UNCLASSIFIED
Avian Influenza Daily Digest
December 17, 2008 17:30 GMT
This digest is produced by the United States Government, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Washington DC, USA. Articles and resource documents in this digest are from open sources and unclassified.
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60-Day HPAI H5N1 Outbreak Map
2008 WHO Confirmed Human Cases HPAI H5N1
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Article Summaries ...
Quid Novi
India: 155 poultry culled in West Bengal's bird flu-hit Malda
Indonesia?s suspected bird flu patient dies
China: Bird Flu virus found in Jiangsu
Egypt: Teen Dies From Bird Flu
Conferences and Training
CDC Influenza Division Employment Opportunity
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Korea beefs up its bird flu defenses
12/17/08 Joongang Daily--The Korean government said yesterday that it has strengthened inspections at airports and harbors following several bird flu outbreaks in many mainland Asian countries.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Taiwan COA conceals bird flu information on eve of three links
12/18/08 Taiwan News--On the eve of cross-strait three links being launched, sources have that chicken in Taiwan was infected H5N2 bird flu virus. Although the virus is not contagious to human, the Council of Agriculture is said to conceal the information for worries of any impact on major three links operations, according to a Chinese-language newspaper.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Nigeria: Team Sensitises Students On Bird Flu
12/17/08 All Africa--A combined team of Avian Influenza Control Project in Taraba State has commenced a sensitisation visit to primary and secondary schools in the state.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Sri Lanka: Special measures to prevent bird flu
12/17/08 Colombo Page--Sri Lanka government has taken special measures to prevent the spreading of bird flu, H5N1 virus in the country following the reports of bird flu in neighboring countries.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
India: Villagers in eastern India resist bird flu poultry cull
12/17/08 Reuters--Efforts by state authorities in east India to cull poultry to contain the latest outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus are being thwarted by poor villagers hiding their birds, officials said on Wednesday.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Indonesia aims to eliminate bird flu by 2014
12/17/08 China Business Weekly--An Indonesian senior official said Wednesday that the country planned to curb the spreading of avian influenza virus by 2014, after taking more intensive phase of combative measures between 2009 and 2011.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Cambodia confirms bird flu outbreak
12/17/08 VNA--Cambodian officials began the culling of poultry near the capital of Phnom Penh on December 17, five days after a young man from the area was confirmed to have contracted H5N1 bird flu by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Cambodian government.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
USAID strengthens avian influenza surveillance, biosecurity, and response in Central Asia
12/16/08 AKI Press, contributed by emailThe United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided the second round of Master Training for 25 veterinarians and human health specialists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the framework of its program ?STOP Avian Influenza (AI)?.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Chinese mainland, HK, Macao SARs test emergency response to avian flu
12/16/08 Xinhua--Health authorities of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Tuesday conducted a joint exercise to test their co-operation and co-ordination in the event of a cross-boundary incident of avian flu involving human cases.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
India Battles Bird Flu in West Bengal
12/16/08 Voice of America--Indian health officials have begun a mass slaughter of poultry in the eastern state of West Bengal, one day after authorities confirmed an outbreak of deadly bird flu in the area.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
India: Govt to set up six more bird flu testing labs
12/16/08 Times of India--As part of measures to check bird flu, the Centre will set up six more laboratories in different parts of the country to detect the avian influenza virus, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Science and Technology
AmVac and Taiwanese researchers to develop H5N1 vaccine
12/18/08 Manufacturing Chemist--AmVac, a Swiss biopharmaceutical company, is working with the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan to develop a new vaccine to combat H5N1, the avian flu virus.
Vaccines
Festive tree needles boost health
12/17/08 BBC--Scientists are looking at extracting a chemical from pine needles in Christmas trees which they say fights bird flu.
Science and Technology
Pandemic Preparedness
The U.S. Commitment to Global Health: Recommendations for the New Administration
12/16/08 National Academies IOM--At this historic moment, the incoming Obama administration and leaders of the U.S. Congress have the opportunity to advance the welfare and prosperity of people within and beyond the borders of the United States through intensified and sustained attention to better health. The United States can improve the lives of millions around the world, while reflecting America's values and protecting and promoting the nation's interests. The Institute of Medicine-with the support of four U.S. government agencies and five private foundations-formed an independent committee to examine the United States' commitment to global health and to articulate a vision for future U.S. investments and activities in this area.
Pandemic Preparedness
USA: HHS Releases Guidance for Use and Stockpiling of Antiviral Drugs for Pandemic Influenza
12/16/08 PandemicFlu.gov--Health care workers and emergency services personnel who could have direct contact with individuals who are ill during an influenza pandemic should be protected with antiviral drugs throughout the pandemic, even before these workers are exposed or become ill themselves, according to guidance released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Pandemic Preparedness
Full Text of Articles follow ...
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Korea beefs up its bird flu defenses
12/17/08 Joongang Daily--The Korean government said yesterday that it has strengthened inspections at airports and harbors following several bird flu outbreaks in many mainland Asian countries.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said it has ordered customs inspectors and quarantine service officials to carefully check people and luggage arriving from China, India, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia.
Outbreaks have been reported in Thailand, Laos, India and Vietnam in November with more confirmed this month in places like China.
It also said all poultry farmers in the country have been asked to conduct preventative decontamination of facilities and watch closely for any sudden rise in bird deaths. Regional authorities have been advised to frequently decontaminate vehicles used to transport birds and advise ordinary people not to visit bird sanctuaries.
The government speculates that past outbreaks in the country were caused by migratory birds arriving from Siberia and China.
Korea maintains a year-round watch on bird flu outbreaks, although the alert level is heightened during the winter. No virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in recent months, although there have been cases of the less dangerous H5N2 types of avian influenza detected in bird sanctuaries in the Jeolla region, on the country?s southwestern coast.
The country has been hit three times with H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks, with the latest occurring in April and resulting in a record 8.46 million birds being culled at a cost of around 264 billion won ($199 million). Previous outbreaks took place in the winter months of 2003?2004 and 2006?2007.
No cases of human infection were reported in the latest outbreak, although the government said 10 South Koreans were infected in the two previous outbreaks without developing symptoms.
Conferences and Training
CDC Influenza Division Employment Opportunity
Job posting website is https://recruitp.battelle.org/whalecom4abb772a55ed2bc363d2f2a2325f3a1d0936bedf/whalecom1/eng/candidates/default.cfm?szcategory=jobprofile&szorderid=16176&szcandidateid=0&szsearchwords=&szreturntosearch=1
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Taiwan COA conceals bird flu information on eve of three links
12/18/08 Taiwan News--On the eve of cross-strait three links being launched, sources have that chicken in Taiwan was infected H5N2 bird flu virus. Although the virus is not contagious to human, the Council of Agriculture is said to conceal the information for worries of any impact on major three links operations, according to a Chinese-language newspaper.
Last month, chicken suddenly died en masse in a Tainan County farm. After investigation, the Animal Health Research Institute of the Cabinet-level COA report confirmed the cause to be H5N2 virus. However, COA executives did not report the epidemic to the Executive Yuan, nor would they intend to announce the information at the critical moment of commencement of air, shipping and postal links with China.
Even Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) shows the virus to be bird flu, the actual epidemic should be determined by the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine along with experts, Institute Director Chao Parn-hwa (???) said.
Over ten thousand chicken was reportedly culled in a farm in Tainan County for H5N2 virus, according to southern Taiwan chicken farmers. The epidemic is said to spread to other two farms, one being closed down and the other monitored by authorities.
But the Animal Science Division and Animal Disease Control Bureau of Tainan County have denied any discovery of disease and chicken culling.
Former Executive Yuan Bird Flu Control Convention head Chen Chien-jen (???) said that the virus would not survive when meat is cooked and told consumers not to worry.
H5N2 avian flu once broke out in an egg chicken farm in Changhua County in January 2004 and was also found in 24 chicken farms islandwide. The government made public the information, culled all sick chicken and made compensation to farmers, getting the epidemic under control within two months. The World Organization for Animal Health published Taiwan?s closing report as early as April, 2004.
Migrating birds at an estuary were once found to contain H5N7 virus. Controversy ensued when the government regarded ?estuary? as offshore territory and therefore decided not to make announcement. But officials in the know questioned the reason for information concealment on the part of the COA since the pandemic occurred domestically this time and avian flu had just broken out in Hong Kong last week.
The epidemic in 2004 incurred a loss of NT$2.5 billion to chicken farming industry, so the government may be reluctant to cause scare among consumers, resulting in losses to farmers. However, experts worry that if chicken farms and consumers could not take preventive measures for a lack of information, Taiwan may be mired in the danger of avian flu.
Pandemic Preparedness
The U.S. Commitment to Global Health: Recommendations for the New Administration
12/16/08 National Academies IOM--At this historic moment, the incoming Obama administration and leaders of the U.S. Congress have the opportunity to advance the welfare and prosperity of people within and beyond the borders of the United States through intensified and sustained attention to better health. The United States can improve the lives of millions around the world, while reflecting America's values and protecting and promoting the nation's interests.
The Institute of Medicine-with the support of four U.S. government agencies and five private foundations-formed an independent committee to examine the United States' commitment to global health and to articulate a vision for future U.S. investments and activities in this area.
Pandemic Preparedness
USA: HHS Releases Guidance for Use and Stockpiling of Antiviral Drugs for Pandemic Influenza
12/16/08 PandemicFlu.gov--Health care workers and emergency services personnel who could have direct contact with individuals who are ill during an influenza pandemic should be protected with antiviral drugs throughout the pandemic, even before these workers are exposed or become ill themselves, according to guidance released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Stockpiling these antiviral drugs and planning for their use is the responsibility of employers as part of comprehensive pandemic preparedness, the guidance said.
The guidance also recommends preventive antiviral drug use for certain individuals following exposure to someone who is sick with pandemic influenza. These individuals include people with weakened immune systems, as well as for health care and emergency services workers such as law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency services personnel who do not routinely come in contact with ill people, and for residents in nursing homes, prisons, and other group residential settings if an outbreak of pandemic illness occurs in the facility.
HHS continues to recommend using antiviral drugs to treat people with pandemic influenza illness as a way to slow the spread of pandemic disease. National and state antiviral drug stockpiles, intended primarily for these uses, contain enough antiviral drugs for more than 72 million people.
By placing responsibility on employers, the new antiviral drug guidance highlights the importance of preparedness within both the public and private sectors.
?Planning and preparing for a pandemic influenza requires action by every part of society, including individuals and families, communities, and private sector employers as well as all levels of government,? said Dr. Craig Vanderwagen, HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response, a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. ?Employers will play a key role in protecting employees? health and safety, which in turn reduces the impact of a pandemic on the nation?s health, the economy and society.?
In a related document, HHS provided recommendations for employers to consider broadly, suggesting that antiviral drugs may be part of a comprehensive pandemic preparedness plan and describing how an antiviral drug strategy could be implemented.
?Businesses should have a plan in place for responding immediately at the first sign a pandemic to be sure the business can protect the health of the workforce and continue to operate,? Vanderwagen said. ?Employers may want to consider stockpiling antiviral drugs as one part of that plan.?
Using antiviral drugs may provide an additional layer of protection during a pandemic, along with advising sick employees to stay home and promoting changes in behaviors and work practices to reduce close contact between people and to improve hygiene, such as hand washing.
The HHS guidance recommends that employers have a clear understanding of the legal, regulatory, ethical, logistical, medical and economic issues involved in ordering, storing, securing, and dispensing prescription medications. The guidance also urges employers to work with their health providers or health services, and state and local health departments, to plan any stockpiling of antiviral drugs.
Federal officials developed the new guidance with major input from state, local, territorial, and tribal public health experts. Proposed guidance was shared broadly with health care and emergency services organizations, and other businesses, and further input was received during a public comment period; antiviral drug manufacturers were not involved in the development of the new guidance.
The guidance is not intended as a mandate, but provides recommendations for a prudent approach to planning for and responding to an influenza pandemic. Today?s guidance and accompanying considerations for employers replaces the previous antiviral drug use recommendations that are included in the 2005 HHS Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan.
For a copy of the guidance, visit www.pandemicflu.gov.
Quid Novi
WHO: Egypt Situation Update
Avian influenza - situation in Egypt
16 December 2008 -- The Ministry of Health and Population of Egypt has announced a new human case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection. The case is a 16-year-old female from Assuit Governorate, Upper Egypt whose symptoms began on 8 December 2008. She was initially hospitalized at the district hospital on 11 December and then transferred to the Assuit University Hospital on 13 December where she died on 15 December. Infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus was diagnosed by PCR at the Egyptian Central Public Health Laboratory and subsequently confirmed by the US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 (NAMRU-3) laboratories on 15 December 2008. Investigations into the source of her infection indicate a recent history of contact with sick and dead poultry.
Of the 51 cases confirmed to date in Egypt, 23 have been fatal.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Nigeria: Team Sensitises Students On Bird Flu
12/17/08 All Africa--A combined team of Avian Influenza Control Project in Taraba State has commenced a sensitisation visit to primary and secondary schools in the state.
According to a statement by the Communication Desk Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Tabki, the campaign became necessary because students were more vulnerable to the virus anytime there was an outbreak.
He said the students would be sensitised on how to keep away from infected birds and avoid eating dead chickens. They would also be advised on the need to wash their hands properly with soap and clean water.
Tabki said the team was also working to disinfect local bird markets in the state weekly, this he said, was to ensure that the markets and poultry farms across the state were rid of the virus.
While commending the local government desk officers for their active roles in the fight against the virus in their localities, he called on traditional, religious and community leaders to report any case of outbreak of the virus to the nearest veterinary clinics.
Poultry farmers were also advised to fumigate their farms regularly to ensure that the disease was eradicated.
Quid Novi
India: 155 poultry culled in West Bengal's bird flu-hit Malda
12/17/08 Hindustan Times--Full-fledged operations to tackle bird flu have began in West Bengal's Malda district, where the spread of the deadly H5N1 virus was confirmed Monday, but only 155 poultry have been culled due to fog and inadequate manpower, a government official said Wednesday.
"We could cull only 155 poultry Tuesday - the first day of the culling operation - at Narhatta and Satgheria villages under the English Bazar police station in Malda because of fog and bad weather condition. Also, the number of workers for distribution of compensation was inadequate," Dilip Chakraborty, principal secretary of state Animal Resources Development (ARD) department, told IANS Wednesday.
However, Chakraborty said the culling operation are now full-fledged.
"There are adequate number of workers Wednesday and they are operating at full strength since morning. We hope to cull substantial number of poultry by the end of the day," Chakraborty said.
The principal secretary further said a mopping-up operation would start in Malda as soon as culling was over.
"The ARD authorities have decided to cull 16,000 chickens and ducks in all. Culling operations, within a radius of three kilometres in the affected area, should be over by Thursday, or latest by Friday. We will start a two-day mopping-up operation after that," he said.
Seventeen culling teams with a total of 85 workers - wearing white protective suits, gloves and masks - Tuesday started killing and burying chickens and ducks at Narhatta and Satgheria villages in Malda, 350 km from here.
In January, over 200,000 birds were culled when avian flu was detected in several districts. An outbreak of bird flu had been detected in Malda in March and more than 50,000 birds were culled. This is the second outbreak in the district of the dreaded disease caused by the H5N1 virus.
Quid Novi
Indonesia?s suspected bird flu patient dies
12/17/08 VNA--A suspected bird flu patient in Banten province, west of Jakarta, died on December 17, Antara news agency reported.
The patient, known as Su, 24-year-old, was brought to Sari Asih hospital in Ciledug, Tangerang district with breathing problems, cough and a high fever.
However she finally died after being treated in the hospital for three days, said Su's aunt, Sumiati.
Su's body was taken to Punggelan in Banjarnegara, Central Java, for burial.
Head of the Tangerang health service, Hari Heryanto, said his office could not yet confirm if the cause of Su's death was birdflu virus as her blood sample is still being examined.
The district of Tangerang, which is located west of capital city Jakarta, has been known as an endemic area and recorded the highest number of bird flu cases so far totalling 17 that led to 15 deaths, Antara said.- Enditem
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Sri Lanka: Special measures to prevent bird flu
12/17/08 Colombo Page--Sri Lanka government has taken special measures to prevent the spreading of bird flu, H5N1 virus in the country following the reports of bird flu in neighboring countries.
Health officials said that they have already started to check all the animals including birds and chickens imported to the country.
According to the authorities special investigation centers have already been established in the Colombo Harbor to check the animals closely.
The Health Ministry meanwhile assured that there are no reports of bird flu in the country at the moment.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
India: Villagers in eastern India resist bird flu poultry cull
12/17/08 Reuters--Efforts by state authorities in east India to cull poultry to contain the latest outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus are being thwarted by poor villagers hiding their birds, officials said on Wednesday.
Hundreds of veterinary workers in protective suits were only able to kill about 250 birds after they began culling operations in the Malda district of West Bengal on Tuesday.
They have set a target of 16,500 chickens and ducks to be killed by Thursday, with owners to be compensated by the state.
"The villagers tried to hide their poultry that survived the virus," said Bishon Chowdhury, a senior local government official.
"Also, many resisted because the workers arrived without spot payments for the culled birds," he said.
Villagers and poultry farmers are being paid between 20 and 50 rupees for each bird killed, depending on its age.
Officials in West Bengal confirmed the outbreak late on Monday after tests on dead birds. Hundreds of thousands of poultry are already being culled in of Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya.
Health workers and medical experts are also monitoring about 100 villagers in and around Guwahati who had shown signs of the virus. There have been no human cases of H5N1 confirmed in India.
VILLAGERS UPSET
In West Bengal, villagers were upset about losing their poultry before the coming holiday season.
"We lost all 46 birds in our poultry flock. The small compensation would not compensate for the loss in the festival season," said Kadir Fain, a poultry farmer from Norhatta in Malda.
A West Bengal poultry industry official complained about a lack of preventative measures and said that losses from the culling operation would run into many millions of rupees for the state's 5 billion rupee industry.
"The villagers would be worst affected besides us, since this outbreak occurred ahead of the Christmas sale season," said Sheikh Nazrul Islam, president of West Bengal Poultry Welfare Association.
"The government had been lax even after an outbreak was confirmed in Assam," he said.
Senior West Bengal government official Sridhar Ghosh officials said culling teams hoped to accelerate their operations on Wednesday after getting off to a slow start.
Culling so far has been done within a 3 km (2 miles) radius of a village in Malda regarded as the centre of the outbreak. More than 3,500 birds have died in the area in the past 10 days.
Monday's confirmation marked the third outbreak of the disease this year in West Bengal, where 4 million birds were culled in January in what the World Health Organisation (WHO) has described as India's worst-ever bird flu outbreak.
In Guwahati, health workers, bird flu experts and equipment were rushed in when about 100 people began suffering fever and respiratory infections, symptoms of the H5N1 bird flu virus in humans, after the outbreak was detected there last month.
Experts fear the H5N1 virus might mutate or combine with the highly contagious seasonal influenza virus and spark a pandemic that could kill millions of people across the world.
There have been no human cases of H5N1 since the virus was first reported in India in Maharashtra in 2006.
According to the World Health Organisation, H5N1 flu has infected 391 people in 15 countries and killed 247 of them since the virus resurfaced in Asia in 2003.
Vaccines
AmVac and Taiwanese researchers to develop H5N1 vaccine
12/18/08 Manufacturing Chemist--AmVac, a Swiss biopharmaceutical company, is working with the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan to develop a new vaccine to combat H5N1, the avian flu virus.
The Taiwanese scientists will use AmVac?s vaccine adjuvant MALP-2, which is suitable for absorption through the mucosal membranes. Thus, for the first time, a nasal spray that is safe and easy to handle, could be feasible as a vaccination product, the company said.
With MALP-2, the immune system is strengthened effectively and permanently, AmVac added. At the same time, the implementation of the adjuvant makes it possible to reduce the quantity of the antigen used, which means large quantities of vaccine can be produced more quickly and at a lower price.
Professor Michel Klein, chief scientific officer of AmVac, said: ?Mucosal vaccination via the mucous membranes is the most efficient strategy to elicit both strong local and systemic immunity against respiratory viruses. Intranasal immunisation against flu would allow for the production of protective antibody responses at the site of entry of the virus.?
AmVac has acquired exclusive rights to the adjuvant MALP-2 (Macrophage Activating Lipopeptide-2), developed by Professor Guzman at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig, for all infectious diseases worldwide. This synthetic class of adjuvants acts as a ?toll-like? receptor agonist in activating cells of the immune system and thus at central sites in mediation of the immune response. Animal models have already shown strong antibody and cellular responses.
Preliminary results in mice have revealed that the pandemic H5N1 flu vaccine combined with MALP-2 elicits flu-specific antibodies following intranasal immunisation. The first clinical studies on the H5N1 vaccine will start in 2009, while the implementation of the combination with the adjuvant is planned for 2011.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Indonesia aims to eliminate bird flu by 2014
12/17/08 China Business Weekly--An Indonesian senior official said Wednesday that the country planned to curb the spreading of avian influenza virus by 2014, after taking more intensive phase of combative measures between 2009 and 2011.
"If all goes well, the nation will be free of the highly pathogenic bird flu virus by 2014," the Jakarta Post daily on Wednesday quoted Tjeppy D. Soedjana, the Indonesian Agriculture Ministry's Director General for Animal Husbandry, as saying.
Soedjana said that the Ministry mitigated bird flu spreading in only two of Indonesia's 33 provinces so far, namely Gorontalo, in North Sulawesi, and North Maluku. West Kalimantan will be the next target for the mitigation program conducted by the Ministry before next April.
According to the Agricultural Ministry's records, 294 regencies in 31 Indonesian provinces have reported bird flu outbreaks this year, with a total of 46,014 poultry deaths nationwide.
The current situation was not improving since more outbreaks occurred in more locations this year compared to three years ago, when 158 regions in 25 provinces were affected.
Science and Technology
Festive tree needles boost health
12/17/08 BBC--Scientists are looking at extracting a chemical from pine needles in Christmas trees which they say fights bird flu.
Shikimic acid is used in the production of an anti-bird flu drug, Tamiflu, and is just one compound found in Sitka spruces, which are grown across Wales.
They also contain resins, oils and flavinoids which fight heart disease.
Bangor researchers are looking at ways to extract compounds for the chemical industry and say it may also be worth millions for the Welsh economy.
The first company, WKW, researches on behalf of the Wales Forest Business Partnership, and is working with BC (formerly known as The BioComposites Centre), which was established in 1989 at Bangor University.
'Expensive chemicals'
Dr Dennis Jones, from WKW, said: "Our work so far shows that material that, at best, is chipped and composted can provide an excellent source of expensive chemicals needed in today's society.
"And if a viable market existed for more than 70 tonnes of Welsh spruce oil, the gross value would be more than £10m, not including production costs."
Dr Jones said shikimic acid currently fetched between $250 (£163) and $500 (£327) dollars a kilo (2.2lbs) which he said could provide a "real boost to the timber sector".
He added: "The average price of saw logs is six pence a kilo, compared to say £350 a kilo for some of these valuable chemicals - and even though the recovery costs are likely to be high, this may well be a market that Wales can break into."
Graham Ormondroyd, from the BC research centre at Bangor university, said the extraction was one way to "add value" to Welsh forests.
For the research, twigs and needles are taken off Ffridd Mountain near Bangor University before steam and organic solvents are used to extract the oils.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Cambodia confirms bird flu outbreak
12/17/08 VNA--Cambodian officials began the culling of poultry near the capital of Phnom Penh on December 17, five days after a young man from the area was confirmed to have contracted H5N1 bird flu by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Cambodian government.
The country?s Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun was quoted by news reports as saying that he had ordered a three-month ban on poultry transportation from the province of Kandal, 50km south of Phnom Penh, after tests proved it had been hit by the deadly virus.
Cambodian?s Health Ministry said in a statement last week that the 19-year-old man, the eighth person in Cambodia to have contracted bird flu since 2005, was in a stable condition in the capital's Calmette hospital.
The patient fell ill on November 28th, but was only confirmed as having bird flu on December 11th, a Health Ministry-WHO statement said. All seven of Cambodia's previous human cases have died.-Enditem
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
USAID strengthens avian influenza surveillance, biosecurity, and response in Central Asia
12/16/08 AKI Press, contributed by emailThe United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided the second round of Master Training for 25 veterinarians and human health specialists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the framework of its program ?STOP Avian Influenza (AI)?.
The STOP AI Master Trainers program focused on surveillance, bio-security, and outbreak response related to H5N1 HPAI virus and included comprehensive simulation and field activities. The Central Asian specialists learned to design approaches to public health and occupational safety; evaluate bio-security risks and recommend appropriate measures to minimize risk for small-scale poultry producers, commercial farmers, and live bird market owners and sellers. The course reviewed the essentials of H5N1 HPAI national surveillance plans, district-level implementation, local responsibilities, as well as management of outbreak response operations. Participants became familiar with the procedures for determining the extent of restricted areas, establishing and enforcing movement controls for animals and humans, and laboratory functions. The USAID project also taught facilitation skills to deliver effective training.
In 2009, the USAID STOP AI project, together with these Master Trainers, will launch extensive training programs at national, oblast, and rayon levels for other veterinarians and human health specialists in each country.
Avian Influenza preparedness is one of the many areas supported by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID is one of the largest donor organizations in the Central Asia. Its programs support Central Asia?s community organizations and democratic institutions, help develop the economic sector, education, and assist the Governments in their efforts to adopt international health care practices.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Chinese mainland, HK, Macao SARs test emergency response to avian flu
12/16/08 Xinhua--Health authorities of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Tuesday conducted a joint exercise to test their co-operation and co-ordination in the event of a cross-boundary incident of avian flu involving human cases.
Code-named "Exercise Great Wall 2008", the exercise was jointly organized by the Ministry of Health, the Health Bureau of Zhejiang Province, the Health Bureau of Macao, and the Food and Health Bureau, the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong.
Over 60 public health officials and medical personnel took part in the exercise.
The scenario of the exercise unfolded when a 48-year-old man and his 13-year-old daughter living in Hong Kong were confirmed to have been infected with avian influenza virus after visiting the man's wife in the Chinese mainland.
The man's wife was also confirmed to have been infected by the disease later on.
In the exercise, the Hong Kong government activated the " Serious Response Level" and notified their counterparts on the Chinese mainland and in Macao of the cases.
In order to control and prevent the spread of the disease, health authorities of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao immediately initiated a series of public health measures including investigation and control of the outbreak, management of patients and exchange of information.
During the exercise, emergency responses, including notification of different counterparts, epidemiological investigation of the affected patients, contact tracing and medical surveillance for probable cases, were tested through telecommunication facilities.
The exercise ended when experts exchanged information on their respective actions and the situation was brought under control with no new cases detected.
This is the third joint exercise organized under the Co- operation Agreement on Response Mechanism for Public Health Emergencies signed by the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in2005.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
India Battles Bird Flu in West Bengal
12/16/08 Voice of America--Indian health officials have begun a mass slaughter of poultry in the eastern state of West Bengal, one day after authorities confirmed an outbreak of deadly bird flu in the area.
Local officials say at least 3,500 birds have died of the H5N1 strain of the virus in West Bengal's Malda district.
Authorities have banned the transport of poultry from the affected areas and will kill at least 15,000 chickens and ducks starting Tuesday in an effort to contain the virus.
Health officials cull chickens suspected to be infected with bird flu virus at a farm in Gawahati, India, 11 Dec 2008
Health officials cull chickens suspected to be infected with bird flu virus at a farm in Gawahati, India, 11 Dec 2008
Hundreds of thousands of poultry are already being culled in the northeastern state of Assam, where bird flu was detected late last month.
Health workers in Assam are monitoring at least 100 people who have shown signs of the virus, but officials have not confirmed a human case.
Authorities have also banned the sale and export of poultry products in Assam. They say six people have been arrested for smuggling chickens from Guwahati, Assam's main city.
The World Health Organization says bird flu has killed at least 246 people worldwide since it resurfaced in Asia five years ago, but no human cases have been reported in India.
Quid Novi
China: Bird Flu virus found in Jiangsu
12/16/08 Shanghai Daily--NEARLY 380,000 birds were slaughtered after the deadly strain of H5N1 avian flu was found in east China's Jiangsu Province, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.
The virus was discovered in Dongtai City and neighboring Hai'an County, the ministry said in a statement posted on its Website.
There were no reports of human cases.
The ministry said it received information about H5N1 infection among hens in Dongtai and Hai'an on Monday. It was discovered during routine checks; no birds were reported sick.
Preliminary analysis by ministry experts indicated the virus could have been spread by birds migrating through the area, and that it was a different type from the variety usually found in the southern part of the country.
A ministry laboratory yesterday was testing samples of the virus to see if it had mutated. Experts fear that the H5N1 virus could spark a pandemic if it mutates into a form that can be transmitted easily among people.
Local authorities said they have stopped the transport of all poultry and poultry products from the two areas and were sterilizing the poultry farms in those locations and nearby regions to prevent the virus from spreading.
The agriculture ministry has reported the case to the World Organization for Animal Health.
The discovery occurred only a week after 80,000 chickens were culled in Hong Kong after local health departments confirmed that samples tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu.
So far this winter, bird flu has killed two people in Indonesia and Egypt, and made two people ill in Indonesia and Cambodia.
Quid Novi
Egypt: Teen Dies From Bird Flu
12/16/08 Fox News--A 16-year-old girl died of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu on Monday, the 23rd fatality and 51st case of the disease among humans in Egypt, state news agency MENA said.
Samiha Salem from a village in the central Egyptian province of Asyut caught the disease after exposure to sick household poultry, MENA quoted a health ministry official as saying.
The official said Salem began suffering symptoms a week ago, after two of the household ducks died and the remainder of the flock was slaughtered in the house.
Salem was subsequently admitted to hospital with a high fever, vomiting and diarrhea, and then transferred to intensive care. She was treated with the antiviral drug tamiflu, but suffered a pulmonary infection and respiratory failure, and died on Monday.
Her death is the first bird flu fatality in Egypt since April, and the first of the current winter season. The virus, which first appeared in Egypt in February 2006, tends to be less active in summer.
About 5 million households in Egypt depend on poultry as a main source of food and income, and the government has said this makes it unlikely the disease can be eradicated despite a large-scale poultry vaccination programme.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
India: Govt to set up six more bird flu testing labs
12/16/08 Times of India--As part of measures to check bird flu, the Centre will set up six more laboratories in different parts of the country to detect the avian influenza virus, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday.
While bird flu outbreak was often being reported from various parts of the country, there is only one laboratory located at Bhopal for detecting the virus in samples.
By March 2009, two testing facilities will be set up in Kolkata and Jalandhar, Pawar said in the Rajya Sabha, replying to a debate on a bill that seeks to prevent communicable diseases in animals and birds.
The Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Bill, 2005 passed by the House, is aimed at providing a uniform legislation throughout the country to monitor and control infectious animal diseases.
The minister did not reveal the location details for the other four laboratories that the Centre would set up.
Pawar also said an expert group will study the viability of setting up a body on the lines of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for the animal husbandry sector. He was responding to a demand from MPs to set up such a body.
Framing legislation for control of major livestock diseases is also an international obligation for India to enable the country to take benefits under the International Animal Health Code, a crucial enabler for livestock trade.
Contagious diseases like foot and mouth disease, black quarter and anthrax, among others, continue to be a serious threat to Indian livestock with a production value estimated at Rs 2.11 lakh crore.
Short AI Digest Today
Dear AI Digest Subscribers,
My apologies for the blank AI Digest yesterday, I am traveling and was unable to get the Digest out for Monday. The Digest will be back to the regular time of 1000 hrs (EST) starting tomorrow.
Claudinne
