Combat Pandemic, Seasonal Influenza
10/9/08 CDC Media--The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a $16.9 million contract to American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) of Manassas, Va. to implement the CDC Influenza Reagent Resource (CDC-IRR), a secure, Web-based system that will improve access to influenza viruses, test kits and other reagents for approved laboratories.
Pandemic Preparedness
Full Text of Articles follow ...
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
OIE: Cambodia follow up #1, Final Report
Highly pathogenic avian influenza,
Cambodia
Information received on 07/10/2008 from Dr Kao Phal, Director, Department of Animal Health and Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Phnom Penh 3, Cambodia
Summary
Report type Follow-up report No. 1 (Final report)
Start date 06/04/2007
Date of first confirmation of the event 10/04/2007
Report date 07/10/2008
Date submitted to OIE 07/10/2008
Date event resolved 20/05/2007
Reason for notification Reoccurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence 05/09/2006
Causal agent Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Serotype H5N1
Nature of diagnosis Suspicion, Clinical, Laboratory (advanced)
This event pertains to the whole country
Related reports
* Immediate notification (12/04/2007)
* Follow-up report No. 1 (07/10/2008)
Outbreaks There are no new outbreaks in this report
Epidemiology
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection
* Unknown or inconclusive
Control measures
Measures applied
* Stamping out
* Movement control inside the country
* Screening
* Disinfection of infected premises/establishment(s)
* No vaccination
* No treatment of affected animals
Measures to be applied
* No other measures
Future Reporting
The event is resolved. No more reports will be submitted.
Pandemic Preparedness
CDC Awards $16.9 Million Contract to Improve Capabilities to Combat Pandemic, Seasonal Influenza
10/9/08 CDC Media--The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a $16.9 million contract to American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) of Manassas, Va. to implement the CDC Influenza Reagent Resource (CDC-IRR), a secure, Web-based system that will improve access to influenza viruses, test kits and other reagents for approved laboratories.
The contract with ATCC is for one year, with the option to renew each year for up to 10 years.
?This new resource will be a significant improvement for accessing the CDC library of influenza viruses,? said Dr. Nancy Cox, Director of the Influenza Division at CDC. ?We expect that the CDC-IRR will speed the development of better diagnostic tests, antiviral drugs and vaccines.?
The system will allow researchers, developers and public health officials improved access to a repository of influenza viruses, including influenza viruses that could pose a pandemic risk, as well as kits and reagents (certain substances used in the testing process) through a secure internet web portal for approved users.
In the event of an emerging pandemic, the CDC-IRR will serve as a source of reagents for qualified laboratories to provide additional support. During a pandemic, laboratories will play a critical role in detecting and confirming initial cases, characterizing viruses, monitoring the progression of the pandemic, and selecting vaccine strains.
Scientists around the world are concerned that the influenza virus could one day mutate and acquire the properties needed to quickly spread between people, resulting in a pandemic.
For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov and www.pandemicflu.gov
Quid Novi
Indonesia: Chicken die-off reported, rapid testing positive for H5N1
10/5/08 ARGUS--A local source reported that based on rapid testing at least 4 chickens that died suddenly in Sungai Puar district, Agam regency, West Sumatera province were positive for avian influenza (AI). These bird die-offs first occurred on 4 October. Local authorities have sent samples of these chickens to a regional laboratory for further testing. They also sprayed disinfectant in the area [culling procedure was not mentioned].
---
A national source reported that the child suspected to have AI from Sungai Puar district, Agam regency, West Sumatera province is a 9-year-old. Reportedly, the child is in stable condition and has no breathing difficulty. Laboratory results are pending from Jakarta.
---
Article URL(s)
http://news.okezone.com/index.php/ReadStory/2008/10/09/1/152242/usai-main-dengan-ayam-bocah-sd-diserang-demam
http://www.gatra.com/artikel.php?id=119221
http://www.padangekspres.co.id/content/view/19769/104/
AI Research
Influenza A Virus Infections in Land Birds, People's Republic of China
10/9/08 EID/CDC--A. Townsend Peterson, Comments to Author Sarah E. Bush, Erica Spackman, David E. Swayne, and Hon S. Ip Author affiliations: University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA (A.T. Peterson, S.E. Bush); US Department of Agriculture, Athens, Georgia, USA (E. Spackman, D.E. Swayne); and US Geological Survey, Madison, Wisconsin, USA (H.S. Ip)
Abstract
Water birds are considered the reservoir for avian influenza viruses. We examined this assumption by sampling and real-time reverse transcription?PCR testing of 939 Asian land birds of 153 species. Influenza A infection was found, particularly among migratory species. Surveillance programs for monitoring spread of these viruses need to be redesigned.
Avian influenza virus ecology has long regarded waterbirds as a primary reservoir. Although the benchmark study detailed prevalences across all taxa (1), subsequent studies have focused exclusively on waterbirds (2) with few exceptions (3,4). We reexamined these assumptions on the basis of a broad sampling of bird diversity in Southeast Asia, where bird-borne influenza viruses are of particular concern (5). We sampled and tested diverse land birds for influenza A virus infection and showed that land birds also harbor infections with these viruses. Birds in these taxa are not irrelevant in virus transmission and should form an integral part of avian influenza surveillance and monitoring programs.
The Study
Figure. Southeastern Asia, showing 5 sites in the People's Republic of China where land birds were collected and tested for influenza A virus...
During 2004?2007, as part of a broader biodiversity survey and inventory program, we sampled birds from mostly forested sites in Guangxi and Guizhou Provinces in the southern part of the People's Republic of China (Figure). Sampling was conducted by mist netting and selective harvesting with shotguns; all birds in the study were apparently healthy and behaving normally at the time of collection. Because initial sampling was focused on endoparasite communities, samples from 2004?2005 consisted of complete gastrointestinal tracts frozen in liquid nitrogen. In 2006?2007, sampling was conducted specifically for viruses. Cloacal swabs were collected in 2006 and buccal?cloacal swabs were collected in 2007. All swabs were preserved in 95% ethanol.
A total of 184 samples were collected from Jing Xi municipality in Guangxi (21.122°N, 105.964°E) in 2004, 130 from Shiwandashan Nature Reserve in Guangxi (21.840°N, 107.880°E) in 2005, 103 from Dashahe Nature Reserve in Guizhou (29.167°N, 107.575°E) in 2006, 194 from Kuan Kuoshui Nature Reserve in Guizhou (28.226°N, 107.160°E) in 2006, and 328 from Shuipu village, Guizhou Province (25.485°N, 107.882°E) in 2007 (Figure). Samples were tested for influenza A virus by real-time reverse transcription?PCR (6) in 2 diagnostic laboratories (Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Athens, GA, USA, and National Wildlife Health Center, US Geological Survey, Madison, WI, USA).
Of 939 samples tested, 24 were positive for influenza A viruses (prevalence 2.3%, Table; complete summary in Appendix Table. If migratory behavior (species classified as migratory or nonmigratory on the basis of descriptions by MacKinnon and Phillipps [7]), was considered, 11 (4.8%) of 231 samples from species showing marked seasonal migrations were influenza positive. However, only 13 (1.8%) of 708 samples from nonmigratory species were positive. The cumulative binomial probability that such a high number (11) of positive samples would result among the 231 migratory-species samples, were the true prevalence to be 1.8%, is low (p = 0.0013). Thus, migratory species appear to have higher influenza infection rates. In terms of general habitat use (7), open-country species were slightly more prone to be influenza positive (8 [2.9%] of 274 samples) than forest species (16 [2.4%] of 665 samples), but the difference was not significant (cumulative binomial probability, p>0.05). Interactions between migratory behavior and habitat use were not significant (contingency test, p>0.05). Although all infections detected were among songbirds (Passeriformes), the sampling also concentrated on songbirds (94.3%). Thus, we could not test adequately the hypothesis that influenza prevalence was equivalent between songbirds and other birds.
An obvious question is whether the influenza A viruses we detected belong to the highly pathogenic subtype H5N1 strain currently circulating across much of Asia. All samples were negative for the H5 subtype by real-time reverse transcription?PCR (6), although this result does not exclude the possibility that H5 viruses were among the positive samples. The preservation status of samples we tested prevented virus isolation or full, strain-level characterization of influenza viruses.
Conclusions
The subtype H5N1 strain of influenza virus has spread rapidly and has been detected across much of central and southern Eurasia. Although movements of wild birds have been implicated in this spread (8), other studies question (9,10) or contradict (11) this idea. An important part of the argument centers on the question of the occurrence of the virus in wild birds without obvious illness, which can be difficult to interpret given the low prevalence of influenza. For instance, a recent study based on sampling >13,000 migratory birds in China detected the subtype H5N1 strain of influenza virus only 8 times (12), and similar results have been obtained elsewhere (2). Our study, although not successful in characterizing influenza viruses to specific strains, nonetheless shows that influenza A virus infection occurs in more bird species than previously assumed and that influenza A infections can be found in birds that behave normally and show no sign of illness.
Although a review of avian influenza virus ecology (1) discussed the occurrence of influenza viruses across all groups of birds (and other vertebrates), subsequent studies have assumed that waterbirds are the primary reservoir (8,13,14). In this study, a broad sample of land birds yielded frequent influenza-positive results. Although waterbirds could have higher prevalences, we have demonstrated broad occurrence of influenza viruses in diverse taxa of Passeriformes (songbirds) in Southeast Asia. This result suggests that land birds may also be a major reservoir of influenza viruses.
We have taken a step toward a more complete understanding of influenza virus ecology among wild birds. Our partial survey of influenza virus distributions across the rich avifaunas of the southern region of China demonstrated frequent infections. This result contrasts with the current dogma in the influenza surveillance community. We suggest that to be effective future surveillance efforts will need to include the full diversity of wild birds.
Acknowledgments
We thank our numerous field companions, particularly ornithologists B.W. Benz, R.L. Boyd, D.H. Clayton, T. Davis, Á.S. Nyári, and M.B. Robbins, for their assistance and hard work; G. Chen for organizing all logistics and obtaining permits for sampling trips; D.H. Clayton for assisting with sampling birds for influenza; and S. Lee, J. Beck, K Griffin, and E. Sorley for assisting with sample processing and virus testing.
This study was supported by the National Science Foundation (grant DEB-0344430 to A.T.P and colleagues), the Avian Influenza Current Research Information System project (no. 6612-32000-048-00D to E.S. and D.E.S.) and the National Biological Information Infrastructure of the US Department of the Interior.
Dr Peterson is professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the Biodiversity Institute of the University of Kansas. His research interests include many aspects of geographic distributions of species, including the geography and ecology of filoviruses and other disease systems.
References
1. Webster RG, Bean WJ, Gorman OT, Chambers TM, Kawaoka Y. Evolution and ecology of influenza A viruses. Microbiol Rev. 1992;56:152?79.
2. Winker K, McCracken KG, Gibson DD, Pruett CL, Meier R, Huettmann F, et al. Movements of birds and avian influenza from Asia into Alaska. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13:547?52.
3. Kou Z, Lei FM, Yu J, Fan ZJ, Yin ZH, Jia CX, et al. New genotype of avian influenza H5N1 viruses isolated from tree sparrows in China. J Virol. 2005;79:15460?6. PubMed DOI
4. Boon AC, Sandbulte MR, Seiler P, Webby RJ, Songserm T, Guan Y, et al. Role of terrestrial wild birds in ecology of influenza A virus (H5N1). Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13:1720?4.
5. Boyce W. Earth monitoring: vigilance is not enough. Nature. 2007;450:791?2. PubMed DOI
6. Spackman E, Senne DA, Myers TJ, Bulaga LL, Garber LP, Perdue ML, et al. Development of a real-time reverse transcriptase PCR assay for type A influenza virus and the avian H5 and H7 hemagglutinin subtypes. J Clin Microbiol. 2002;40:3256?60. PubMed DOI
7. MacKinnon J, Phillipps K. A field guide to the birds of China. Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press; 2000.
8. Taubenberger JK, Morens DM. Influenza revisited. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:1?2.
9. Melville DS, Shortridge KF. Spread of H5N1 avian influenza virus: an ecological conundrum. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2006;42:435?7. PubMed DOI
10. Kilpatrick AM, Chmura AA, Gibbons DW, Fleischer RC, Marra PP, Daszak P. Predicting the global spread of H5N1 avian influenza. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006;103:19368?73. PubMed DOI
11. BirdLife International. BirdLife statement on avian influenza. Cambridge (UK): BirdLife International; 2006 [cited 2008 Jul 23]. Available from http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/avian_flu
12. Chen HX, Shen HG, Li XL, Zhou JY, Hou YQ, Guo JQ, et al. Seroprevalance and identification of influenza A virus infection from migratory wild waterfowl in China (2004?2005). J Vet Med B Infect Dis Vet Public Health. 2006;53:166?70. PubMed DOI
13. Olsen B, Munster VJ, Wallensten A, Waldenström J, Osterhause AD, Fouchier RA. Global patterns of influenza A virus in wild birds. Science. 2006;312:384?8. PubMed DOI
14. Webster RG, Peiris M, Chen H, Guan Y. H5N1 outbreaks and enzootic influenza. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:3?8.
Figure
Figure. Southeastern Asia, showing 5 sites in the People's Republic of China where land birds were collected and tested for influenza A virus...
Tables
Table. Prevalence of influenza A virus in avian orders and families at 5 sites, People's Republic of China
Appendix Table. Summary of individual birds tested, People's Republic of China
Suggested Citation for this Article
Townsend Peterson A, Bush SE, Spackman E, Swayne DE, Ip HS. Influenza A virus infections in land birds, People's Republic of China. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2008 Oct [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/14/10/1644.htm
Science and Technology
Iowa Lab Helps Validate New Rapid Influenza Test
10/9/08 The University of Iowa--The University Hygienic Laboratory was one of six public health laboratories in the nation to participate in the validation for a new test that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved on Oct. 1 for the rapid detection of influenza virus.
The new test cuts the analysis time from days to hours and can detect and identify commonly circulating human influenza viruses as well as avian influenza A (H5N1), often referred to as "bird flu."
"Time is a critical factor in virus detection," said UHL Director Christopher Atchison. "If Iowa were to face pandemic of influenza, it would be crucial for us to rapidly test for the virus in order to stop its spread. This new test cuts the time for analysis from several days to just four hours."
The work conducted by Iowa's Hygienic Laboratory helps to advance the rapid disease detection, which in turn can reduce suffering and transmission of influenza.
For the past two years, UHL has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) to measure the effectiveness of the method. The new test is a molecular method called the Human Influenza Virus Real-Time RT-PCR Detection and Characterization Panel (rRT-PCR Flu Panel). It uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to make up to one billion copies of a specific influenza virus gene to make a diagnosis in a matter of hours compared to virus culture, which can take days.
"The UHL has a long history of influenza testing where we have utilized traditional viral culture, and we added molecular methods three years ago," said Lucy DesJardin, UHL program manager of molecular research and development. "The expertise of our staff positioned UHL to participate in the test validation process. We also have partnered with the Iowa Department of Public Health for years on influenza surveillance and awareness activities, so we have a strong foundation."
This test will allow laboratories across the country to utilize a standardized method that is capable of detecting both seasonal and atypical influenza viruses, including the "bird flu" strain of the virus.
Other public health laboratories that conducted clinical trials of the new PCR test include the CDC and state laboratories in California, Massachusetts, Washington and Wisconsin.
The University Hygienic Laboratory is part of the University of Iowa and is the state of Iowa's environmental and public health laboratory. The UHL is the designated laboratory for the Iowa Neonatal Metabolic Screening Program, with facilities located on the Oakdale Campus in Iowa City and at the Iowa Lab Facilities in Ankeny, a Des Moines suburb. Among its many services, the laboratory functions as a consultative and analytical support facility for state agencies, health professionals and citizens. The UHL performs analyses on samples from virtually all matrices, including human clinical specimens, air, drinking water, wastewater, soil, sediment, industrial effluents, oil and fish.
Vaccines
New Avian Flu Vaccine Strategy Proposed
10/9/08 Health Day--Advance shots protect those most exposed in possible pandemic, researchers suggest People can be protected against a potential avian flu epidemic by getting advance shots of a vaccine that may or may not be effective against the strain causing the epidemic, British researchers suggest. That apparently daffy strategy is scientifically sound, according to a letter in the Oct. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, because priming people with an old vaccine would make any new vaccine work faster and better.
A study of 24 people who got a now outdated avian flu vaccine seven years ago shows the strategy would work, said Dr. Iain Stephenson, a senior lecturer in infectious disease at the University of Leicester.
Those people quickly developed flu-fighting antibodies when challenged with the H5 avian flu strain that is regarded as the one most likely to spread from birds to humans and cause an epidemic, Stephenson said.
In June, U.S. researchers reported that they had developed a bird flu vaccine that appeared to be safe and more effective than the one currently approved for human use.
Three-quarters of volunteers produced antibodies against the virus after receiving a second dose of the vaccine, CELVAPAN, made by Baxter, compared with only 45 percent in the currently approved vaccine. Baxter conducted the study.
"If there were to be a pandemic of avian influenza, a vaccine would be the principal means of protecting the public," Stephenson said. "Because most people would be naive to the strain, it would very likely take two doses to produce an immune response. It is very challenging to give two doses."
And while governments have stockpiled vaccines against the H5 strain, "there are two problems," Stephenson said. "Is that vaccine a good match to the pandemic strain? H5 changes, and the emerging strain could be distant to the stockpiled vaccine.
"And considering the speed with which the pandemic might spread, even if you've got a stockpiled vaccine, it would be a challenge to use that vaccine in a two-dose strategy. But if you've got people who have been primed in advance, as we took people who were primed seven years ago, it's possible to give a single low-dose vaccine and show they get a rapid response that is reactive to all known strains."
"It's a very intriguing idea," said Ted Ross, an assistant professor of microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research.
Ross agreed that the current strategy of giving two flu vaccine shots two weeks apart might not meet the urgent needs of a pandemic. "I believe it is going to take too long in a bird flu pandemic," he said. "Priming the population might be protective against a wide variety of H5 viruses that we know have infected humans already. The broader the protection, the better."
However, there would be financial barriers to a program that would prime a large part of the population along the lines of the Stephenson proposal, Ross noted. "Even with the currently tested vaccine, there currently is no market for vaccinating people widely," he said.
Not everyone need be primed, Stephenson said. "You would be preparing for an event that might never happen, so safety considerations would be paramount," he said. "It is unlikely that the entire population would be covered. It might be proposed to take key personnel, first responders to a pandemic. That is a potential approach that should be considered."
Even then, a single study of 24 people is not enough to prompt such a program, Stephenson noted. "It is important that larger studies be done to confirm the finding," he said.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Viet Nam seeks world help with avian-flu vaccination
10/9/08 VNS--Chairman of the National Steering Committee on Avian Influenza Control and Prevention Cao Duc Phat yesterday called for further assistance from the international community to help Viet Nam vaccinate poultry vulnerable to avian flu, at a meeting in Ha Noi.
"Viet Nam is facing challenges controlling avian flu, including the need to find a way to successful move beyond subsidised vaccination of poultry, which is very costly and requires the mobilisation of tens of thousands of people for each campaign," said Phat.
The annual meeting aims to review efforts to better control the avian and human influenza pandemic in Viet Nam.
In September 2008, Viet Nam started large-scale vaccination operations throughout the country under the National Programme of Avian Influenza Control and Eradication, the programme administered about 750 million doses of H5N1 (avian influenza) vaccine from 2007?2008. About 365 million doses of H5N1 vaccine were administered between 2005-2006.
"It is timely for us to come together now, to take stock of the current situation, mobilise resources and work on key issues as we move forward together to consolidate control of the virus," said the minister.
"While we can say that the virus is basically under control, after five years of great effort we are still experiencing sporadic outbreaks in poultry, as well as five human cases in the first two months of this year. This underlines the great difficulty in bringing this virus under control in the current context," he warned.
"We need to strengthen our efforts to re-organise national poultry production, moving towards enhanced bio-security and more scientific and industrialised approaches, without forgetting the importance of poultry production to many poor households nation-wide," the minister added.
The partnership on avian and human influenza control was established through the signing of a partnership framework in November 2006 between Viet Nam and the UN, donors and NGOs. The purpose of the Partnership is to facilitate implementation of Viet Nam?s integrated operational programme for avian and human influenza, also known as the Green Book.
Speaking at the meeting UN Resident Co-ordinator John Hendra stressed that avian influenza is present not only here, but in a number of other countries, and therefore the need to control the virus in poultry and prepare for a possible human pandemic still remains.
He recommended donors consider supporting vaccination campaigns, develop an action plan to contain a possible human pandemic, and strengthen the capacity of the National Steering Committee.
Hendra also confirmed UN commitments to supporting the implementation of the Green Book Programme.
The Green Book, adopted by the Government and international donors in mid-2006, sets out an integrated programme for the 2006-2010 period with an estimated cost of US$250 million, of which $31.2 million will be spent on co-ordination activities, $116.4 million is set aside for the agricultural sector and $102.4 million for the health sector.
To date donors have committed $201.7 million to support Viet Nam?s response to avian influenza and pandemic preparedness, according to statistics by the committee. ? VNS
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
USAID continues to bolster Sri Lanka's defense against Avian Influenza
10/9/08 Sri Lanka News--The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) today handed over a real-time Polymerase Chain Reactor machine to the Veterinary Research Institute of the Ministry of Livestock Development, which will dramatically improve the Sri Lanka's ability to diagnose quickly any possible outbreak of avian influenza.
A press release by the USAID said since 2006, it has worked with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to increase Avian Influenza preparedness activities across the island, in collaboration with the Department of Animal Production and Health.
The program has strengthened Sri Lanka?s early warning and early reaction capacity and provided critical preparedness materials to government and private sector stakeholders in the poultry industry. In total, USAID has provided nearly $1 million towards preventing an incursion of Avian Influenza in Sri Lanka.
Quid Novi
Indonesia: Suspected human case of AI
10/8/08 ARGUS--A 22-year-old Female from Sragen Died Due to Suspected Avian Influenza from Tlebu (Jengkani village, Mondokan district, Sragen regency) died on 8 October while being treated at RSUD Moewardi Surakarta [an AI-designated hospital]. The suspected victim was a 22-year-old female who was transferred from Sragen to Surakarta on 7 October in "critical" condition due to breathing difficulties and a high fever. The hospital "strongly" suspected AI infection. Meanwhile, the victim's family brought her body home for burial.
AI Research
Molecular characterization of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses isolated in Sweden in 2006
10/9/08 Virology Journal [link to full text pdf]--Abstract
Background
The analysis of the nonstructural (NS) gene of the highly pathogenic (HP) H5N1 avian
influenza viruses (AIV) isolated in Sweden early 2006 indicated the co-circulation of two sublineages
of these viruses at that time. In order to complete the information on their genetic
features and relation to other HP H5N1 AIVs the seven additional genes of twelve Swedish
isolates were amplified in full length, sequenced, and characterized.
Results
The presence of two sub-lineages of HP H5N1 AIVs in Sweden in 2006 was further confirmed
by the phylogenetic analysis of approximately the 95% of the genome of twelve isolates that
were selected on the base of differences in geographic location, timing and animal species of
origin. Ten of the analyzed viruses belonged to sub-clade 2.2.2. and grouped together with
German and Danish isolates, while two 2.2.1. sub-clade viruses formed a cluster with isolates of
Egyptian, Italian, Slovenian, and Nigerian origin. The revealed amino acid differences between
the two sub-groups of Swedish viruses affected the predicted antigenicity of the surface
glycoproteins, haemagglutinin and neuraminidase, rather than the nucleoprotein, polymerase
basic protein 2, and polymerase acidic protein, the main targets of the cellular immune
responses. The distinctive characteristics between members of the two subgroups were
identified and described.
Conclusion
The comprehensive genetic characterization of HP H5N1 AIVs isolated in Sweden during the
spring of 2006 is reported. Our data support previous findings on the coincidental spread of
multiple sub-lineage H5N1 HPAIVs via migrating aquatic birds to large distance from their
origin. The detection of 2.2.1. sub-clade viruses in Sweden adds further data regarding their
spread in the North of Europe in 2006. The close genetic relationship of Swedish isolates subclade
2.2.2. to the contemporary German and Danish isolates supports the proposition of the
introduction and spread of a single variant of 2.2.2. sub-clade H5N1 avian influenza viruses in
the Baltic region. The presented findings underline the importance of whole genome analysis.
