Tuyen Quang: appearance of avian influenza in 11 communes

4:55 PM, 12/09/2012(Chinhphu.vn) - Avian flu has appeared in 10 communes and towns of Son Duong district and impressive (Tuyen Quang TP), Tuyen Quang. Whole poultry must be destroyed more than 17,000 children.Shortly after the discovery of bird flu, Tuyen Quang province has established Steering Committee animal disease prevention, poultry supply, guidance and direction in conducting destroy the whole disease in poultry regulations; sanitation and disinfection, disinfection of infected areas; inform the neighboring district to actively prevent.
Mr. Nguyen Van Cong, director of the provincial veterinary Tuyen Quang province, said: "Currently we are implementing urgent and drastic measures in response to the epidemic, organized destruction of all infected poultry and poultry around households if farming is empty, prohibit purchase, sale, transport, slaughter and eat sick poultry, mobilize people captive birds in cages, implement strict hygiene and disinfection disinfection. For where outbreaks have occurred disinfected every day. "
According to the Department of Animal Health (MARD), in addition to Tuyen Quang, the country was six provinces with avian influenza within 21 days of Ha Tinh, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Bac Kan, Quang Ngai and Peace.
Of the disease in poultry, cattle in general across the country in five provinces: Dak Lak, Nghe An, Cao Bang, Bac Can and Can Tho have PRRS less than 21 days.
* Before the diseases of cattle, poultry complicated, Hanoi has actively planning prevention; while additional funding over 11.5 billion for prevention and control of animal disease and poultry.Accordingly, nearly 2.65 billion to buy vaccines blue ear disease in pigs, 2.7 billion to buy vaccines and swine cholera, nearly 1.1 billion purchase H5N1 vaccine ...   http://baodientu.chinhphu.vn/Home/Tuyen-Quang-xuat-hien-dich-cum-gia-cam-tai-11-xa/20129/148616.vgp

Congo (DRC) continues the work of MSF to fight Ebola

Emergency team of Doctors Without Borders continues to fight the epidemic of Ebola in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where 14 people have already lost their lives

11/09/2012

Two people were admitted to hospital in Isiro, in the Eastern province of the DRC, the epicenter of the epidemic. The fact that they were confirmed new cases of Ebola in the last week suggests that the epidemic is far from being resolved.

"The last confirmed case was admitted to the treatment center on September 2," says Olimpia de la Rosa, MSF emergency coordinator. A zone can not be officially declared cured dall'Ebola until 42 days have elapsed from the last confirmed case. An MSF team of 80 people is working with the Congolese Ministry of Health and other organizations to take care of patients, to prevent the spread of the disease and carry out activities to promote health.

MSF staff is training Congolese health workers to detect signs of Ebola and begin to provide psychosocial support to help patients and their families. 
Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever that does not have a specific cure or a vaccine, with a mortality rate ranging from 25 to 80%, depending on the strain of infection.

At the end of July, it was announced an outbreak of a different strain of Ebola in western Uganda. Emergency response by MSF together with the Minister of Health in Uganda Kibaale district has been successful and is about to end, as there is no new cases reported since August 4.  http://www.medicisenzafrontiere.it/msfinforma/news.asp?id=2995&ref=listaHomepage

Ebola - 3 People In Hospital Isolation Isiro

An emergency team from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continues to fight against the Ebola epidemic raging in the Eastern Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has already been 15 victims. In a press release received yesterday Monday, September 10 at the newspaper Le Phare, the leaders of this humanitarian organization emphasize that three people are still in hospital isolation Isiro in the Eastern Province, which is the epicenter of the epidemic. "The last confirmed case was admitted to the treatment center on September 2," said Olimpia de la Rosa, MSF emergency coordinator.

The fact that there has been no new confirmed cases of Ebola virus last week suggests that the epidemic is far from over. Indeed, an area may be declared officially free of Ebola than 42 days after the last case was confirmed. 
An MSF team of 80 people working in collaboration with the Congolese Ministry of Health and other organizations to take patient care, to the active case finding and contact tracing, preventing the spread of the disease and conduct activities to promote health...

http://www.lecongolais.cd/ebola-3-personnes-en-isolation-a-lhopital-disiro/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ebola-3-personnes-en-isolation-a-lhopital-disiro

Bird flu spreads in Vietnam

Tuesday, 09/11/2012 06:24

Department of Animal Health (MARD) on 10.9 said, adding a new bird flu outbreak in Luong Son district, Hoa Binh province, the disease caused 1,140 birds and 848 dead birds.

Thus, the avian flu is present in six provinces: Ha Tinh, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Bac Quang Ngai and Peace. According to the Department of Animal Health, the epidemic is spreading rapidly, while the number of vaccine reserves were used up should be conducted with the minimum number of vaccine reserves are about 1 million doses  http://laodong.com.vn/Xa-hoi/Dich-cum-gia-cam-lay-lan-rong/83039.bld

Minnesota boy recovers from swine flu; fourth case linked to State Fair

09/10/2012 06:10:20 PM CDT

A fourth flu illness has been linked to pig exposure at the Minnesota State Fair, health officials said Monday, Sept. 10.

The teenage boy from greater Minnesota was exhibiting swine at the Fair on Aug. 24-26 and came down with flu symptoms two days later, said Buddy Ferguson, a health department spokesman.

The boy was not hospitalized and is recovering, Ferguson said.

Preliminary test results show the boy was sickened with H1N2 variant, a form of flu found in pigs that previously sickened three others who had prolonged pig exposure during the Fair.

"There was at least one pig (at the Fair) who was positive for H1N2v," Ferguson said. "Genetically, it was a match for the strain we were seeing in human patients."

Infection with H1N2 is not considered unusual in pigs, but it is rare in humans. The strain is distinct from the H3N2 variant strain that has caused more than 200 illnesses in humans this year and prompted stepped up surveillance and prevention efforts across the country.

Later this week, health officials expect final confirmation on the viral strain in the fourth flu case from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_21510106/minnesota-boy-recovers-from-swine-flu-fourth-case

New swine flu virus could infect people

Strains in Korean pigs potentially transmissible to humans

By Tina Hesman Saey

Web edition : 5:11 pm

  Text Size

Just a few genetic tweaks could turn an influenza virus found in pigs into the next pandemic threat in people.
At least one virus isolated from pigs in Korea may already have potential to cause disease in people, researchers report online September 10 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The virus caused severe flu in ferrets, a favored proxy for humans in flu research, and grew in human lung tissue in the lab.
“That makes it a bit scary,” says study coauthor Robert Webster, a virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. So far, the virus has not been found in people, but “if it is in the pig, beware,” he says.
Pigs are known to be genetic mixing vessels where influenza viruses from birds, humans and pigs swap genes. The resulting viruses, called triple reassortants, are a concern because adaptations arising in pigs may help the viruses spread in humans. A triple reassortant virus that originated in pigs caused the 2009 H1N1 pandemic (SN Online: 4/27/09).
Similar triple reassortant viruses have been found among Korean pig herds, so Webster and colleagues studied several strains for their pandemic potential. Only one, known as A/Swine/Korea/1204/2009 or Sw/1204 (H1N2), made ferrets sick. That virus carries mutations in genes that help flu viruses break into and slip out of host cells. One of the mutations alters a spiky protein on the virus’s surface known as hemagglutinin. The protein helps flu viruses grab onto and invade cells in the digestive tract of birds and the respiratory system in pigs and people.
The other mutation changes a flu virus p..  http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/344748/title/New_swine_flu_virus_could_infect_people

29,000 possibly exposed to hantavirus

29,000 possibly exposed to virus

Written by Alexander MacLean, The Union Democrat September 10, 2012 08:36 am

The most recent person killed by the rare hantavirus pulmonary syndrome was part of a growing group of Yosemite National Park visitors all believed to have been infected around the same time in June while staying in a specific style of cabin in a popular lodging area, park officials confirmed Friday. Additionally, Yosemite officials are now saying that about 29,000 visitors since the beginning of June could have been exposed to the virus. The victim, a tourist from Kanawha County, West Virginia, stayed in a “signature tent cabin” in Curry Village sometime in mid-June like those in all but one of the eight other hantavirus cases linked to the park this summer, according to Yosemite spokeswoman Kari Cobb. She said the West Virginia victim died in late-July, but the death wasn’t officially confirmed as hantavirus and linked to the park until Thursday morning. “That person died but they weren’t sure why, so they went back and did testing and confirmed it as hantavirus. That’s why we found out about it so late,” Cobb said. The two other fatal cases, a 36-year-old Alameda County man who died July 31 and a 45-year-old man from Pennsylvania who died Aug. 12, are both linked to stays in Curry Village’s signature tent cabins sometime in June as well. Officials are withholding the age, gender and date of death of the third victim at the request of family members.  The names of all eight people infected this summer have also not been released.  Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome begin with fever and aches similar to the flu, but can move on to respiratory problems that can result in.. http://www.uniondemocrat.com/News/Local-News/29000-possibly-exposed-to-virus

Vietnam News in brief on 11.9

According to the DPC Na Ri (Bac), these days the poultry in areas Khuoi America, Huu Waterfall ruffled feathers, diarrhea, then many children died very quickly, suspected H5N1 infection, local government destroyed the entire 400 birds, take samples for testing, localized outbreaks, chemical spray disinfection cages and surrounding areas.  http://www.nhandan.com.vn/cmlink/nhandandientu/thoisu/doi-song/i-s-ng-tin-chung/kh-n-tr-ng-kh-c-ph-c-h-u-qu-m-a-l-n-nh-i-s-ng-va-s-n-xu-t-cho-ng-i-dan-1.366947

* Department of Animal Health (MARD) confirmed bird flu recurrence in Hoa Binh province, nearly 2,000 children get sick and die; services are in Ha Tinh, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Bac Kan, Quang Ngai and Peace.  http://www.thanhnien.com.vn/pages/20120911/tin-van-ngay-11-9.aspx

Researchers find powerful swine flu strain in Korea

September 10, 2012 

While unlikely to spread to humans, scientists call for close global surveillance of pigs

.A new report shows that a deadly swine flu virus can infect ferrets, highlighting the importance of continuous surveillance of emerging flu strains.

Scientists in South Korea, working closely with researchers in the United States, found that a particular flu strain, common among pigs and known as Sw/1204, caused death within 10 days of inoculation in ferrets. The virus is also transmittable by respiratory droplets, through coughing or sneezing, making it potentially highly contagious. Ferrets are considered the best animal model for studying the flu because they're susceptible to the same virus strains as are humans and show similar symptoms.
 Should people start to worry?
 "This is not a run-for-the-hills situation," explained study co-author Richard Webby, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis. "The study adds value to our surveillance and helps us better prioritize our control measures." Swine flu, endemic among pigs worldwide, can be transferred between pigs, birds and humans. Pigs are considered "genetic mixing vessels," which means they're great at brewing new and potentially dangerous viruses. The study authors say the findings show the pandemic potential of the TRSw influenza viruses that the researchers isolated from Korean pig slaughterhouses. TRSw viruses are Korean "triple-reassortant swine" H1N2 and H3N2, genetically related to strains seen in North America. "Triple" viruses, first detected in 1998 in the United States, were found to have genetic segments from swine, human and bird viruses. Sw/1204 is one of these "triple" viruses....

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-powerful-swine-flu-strain-korea.html#jCp

New Swine Flu Virus Shows Lethal Signs

Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer

Date: 10 September 2012 Time: 03:00 PM 

ETAn influenza virus isolated from Korean pigs is deadly and transmissible by air in ferrets, which are used as stand-ins for humans when studying the disease.

This particular virus is likely not a grave threat to humans, said study researcher Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. However, the findings do highlight the need to understand more about theviruses circulating among pigs, Webby said.

"We've identified a couple of mutations that seem to be important for swine viruses and potentially increase their risk to humans," Webby told LiveScience. "The more of those type markers we can find, the better our surveillance and the more informative our surveillance can be." Virulent flu

Pigs can be infected by swine flu, human flu and avian flu, making them a perfect mixing pot for different versions of the virus to swap genes and potentially become transmissible across species. In 2009, an outbreak of swine flu caused by the H1N1 virus led to a pandemic, killing between 151,700 and 575,400 people across the globe in a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About half of these deaths occurred in Southeast Asia and Africa.

Webby and his colleagues collaborated with Korean researchers to assess the public health risk from pigs there. They isolated swine flu viruses from swine abattoirs and infected ferrets with the viruses. Ferrets are used to test flu transmissibility because they're about as susceptible to the disease as humans and have similar immune responses and respiratory systems, Webby said.   

Three of the viruses found in the dead swine caused disease, the researchers report online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Only one, however, was highly lethal and transmissible by respiratory droplet, meaning that other ferrets could contract the disease just by contacting airborne fluids coughed or sneezed by an infected ferret.

This virulent strain, H1N2, caused classic flu symptoms in the ferrets, from sneezing and labored breathing to weight loss and high fever. All three ferrets inoculated with the disease died or were euthanized humanely within 10 days. Three more ferrets were exposed to the sick animals (before they died); two of them contracted the flu. One died, and the other had to be euthanized because its illness was so severe.

"This one particular virus was a little bit unexpected," Webby said. "It actually caused quite severe disease and actually transmitted quite freely."

Monitoring viruses

An investigation of the lethal H1N2 strain revealed changes in two proteins, HA225G and NA315N, which seemed linked to the increased virulence. The proteins are involved in binding the virus to its target cells and in releasing it from the ....hanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writerhttp://www.livescience.com/23061-new-swine-flu-virus-lethal.html

Date: 10 September 2012 Time: 03:00 PM ET

HOW SWINE FLU CAN BECOME PANDEMIC

Scientists learn how a random mutation could transform the virus into an infecting machine.

By Emily Sohn 

Mon Sep 10, 2012 03:00 PM ET

A new influenza virus that can spread from pigs to people has put some public health officials and state-fair goers on edge this season, even though the virus so far has not posed a major threat.

The fear is that a random mutation could turn the virus into an infecting machine, leading to another swine flu pandemic, like the 2009 H1N1 outbreak that may have killed more than half a million people around the world in its first year of circulation.

A new study illustrates one way that the next flu pandemic might begin. Focusing on a variant of swine flu circulating in Korea, researchers discovered a gene mutation that makes the virus especially virulent.

NEWS: What To Expect From The Flu This Fall

It's not this particular virus that should cause concern at this point. Instead, the research represents an incremental step towards understanding what it is that turns a mild virus into a devastating one. By compiling a more complete library of such mutations, the hope is to better predict which animal viruses we should be most worried about and better prevent major outbreaks.

"This is not: Oh my gosh, we've got to run for the hills, this virus is coming," said Richard Webby, an influenza virologist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, and one of the new study's authors. "We really want to be able to try to assign some sort of risk to viruses we find in animal populations, and to know which out of a huge diversity of viruses we in human health should be concerned about. It's very hard to do that at this stage."

WATCH VIDEO: Viruses And Germs

Influenza viruses are constantly moving targets, said Daniel Perez, a virologist who works with influenza at the University of Maryland, College Park. Regularly and without warning, this group of viruses acquire new mutations that affect how they behave.

To better understand what makes s... 

http://news.discovery.com/human/swine-flu-pandemic-mutation-120910.html

U.S. government takes threat of bird flu pandemic seriously; spends $25 billion for medical countermeasures

By John Keller

Posted by John Keller

Evidently the U.S. government is taking the threat of a global bird flu pandemic very seriously, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded five contracts collectively worth as much as $25.36 billion for medical countermeasures to the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

There is ample reason to take the threat of an H5N1 bird flu pandemic seriously, too. Over the last decade there have been 608 confirmed cases of H5N1 in humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. Of those, 359 died; that's nearly a 70 percent mortality rate.

Of those confirmed cases of H5N1 and their resulting deaths, most have been in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Egypt. No cases have been reported in the U.S. -- yet.

...U.S. health officials are determined to blunt the effects of any potential H5N1 avian influenza pandemic, which could overload hospitals, threaten children and the elderly the most, and could threaten the working of the military and government agencies if large numbers of employees were to be incapacitated by the virus.

To keep any potential H5N1 bird flu pandemic in check, HHS officials on 4 Sept. awarded contracts potentially worth $9 billion to Novartis Vaccines and Diagonostics Inc. in Boston; $8.2 billion to MedImmune LLC in Gaithersburg, Md.; $4.7 billion to Sanofi Pasteur Inc. in Swiftwater, Pa.; $2 billion to GlaxoSmithKline LLC in Philadelphia; and $1.5 billion to CSL Biotherapies Inc. in King of Prussia, Pa....

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/blogs/aerospace-defense-blog/2012/09/u-s-government-takes-threat-of-bird-flu-pandemic-seriously-spends-25-billion-for-medical-counterm.html

Study Links Flu Epidemic with Flu Vaccination

Mon, 09/10/2012
Findings in a recent study suspect that the 2009 flu endemic in Canada could have been due to flu shot. Study researchers, led by Vancouver's Dr. Danuta Skowronski, an influenza expert at the B. C. Centre for Disease Control, asserted that initially believed reason for the epidemic could possibly be true.

The researchers compared the sufferers of the outbreak with the data revealing the people, who were vaccinated against flu for 2008-09 winter. It was discovered that those of who received the flu shot accounted for the majority of the people infected.

So far five different studies have been done in several regions, which provided with similar results. However, the initial study, just afte..
[link to topnews.us]

Vancouver researcher finds flu shot is linked to H1N1 illness

Effect initially dismissed as a "Canadian problem"

By Helen Branswell, The Canadian Press
September 10, 2012 5:28 AM
A strange vaccine-related phenomenon spotted in Canada at the start of the 2009 flu pandemic may well have been real, a new study suggests.

Researchers, led by Vancouver's Dr. Danuta Skowronski, an influenza expert at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, noticed in the early weeks of the pandemic that people who got a flu shot for the 2008-09 winter seemed to be more likely to get infected with the pandemic virus than people who hadn't received a flu shot.

Five studies done in several provinces showed the same unsettling results. But initially research outside Canada did not, and the effect was dismissed as a "Canadian problem," a problem with the flu vaccine used in Canada.

But a new study suggests the findings were real.




Read more: [link to www.vancouversun.com] 

Flu shots, 2009 pandemic more closely tied than first thought

Vaccine-related phenomenon during pandemic once deemed a 'Canadian problem'
The Canadian Press Posted: Sep 10, 2012 8:11 AM ET

A strange vaccine-related phenomenon spotted at the start of the 2009 flu pandemic may well have been real, a new study suggests.

Canadian researchers noticed in the early weeks of the pandemic that people who got a flu shot for the 2008-2009 winter seemed to be more likely to get infected with the pandemic virus than people who hadn't received a flu shot.

Five studies done in several provinces showed the same puzzling and unsettling results. But initially, research outside Canada did not, and the effect was dismissed as "the Canadian problem."

News of the unexpected findings broke at a time when countries in North America and parts of Europe were getting ready to start vaccinating their populations against the pandemic virus.

Some jurisdictions were also trying to figure out whether to offer the seasonal flu vaccine they had purchased — similar to the 2008-2009 shot — along with the pandemic vaccine, in case the seasonal flu viruses continued to circulate. Quebec opted not to offer the seasonal vaccine because of the concerns raised by the studies.

New Canadian research
Many people in the flu research and public health communities found the whole event unhelpful, and many rejected the.. [link to www.cbc.ca] 

Warning widened after third Yosmite death

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

NEW YORK] US public health officials were expanding their warning to include more than 22,000 visitors to Yosemite National Park after the death of a third person exposed to the deadly mouse-borne hantavirus.

The latest victim, a West Virginia man, visited Yosemite in July. His death was confirmed on Thursday.

So far, eight people who visited the 1,100-square- mile park in California this summer have been infected. Three have died, while the five others are recovering, park officials said in a statement. Of the confirmed cases, six people are from California, one from Pennsylvania and one from West Virginia, according to the National Park Service.

Investigators initially focused their attention on cabins in the park's Curry Village sections, where seven of those infected had stayed before falling ill. They sent emails and letters to more than 10,000 guests who stayed or had reservations in the cabins from June 10 through September.

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/premium/world/warning-widened-after-third-yosmite-death-20120910?

Beware the deadly new influenza virus

As reported by the Ministry of Health, avian influenza occurred in many areas and the risk of spread is huge.virus was identified epidemiological experts strongly virulent, capable of causing death high. Avian influenza complicated statistics of the Ministry of Health shows flu cases, up to 23/8, in 2012 the country has recorded four cases of influenza A/H5N1, in which two people died.epidemiological experts said the disease is further complicated and the risk of spread in the May 9 and 10.According to information from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development , the avian H5N1 virus appeared in July and 8/2012, spread rapidly from the north to the central region. Pathogenic viruses have strong, highly lethal. Especially in the current context, the virus has a number of changes, so the response of vaccines, especially strains of avian influenza virus in North immune response to with lower vaccine, less than before. Therefore, the risk of an epidemic is likely to spread more

.Currently, as reported by the National Steering Committee for Disease Control and Prevention, there were seven provinces: Ha Tinh and Hai Phong, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Bac Kan, Quang Ngai, Thanh Hoa avian less than 21 days

.

Avian infect humans via inhalation 

Nguyen Van Binh, director of the Preventive Medicine Department (Ministry of Health), said the flu A/H5N1 have been in Vietnam since 2003. Fact that, over the years, Vietnam has many cases.Refers to how the transmission from poultry to humans, Binh said: "Actually it's the flu in poultry, but the flu virus it can spread to humans through the respiratory tract. " Mr. Binh analysis, many cases of this disease by inhaling the bacteria from the feces of birds flu illness. The poultry disease if not controlled in time it will penetrate the bacterial habitat, from the environmental bacteria continue to spread. So when people inhale the pathogenic bacteria that will spread the disease immediately. To prevent, director of the Preventive Medicine Department advised people to see bird flu, it must notify animal health agencies, the local authorities so that they take measures to handle. In particular, people should not be exposed, transport and slaughter was ill. In the case of forced exposure to sick poultry, the people must take measures to protect yourself as wearing masks, goggles, gloves, personal protective clothing to prevent infection. /.07.09.2012 |http://www.vietnamplus.vn/Home/Canh-giac-voi-virus-cum-gia-cam-moi-gay-chet-nguoi/20129/157669.vnplus

 

New avian influenza virus "high risk to humans"

A- A A +

National Steering Committee for bird flu announced a virulent H5N1 bird flu virus, appear and spread quickly in the north and central regions, which may cause death. This information caused public panic, especially when its spreading mechanism remains unclear.

Purchasing habits, such slaughter is easily made A/H5N1 flu spreads.

"There can spread because smuggled chicken"

Talking with PV , Hoang Van Nam, Director of Animal Health (MARD) said the new H5N1 virus appears but still attached branches 2.3.2.1 but there are differences with the virus 2.3.2.1 (both groups A, B) to cause disease in Vietnam in 2011. This group of viruses capable of causing bird flu continues to spread in the future is very high.

The Central Veterinary Diagnostic Center adds new virus group appear from May 7 to May 8, spread rapidly and widely throughout all the provinces from the North Central Region. However, this new virus is relatively close to the group A. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked scientists directly under the rapid implementation of the experiment, testing to see if vaccine avian influenza are being used effectively with team new virus or not to have a plan processing.

According to Nguyen Thanh Son (Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry), the more likely this virus comes from China, spreading from waste chicken smuggled sugar in Vietnam. Mr. Son commented: "Until now, smuggled chickens go to where the virus in poultry go there. This is incalculable dangers for people and animals."

Before this situation, the Market Management Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) was planned, organized reconnaissance routes for birds smuggled from the border, the recruiter, to the place of consumption. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Diep Kinh Tan also asked DLP closely examine the same chicken smuggled from China, because of the possibility of spread of chickens is much larger compared to broilers. "New bird flu virus is spreading fast, highly lethal, this is what the Government was worried" Qin deputy said.

Very high risk of transmission to humans

Talking with PV who reported , Duc Trong Nguyen (Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry), said the risk of a new avian influenza virus spread to humans is very high, though no one now confirm 100% it will infect humans.

According to him, not simply to be able to identify the mechanisms spread of the H5N1 virus, especially in the type varieties. In many cases, patients infected with influenza A/H5N1 may be due to multiple infections, which means that the body has with a number of other diseases that decrease the immune system, and then infected with the H5N1 virus should quickly lead to death. In the case of multiple infections, due to our long-standing focus and attributed the cause of death due to bird flu virus should not only plausible "culprit".

"In our country, the people exposed to poultry as a matter of course. Therefore, to hear of new avian influenza viruses are highly toxic, the public is confused, worried. Farmers fear of exposure with poultry likely infected should affect the livestock industry, "Mr Key said. Also according to weight, more notably, the type H5N1 virus has appeared in our country is most similar to the type virus present in China. 

Meanwhile, the smuggled birds, especially chickens and chicken waste from China still occur every day, times the number of smuggled poultry on our country up to a few hundred thousand per week should risk epidemics is very high. Moreover, when this virus in Vietnam, it can be combined with other strains produce other varieties, and this process takes place constantly, making it difficult for disease prevention.

As recommended by the Department of Livestock, to prevent possible epidemics, people need to make the process of biosafety at the stages as: Just clean, food, sanitation, industry, veterinary and vaccination vaccine . http://www.xaluan.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=467224

Dong Nai province is still at high risk of influenza A/H5N1

Last updated at 22:12, Friday, 09/07/2012 (GMT +7)

(SE) - According to the provincial preventive medicine center, since in the countries of the influenza A (2004), Dong Nai has not recorded any cases of A/H5N1 flu. However, according to Dong Nai province is still at high risk because of the country's largest poultry, Dong Nai further also the gateway to Ho Chi Minh City and has many industrial areas. Difficulties of Dong Nai for flu is clinging irregular and difficult to inter-sectoral coordination. Prevention only get attention when the epidemic emerged.

http://www.baodongnai.com.vn/tintuc/201209/dong-Nai-van-la-tinh-co-nguy-co-cao-ve-cum-aH5N1-2184738/

AVIAN INFLUENZA (52): VIET NAM ex CHINA : Viet Nam, H5N1 virus evolution

Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2012
From: Anton van Engelen


Avian influenza (51): Viet Nam, H5N1 virus evolution
-----------------------------------
Further to your moderator's query ["The term 'China's disqualified chickens' is in need of clarification"]:

"Disqualified chickens" are spent hens/culled layers, which come in large numbers across the border, because they fetch higher prices in Vietnam than in China: Vietnam is still largely a live bird market, whereas the Chinese have gone much further in the processing, where it is harder to get rid of spent hens. When I was in Vietnam in June there was an estimate of about 50 000 live birds coming into the country per day illegally. 

--
Communicated by:
Anton van Engelen, 
Freelance livestock consultant

Hantavirus fears force quarantine of Houston home

Published September 09, 2012

FoxNews.com

A Houston home has been quarantined after a woman developed the potentially deadly hantavirus while helping to clean the residence, MyFoxHouston.com reports.

After the woman tested positive for the disease, the home – which was reportedly filled with debris and rodent urine and feces -- was quarantined and a sheriff's deputy stationed at the address to make sure nobody goes in, according to the station.

The home has been quarantined for more than 24 hours.

"This part. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/09/hantavirus-fears-force-quarantine-houston-home/?

Ebola outbreak kills 15 in eastern Congo, better education needed to curb spread of virus

Sunday, September 9, 1:06 PM

GOMA, Congo — An outbreak of the Ebola virus has killed 15 people in northeastern Congo and the local communities are quickly learning how frighteningly deadly the disease is, and how to prevent its spread.

“Ebola entered my house and I did not know what it was,” said Gabriel Libina Alandato, who survived the hemorrhagic fever. “My three daughters and their mother died in August, but it is only when I was taken to the quarantine center that I learned about the disease.”

Health officials say the population lacks knowledge of Ebola and must learn that the tradition of washing of corpses before funerals spreads the epidemic.

Although it is the ninth Ebola epidemic in Congo, it is the first one in the Haut-Uélé territory, in northeastern Congo. Ebola has no cure and is deadly in 40 percent to 90 percent of cases. The disease causes severe internal bleeding.

Initially restricted to Isiro, a city north in Haut-Uélé, the Ebola outbreak has now spread to Viadana, a town located 75 kilometers (47 miles) away. According to local medical staff, the virus was transmitted to a woman from Viadana when she attended the funeral of an Ebola victim in Isiro. She then travelled back to Viadana where she contaminated several people and died herself.

“A lady participated in a funeral and was contaminated. A second quarantine center was open in Viadana to isolate people who might have been contaminated,” said Dr. Jacques Gumbaluka, the district’s chief doctor. Three people have already died in Viadana, he said.

The washing and displaying of bodies during funerals, a widespread tradition, is intended to show love and respect for the deceased. But the practice facilitates the propagation of the epidemic as dozens of people come in close contact with victims of the deadly virus.

“The cases that have been identified are linked to certain practices like self-medication or the washing of the corpses and their exposition during funerals. People want to touch and see the body, it’s the tradition everywhere in Africa,” said Faïda Kanyombe, who is responsible for health promotion at Doctors without Borders in the province.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/ebola-outbreak-in-eastern-congo-kills-15-better-education-is-needed-to-curb-spread-of-virus/2012/09/09/752149fa-fa9c-11e1-a65a-d6e62f9f2a5a_story.html

Ebola virus spreads in eastern Congo

GOMA, Congo -- Officials in eastern Congo say the Ebola epidemic has spread to a second center after a woman was contaminated during the funeral of a victim of the disease and travelled back to her home. The health officials say 15 people have died since the beginning of the epidemic.

Congolese authorities are warning the population of the risks linked to the washing and displaying of dead bodies, a tradition that is widespread in Africa. The practice facilitates the spread of the deadly hemorrhagic fever. Around 170 people are currently under surveillance after they came into contact with infected patients.  http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/08/4799918/ebola-virus-spreads-in-eastern.html

DRC: Government gives food to the families of victims of Ebola Isiro

DRC: Government gives food to the families of victims of Ebola Isiro

Last update September 7, 2012 at 8:20
The Minister of Social Affairs and Humanitarian Actions presented this Friday, September 7 families of victims of the Ebola outbreak in Isiro food and non-food items.  The donation consists mainly of rice, beans, vegetable oil, salt, soap, mattresses, cups, buckets, spades and machetes.
 The minister also handed out school kits to students whose parents have died of Ebola. It also gave the coordination team and the medical team an envelope of 5000 U.S. dollars.
. For their part, leaders of civil society calls on the government "not only limited to symbolic gestures but to act up to the problems on the ground".  The Ebola epidemic broke out in the DRC since last July.. It has already killed fourteen people.  http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=fr&tl=en&u=http://radiookapi.net/sante/2012/09/07/rdc-le-gouvernement-donne-des-vivres-aux-familles-de-victimes-debola-isiro/&usg=ALkJrhh-UbyQAEyb3QcQyumuQgS30Aepqw

Canberra doctor fighting deadly ebola

Date

September 9, 2012

Kamalini Lokuge, wearing the hat, with other Médecins Sans Frontières volunteers and a family in Uganda who lost 11 members to the deadly virus.

CANBERRA doctor Kamalini Lokuge has returned home from Uganda where she has been helping fight one of the world's most feared diseases, ebola virus.
The deadly virus killed three health care workers as well as seven locals in the Democratic Republic of Congo in August and according to Doctors Without Borders the Ugandan outbreak was confirmed after 16 people had already died.
It was the third time Dr Lokuge had dropped everything at the Australian National University, where she works as an epidemiologist, to help Doctors without Borders provide life-saving medical care in the desperately poor African country.
''One of the younger women is the head of three households - 11 people in that family had died - she is a very strong women who is carrying on despite such a big loss,'' Dr Lokuge said.


Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/canberra-doctor-fighting-deadly-ebola-20120908-25lcn.html#ixzz25sx7SnIg

At least 20 million birds culled epidemic in Mexico

Mexico, Sep 7 (Prensa Latina) About 20 million birds were culled on farms in the state of Jalisco, because of an outbreak of avian influenza A H7N3-, stands today the Mexican press.   Agriculture Secretary Francisco Mayorga, reported that for that reason the losses of producers rises about four thousand 600 million pesos (just over $ 350 million). explained that even though it's been 14 days without clinical cases, there is any possibility that they may present a resurgence of the disease. far been implemented over 120 million vaccines.Secretary added that in late November should be fully restored next flock of birds as well as levels of egg production. epidemic was reported the day 19 of last June in that state, the largest egg producer in the country. The outbreak caused an acute shortage of this staple of the national diet, whose prices reached multiply.  http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=542506&Itemid=1

Pakistan-Infected Australian sheep pose epidemic threat’

Infected Australian sheep pose epidemic threat’

 Shahid Husain

Saturday, September 08, 2012 

Karachi

The twenty two thousand Australian sheep suffering from a scabby mouth disease could transmit the contagious disease to humans, leading to an epidemic, if immediate measures to eradicate it were not adopted.

In a letter sent to the Chief Secretary Raja Mohammad Abbas, Adviser to the Chief Minister Sindh for Relief Haleem Adil Sheikh has written: “I would like to invite your kind attention towards the reports circulating in the electronic and print media about the arrival of 22, 000 Australian infected sheep at the Karachi Port. Reportedly, the ship which carried the sheep had Middle Eastern countries as their destination. But their authorities did not allow these sheep to be unloaded in their countries. Reportedly, Bahrain had shown concern about the discovery of the infection in the sheep.

However, these allegedly infected sheep have been unloaded at Port Qasim Karachi and handed over to an unknown buyer.”

“These sheep are infected by a scabby mouth disease which can be spread to humans as well as livestock. Hence, their sale in the market and subsequent slaughter would result in an outbreak of epidemic diseases. Under the section-4(i) of the Sindh National Calamities (prevention & relief) Act-1958, it is the responsibility of the Relief Department to take all measures for the prevention, checking and control of the spread/outbreak of epidemic/diseases in the province to save the people and livestock. We, therefore, have to take such immediate steps to ensure that these sheep are not slaughtered and their meat is not sold in the market until proper and complete investigation in connection to their health condition is made by the livestock and concerned authorities.”

“It would therefore be appreciated if you can kindly ban the sale of the diseased sheep before a proper investigation. Further steps should be taken to keep the cattle farm of these sheep sealed till their health condition is confirmed by an expert team of animal husbandry and other professionals. Before proper investigation, their sale in the market would be dangerous for our people and livestock and their export on the other hand will shame Pakistan in the eyes of the outside world.”  http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-130651-Infected-Australian-sheep-pose-epidemic-threat

What’s Going on With Yosemite and Hantavirus?

Yosemite is synonymous with stunning natural settings and a chance to get away from it all. But in the past few weeks, Yosemite has attracted unwanted attention after a Hantavirus outbreak in the park. 

Yosemite's Curry Village, where several people who were infected with hantavirus stayed.

So far, eight Yosemite visitors are confirmed to have contracted the virus, with three dead of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome—a variation of Hantavirus that’s not communicable between humans, but which can be transmitted to humans through contact with excrement, saliva, or urine from infected mice. The National Park Service, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are aggressively trying to contact people who recently visited Yosemite and could be at risk. 

Authorities initially focussed on 91 tent cabins in a specific area of the park, which had approximately 10,000 visitors between June and August and is where most of the people who are known to have contracted the virus stayed. But after a man who visited a different area of the park at a higher elevation tested positive for the virus this week, the investigation was widened and another 12,000 people were added to the list of those at risk, upping the total to 22,000. 

Brian Amman is an ecologist with the CDC who studies virus outbreaks and has been working the phone hotlines talking to people who might have been exposed to the virus. Although only a tiny fraction of those people are likely to be infected, panic is inevitable. "You feel bad for a lot of them, because they’re scared, and rightfully so," Amman says. 

The Syndrome

The most common form of the hantavirus found in the U.S. is the Sin nombre virus, carried in deer mice, a small mouse with a range that stretches across much of the United States. Although the syndrome associated with the hantavirus is exceedingly rare in the U.S. (only about 600 cases have been documented here), it has a fatality rate of close to 40 percent. 

Once a person becomes infected through contact with the urine, saliva, or feces of an in... http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/med-tech/whats-going-on-with-yosemite-and-hantavirus-12479810?click=pm_latest

Yet another pig flu virus infects people

Y

By Maggie Fox, NBC News 

There’s yet another pig flu virus to watch out for.

Federal health officials say this one has made three people in Minnesota sick. Like the other unusual flu strains reported this year, this strain, called H1N2v, has only been found in people who had close contact with pigs at a state fair, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.

It’s becoming clear that pigs and people can pass influenza viruses back and forth. Health experts are watching the new strains closely because they can mutate and mix with one another to create even newer strains. The worry is the new strains will spread and cause flu pandemics, similar to the global outbreak of H1N1 swine flu virus in 2009. 

So far, the three new variants identified this year --  H3n2v (the little v stands for “variant”), H1N1v and now H1N2v – don’t spread easily from person to person. Almost everyone infected has been close to pigs. One person has died from the new H3N2v virus, but everyone else has recovered. H1N2v was reported twice  before in humans, in one person in 2007 in Michigan and in one person in Minnesota in 2011.

“This virus is different from the H3N2v virus that, as of today, is reported to have caused 296 human infections across 10 U.S. states since July 2012. These additional human infections underscore the fact that swine influenza viruses can spread to people after close contact with infected pigs, and support the importance of ongoing surveillance for both human and swine influenza viruses,” the CDC says in a statement on its website...

http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/07/13732924-yet-another-pig-flu-virus-infects-people?lite