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Sunday, 1-Jul-2007 The Piazza Anfiteatro, a circle of medieval apartments built onto the foundations of a Roman amphitheatre, Lucca, Italy. Over 180 international scientific experts will meet for the next three days near Lucca, Italy, to discuss state-of-the-art advances in infectious diseases transmitted from animals to man, known as zoonoses. (ITALY)
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Sun, 01 Jul 2007 9:38 AM PDT Photo dated February 2006 shows Joseph Domenech -- the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) chief veterinary officer. "In the 15 or so countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where the H5N1 virus was introduced during the past six months, it was rapidly detected and eliminated or controlled. They are better prepared today and have improved their response systems," said FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech. (FAO) |
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Scientists describe how 1918 influenza virus sample was exhumed in Alaska Monday July 2, 2007 Finding critical to future pandemic planning WHAT: The effort to find preserved samples of the 1918 influenza virus has been a pursuit of both historical and medical importance. The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most devastating single disease outbreak in modern history, and examining the virus that caused it may help prepare for, and possibly prevent, future pandemics. When the complete sequence of the 1918 virus was published in 2005, it represented a watershed event for influenza researchers worldwide. In an article in the journal Antiviral Therapy, scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, narrate the story of how scientists discovered samples of the 1918 strain in fixed autopsy tissues and in the body of a woman buried in the Alaskan permafrost. The article places this discovery in the context of decades of research into the cause of pandemic influenza, and the authors detail the strange convergence of events that allowed them to recover and sequence the virus in the first place. Its genetic material is so fragile that it should not have survived for days, let alone decades. In a mass grave in a remote Inuit village near the town of Brevig Mission, a large Inuit woman lay buried under more than six feet of ice and dirt for more than 75 years. The permafrost plus the woman's ample fat stores kept the virus in her lungs so well preserved that when a team of scientists exhumed her body in the late 1990s, they could recover enough viral RNA to sequence the 1918 strain in its entirety. This remarkable good fortune enabled these scientists to open a window onto a past pandemic--and perhaps gain a foothold for preventing a future one. (PANDEMIC) |
Monday July 2, 2007 Source of stench: The site on which the illegal farm was operating. The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) finally took action on Tuesday against a poultry farm that had been operating illegally along Jalan Kapar Km6.4 for the past 30 years. (MALAYSIA) |
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Friday, June 29, 2007 4:17 PM CDT Old man carrying a cock in Trinidad de Cuba. "It will happen," Michael Bechelli, Allegany-Cattaraugus Bioterrorism Coordinator, told a group of educators, hospital and emergency service workers Thursday at the Pandemic Influenza Planning Forum in Cuba. (CUBA) |
Date: Thu June 5, 2007 Panama to Host Avian Flu Meeting Panama, Jun 5 - Representatives of international bodies and 21 Central American ministers of Agriculture, Health and Environment will gather in Panama City June 6-8 to discuss regional preparations against avian flu. (PANAMA) |
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AFP/File - Tue Jul 3, 2:20 PM ET A swan is pictured on the Borely Park in Marseille in March 2007. Three swans found dead in northeast France are being analysed to see if they carried the H5N1 strain of bird flu which can be fatal to humans, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday.(AFP/File/Gerard Julien) (FRANCE) |
AFP - Tue Jul 3, 8:11 AM ET Health officials wearing protective suits slaughter suspected bird flu infected poultry in Medan, May 2007. Asian countries must remain vigilant against deadly bird flu since it is still rampant in the region, a top UN health agency official said.(AFP/Rahmad ) (WHO) |
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Tue, 03 Jul 2007 0:09 AM PDT State and federal wildlife officials are investigating the deaths of hundreds of seabirds turning up on the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. (US) |
Wed, 04 Jul 2007 4:44 AM PDT Russia's food safety watchdog said Wednesday it was ready to help Egypt fight the spread of a deadly bird flu virus, including supplying the country with a vaccine developed in Russia. (EGYPT) |
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Wed, 04 Jul 2007 9:20 AM PDT A woman feeds some geese next to the lake Woehrder in Nuremberg June 24, 2007. More wild birds have tested positive in Germany for the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu, German authorities said on Wednesday. (GERMANY) |
Wed Jul 4, 10:47 AM ET A man carries ducks at a whole-sale poultry market in Hatay province, 25 km (15.5 miles) outside Hanoi June 21, 2007. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved an order to import 200 million doses of vaccine to stop the spread of H5N1. (VIETNAM) |
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AFP/File - Sun Mar 18, 1:30 PM ET A caged bird at a poultry market in Lagos, Nigeria Sun Mar 18. AI has swept across Nigeria affecting over 84 local governments areas in 24 states including the Federal Capital Territory. (NIGERIA) |
Reuters - Thu Jul 5, 7:55 AM ET Swans swim in a public garden in downtown Nantes, France February 19, 2006. Tests have confirmed that three swans found dead in eastern France were killed by the H5N1 bird flu virus, the French agriculture ministry said on Thursday, France's first cases of the disease in over a year. (Daniel Joubert/Reuters) (FRANCE) |
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AFP/File - Thu Jul 5, 11:52 AM ET French health officials put a dead swan into a bag in Joyeux, 2006. France, Europe's biggest poultry producer, stepped up surveillance after tests on three dead swans confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which can be fatal to humans.(AFP/File/Jean Philippe Ksiazek) (FRANCE) |
AFP/DDP - Thu Jul 5, 1:51 PM ET People in protective clothes search for dead water birds at the border of a dam in Kelbra, central Germany. German authorities on Thursday reported 38 new cases of the feared H5N1 strain of bird flu which can kill huamns in the country's east.(AFP/DDP/Jens-Ulrich Koch) (GERMANY) |
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AFP/DDP/File - Fri Jul 6, 2:42 PM ET A vet places a dead duck into a plastic bag in Nuremberg June 25, 2007. The duck was culled by the vets after it showed symptoms of bird flu. On Sunday, three wild birds found dead in Nuremberg in the southern state of Bavaria tested positive for the dangerous H5N1 strain of the disease. Poultry farmers in the Nuremberg region have been ordered to confine all poultry to closed stalls. REUTERS/Michael Dalder (GERMANY) |
Fri, 06 Jul 2007 4:25 PM PDT International pigeon racing from continental Europe to Britain has been banned after H5N1 was discovered in wild birds in France, the Environment Agency said. Domestic racing will be allowed to continue, Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said. But racing from continental mainland Europe, including the Channel Islands, has been banned as a precautionary measure. "Given the current period of uncertainty about avian influenza in Europe and the possibility that further spread may occur, a precautionary approach is being taken based on ornithological and veterinary advice," Reynolds said. "We will raise the threat level," said a spokeswoman for the Friedrich Loeffler Institute. (UK) |
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Fri, 06 Jul 2007 11:59 PM PDT An unoccupied part of CDC's new maximum-containment labs lost power for an hour. The agency is reviewing the breakers. (CDC) |
AFP/File - Sat Jul 7, 3:20 PM ET Chicken are kept in a cage at a poultry shop. Dutch customs have deployed two special bird flu dogs at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport to check flights from high-risk countries for poultry, the authorities said Saturday.(AFP/File/Samantha Sin) (DENMARK) |
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Sun, 08 Jul 2007 4:21 AM PDT An outbreak of deadly H5N1 bird flu in German poultry appeared confined to a single goose, animal health officials said Sunday after quick-fire tests on 1,200 birds killed in a cull. The goose was found last Monday in the yard of a commune for intellectually handicapped people in the sleepy German hill village of Wickersdorf. All poultry within a radius of 13 kilometres was killed by injection by Saturday, with police and veterinarians in white protective clothing going door-to-door in search of birds. (GERMANY) |
AFP/File - Mon Jul 9, 12:15 PM ET A roadside livestock vendor waits for customers sitting among his chickens in Jakarta, April 2006. A six-year-old Indonesian boy died of bird flu at the weekend, taking the death toll in the country worst hit by the virus to 81, a health ministry official said Monday. by Bhimanto Suwastoyo (AFP/File/Jewel Samad) (INDONESIA) |
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Mon, 09 Jul 2007 1:28 PM PDT The supplies include 4,500 suits of personal protection equipment, 1,500 rapid test kits, and 40 decontamination kits crucial to a quick and decisive response by the Department of Animal Production and Health to mitigate the possibility of an epidemic. (USAID) COLOMBO: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) handed over key supplies to the Ministry of Livestock Development to strengthen Sri Lanka's early warning and reaction capacity against Avian Influenza, said the US Embassy. A ten month USAID partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will strengthen the Government's is Avian Influenza preparedness by preventing incursion of the disease and setting up systems to block its spread to epidemic proportions should it enter the country. Minister of Livestock Development C.B. Ratnayake expressed his gratitude to USAID on behalf of the Government for the donation, as did FAO Country Representative Pote Chumsri. |
Monday July 9, 9:16 PM Japan suspends poultry imports from Germany amid bird flu outbreak. Germany is the third-largest exporter of young chickens to Japan following France and Britain, the ministry said, adding Japan imported about 114,000 chicks from Germany last year. (JAPAN) |
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AFP/File - Tue Jul 10, 7:00 AM ET An Egyptian worker holds up a chicken at a market in Alexandria, 2006. Egypt banned all poultry imports from France and Germany after the potentially fatal H5N1 strain of bird flu was discovered in birds there.(AFP/File/Khaled Desouki) (EGYPT) |
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 12:34 PM EDT Lab technicians with the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce (BAIC) center for food safety monitoring conduct tests on food products in Beijing in this June 12, 2007 file photo. China has suspended the sale of a medicine used to treat acute leukemia and rheumatoid arthritis, in the latest move to hit the country's scandal-ridden drug industry. The Chinese government has been trying to toughen its drug regulation amid mounting criticism - at home and abroad - that the quality of its drug, food and other products is poorly regulated. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File) (CHINA) |
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AFP/File - Tue Jul 10, 4:43 PM ET Turkeys are seen in Hungary in February 2007. A flock of 54,000 turkeys exposed to a non-lethal strain of bird flu virus will be destroyed, Virginia state officials said Tuesday. (AFP/File/Attila Kisbenedek) (US) |
State Reacts To Bird Flu - VA
Wednesday July 11, 2007 6:59 am
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) - State officials are canceling public events and sales involving live poultry in the Shenandoah Valley to prevent the spread of a possible avian flu outbreak. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has also banned farmers in 17 counties from using poultry litter as fertilizer until the end of the month. Lidholm says the restrictions on poultry shows and sales will affect flea markets, 4-H competitions, commercial sales and country fairs that run from July to August. Neighboring West Virginia also has suspended all poultry shows and sales for the next 30 days. (US) |
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Wednesday July 11, 2007 7:45 am (AP) West Virginia's annual poultry festival has been canceled and all poultry shows and sales are on hold because of avian influenza concerns. The five-day festival in Moorefield was to start July 23rd, but the discovery of avian influenza in a turkey flock in Virginia prompted officials today to cancel the event. Area poultry farmers are being encouraged not to attend the carnival as a precaution. Funk says avian influenza can be easily spread and poultry farmers try to limit access to each other when a positive finding is made. State Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass says the virus found in a turkey flock in Mt. Jackson, Virginia, is not the same as the bird flu found in Southeast Asia, Europe and other countries. (US) |
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AFP/File - Wed Jul 11, 1:31 PM ET A motorist transports chickens in Jakarta in May 2007. A six-year-old Indonesian boy who died of bird flu last weekend had no apparent contact with poultry, an agriculture ministry official said Wednesday.(AFP/File/Bay Ismoyo) (INDONESIA) |
AFP/File - Wed Jul 11, 3:51 PM ET Veterinary workers wearing protective suits walk toward a poultry house in June 2007. Two new outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which is potentially fatal to humans, were confirmed at poultry farms in the centre of the Czech Republic, veterinary services spokesman Josef Duben said on Wednesday.(AFP/File/Michal Cizek) (CZECH) |
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Wednesday July 11, 2007 8:45 am An agent of the National Bureau of Investigation looks at exotic birds seized in a raid in Davao province in southern Philippines prior to being culled Monday July 9, 2007. More than 100 exotic wildlife, allegedly illegally imported from Indonesia were seized in the raid but authorities had to cull all of them in the country's continuing campaign against bird flu. The Philippines remains a bird-flu-free country in Asia. (AP Photo) (PHILIPPINES) |
Wed Jul 11, 10:00 PM ET Health Experts Come Together to Address Pandemic, Avian Influenza, Outline the Outlook of Infectious Diseases Threats and Strategies for Containment - 12th Richard J. Duma/NFID Annual News Conference and Symposium on Infectious Diseases. WASHINGTON, July 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An update on the government's avian and pandemic influenza preparedness efforts was given today by leading infectious disease experts from around the country at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The news conference, sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), addressed key issues and developments in the control and prevention of emerging infectious diseases, as well as highlighted global health risks of foodborne and water-related illnesses and the threat of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. "Emerging, and in some cases re-emerging, infectious diseases, notably avian and pandemic influenza, pose a very serious threat to the nation's public health," said Susan J. Rehm, MD, NFID Medical Director and Vice Chair, Department of Infectious Disease, at the Cleveland Clinic. "As health care professionals, we need to continue to identify these threats and take the necessary steps to respond quickly and effectively." Addressing the prospect of an influenza pandemic, Carole A. Heilman, PhD, director, division of microbiology and infectious diseases, at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Health and Human Services discussed how NIAID is leading efforts to help bolster the nation's pandemic influenza preparedness, including activities exploring cell-based vaccines; expanding the domestic capacity for influenza vaccines; developing point-of-care diagnostics; supporting influenza antivirals; and advancing surge capacity for producing H5N1 vaccines. "NIAID is exploring all avenues to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to act on an influenza pandemic in this country," stated Dr. Heilman. NIAID is the lead NIH institute for pandemic influenza preparedness efforts. (NIAID) |
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AFP/DDP/File - Thu Jul 12, 8:04 AM ET Hens at a poultry farm in Duesseldorf, 2006. South Africa has banned the import of poultry products from Germany after an outbreak of a potentially fatal H5N1 strain of bird flu.(AFP/DDP/File/Volker Hartmann) (AFRICA) |
Thu Jul 12, 9:04 AM ET Soldiers and fire-fighters have begun destroying thousands of chickens at two poultry farms in East Bohemia, after tests confirmed the presence of the H5N1 type of bird flu virus. The two cases were within a few kilometres of the country's first outbreaks in June of last year at two similar farms. (CZECH) |
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Thu Jul 12, 3:45 PM ET From July 5-10, the Dien Bien Veterinary Department detected six farmer families in three communes of Thanh Yen, Thanh Hung and Thanh Xuong in Dien Bien District, had around 500 of the total 2,400 ducks died. All of the ducks are 25 days old and were not vaccinated yet. (VIETNAM) |
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Thu Jul 12, 4:45 PM ET Bill and Melinda Gates believe every life has equal value. In 2000, they created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help reduce inequities in the United States and around the world. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by co-chairs Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, and William H. Gates Sr., and by CEO Patty Stonesifer. LONDON, July 12 - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is considering ways of funding pandemic bird-flu vaccination in poor countries to ensure access for populations most at risk. Tachi Yamada, head of health at the mega charity set up by the Microsoft chairman, said the foundation wanted to become involved since 95% of deaths from any flu pandemic were likely to be in the developing world. "This is, potentially, one of the world's greatest inequities and as a result we are focusing a fair amount of attention on it," he said in an interview during a visit to London. "We don't have a specific grant programme yet but what we've done is used our convening capabilities to ensure that a dialogue takes place and I think significant progress has been made over the past couple of months." Discussions to date have involved vaccine manufacturers, healthcare regulators and the World Health Organisation. (VACCINES) |
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Thu, 12 Jul 2007 4:37 PM PDT Medical officials in Indonesia are still trying to pinpoint the source of infection after a 6-year-old boy died of bird flu. He stayed in his relatives' house near Bandung zoo and visited it (the zoo) as well, . Researchers in Thailand detected H5N1 antibodies in 50 tigers at a zoo in 2004 - proving that they were infected - although they found no evidence of the virus in any of its zookeepers. (INDONESIA) |
Thu, 12 Jul 2007 7:40 PM PDT Animal health officials have warned that there is a high risk of widespread bird flu outbreaks in the Mekong Delta during the summer-fall crop due to the increase in numbers of free-range ducks. Unfortunately, the local authorities do not have enough forces to keep an eye on the bird-flu situation amongst such large numbers of free-roaming fowl. (VIETNAM) |
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Fri July 13, 2007 09:07AM A veterinary worker kills a hen with an injection in the village of Tisova some 100kms (about 60 miles) east of Prague Czech Republic, Friday, June 22, 2007. Czech vets decided to liquidate healthy poultry at three chicken farms in the area where the emergence of the dangerous H5N1 bird flu virus strain was confirmed on Wednesday, Zbynek Semerad from the State Veterinary Administration said on Thursday. (CZECH) |
AFP/File - Fri Jul 13, 1:28 PM ET Firworkers wearing protective uniforms walk at a poultry farm in Kosorin village, 160 kms east of Prague, 12 July 2007. Around 70,000 birds have been killed at two Czech poultry farms where the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which is potentially fatal to humans, was confirmed this week, veterinary authorities said Friday.(AFP/File/Michal Cizek) (CZECH) |
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AFP - Fri Jul 13, 5:28 PM ET Veterinarians vaccinate chicken against bird flu in the village of Treskoushchyna, west of Minsk, March 15, 2007. The Food and Agriculture Organization is training veterinarians and the rapid response teams from 24 provinces on surveillance of bird flu and outbreak response, said a press release on Friday. (FAO) |
Jul 14, 4:09 PM EDT The discovery of the flock with avian flu antibodies prompted Virginia's state veterinarian to ban all live poultry sales and shows until July 30, as well as the application of poultry litter on fields in 17 counties in and near the Shenandoah Valley. HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) -- The loss from the discovery of avian influenza antibodies in turkeys at a Shenandoah County farm could be up to $600,000, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA will reimburse the farmer the fair market value of the 54,000 turkeys in which the antibodies were discovered during routine pre-slaughter testing on July 6. The cost of destroying and disposing of the birds also will be paid, said Karen Eggert of the USDA'S Animal Health Inspection Service. Charles Halterman, who owns a chicken farm west of Broadway in Rockingham County, said he sweated out a two-day delay in Pilgrim's Pride picking up his chickens for slaughter because he wasn't sure what would happen to the birds. "You are just sort of hanging out there in limbo," he told The Daily News-Record of Harrisonburg. The discovery of the flock with avian flu antibodies prompted Virginia's state veterinarian to ban all live poultry sales and shows until July 30, as well as the application of poultry litter on fields in 17 counties in and near the Shenandoah Valley. (US) |
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Sun, 15 Jul 2007 4:00 AM PDT Bird flu has spread to another district in Bangladesh forcing health and veterinary workers to cull 2,000 chickens, officials said on Sunday. Bird flu in Bangladesh since March this year has forced authorities to cull nearly 255,000 chickens and destroy more than 2.2 million eggs. More than 100 students and teachers from a school in Bangladesh have been admitted to hospital after suffering convulsions, police said on Saturday. (BANGLADESH) |
Sun, 15 Jul 2007 2:05 PM PDT The Government has given warning that wild birds migrating to Britain over the next few weeks may be carrying the H5N1 strain of avian flu. The greatest threat is believed to be from the Black Headed Gull, which returns to Britain from the area around the Baltic Sea. About 50,000 to 100,000 pairs of these gulls breed in the Czech Republic before leaving for other parts of Western Europe, including Britain. These birds could appear this month. (BRITAIN) |
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Sun, 15 Jul 2007 4:25 PM PDT Health officials worldwide are watching and preparing for what they believe could be a major outbreak of a strain of influenza commonly referred to as the avian flu, or bird flu. Officials are suggesting individuals stockpile a supply of food and other necessities to last from 72 hours to a week.The Longview News-Journal By MIKE ELSWICK (PANDEMIC) |
Sun, 15 Jul 2007 5:23 PM PDT Customers eye frozen chicken at the Big C Supermarket in Ha Noi. Frozen chicken sales are presently at a standstill as fears of bird flu wane and consumers voice their preference for juicier, gamier fresh chickens. VNA/VNS Photo Huu Oai (VIETNAM) Market experts said the problem was that Vietnamese consumers prefer buying whole fresh chicken from markets instead of frozen varieties. Customers also complain that frozen products don't taste as good as fresh meats. Phuc Thinh, a domestic business specialising in chicken products, was forced to stop selling its brand of frozen food because no one was buying it in supermarkets. The company now sells fresh chicken to keep afloat even though bird flu, spread via contact with live poultry or fresh infected meat, is still a concern. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued a circular to help businesses implement the Prime Minister's decision on encouraging investment in the construction and expansion of hygienic slaughterhouses. (VIETNAM) |
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Mon Jul 16, 6:36 PM (CP) - New research suggests successful treatment of the H5N1 avian flu virus requires targeting the virus, not the overwhelming immune response it triggers. (RESEARCH) |
Pandemics (worldwide epidemics) are caused only by type A Some H5 and H7 strains of avian influenza (also called avian flu or bird flu) are especially virulent and can result in financially devastating losses in the poultry industry. Serious influenza in humans is caused by strains of several A subtypes (which are designated by the specific combination of the 19 hemagglutinin and 9 neuraminidase proteins, or antigens, found on the virus's surface, e.g., H1N1) and by strains of type B. Type A is also found in swine, horses, whales, seals, and other animals, but wild birds are the only animals to have all A subtypes, and migratory birds can spread a strain of the disease great distances. Some H5 and H7 strains of avian influenza (also called avian flu or bird flu) are especially virulent and can result in financially devastating losses in the poultry industry. Swine, which can be infected by avian and human influenzas, can facilitate such a development when avian and human strains are both present in an animal, enabling the genetic material of the two to reassort (mix). (PANDEMIC) |
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Tue, 17 Jul 2007 0:55 AM PDT Ducks are displayed in a local market in Jakarta April 7, 2007. A six-year-old Indonesian child who died of bird flu earlier this month apparently contracted the virus through indirect contact with infected poultry, a health ministry official said Tuesday. REUTERS/Dadang Tri (INDONESIA) |
Tue Jul 17, 7:15 AM ET About 20 percent of the population in some countries could be affected in the event of a global flu pandemic, World Health Organisation chief Margaret Chan said Tuesday. (PANDEMIC) |
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Tue Jul 17, 9:34 AM ET Turkeys are seen in Hungary in February 2007. Laboratory tests confirmed a strain of low-risk bird flu at a turkey farm in Virginia but there is no evidence of it spreading, the U.S. Agriculture Department's chief veterinarian said on Tuesday. (US) |
Tue Jul 17, 6:12 PM ET The United States has helped many countries watch and prepare for a bird flu pandemic, but lacks the rapid tests and hospital capacity to cope with one at home, the White House said on Tuesday. Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor. But some of the most difficult tasks remain, including the ability to quickly detect the spread of disease, capacity to make vaccines quickly and in large-enough amounts, and detailed plans on who gets drugs and vaccines if a pandemic hits. "We have limited surveillance capability here in the United States," said Dr. Rajeev Venkayya, assistant to President George W. Bush for biodefense. (PANDEMIC) |
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Wed Jul 18, 12:52 AM ET Mayor Celso Lobregat has created the Zamboanga City Avian Influenza Prevention and Control Committee, a group tasked to set up mechanisms to prevent and control the spread of avian flu. (PHILIPPINES) |
Wed Jul 18, 1:45 AM ET (RIA Novosti) - Experts have discovered bird flu antibodies in migrant birds in five Siberian regions, a spokesman for the local veterinary regulator said Tuesday. He said no local bird flu cases had been registered this year. "About 6 million poultry are currently in high risk areas. Nearly 4.6 million of them have been vaccinated and over 2.3 million revaccinated," he said. (RUSSIA) |
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Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:01:13 GMT Singapore - Singapore and France are to hold a workshop on managing outbreaks of the deadly bird flu for public health officials from South-East Asian countries, the city-state's foreign affairs ministry said on Wednesday. ASEAN includes Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (Burma). (PANDEMIC) |
Wed Jul 18 6:30 AM Chinese Vice Health Minister Wang Longde (right) shakes hands with the executive vice president of Merck & Co January 2006. (Reuters/China Newsphoto) China and ASEAN are considering an information exchange and notification mechanism to fight avian flu and communicable diseases. The idea is to facilitate the sharing of information, improve capacity building, and strengthen cross-border institutional and operational coordination, Wang Longde, China's vice-health minister, said. (CHINA) |
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Tue, 17 Jul 2007 4:58 PM PDT The Selangor government has been urged to take serious action against those involved in illegal cock-fighting activities as the birds are often smuggled into the country and could cause an Avian Influenza outbreak. The Star Online (MALAYSIA) |
vietnam net - Wed Jul 18 3:01 PM The bird flu epidemic in northern Vietnam has been controlled, said Hoang Van Nam, Vice Head of the Veterinary Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. H. Yen FAO also supports recent tough measures of the Vietnamese government to combat the disease, for example closing down water bird hatching farms that don't meet standards and culling unvaccinated poultry. (VIETNAM) |
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Wed, 18 Jul 2007 Washington - The United States is better prepared to detect a pandemic flu outbreak, support international work to contain a pandemic in its early stages, limit a pandemic's spread and save lives after a year of coordinated effort across federal agencies, according to a White House report. INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP Through the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, U.S. experts work with affected countries and international partners to detect, contain and prevent animal outbreaks; reduce human exposure; and enhance planning and preparedness for future outbreaks. In more than 100 countries, the United States is working on avian flu issues. Over the past year, for example, the U.S. government supported training for more than 129,000 animal health workers and 17,000 human health workers in H5N1 surveillance and outbreak response, and sent 300,000 personal protective equipment kits to 70 countries for surveillance workers and outbreak-response teams. BIRDS AND BORDERS Along with partners in other U.S. agencies, USDA scientists are continuing a comprehensive surveillance of wild birds in every North America fly zone and monitoring wild birds in Russia, Greenland and Mexico as an early-warning strategy. USDA staff members are assigned to rapid assessment and response teams that work in 30 countries, and 130 volunteers are available for international deployments through the FAO or bilaterally between an affected country and the United States. (PANDEMIC) |
Thursday, 19, July, 2007 The Saudi Ministry of Agriculture yesterday imposed a temporary ban on the import of chickens and eggs from Moselle in Lorraine, France, as a preventive measure to counter bird flu, which according to latest indications is again spreading across Europe. The ban has been announced following information received from the Paris-based World Health Organization (WHO), the Saudi Press Agency reported yesterday. Since 2003, 191 people have died after being infected with the virus, according to the World Health Organization. Earlier this year, Margaret Chan, chief of the World Health Organization, warned that bird flu remains a global threat. It has been reported that three wild swans that died in France this week had avian flu. This year's outbreaks probably spread through the migration of infected birds that leave traces of the virus on the surface of water when touching down, in turn infecting less transient local birds. Dead swans are often the first sign of an outbreak, said Albert Osterhaus, director of New-Flu Bird, a Dutch-based European project that brings together ornithologists and virologists. (SAUDI ARABIA) |
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Thursday, July 19, 2007 By 5 a.m. each morning, Joseph Hillmends has arrived at one of the poultry farms near Accra. He stops 100 meters from the farm's entrance to put on a white jumpsuit, gloves, a facemask and green plastic goggles. On hot days, this outfit can be stifling. But he needs the protection. Hillmends is a principal bird technician, and his job is to investigate farms for signs of avian influenza, bird flu. Ghana has had an avian influenza task force in place since 2005. Publicity campaigns many featuring volunteers in chicken suits was used to educate the public about the disease. Posters in cheerful colors advised that "Only you can stop bird flu." Farmers were given recommendations about how to protect against the spread of the disease. Phone hotlines were set up to ensure that any signs of the disease could be quickly reported. So when the first outbreak of bird flu surfaced in Tema in April 2007, scientists and officials were ready to spring into action. A rapid test for bird flu was carried out, and the H5N1 virus was detected. "Within hours, we were on the farm," the Director of Veterinary Hospital Dr. Agyen-Frempong said. To deal with the bird flu, infected chickens are burned and buried in deep holes. Then farms are disinfected for free by the government, which also compensates farmers for the infected chickens and chicken products they have to exterminate. (GHANA) |
Thu, 19 Jul 2007 3:08 AM PDT The World Bank has approved a US$16 million credit for Bangladesh from the International Development Association (IDA), the Bank's concessionary arm, to support the Government's efforts to minimize the threat and risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The World Bank has approved a US$16 million credit for BangladeshWashington, D.C. - infoZine - This Avian Influenza Preparedness and Response Project is designed to control such infections in domestic poultry, and prepare for, controlling, and responding to possible human infections, especially an influenza epidemic and related emergencies. This will be achieved through three types of interventions: prevention, preparedness and planning, and response and containment. The project focuses on three broad areas: animal health, public awareness and information, and implementation support and monitoring and evaluation. "Communication is extremely important to minimize negative consequences of HPAI on poultry production, consumption, and human health and has to be well adapted to the Bangladeshi conditions," said Mohinder Mudahar, Consultant to the World Bank and co-project team leader. (IDA) |
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Thursday July 19, 2007 6:44 am FAIRLEA -- Fairgoers will not see live poultry at this year's State Fair of West Virginia because of concerns about the discovery of avian influenza on a turkey farm in neighboring Virginia. (WV) No live chickens at this year's State Fair - WVAgriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass decided to ban live poultry, a popular attraction at the fair, because of the Fairlea event's proximity to Shenandoah County, Va., 10 miles from the West Virginia border, said Buddy Davidson, a spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture.
"I know that a lot of kids really like to visit that exhibit,'' Davidson said Wednesday. "But it's just a small part of the overall display.''
"There will still be a poultry building,'' Davidson said. "It's not going to affect attendance at the State Fair.''
On July 9, Douglass suspended all poultry shows and sales in West Virginia for 30 days.
Davidson said the decision to ban live poultry from the fair, set for Aug. 10-18, was a precautionary measure. (WV) |
Thursday, July 19, 2007 A state ban on live poultry sales will prevent Caleb and Gabriella Tilton from taking their prize chickens to the Loudoun County Fair. On July 9, the state veterinarian canceled all poultry shows and public sales through July 31 after turkeys at a Shenandoah County commercial farm tested positive for antibodies of a low pathogenic strain of avian flu. Maryland has taken no similar measures. The state's action has deflated piles of children in 4-H programs who had spent months of labor and much hard-earned pocket money to turn their charges from scrawny chicks into proud models of purebred excellence. Exhibits and auctions at the fairs were to be the culmination of all that effort. Japan, Russia, Cuba, Taiwan and Hong Kong have banned Virginia poultry imports, however. And until the state gives the all clear, 4-H members and younger Cloverbuds in Fauquier and Loudoun have opted to replace bird shows and live auctions at their fairs with, respectively, a showmanship contest featuring stuffed chickens and a rubber duck regatta. "We really do need to sell them. We spent a lot," said Allison Hinke, 16, who, together with her siblings Brandon and Carol, both 14, built summer and winter huts in their home near Leesburg for their first poultry club batch of eight chickens. A goat that Allison was planning to show at the fair died July 5, so the chickens were her last hope. (VA) |
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The Curonian Spit stretches from the Sambian Peninsula on the south to its northern tip next to a narrow strait, across from which is the port city of Klaip?da on the mainland of Lithuania. The northern 52 km long stretch of the Curonian Spit peninsula belongs to Lithuania, while the rest is part of the Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia (see the map). The width of the spit varies from a minimum of 400 m in Russia (near the village of Lesnoye) to a maximum of 3,800 m in Lithuania (just north of Nida). Thursday, July 19, 2007 KLAIPEDA - Cormorants have started dying on a large scale along the Kaliningrad section of the Curonian spit, it has been reported, sparking fears of an avian influenza outbreak. According to the Vakaru Eskpresas newspaper in Klaipeda locals fear that if 'bird flu' is confirmed as the cause, it could quickly spread into Lithuania. Russian authorities in Kaliningrad stated this week that the sudden bird deaths will be investigated and that samples will be taken for analysis. Ornithologist at the Curonian Spit National Park, Gediminas Grazulevicius, said that as yet there are no signs of an outbreak on the Lithuanian side of the border. "This is the first I have heard of it," he said, "Maybe these were young birds that just started dying from hunger. Everything is normal on our side. If they did die from bird flu then it is very bad because sick birds could reach Lithuania as well. Our birds also fly to Russia." Specialist of the State Public Health Service, Bronius Morkunas, was doubtful about the claims that bird flu was the cause of the deaths. "Usually swans, ducks, and chickens catch bird flu, but not cormorants," he said. Even though no cases of bird flu have been registered in Lithuania, veterinarians warn that the threat is real because of the numerous migration paths across the country. |
Thursday July 19, 2007 6:44 pm Operation Sick Chicken - Communication main problem of multi-agency event. (NV) Avian flu drill reveals glitches - NVThe agencies involved were the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services; Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital; Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee; Miner's Clinic, formerly in Nevada City; the Nevada County Sheriff's Office; local fire departments and paramedics; churches; schools; the American Red Cross and volunteers. Drill participants had to declare a state of emergency, distribute anti-viral medication to caregivers, close every school in Nevada County, quarantine neighborhoods and establish a command center. Bird virus a 'significant threat' Communication started to break down between the command center set up at the Rood Center in Nevada City and the Public Health Department in Grass Valley, and between public health agencies in Truckee and Grass Valley during the drill, Iser said. How to plan for a pandemic: To limit the spread of germs and prevent infection: |
Bird flu batters the south; pig disease continues to spreadFri Jul 20 12:01 AM Viet Nam News DONG THAP - Bird flu has hit the southern province of Dong Thap for the second time this year, according to Viet Nam's Animal Health Department. The province, which was declared free of the virus several weeks ago, reported fresh outbreaks in Tan Hoi Trung Commune in Cao Lanh District, said department officials yesterday. Tests confirmed the deadly H5N1 strain was responsible for killing 120 chickens on four farms. Local veterinarians have slaughtered the remaining 280 birds and disinfected the sites. Officials were worried because these chickens were already vaccinated against the virus, said provincial authorities. They are currently conducting an investigation to find out whether the birds were given a faulty vaccine or were perhaps missed. Another commune in the northern province of Dien Bien also reported a new outbreak of bird flu on Monday, despite the fact the area was not considered a high-risk region, said Hoang Van Nam, deputy head of the department. Bird flu was responsible for the deaths of 120 ducks in Noong Het Commune, located in Dien Bien District. The remaining ducks were slaughtered and the farm was sprayed to prevent the virus' return, said department officials. With fresh outbreaks in Dong Thap, the number of bird flu-infected provinces remains at six, with Nghe An Province the latest removed from the list. In addition, Bac Giang, Thai Binh and Ca Mau Provinces are also well on their way to clearing their names as they approach the 21-day period without a fresh occurrence of the virus. At a meeting with the National Steering Committee for Avian Flu Control and Prevention on Tuesday in Ha Noi, delegates discussed the importance of vaccinating all poultry. (Vietnam) |
Fri Jul 20 12:31 AM Quang Nam People's Committee has forbidden any pig killing within the province since the afternoon of July 16, as late as yesterday afternoon, pork was still being sold freely in many markets in the Da Nang city area. (VIETNAM) Pig breeders in central provinces ignoring banIn many areas in Quang Nam province these days, local people are trying to sell pigs despite the ban and warnings from local authorities. A pig breeder in Thang Binh District, for instance, said she wanted to sell as many of them as possible now that the epidemic had spread there. Another pig breeder here said for the past 5 days pig breeders had been killing pigs secretly and travelling to remote villages to sell them. And on many roads, pig sellers have been racing their motorbikes to transport pigs from diseased quarters to scattered slaughterhouses. Asked whether he was afraid of being caught, a pig seller grinned, "It isn't easy to catch us. Inspection people only work during the day, and pig sellers have countless ways to bypass them." And though the Quang Nam People's Committee has forbidden any pig killing within the province since the afternoon of July 16, as late as yesterday afternoon, pork was still being sold freely in many markets in the Da Nang city area. According to Chairman of the Hoi An commune People's Committee Le Van Giang, the disease has spread to only a few small areas in the commmune and local authorities are doing all that they can to prevent it from spreading wider such as inspecting pigs before sending them to slaughterhouses or markets. |
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Jul 19, 2007 (CIDRAP News) - In an update on the nation's pandemic preparedness efforts, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) yesterday said it had stockpiled enough H5N1 avian influenza vaccine to protect about 6 million people and that federal and state supplies contain enough antiviral medication to treat more than 48 million. (PANDEMIC) HHS updates pandemic stockpile totals and planning effortsVaccine developments HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said in the report that the department has stockpiled 12 million doses of the H5N1 vaccine that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April as the first human avian flu vaccine. The two-dose schedule for the vaccine, which is based on a clade 1 virus isolated from a Vietnamese patient in 2004, would allow vaccination of 6 million people. "If H5N1 or a similar pandemic virus reached the United States, this vaccine could help protect those who would be at the highest risk of exposure to the virus in the early critical months of a pandemic," Leavitt said in the report. Over the next 5 years the HHS investments in vaccine capacity will produce enough to cover every US resident within 6 months of the appearance of a pandemic virus, Leavitt said. "More funding will follow in the near future to help build US factories that will produce cell-based influenza vaccine," he said in the update. For antivirals, the HHS has said its goal is to stockpile enough to treat 81 million people: 50 million from the HHS and 31 from state supplies. Leavitt said the HHS has 36 million treatment courses on hand. He said nearly all states have enrolled in a federally subsidized program to purchase their own antiviral supplies, and purchases so far total 12 million treatment courses. |
July 20, 2007 Even with a market cap of under $250 million, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has a varied drug pipeline that just might be worth a look. Of particular interest is a compound that you might say is for the birds.(VACCINES) Peramivir, a treatment for influenza, has taken on phoenix-like characteristics after fears of bird flu arose last year. In June 2002, the company had announced that a phase 3 study of peramivir as an oral drug failed to reach its primary endpoint, and in its 10-K filing that year, BioCryst disclosed that it had terminated its development efforts on the compound. But it turned out that peramivir was also a pretty powerful inhibitor of bird flu. A 2001 study had revealed that peramivir was found to be more potent than GlaxoSmithKline's or Roche's Tamiflu against a range of avian influenza strains in cellular assays. In the case of a virus capable of becoming resistant, having more than one type of drug available may be beneficial. And sure enough, the chemical structure of peramivir is substantially different from those of Relenza or Tamiflu. So with bird-flu fears fresh on everyone's minds, the Department of Health and Human Services back in January awarded BioCryst a $102.6 million four-year contract to develop the drug. Two phase 3 studies are planned. To be clear, there is a substantial difference between activity in cellular assays and activity in animals. In short, metabolism can be tough. Peramivir was shown to be comparable to Relenza and Tamiflu against H5N1 avian flu in mice, but the initial clinical development of the drug involved oral administration. The current development, in contrast, is focused on intramuscular delivery, and the results of a phase 1 study, announced on June 18, showed that the drug was bioavaliable. So it could well be that the drug works but that it's degraded in the stomach. The intramuscular administration gets around that problem. |
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Sat July 21, 2007 Meet the woman whose job it is to worry about absolutely everything. Relax. A bird-flu pandemic may get you first. Has she privately stockpiled Tamiflu, the drug to lessen the flu virus, to save her family? "No," she said. "I wouldn't go against our own guidelines. We have a normal first-aid kit at home." But one of the first measures that Professor Troop would put in place during a pandemic is "home quarantine". This requires those with the disease stay at home with their families. She hopes they will comply. "We haven't had an equivalent scenario with a massive disease right across the country," she said. "We really just don't know exactly how it's going to pan out." (PANDEMIC) Meet the woman whose job it is to worry about absolutely everythingJust when you thought it was safe to go out hands scrubbed, festooned in condoms, vaccinated up to the eyeballs, choosing a nice lull between the threat of death by bird flu or polonium poisoning - stop! A new health scare has arrived. "As you go to build on that brownfield land, you start finding things in the soil," Pat Troop, chief executive of the Health Protection Agency, said. "And our knowledge of the effects of chemicals on health is very limited." She has funded a toxicology unit in Newcastle upon Tyne to begin studies, but the task is mammoth. Not only must they look at the effects from contaminated land, but also from the everyday chemicals that we come into contact with, from cleaning products to make-up. And the results may not be known for many decades. |
Sat 07/21/2007 08:08:34 AM PDT A member of a family came down with H5N1 avian influenza, What if that happened to your neighbor? Would you more likely go to visit them, shake their hands, eat their food, and invite them into your home? Or would you more likely keep as far away as possible and consider putting your house up for sale? (CA) |
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Sat 21 Jul 2007 10:01:10 GMT Environment and Water Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Kindi had issued the ban to prevent the spread of the deadly virus to animals or humans in the Gulf Arab country. (United Arab Emirates) |
Sat July 21, 2007 16:08 PM Cuba has trained personnel to face an avian flu epidemic such as the one affecting many countries in southeast Asia. (CUBA) |
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Sunday, July 22, 2007 Passengers are not allowed to bring in any fresh fruits and vegetables that could harbor pests or diseases. Meats are allowed in only if they are from U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved facilities. (FL)
Importing trouble: Agriculture inspectors look high, low to keep pesky pests out of U.S. - FL
"We target 100 percent of all cargo entering the United States for various threats and violations of laws, regulations and rules," Mann said. "This includes food-related violations, pest, disease, drugs, guns, human health and safety, plant and animal health or anything else that may cross the border and negatively impact our domestic industries." That's life on the front lines of the battle to keep America safe from hazardous imports - from food to furniture, and even people. Zachary Mann, a customs special agent based in Miami, says his agency's mission is to protect Americans from "thugs, drugs and bugs." And South Florida is one of the most important battlegrounds in that fight. Fully 69 percent of all perishable imports - fruits, vegetables, seafood and flowers - coming into the country by plane come into Miami's airport. In 2006, that amounted to close to 419,000 tons of stuff. |
AFP/File - Sun Jul 22, 5:44 PM ET Chicken sit in a farm near Jamasa city, 170 kms north of Cairo, Egypt, April 2007. A 25-year-old woman from northern Egypt has been diagnosed as having contracted the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, the health ministry announced on Sunday.(AFP/File/Khaled Desouki) (EGYPT) Egyptian woman diagnosed with bird flu |
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Mon, 23 Jul 2007 2:10 AM PDT The veterinary network at the commune and ward level is indispensable in fighting avian influenza outbreaks, according to the chief technical advisor for bird flu control project organised by the French non-profit organisation Agronomes & Veterinaires Sans Frontieres (Agronomists and Veterinarians without Borders). (VIETNAM) Veterinarians find themselves on front line in battle against bird fluThis network reports bird flu cases to a higher level for immediate action and helps deal with infected poultry or waterfowl. The French group has found that of Vietnam's 40,000 para-professional veterinarians working in communes and wards, about half have a degree in agriculture, livestock or veterinary medicine while the rest have undergone only brief training courses. |
Mon, 23 Jul 2007 5:15 AM PDT Two people have died in northern Vietnam from a pig disease while another virus has been killing thousands of pigs in recent weeks in the central region, government and media reports said on Monday. (VIETNAM) |
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Tue Jul 24, 2:56 PM ET Speaking to journalists at United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Unocha), Nyikal said the country was fully prepared to cope with an outbreak. (AFRICA) (UNOCHA) |
Reuters - Wed Jul 25, 9:04 AM ET Leo Lin (L), Deputy Attache of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (US ICE), and Ben Leung, senior superintendent of Hong Kong Customs Drug Investigation Bureau (CDIB), speak from behind a photograph of fake pills during a news conference in Hong Kong, in this file photo from September 22, 2006. Chinese police have seized more than a tonne of fake drugs for impotence, bird flu and malaria, state media reported Wednesday. (Paul Yeung/Reuters) (CHINA) |
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Reuters - Wed Jul 25, 9:44 AM ET A chicken is seen at a poultry market in the northeastern Indian city of Siliguri July 25, 2007. India declared a fresh outbreak of avian influenza among poultry, the first this year, but a senior official said on Wednesday authorities were yet to confirm if it was the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri (INDIA) |
Wed, 25 Jul 2007 10:03 AM PDT In a study published in PLoS Computational Biology, the authors from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have used data from a small but well-defined study of H7N7 avian influenza virus transmission in human households to estimate this transmissibility in humans living in close contact. Science Daily (RESEARCH) How Would The Avian Influenza Virus Be Transmitted In Human Households? |
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AFP/File - Wed Jul 25, 1:08 PM ET An Indian farmer gives a bird flu vaccine to a hen at a home farm in the village of Lankamaura, on the outskirts of Agartala, in March 2007. India on Wednesday reported an outbreak of bird flu among poultry, the first since it declared itself free of the disease last August.(AFP/File/Parthajit Datta) (INDIA) |
AP - Thu Jul 26, 8:46 AM ET Health workers dump chickens and eggs into a sack for disposal in Imphal, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Thursday, July 26, 2007. Health workers went house-to-house searching for sick people Thursday, while workers also began slaughtering 150,000 chickens near a farm where a deadly bird flu virus was found, officials said. (AP Photo/K.Sharatchandra) (INDIA) |
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Wed, 25 Jul 2007 3:15 PM PDT (CIDRAP News) - World health experts have been working under a general assumption that a feared reassortment between human and avian influenza viruses, a scenario that could spark a pandemic, might only occur during a short winter interval, but researchers who recently examined virus circulation patterns warn that time frames for coinfection are wider and sometimes unpredictable. (RESEARCH) Researchers warn H5N1 reassortment can occur beyond winter monthsThough much is known about human influenza patterns in temperate zones such as the United States and Australia, little is known about the seasonality of influenza A infections in tropical and subtropical areas in Asia, where the H5N1 virus is more common, the authors write. Reviewing the timing of influenza A infections, as well as of H5N1 poultry outbreaks and human infections, could reveal useful information for epidemiologists and pandemic planners, they add. After comparing the data, they found that human H5N1 cases generally coincide with poultry infections, though human cases sometimes occur before or shortly after poultry outbreaks. A review of H5N1 isolates taken from aquatic and terrestrial poultry in mainland China from July 2000 to January 2004 showed that a greater percentage of birds were positive for the virus during winter months. Similarly, the researchers found that the presence of H5N1 in isolates from birds in live poultry markets in China showed a winter pattern, but a number of outbreaks extended into summer months, suggesting that risks are not confined to winter. |
Wed, Jul 25, 2007 - 07:01 PM (AP) - Alabama's health officer said a flu pandemic could kill 29,000 people in Alabama. (AL) Flu Pandemic Could Kill 29,000 In ALMONTGOMERY, Al (AP) - Alabama's health officer said a flu pandemic could kill 29,000 people in Alabama. Dr. Don Williamson made the comments at a news conference Tuesday that kicked off a mock disaster drill for regional first-responders in Montgomery. Williamson said a flu pandemic could infect 60 percent of the population and require the isolation of millions of Alabamians. Flu pandemic planning includes the stockpiling of 1 to 2 million doses of antivirus medicine that would minimize but not prevent the effects of a new type of influenza. One possible dilemma is who, after first responders, would get the medicine in a state with 4.5 million people. Williamson said a pandemic from a new strain of flu that is spread by human contact could require massive isolation that'd disrupt or cancel commerce, schools and leisure events. The state Department of Education distributed flu pandemic planning material in April. (PANDEMIC) |
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AFP - Fri Jul 27, 3:18 AM ET Indian experts remove poultry from a farm following an outbreak of bird flu near Imphal. Indian authorities continued to cull tens of thousands of chickens in the country's remote northeast after the government reported an outbreak of bird flu.(AFP) (INDIA) |
Reuters - Fri Jul 27, 4:19 AM ET A chicken is seen at a market in the northern Indian city of Allahabad July 27, 2007. India confirmed on Thursday that the latest outbreak of bird flu in poultry in the remote northeast was the H5N1 strain, the first case reported in the populous Asian nation in a year. REUTERS/Jitendra Prakash (INDIA) |
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Reuters - Sat Jul 28, 3:36 AM ET A rooster is seen at a market in the northern Indian city of Allahabad July 28, 2007. Hundreds of more poultry were culled in Manipur Saturday as authorities fearing spread of the avian influenza virus to humans intensified health surveillance and rushed in two respiratory ventilators from New Delhi. Special isolation wards have been opened at the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital and the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, besides some private hospitals, as a precautionary measure. (INDIA) |
Sat Jul 28, 3:50 AM ET A rooster is seen at a market in the northern Indian city of Allahabad July 28, 2007. As against 21 Rapid Response Teams deployed on Thursday, 32 teams were pressed into service on Friday. Red alert has been sounded in neighbouring Nagaland, Assam and Mizoram. Gargi (INDIA) |
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Sat Jul 28, 4:30 AM ET State Veterinarian Richard Wilkes canceled all shows, sales and exhibitions of live poultry statewide and placed restrictions on the movement of poultry litter in a 17-county area in the Shenandoah Valley through July 30, 2007. As of today, poultry house crustouts, cleanouts, litter movement and land application of litter may resume on farms outside the 2-mile protective zone around the affected flock. (VA) |
Sat Jul 28, 5:10 AM ET As hunters prepare for waterfowl and migratory game bird seasons, the Pennsylvania Game Commission urges hunters to review information posted on its website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) about avian influenza and wild birds. The information can be accessed by selecting "Avian Influenza" in the "Quick Clicks" box in the upper right corner of the agency's homepage. (PA) |
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Sat Jul 28, 7:30 AM ET Somerville holds a drill to test itself in case of pandemic, and gives out free tetanaus shots - MAIn the event of a medical emergency, it would appear that the city of Somerville is in good hands. On July 26, the city conducted a drill at the Winter Hill Community School to test their emergency response to a major medical crisis, billing it to the public as a free vaccination clinic, in which tetanus and pneumonia shots were dispensed free of charge. The drill functioned like a well-oiled machine after more than three months of planning, and more than 100 members of the Somerville community took advantage of the free vaccinations at the event. The clinic was equipped to dispense 200 vaccinations, far fewer than would be necessary in the event of an emergency. The scale of the event was not a question. Rather, the several organizations on the local and federal level involved in Friday's drill used the event to test the system's readiness. (PANDEMIC) |
Jul 28, 2007 (CIDRAP News) A recently published survey of Europeans and Asians showed that, when faced with an influenza pandemic, most would avoid mass transit and limit shopping to essentials, and many would avoid other public places, including restaurants, theaters, and the workplace. (PANDEMIC) People likely to alter lifestyles to cut risk in a pandemic, study findsThe study, published online Jul 20 in Emerging Infectious Diseases, found that "avoidance of public transportation was consistently reported across the region as the most likely precautionary behavior," with about 75% of respondents choosing that option. Reactions to other risk-avoidance measures varied by region. For example, 79% of Europeans would likely avoid places of entertainment such as cinemas, restaurants, and theaters, while only 33% of Asians said they would. And 52% of Asians said they would stay home from work, compared with 35% of Europeans. Survey specifics In late 2005, European researchers did telephone surveys in five European countries (Denmark, Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Poland) and three Asian regions (Singapore, Hong Kong, and Guangdong, China). They chose the Asian locales specifically because they had experienced outbreaks of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003, which may have influenced citizens' perception of what might be high-risk activities during a pandemic. |
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Sat Jul 28, 11:49 AM ET Sri Lanka temporarily banned imports of poultry products from India following reports of a bird flu outbreak in Manipur yesterday. The import of poultry products to Sri Lanka from the United States, UK and Australia was also banned earlier. "This restriction will stay until India gets the clearance from the IAHO (International Animal Health Organisation)," the Minister added. (INDIA) |
AFP/File - Sat Jul 28, 1:31 PM ET Chicken are kept in a cage at a poultry shop. Six people have been detained after trying to smuggle poultry out of a remote region in northeastern India where an outbreak of bird flu has been reported, police said on Saturday.(AFP/File/Samantha Sin) (INDIA) |
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Saturday, July 28, 2007 1:44 PM PDT Thirty Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) were deployed on Saturday for the culling of poultry chickens, ducks and domesticated pigeons in 28 villages in Manipur, where the outbreak of the Avian Influenza virus was confirmed earlier this week. (INDIA) |
The Telegraph - Jul 28 3:14 PM A member of the rapid response team of Manipur's veterinary department, which has been engaged in culling poultry since bird flu was detected in the state last week, died this morning after reportedly consuming formalin, a solution being used to spray burial sites of culled birds. (INDIA) "He was holding an 800ml bottle of formalin and spray equipment. The team went down with the items from the quarantine while the grade IV employee lagged behind. On being asked, he informed (the team members) that he had consumed formalin," an official statement said. Culling operations continued today, despite the incident. However, progress was slow. While 16,000 poultry were killed by 3.30pm yesterday, only 9,800 were killed by the same time today. (INDIA) |
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Sat, July 28, 2007 4:14 PM EDT For the past year, members of Mason County Emergency Medical Services, law enforcement agencies, the school system, church organizations, businesses and other community members have met at least once a month to discuss a plan for the county in case a pandemic, such as the avian flu or even any other natural disasters, occurs in Mason County. (WV) |
Sun, 29 Jul 2007 3:13 AM PDT "Homeland Security wanted people to work together … to be able to share resources and be a team if anything goes wrong," said Marcia Kittler, director of public relations for the Association of Contingency Planners' Northern Illinois chapter. (IL) |
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Sun, 29 Jul 2007 7:09 AM PDT Local Catholic schools getting ready for the return of students in September will include plans for dealing with a pandemic. The plan was built around the World Health Organization's global influenza preparedness plan and in collaboration with the Region of Peel's health department. (Canada) |
Sun, 29 Jul 2007 9:12 AM PDT Drama lessons in Georgia this summer will not only entertain, but inform children and young people about the risks of avian influenza. 'Edutainment' performances in eight areas seen as 'high risk' will demonstrate how to prevent the spread of the disease. The project is led by the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Women's Association 'Consent' and the NGO 'Atinati' with the support of UNICEF Georgia. (USA) |
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Sun, 29 Jul 2007 9:30 AM PDT Authorities in Manipur Sunday decided to send veterinary teams to cull poultry to localities unannounced to check smuggling of birds to evade the operations following the outbreak of the avian influenza. (INDIA) |
Sun, 29 Jul 2007 9:45 AM PDT The agricultural ministry will examine Monday a proposal to create special poultry farming zones so that the industry as a whole does not suffer when the birds are hit by diseases in a small isolated area. (INDIA) |
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Mon, 30 Jul 2007 4:19 AM PDT - Bangor Daily News Maine already is participating in a national program in which a select group of highly social birds Canada geese, Arctic terns and common eiders, among them are being rounded up and tested for the presence of H5N1. The tests are done without harming the birds. (ME) Scientist doubts efforts to detect avian flu in U.S. - MaineMaine and some other states also are testing select birds killed by hunters. Marra questioned the usefulness of tests on live birds, explaining that birds infected with H5N1 will either quickly die or develop antibodies to the virus. Instead, officials should be spending more time and money testing dead birds, he said. The potential for spreading avian flu is 15 times higher among poultry flocks than among wild birds, according to data presented by Marra. While the U.S. does not now allow importation of live poultry, both Canada and Mexico still do. The U.S. also imported 45,000 exotic birds for the pet trade last year, he said. Marra said scientists still do not understand the ecology of H5N1 as well as how the virus might spread through migratory birds. That's because, while the migratory patterns of some birds are well known, many others are still unclear, he said. The Smithsonian researcher also strongly criticized some countries' attempts to control the spread of the deadly avian flu virus by killing massive numbers of wild birds. "The culling of wild birds will never prevent the spread of H5N1," he said. Marra's presentation was one of about a dozen lectures or panel discussions held during the weekend as part of the Association of Field Ornithologists meeting. Of course, no gathering of leading authorities on all things bird-related would be complete without bird-watching expeditions. Dozens of attendees from throughout the U.S. hit such popular bird-watching spots as Machias Seal Island to see puffins, the Scarborough Marsh and the Orono Bog Boardwalk. The event's host was UMaine and it was co-sponsored by Maine Audubon and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. |
Mon, 30 Jul 2007 5:29 AM PDT The Allegany County Health Department and Western Maryland Health System are collaborating with other agencies in the county to participate in a state-wide pandemic influenza exercise Tuesday through Thursday. (MD) Agencies join in pandemic flu drill - MarylandThis pandemic flu exercise will involve federal, state and local agencies. Different regions across the state will exercise various portions of pandemic flu plans, with a local focus on antiviral distribution to the hospital staff. Other local agencies to participate include the Allegany County Sheriff's Office, Cumberland Police and Allegany County Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security. The exercise is based on a pretend pandemic flu scenario. The heath department's role is to practice requesting antiviral medications from the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, just as it would be done in a real-life situation. DHMH will then request these supplies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Strategic National Stockpile. The CDC will send pretend "medications" to the state. During this exercise, the state will test air transportation for delivering supplies by helicopter to Allegany County. These requested medications will go to the hospitals to treat healthcare workers, who would receive antivirals first in any situation because they are most at risk for becoming infected with the influenza virus and they also need to be well to care for the sick in the community. The WMHS will distribute the "antivirals" to its employees. The county will coordinate communication with the local hospitals and first-responders and will be partially activating its Emergency Operations Center. Law enforcement agencies will practice providing security and safety for the people transporting the antiviral medications once they arrive in Allegany County. The Brandenburg Center, Thomas B. Finan Center and the Potomac Center in Hagerstown will practice distributing antivirals to their staff members. When the drill is complete, the participants will discuss in a state-wide conference what went well and what went wrong. Local planners will then use this information to better protect the community. |
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Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:30 PM PDT Chickens are seen at a market in the northern Indian city of Allahabad July 27, 2007. The United Arab Emirates banned on Monday the import of all live birds and poultry products from India after an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus, the official WAM news agency reported. (INDIA) |
AP - Tue July 31, 5:36 AM ET Ducks and chickens are sold at Cho Hom Market in Hanoi, Vietnam, Tuesday, July 31, 2007. Bird flu has killed a pregnant woman in Vietnam, marking the country's third death this year as the virus continues to hit poultry farms, an official said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki) (VIETNAM) |
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Tue July 31, 09:33 AM ET Swans swim in a public garden in downtown Nantes, France. Two wild swans found dead in northeastern France at the weekend were carrying the H5N1 bird flu virus, the local veterinary service said, the second outbreak of the disease in the area this month. (FRANCE) |
Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:35 AM PDT Leavenworth County Health Department workers spoke to the Women's Division of the Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday about preparing for a flu pandemic that would paralyze the workforce. Savage said estimates on a flu pandemic would be a two-month duration per wave, with a 30 percent infection rate and 10 percent hospitalization rate. The mortality rate will be 2 percent. "It will tax the system and overwhelm hospitals," Savage said. - Leavenworth Times By RACHAEL BOSSOW, Times Staff Writer Speakers urge emergency preparedness - Kansas |
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Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:21 PM PDT If a pandemic flu ever strikes the country again, operators of the government's child care centers face a special challenge: coughing kids. For day care centers, flu risk is nothing to sneeze at"Children are excellent [virus] transmitters," said Don Wright, director of occupational medicine in the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. "They tend to have the poorest cough etiquette." Because of this, child care centers are at particular risk in a pandemic flu outbreak, Wright told day care operators at a conference last week. |
Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:50 PM PDT Acambis, a British biotechnology company, recently announced the launch of a phase 1 clinical trial of an influenza vaccine designed to provide a stable shield against seasonal and pandemic flu strains and eliminate the need to overhaul the flu vaccine each year Acambis launches human trial of 'universal' flu vaccineThe randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial will be conducted in the United States. Investigators will assess the vaccine's safety, tolerability, and ability to generate an immune response in up to 80 healthy volunteers between ages 18 and 40, the company said. |
