Treyfish's H5N1 Pandemic Information News

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07/10/2012 6:06 PM
MANILA, Philippines - The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH) reported today that the disease that struck and killed Cambodian children in the last few months was of the encephalitis type and not the hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) they earlier reported.
The health agencies maintained, however, that the new strain discovered is linked to the Enterovirus-71 (EV-71), which causes different diseases of varying intensities.
EV-71 may also cause HFMD as well as acute respiratory disease, acute flaccid paralysis (polio-like), and the deadly brainstem encephalitis...
...It also urged parents and day-care personnel to clean and disinfect toys and teaching tools that are easily shared with other children.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/10/12/cambodian-infection-encephalitis-type-not-hfmd

Undiagnosed illness in Cambodia - update

9 July 2012 -As part of the continuing investigations into the undiagnosed illness, the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia is finalizing the review of all suspected hospitalised cases. This final review added an additional two cases between April to 5 July 2012, making the total number of children affected to be 59. Of these, 52 have died.
The age of the cases range ...

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_07_09/en/index.html

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Cause of lethal children's disease still contested

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

Xiaoqing Pi

A Cambodian woman (L) pulling a child on a gurney at Kantha Bopha children's hospital in Phnom Penh. Medical experts are scrambling to respond to what the Cambodian health ministry and World Health Organization have labelled an "undiagnosed syndrome" that has claimed the lives of at least 56 boys and girls, mostly toddlers, since April. Photograph: AFP Photo / Khem Sovannara

While virologists may have identified a common infection in the mystery illness that has taken the lives of dozens of Cambodian children since April, the actual cause of the deaths is still a matter of conjecture.

The two sides racing to find the cause of the deaths and a possible cure for the illness that has plagued the Kingdom are at odds over almost everything to do with the case.

Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospitals, which first identified that an unusual syndrome was striking down children, alerted the Ministry of Health in June of their concerns about a possible “new deadly illness”.

Kantha Bopha says it has identified 66 cases of the mystery illness in its hospitals, 64 of the cases were fatal.

However, the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, which is assisting the ministry’s investigations, yesterday put the number at 59 cases with 52 deaths across Cambodia – a pared down number from the initial media reports from the WHO of 60 deaths.

A joint press release from the MoH and the WHO said that their investigations were not finalised, but officials believed that the deaths were caused by severe cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, a common disease in children and infants.

Symptoms of the HFMD include fever, painful sores in the mouth and a rash with blisters on hands, feet and buttocks, said the press release.

The unknown disease, however, presents the symptoms of deadly respiratory destruction and neurological affliction, as both Kantha Bopha and the MoH and WHO have reported.

Kantha Bopha officials yesterday said they remained suspicious of the information published by MoH and WHO.

Dr Denis Laurent, assistant to Kantha Bopha Hospitals founder Dr Beat Richner, said yesterday that 64 children died of the disease in their hospitals alone.

“It’s up to you to choose,” said Dr Laurent of the discrepancy in numbers. “You can believe in the MoH, or you can believe in us.”

Richner remained concerned that the children’s deaths were caused by maltreatment and drug intoxication in private clinics. http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012071057324/National-news/lethal-childrens-disease-still-contested.html

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Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer
Jul 9, 2012 (CIDRAP New) – Lab analysis in the mysterious recent illnesses and deaths of dozens of Cambodian children pointed to enterovirus 71 (EV-71), a virus that causes hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) and can lead to severe complications in some patients, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today.

Cambodia's health ministry is finalizing its review of all suspected hospitalized cases, which included two additional cases, raising the total to 59 infections, 52 of them fatal, according to the WHO. However, hospital sources said the number of children with severe infections is somewhat higher.

Dr. Beat Richner, founder and head of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospitals, which has five facilities in Cambodia, said yesterday in a statement that 66 children have been admitted to the hospitals with the same symptoms and clinical findings, and only two patients have survived.

The WHO and local health officials are exploring other factors that might be contributing to the serious and fatal complications in some of the patients. The WHO said lab tests conducted by Cambodia's Pasteur Institute have turned up other pathogens, including dengue virus and Streptococcus suis. Tests have ruled out H5N1 and other influenza viruses, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), and Nipah virus.

The Pasteur Institute tested 24 samples, and EV-71 was found in 15 of them, according to a report today from the Phnom Penh Post.

Richner said the children suffered from encephalitis, with the condition progressing to total destruction of lung alveoli during the last hours of the children's lives. He said in the statement that he and his team wrote a letter to the health ministry on Jun 20 describing the clinical picture of the cases and suggested that the condition might be caused by an enterovirus infection, intoxication from a medication given before hospitalization, or both. He said all 64 of the children who died at Kantha Bopha hospitals had been previously treated at outside private clinics.

The WHO, the Pasteur Institute, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are assisting Cambodia's health ministry with the outbreak investigation.

H.E. Mam BunHeng, the country's health minister..

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/other/news/jul0912cambodia-br.html

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Jabs hope after deaths

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

An experimental vaccine for Enterovirus 71 - linked to the mystery disease that has killed 52 children in Cambodia since April - is undergoing clinical trials in the mainland and Taiwan.

The vaccine is likely to be on the market sooner than any drugs, said virology professor Malik Peiris at the University of Hong Kong School of Public Health.
The Cambodian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization announced yesterday in Phnom Penh that laboratory results of all hospitalized cases from April to last Thursday revealed "a significant portion of the samples tested positive for EV71, which causes hand, foot and mouth disease."

The children range from three months to 11 years old, with a 1.3:1 male to female ratio.
Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection has told doctors to remain vigilant of "febrile patients returning from Cambodia with respiratory and/or neurological symptoms."
Peiris said the virus does not have to be some "new mutant strain because we know EV71 can cause this type of problem." In 1998, about 200 children died during an outbreak in Taiwan, he said.
Sufferers develop brain stem encephalitis and respiratory distress within hours.
Meanwhile, 15 Hongkongers, among a 32-member tour group to Cambodia last month, have been diagnosed with bacterial dysentery after complaining of fever, diarrhea and vomiting. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=124187&sid=36977414&con_type=1&d_str=20120710&fc=2

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An illness that quickly turns deadly is claiming the lives of young patients in Cambodia. Doctors at the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital who regularly treat conditions like Dengue fever, malaria and tuberculosis say they've never seen anything like it.

A World Health Organization representative says many of the children died within 24 hours of being admitted to the hospital. The sickness begins with a mild fever and then rapidly impairs the body. The speed of deterioration and other symptoms are baffling to medical experts.
An enterovirus associated with hand foot and mouth disease has been linked to some of the patients, but that's only one small clue and doctors aren't sure what it means. While parents try to maintain hope, medical experts are working to uncover a pattern and find more pieces to the puzzle.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta traveled to Cambodia and was granted access to the intensive care unit. Watch his report to learn more at 8 and 10 p.m ET on AC360. http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/09/tonight-on-ac360-mystery-illness-kills-children-in-cambodia/

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..
Vorn Pov

Among the dead was Vorn Pov, whom his father said was 12 years old. In Cambodia, it’s common to add a year when counting ages. Vorn Pov died on June 23, about a week after he first became sick. His father, Khuth Vorn, 53, lives in a wooden thatched roof house next to lush green rice fields in Prey Veng province, southeast of Phnom Penh near the border with Vietnam.

When Vorn Pov first got sick, Khuth Vorn took him to a local clinic, where he stayed for three days. He was transferred to a private clinic in Prey Veng provincial town for four days when his condition worsened, after which he was taken to the Kantha Bopha hospital, Khuth Vorn said. His son arrived at 5 p.m. and was pronounced dead four hours later.

“The doctors said his lungs had burned,” Khuth Vorn said, sitting shirtless at a stone table as half-a-dozen barefooted small children played around him in dirt littered with plastic bags, empty soda bottles and discarded cigarette packages. “My wife was sobbing. We felt helpless.”

Provincial and district officials visited him yesterday to find out more details about his son’s illness, he said.

Iceberg Effect

“If EV-71 is the explanation, what very likely occurred is a massive outbreak of hand, mouth and foot disease, which might not have hit the radar because it’s generally a mild disease and lasts for a few days,” said Peiris.

Peiris explained that in epidemiology there is what is called the iceberg effect: where only a small percentage of the affected present as a serious disease. “What is different could be the host’s ability to combat the disease,” he said.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common infectious disease in infants and children, according to the joint release. It is spread from person to person by direct contact with nose or throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the feces of the infected, according to the release. http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2012/07...foot.html#more

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Scientists have identified a possible culprit in the mysterious syndrome that has killed dozens of children in Cambodia since April, the Cambodian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization announced on 8 July...
... They found strains of Streptococcus in throat samples from a number of patients but eliminated it as the cause of death after finding the same strains in samples from children with other symptoms.

Neighboring Vietnam has been badly hit by hand, foot, and mouth disease, so "we were expecting an outbreak sooner or later," Buchy says. But samples from victims did not initially test positive for Enterovirus 71. It was only after contacting scientists at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that the Pasteur team learned that the primers and probes they had designed for the virus in 2009 were out of date. Sequences of more recent Enterovirus 71 strains from Vietnam revealed that the virus had undergone significant genetic drift, Buchy says.

If Enterovirus 71 is indeed the culprit, one puzzling aspect may be the high number of fatal cases in a country of only 15 million people. Vietnam, which has a population roughly six times as large, confirmed only 20 deaths from hand, foot, and mouth disease between January and April of this year. In China, meanwhile, the health ministry announced last week that 240 people died of hand, foot, and mouth disease between January and May 2012. (The death toll has been higher this year than in years past, a ministry official told China Daily.)

While health officials have no idea how many people might be infected with hand, foot, and mouth disease in Cambodia, Buchy speculates that the population is largely naive to the virus and that "we may have a huge proportion of the child population that is not totally immune." Institut Pasteur scientists are now testing additional samples from the 24 patients and waiting for cell culture results. They will then start sequencing the Cambodian strain, Buchy says. Eventually, he says, they hope to determine "for how long and at which level the virus has been circulating" in Cambodia.http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/07/cambodian-killer-unmasked.html?rss=1

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health11 EV 71 virus can result in brain swelling and death Cambodian deaths tied to common child illness

PHNOM PENH: Mean Thida, 4, affected with mystery disease, sleeps beside her mother as she receives treatment via a bottle of serum, not in photo, at their home near a dump site at Sambour village, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, yesterday. A deadly form of a common childhood illness has been linked to many of the mysterious child deaths in Cambodia that caused alarm after a cause could not immediately be determined, health officials said yesterday.— AP

http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/07/09/ev-71-virus-can-result-in-brain-swelling-and-death-cambodian-deaths-tied-to-common-child-illness/

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English.news.cn 2012-07-09 19:16:57

July 9 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian Health Ministry is put under a heightened state of vigilance to monitor the recent development of a mysterious disease that reportedly has killed more than 50 children in Cambodia since April, local media reported on Monday. The Health Ministry's director general for disease control and environmental health, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, said that his ministry had been corresponding with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Cambodian Health Ministry to gather information about the disease's symptoms, and determine whether or not the disease might spread to other countries.
"Currently, the Cambodian Health Ministry and the WHO have yet to collect all the data. Therefore, we can only refer to the disease as an undiagnosed syndrome and a neuro-respiratory syndrome," Tjandra was quoted as saying by the Antara news agency...Even though the disease has claimed dozens of lives, the WHO has yet to issue a travel warning for Cambodia.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-07/09/c_131704362.htm

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Update on investigation of unknown disease in Cambodia

CAMBODIA, 8 July 2012 – The Cambodian Ministry of Health, in partnership with the World Health Organization and other partners, is currently conducting an active investigation of the undiagnosed syndrome that affected children in Cambodia. Based on the latest laboratory results, a significant proportion of the samples tested positive for Enterovirus 71 (EV-71), which causes hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). The EV-71 has been known to generally cause severe complications among some patients.

http://www.wpro.who.int/en/

http://www.wpro.who.int/CAM_mystery_8July.pdf
Some kids had strep suis and Dengue

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Ben Tre: Part pig "run" PRRS

Sunday, 08/07/2012 14:49 \

blue ear pig Lo spread, many pig farmers in Ben Tre province rushed to sell pork "non", despite heavy losses.

According to Ben Tre Veterinary Department, the three southern provinces as Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Bac Lieu has announced blue ear pig. This disease tends to spread and the annual peak in July, 8 calendar.
http://nld.com.vn/20120708023653586p0c1002/ben-tre-ban-heo-chay-dich-tai-xanh.htm

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Updated 10:52 PM Jul 08, 2012

SINGAPORE - Farms in Singapore are taking precaution against bird flu, after recent outbreaks in some parts of Asia.

They have increased the disinfection frequency to twice a week - from once every week.

At N & N Agriculture farm in Lim Chu Kang, vehicles have to be thoroughly sanitised before they can enter.

And they have to go through another round before they can enter the egg production area of the farm.

Apart from strict compliance with AVA guidelines, some farm owners have also gone the ...

http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore...ainst-bird-flu

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Public Health Ministry orders 4 mil Tamiflu in case of bird flu outbreak
Sunday, 08 July 2012

BAGKOK, 6 July 2012 -The Ministry of Public Health has reaffirmed that no outbreak of avian flu has been detected in Thailand, but to play it safe the ministry has ordered millions of doses of antiviral drugs of Tamiflu in case of emergency.

According to Department of Disease Control Director-General Dr. Pornthep Sririwanarangsan, the stocking up on Tamiflu is necessary because not only has the avian flu outbreak been reported in China, but also in Mexico.

Dr. Pornthep said even though Thailand has been free of such flu since 2007, the Ministry of Public Health is taking no chances. It has instructed public health volunteers across the country to monitor the poultry situation and notify authorities if the animals’ deaths are suspected to have been caused by H1N1.
He claimed that no dead poultry in Thailand have been found infected by the avian flu so far. He assured the public that since Thailand is an exporter of poultry, it is unlikely for the avian flu to enter the country.
However, 4 million Tamiflu tablets will be obtained to make sure people receive the medication immediately should they develop the H1N1 symptoms. Moreover, the quarantine zones along the Thai border have also been told to be extra cautious about all the birds imported into the country.

http://www.pattayamail.com/news/public-health-ministry-orders-4-mil-tamiflu-in-case-of-bird-flu-outbreak-14415

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Scientists identify illness that killed 64 children as Enterovirus 71, a strain of hand, foot and mouth disease.

Last Modified: 08 Jul 2012 12:07

Video

Scientists in Cambodia have said they have identified the mystery illness that has killed dozens of children in the past three months.

The Pasteur Institute in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, announced on Sunday that tests indicate the unknown sickness that has led to the deaths of 64 children and hospitalisation of 66 is the Enterovirus 71.

The virus is a strain of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) that is widespread in Asia, but not usually found in Cambodia.
HFMD is a human ailment caused by intestinal viruses, and not to be mistaken for foot-and-mouth disease, which only affects animals. Infected children generally suffer from high fever, rashes, respiratory and sometimes neurological problems.
In 64 of the 66 cases, the children's health deteriorated much faster than doctors expected. This is one of the reasons why the illness was difficult to identify, as the Enterovirus 71 usually does not lead to such quick deaths.

Paediatrician Beat Richner, founder of Kantha Bopha children's hospitals, was the first to raise concerns about the illness.
Richner said all the patients who died were treated in private clinics in local areas before being brought to the Kantha Bopha hospitals in the capital and the northwestern province of Siem Reap.
"They all got injections or infusions by private centres before coming to us," he said. "Some died four hours after arriving."

Faulty prescriptions?

Out of the 66 children hospitalised, the two patients that lived were treated only by Kantha Bopha staff, suggesting that botched medical treatment may be a factor.

"All these children have encephalitis [inflammation of the brain] and in the later hours of their life they develop a severe pneumonia with a destruction of the alveoli in the lungs. That is the reason they die," Richner said.

The alveoli, or air sacs, are pockets in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.

There is no known cure for the Enterovirus, but doctors recommend good hygiene especially for young children.

The UN health body and Cambodian officials have urged parents to bring their sick children to hospital if they see any signs of any unusual illness.

There have been no cases reported outside Cambodia so far.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/07/201278103438248264.html

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Hattip TETANO

(CNN) -- Health officials say they have made an important discovery in the mystery surrounding the deaths of more than 60 children in Cambodia.

The Institut Pasteur in Cambodia tested samples taken from 24 patients and found 15 had tested positive for Enterovirus Type 71.

"These results now give a good explanation to this outbreak," Dr. Philippe Buchy, head of the institute's virology unit, said in an e-mail. "We will get more results hopefully by next Tuesday or Wednesday."

In milder cases, EV71 can cause coldlike symptoms, diarrhea and sores on the hands, feet and mouth, according to the journal Genetic Vaccines and Therapy.

But more severe cases can cause fluid to accumulate on the brain, resulting in polio-like paralysis and death.
Deadly disease kills Cambodian children

There is no effective antiviral treatment for severe EV71 infections, and no vaccine is available.

Adults' well-developed immune systems usually can fend off the virus, but children are vulnerable to it, according to the CDC.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/08/wo...ldren-disease/

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Or anything else for that matter..

SECRETARY OF HEALTH, CHERTORISKI SOLOMON: Good afternoon everyone, I greet with respect to fellow media, I thank the Secretary Ferrari's invitation to be together, to comprehensively platicarles all sides of this issue we have As always busy.

I would start by saying that the Ministry of Health we have one of the expert groups for influence in the world, recognized worldwide as reiterated today headed by Dr. Pablo Kuri, three messages that I would very timely.
The first influence is a disease that affects several animal species including as we all know and have experienced the human being, yet each of these viruses is limited to the transmission within the same species. In this particular case the H7N3 virus is only transmitted between birds, I want it very clear that no virus among lizards, whales, horses and of course reiterated among humans, but the virus that we are living today in the country today, focusing on the state of Jalisco has no chance of being transmitted to humans. I say this with all punctuality, with precision throughout history has never been a case of transmission of this virus to humans and I think it is very important as we have been doing throughout the week to reiterate this message there is no risk of infection in humans. http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sagarpa.gob.mx%2Fsaladeprensa%2Fboletines2%2FPaginas%2Fdefault.aspx

..Chertorivski Solomon, owner of Health, noted that "there is no risk of human infection" by bird flu and if they even broke the cordon sanitaire and someone were to eat eggs or chicken infected, your health is no risk.
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2012/07/06/153333235-se-duplicara-cuarta-emergente-de-exportacion-de-huevo

Due to the outbreak of bird flu that has affected A7N3 thousands of birds in the municipalities of Tepatitlán Acatic and Jalisco, the State Government through the Ministry of Health reports that this virus is not transmissible to exotic beings human by any means.

Likewise, this office has ruled out the possibility of avian flu infection who consume eggs and poultry.

Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral disease caused by a virus Type "A" that affects several species of birds of all ages, as wild and domestic turkeys, chickens, ducks, water birds, the latter acting as potential carriers virus.

Dr. Jose Trevino Leo Cardenas Director of Prevention and Disease Control, reported that this disease is only transmitted between birds that have contact with infected feces, secretions, contaminated food and water or improper handling of dead birds.

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.masnoticias.net%2Fnote.cgi%3Fid%3D418307

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..The Cambodian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) said late Friday that the initial investigation results showed that 56 children had died of the undiagnosed disease in the last three months and an active investigation is still going on.
The death toll was lower than the 61 deaths announced on Wednesday.
"Preliminary findings identified a total of 74 cases who were hospitalized from April to 5 July 2012," said a joint statement of the ministry and the WHO....

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/health/2012-07/07/c_131700297.htm

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July 7, 2012 7:34am

Philippine authorities are now on alert for a mysterious respiratory disease that has so far killed at least 56 children in Cambodia.

The Bureau of Quarantine has intensified its medical inspection of passengers from Southeast Asia especially from Cambodia, radio dzBB reported Saturday....

“The DOH is now monitoring (the disease). Airports will screen inbound travelers as standard operating procedure,” he said.
So far, he said little is known of the disease other than that it “affects children, (and is) very fatal,” with its mode of transmission unknown, and causative organism unknown.

In other posts on his Twitter account, Tayag said symptoms of the disease include fever and respiratory and/or neurological symptoms followed by death within 24 hours.

Another sign of the disease includes an elevated white blood cell count, he added.

So far, he said none of the hospital staff who took care of the children with symptoms had gotten sick.

WHO: 74 cases identified, at least 56 fatal

The World Health Organization said the Cambodian Ministry of Health is actively investigating the syndrome.

It said preliminary findings identified 74 cases who were hospitalized from April to July 5...

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/264501/news/nation/phl-officials-on-alert-for-cambodia-respiratory-disease

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By Jason Gale - Jul 6, 2012 3:26 AM ET

Victims of a disease that’s killed dozens of children in Cambodia were from more than half the country’s provinces, a World Health Organization official said.
The first 57 patients were from 14 of Cambodia’s 24 provinces, with most coming from the southeastern provinces of Kampong Cham, Kampong Speu and Prey Veng, said Joy Rivaca Caminade, a technical officer with WHO’s Regional Office for the Western Pacific in Manila. The Ministry of Health was first alerted to the cases by Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital in the capital, Phnom Penh, Caminade said in an e-mail today.

Enlarge imageUnknown Disease Killing Children Across Cambodia, WHO Says

People wait with their children for free medical treatment at Kuntha Bopha Hospital in Phnom Penh. Photograph: Landov

People wait with their children for free medical treatment at Kuntha Bopha Hospital in Phnom Penh. Photograph: Landov

Health officials are searching for the cause of the deaths, which may be the result of a combination of different diseases, according to Caminade. Surveillance in the Southeast Asian nation hasn’t picked up anything of this scale in recent years, she said. So far, there is no evidence of clustering of cases that could indicate that it’s spreading from person to person.
The undiagnosed syndrome has been reported in 67 hospital patients since April, 66 of whom have died, said Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, a WHO spokeswoman, in a telephone interview fromPhnom Penh today. It’s unlikely influenza is the cause, she said.
No Autopsies

“No autopsy was done on any of the cases,” said Nima Asgari, the leader of the WHO’s emerging disease surveillance and response team in Cambodia.
Health officials are reviewing hospital records and treatments provided, as well as surveying relatives of patients, to understand the events that occurred from when the children fell ill to their hospitalization. The information is then being matched with laboratory data, he said.
“As you can imagine, this will take time and we are still at the data analysis part,” Asgari said in an e-mail today.

Children admitted to the hospital with symptoms including high fever, breathing difficulty and neurological problems saw their respiratory function worsen quickly, Caminade said yesterday. A review of 57 cases found 46 of them died within 24 hours of admission, with the rest suffering the same fate within three days, she said. The stricken children were aged three months to seven years.
The United Nations health agency is working with Cambodia’s health ministry and has offered support and access to international experts in areas such as epidemiology, she said. The WHO is on standby to provide support for clinical management and supplies of medicines if requested. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...-who-says.html

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July 5, 2012

The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department has shut down the Mong Kok Bird Garden for three weeks due to the detection of the H5N1 virus. It was found in a swab sample collected from a birdcage holding an Oriental magpie robin on June 25.

The department has closed the shop involved and sent its birds to the department's animal management centre in Sheung Shui to be put down. It has ordered all pet bird shop operators in the garden to thoroughly clean their stalls.

The Centre for Health Protection has put all stall operators and workers in the garden under medical surveillance. It has opened a hotline, 2125 1122, to provide health advice to the public.
Three hundred swab samples are collected per month from 39 pet bird stalls, including the 18 stalls in the Bird Garden, to test for avian flu viruses. More than 1,700 swab samples have been collected from stalls so far this year. Of the 3,200 samples tested last year, none were positive for avian influenza.

Meanwhile, a dead house crow found in Yau Yat Chuen on June 29 has tested positive for H5N1. Cleaning and disinfection in the area has been stepped up.

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July 5, 2012

JAKARTA - AFP: Directorate General of Disease Control and Environmental Health (P2PL) Ministry of Health to ensure the death of the girl residents Khanewal district, West Java, KK (8) is due to bird flu (H5N1). Director General Tjandra Yoga Aditama P2PL in Jakarta, Thursday ( 5/7), said the new cases of H5N1 have been confirmed by the Center for Basic Biomedical and Health Technology, Balitbangkes, Ministry of Health.
In chronological order, describing the case of KK Tjandra since June 18, 2012 from a fever. Then, on June 19 KK went on holiday to Singapore and the next day seeing the doctor and was diagnosed with strep throat. On June 24, KK returned to Jakarta in unsanitary conditions, so on June 25 went to Hospital B in Khanewal district with heat complaints over one week, vomiting, cough, no appetite. Of the RS, KK diagnosed febrile and impairment of consciousness and the images thorax there Duplex bronchopneumonia . On June 26 households forcibly asks to go home from the hospital, then went to the hospital's in West Jakarta. But the situation got worse, so ventilator and intointensive care unit (ICU). Two days later, on June 28, families are referred to the RSP with the diagnosis of suspected bird flu, and on June 29 the results of the sample by the Research and Development (BTDK) Positive H5N1. "Worse case condition and eventually died on July 3, 2012 at 22:45 pm," said Tjandra. local health office and home epidemiological investigation of cases, the environment, markets and hospitals where the case was referred to hospital were treated before referral FB (RSP) . "It was found possible risk factors is due to contact with poultry on June 12, is concerned to go to market with his father and brother, bought 5 chickens alive and voted to cut the chicken in poultry slaughterhouses. KK also hold the chicken is cut, "said Tjandra. In that incident, the cumulative number of bird flu in Indonesia since 2005 until today is 190 cases with 158 deaths. (Ant/OL-16)

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Friday, July 06, 2012

Excerpt:
Twenty-five stall owners and workers and 14 staff members from the department have been put under medical surveillance by the Centre for Health Protection.
Health and agriculture officials said the announcement of the infected tourist spot - the first in five years - was not delayed, even though droppings inside the cage of the magpie robin were collected on June 25.
Tests on the samples usually take weeks to complete, and the results from the department laboratory came out only yesterday morning.
So far this year 22 dead wild birds have been found to be infected, a five- year high.

University of Hong Kong scientists will genetically sequence the virus to see if it has not shifted from the dominant strain, clade 2.3.2.1, said HKU professor of virology and gene sequencing expert Guan Yi.

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Hong Kong Closes Bird Market Over Avian Flu Virus

Excerpt:
Hong Kong. Hong Kong on Thursday closed a popular tourist spot where hundreds of caged birds are on display after the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus was detected at one of the stalls.

The agriculture, fisheries and conservation department said it was closing the Yuen Po Street bird market in the city’s bustling Mongkok district for 21 days. There are about 70 bird stalls in the market.

The move came after the virus was found in a swab sample collected from a cage holding an oriental magpie robin during a routine avian influenza surveillance operation.

All the stall’s birds would be killed, the department said in a statement.

A spokeswoman told AFP they were still investigating the cause of the virus as the bird itself was not infected.

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Indonesia Ministry of Health Update: Bird Flu Case report 190

Laporan Kasus Flu Burung ke 190

July 5, 2012

Ministry of Health, "Directorate General of Disease Control and Environmental Health" announced one new case of H5N1 have been confirmed by the Center for Basic Biomedical and Health Technology, Balitbangkes. Case on behalf of the families (female, 8 years) who Falkirk District, West Java. On June 18, 2012 the case began to experience fever, June 19, the case went on holiday to Singapore and the next day for treatment didokter private practice, was diagnosed with strep throat. On June 24, returned to Jakarta. June 25, the case went to the hospital. Falkirk District B with a complaint over a week heat, vomiting, cough, no appetite and was diagnosed with febrile and impairment of consciousness and no radiographic results Duplex bronchopneumonia. June 26, forced to go home, then went to the hospital. S West Jakarta, the situation gets worse case then mounted ventilator and ICU admission, on June 28, referred to the RSP with the diagnosis of suspected bird flu, on June 29, the results of the sample by the Research and Development (BTDK) Positive H5N1.Kondisi case worsened and finally died world on July 3, 2012 at 22:45 pm.
Epidemiological investigations have been done to the house of the case, the environment, markets and hospitals where the case was referred to hospital were treated before referral FB (RSP). Acquired risk factors, namely the possibility of contact with poultry as before (date June 12) the case goes to market with his father and brother, bought 5 chickens living in which case the vote and cut the chicken in the poultry abattoir (TPU), the case also hold the chicken been deducted. Every day the case to the school through a new market Falkirk existing poultry seller.
With the increase of these cases, the cumulative number of bird flu in Indonesia since 2005 until this news was broadcast on 190 cases with 158 deaths.
Director General of Disease Control and Environmental Health Prof. dr. Tjandra Yoga Aditama as the focal point of the International Health Regulations (IHR) has been informed about the case to the WHO.
This information is published by the Center for Public Communication, Secretariat General of the Ministry of Health. For further information please contact via telephone: (021) 52907416-9, fax: (021) 52921669, Fast Response Response Centre (PTRC): 500-567 and 081 281 562 620 (sms), or e-mail kontak@depkes.go . id

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Given the low reported in egg consumption, the health secretary in Jalisco, Antonio Muñoz Serrano insists that the bird flu affected farms in Jalisco is not transmitted to humans. It tells people there is no risk from eating any animal protein, "That the virus survives at low temperatures and with increasing temperature either in the cooking food, or else to be outside the virus becomes dehydrated and dies ... ". Add that on farms in the Highlands of Jalisco was decreed a quarantine, so that no product from other sites will be in the market. http://www.notisistema.com/noticias/?p=510340

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SINGAPORE - The Health Ministry says it has been informed of a case of avian influenza A (H5N1) in an eight-year-old girl from Indonesia who had travelled to Singapore.

In a statement, the ministry said the girl developed fever in Singapore on June 18 and returned to Indonesia on June 24. She died on July 3 this year.

Singapore's Health Ministry is in close contact with the Indonesian health authorities and the World Health Organisation.
The Indonesian health authorities have reported that the girl had exposure to poultry while in Indonesia, a few days before her travel to Singapore. They are monitoring her close contacts, including family members. All contacts have remained well.

As a precautionary measure, Singapore's Health Ministry has alerted hospitals to the case and commenced contact tracing in Singapore.

The girl stayed at a hotel in Singapore with her mother and other relatives from 19 to 24 June 2012 on a vacation. She was brought to see a general practitioner for high fever on 22 June and was given treatment. Her relative who lives here and the general practitioner who treated the case are both well.http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120706-0000142/Indonesian-girl-who-travelled-to-Singapore-dies-from-avian-flu

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Mexico has spent a lot of time, telling me that their H7N3 Outbreak is
1-Under control
2-It will not effect exports
3-Humans can't catch it
4-Eat all chicken and products from them without worry

The Ministry of Health insisted that citizenship should be quiet, because the strain of the H7N3 virus is only transmitted between animals, but not to humans. http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldemexico/notas/n2605916.htm

State of Puebla called the people to be calm, because this strain is spread only among animals and fails to humans.
http://www.elgolfo.info/elgolfo/nota/121303-ssa-llama-a-la-tranquilidad-en-puebla-por-gripe-aviar/
I beg to differ

Influenza A virus subtype H7N3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_A_virus_subtype_H7N3

Zoonotic potential of highly pathogenic avian H7N3 influenza viruses from Pakistan
http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/19535120/reload=0;jsessionid=Ct905QPdCi3usLwwUqdd.0

Human Illness from Avian Influenza H7N3, British Columbia
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/12/04-0961_article.htm

The appearance of human infections caused by avian influenza A H7 subtype viruses underscores their pandemic potential and the need to develop vaccines to protect humans from viruses of this subtype
http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?query_id=1&page=0&osti_id=21141027

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Undiagnosed illness in Cambodia - update

6 July 2012 -The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia is conducting active investigation into the cause of a recent undiagnosed syndrome that has caused illness and deaths among children in the country.
Preliminary findings of the investigation identified a total of 74 cases who were hospitalised from April to 5 July 2012. Of these, 57 cases (including 56 deaths), presented a common syndrome of fever, respiratory and neurological signs, which is now the focus of the investigation.
The majority of the identified cases to date were under three years old. Most of them were from the southern and central parts of the country and received treatment at Kantha Bopha Children’s hospital, which is a reference paediatric hospital. Despite all efforts, many of the children died within 24 hours of admission.
Available samples have been tested at the Institut Pasteur in Cambodia. Although a causative agent remains to be formally identified, all these samples were found negative for H5N1 and other influenza viruses, SARS, and Nipah.
The Ministry of Health was first alerted to this by Kantha Bopha Children’s hospital in Phnom Penh, where the majority of the cases were hospitalised.
The Ministry of Health notified WHO about this event through the IHR notification mechanism as it met the criteria for notification of any event where the underlying agent or disease or mode of transmission is not formally identified.
WHO and partners are assisting the Ministry of Health with this event which focuses on hospitalised cases, early warning surveillance data, laboratory data and field investigations.
While this event is being actively investigated, the Government is also looking at other diseases occurring in the country, including dengue, hand-foot-mouth and Chikungunya.
Parents have been advised to take their children to hospital if they identify any signs of unusual illness. The Government is also reinforcing awareness of good hygiene practices to the public, which includes frequent washing of hands. http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_07_06a/en/index.html

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Hattip Pathfinder

Since April, Cambodia, on 64 infected children, only one girl survived this unknown disease. The Pasteur Institute, in collaboration with the Kantha Bopha Foundation, attempts to locate the origin of this pathology. A mysterious disease, hitherto unknown to researchers, has killed 63 children since April in central and southern Cambodia. 90% of them were under 5 years.

In collaboration with the Kantha Bopha Foundation, researchers at the Pasteur Institute are examining samples from the patients and try to find the origin of pathology.Which symptoms does one recognize this strange disease? Two recurring syndromes characterize it: infection encephalitis - affecting one part of the brain - and a lung infection.
"Usually, we get a lot of children in the hospital for dengue, pneumonia, encephalitis and meningitis, explains Denis Lawrence, a biologist for the Kantha Bopha Foundation. But since April 20, we were surprised by a very serious development of acute pneumonia. Children die very quickly, between 24 and 48 hours after arrival.

"Kantha Bopha FoundationThe Kantha Bopha foundation has existed since 1992 and is led by the Swiss pediatrician Beat Richner. It comprises five hospitals (three in Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and two). These establishments do not care for the children from poor families, free of charge. Its budget is fed mainly by private donations.

Nevertheless, the expert believes that there is no cause for alarm: no new cases have been recorded since the beginning and the risks of epidemics are lower.
In addition, doctors have "done a lot of samples that have helped to eliminate the origins of the most dangerous in terms of contagion," says Philippe Buchy, head of virology division at the Pasteur Institute. "This disease could simply be the most severe form of a common disease in Cambodia and in neighboring countries," said he

.Another avenue is explored: a link between a virus and a drug reaction or chemical. "All children who died had taken drugs prior to their arrival at the hospital. The girl who survived the disease had not received the other hand, says the biologist. There is a real problem of self-medication in Cambodia. more poor buy medicines, often counterfeit, without the original packaging and it is difficult for doctors to know what patients have ingested.

"WHO rushed"
The warning from the WHO [World Health Organization, ed] on this disease has caused some panic in Phnom Penh. People call us to know whether to leave the country. This announcement was made too early, we do not have enough information about the disease, "laments Denis Lawrence.
Researchers at the Pasteur Institute hope to receive conclusive results explaining the cause of the disease within a week and a half.http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/sci...e_1135343.html

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By Sheila Crisostomo July 07, 2012 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines has prepared plans for cases like the “mysterious” respiratory disease that had claimed the lives of 61 children in Cambodia, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.
“For cases like this, the DOH has prepared plans, and usually, the National Epidemiology Center is the responsible agency within the department while the Bureau of Quarantine increases its surveillance for such disease crossing the borders,” the DOH said in a statement...

“We are advising the public to understand the risk of travel to Cambodia and to withhold unnecessary travel to this country. People going to the area should practice necessary precautions,” the DOH noted...

..But DOH Undersecretary Dr. Ted Herbosa said there is no need yet to place in quarantine travelers from Cambodia who will manifest any illness upon arrival in the country’s airports.
“There is no cause for alarm. The monitoring is just part of our contingency measures. The WHO had issued the advisory so that people can be forewarned... that there is this thing there,” he said in a telephone interview. – With Rudy Santos http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx...bCategoryId=63

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06 Jul 2012

ECDC

An outbreak of an undiagnosed illness affecting children has been reported by the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia to World Health Organization (WHO). Out of the 62 children, 61 have died. No apparent clustering of cases or signs of transmission have been reported so far.
Between April and June, a total of 58 children below age of 7 years have been admitted to a hospital in Phnom Penh. Further 4 children were admitted to a hospital in Siem Reap, with high fever and encephalitic and/or respiratory symptoms. In total, 62 cases were reported, the majority being on children under 3 years of age.
Fifty-six of 58 patients hospitalized in Phnom Penh and four of four patients hospitalized in Siem Reap have died. Of these cases, 46 died within 24 hours of admission, and the majority of the rest died between 1-3 days after admission. Sixty-one deaths were reported.
The Cambodian Ministry of Health and WHO are conducting an active investigation in order to determine cause and source of the illness. ECDC is closely monitoring the situation. http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/press/news/Lists/News/ECDC_DispForm.aspx?List=32e43ee8-e230-4424-a783-85742124029a&ID=666

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Mexico City. - At the moment there are registered 29 farms infected by the avian flu virus from a universe of 100 in the Los Altos de Jalisco, so said the president of the National Union of Poultry Farmers (A), Sergio Chavez Gonzalez

http://www.aztecanoticias.com.mx/notas/finanzas/120770/gripe-aviar-afecta-a-29-granjas-de-jalisco

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EMERGENCY MESSAGES AND PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

“Mystery” Disease affecting kids

According to the Phnom Penh Post some sixty younger children have died from something that affects the brain and lungs, mainly in southern provinces. The exact cause has yet to be determined. Very early evidence suggests that it is not Dengue or pandemic flu. According to the article, Kantha Bopha hospital’s officials were also concerned about initial management of these very sick children, which may have contributed to so many deaths. The Cambodian Ministry of Health, international health organizations, and Kantha Bopha officials are conducting investigations to try to determine the cause.

Should I worry? No. The details are still very early. At this time there does not appear to be spread of this illness within households and none of the hospital staff who took care of the sick children have become sick.

What should I do if I have a young child? It is important to remember that most Western children have excellent immunization coverage. If your child gets a high fever and cough you should have them seen by a medical provider as you normally would.

Should I take other precautions? Simple measures like hand washing and yearly flu vaccination go a long way to reduce disease spread.
We will continue to closely monitor the situation. Our Centers for Disease Control and Naval Medical Research Unit experts are monitoring the situation closely.
We encourage you notify us of your presence in Cambodia by enrolling in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
The American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy is located at #1 Street 96, Phnom Penh, Cambodia and can be reached by calling 023-728-000, or by e-mailing ACSPhnomPenh@State.gov.

http://cambodia.usembassy.gov/acs_di...ting_kids.html

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Investigators probe mystery disease killing Cambodian children

By Madison Park, CNN
July 6, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

62 dead out of 64 cases in mysterious disease in Cambodia, says doctor
Surrounding countries notified of disease; doctors on alert in Hong Kong
Children suffered swelling in their brain and died because lungs failed

Hong Kong (CNN) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) and Cambodian health officials are investigating why at least 61 children in the country have died mysteriously after suffering severe neurological and respiratory complications.
Dr. Beat Richner, of the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospitals who first alerted Cambodia's health authorities about the unknown disease said as of Friday, he knew of 64 cases, in which only two children have survived.
Countries surrounding Cambodia were informed of a deadly disease that killed dozens of children earlier this week, through the International Health Regulations event information system, which provides public health communications.
In Hong Kong, a major air hub in the region, health officials responded by alerting doctors to be watchful for patients returning from Cambodia who have respiratory symptoms. Travelers who have been to Cambodia were told to visit their doctors if they developed respiratory symptoms.
The unknown illness appears in children, according to the WHO and the Cambodian Ministry of Health.
The children who fell ill first experienced a high fever followed by respiratory problems. Some of them also had neurological symptoms that included convulsions, according to the WHO.

Richner said the patients suffered from encephalitis, which is the inflammation of the brain.
"They are hospitalized," he said. "They arrive in our hospital, in the last moments... they die because their lungs are destroyed."
They arrive in our hospital, in the last moments... they die because their lungs are destroyed.
Dr. Beat Richner, Kantha Bopha Children's Hospitals

When asked what he thought caused the deadly illness, he said: "I think our idea is an enterovirus or an intoxication of a drug," or a combination of both.
Richner added that the number of cases affected by the unknown disease is low -- 34 cases in June compared with the 75,000 sick children at Kantha Bopha's outpatient clinics and 16,000 hospitalized kids.
The majority of the cases came from the southern part of the country, but there haven't been signs of clustering, according to the WHO.
The young patients were brought to hospitals in the capital, Phnom Penh, and the northern tourist hub of Siem Reap -- the two biggest cities of Cambodia. The Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap reported one case of the mysterious illness as of Friday, according to an email received by CNN from Dr. Bill Housworth, executive director of the hospital.
"WHO supports the Ministry with the investigation and detailed analysis of each of these cases to find out the cause," wrote Dr. Pieter Van Maaren, a representative of WHO in Cambodia in an email Friday.

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Health and quarantine fence and Acatic Tepatitlán in Los Altos

The Ministry of Agriculture has set up checkpoints on roads animal health near Tepatitlan, Jalisco. Photo: AFP

July 5, 2012Isaura Lopez / The West
Guadalajara, Jal. - Although the H7N3 avian influenza outbreak is controlled in poultry farms and Acatic Tepatitlán in Los Altos de Jalisco continues quarantine is prohibited entry and exit of laying hens live and derivatives except with certificate healing.
The call to the producers of the region to maintain vigilance and report quickly any symptoms in animals and maintain biosecurity measures in their production units.
Control is maintained at 40 and 60 miles of farms identified with virus, for surveillance work incorporated the Federal Preventive Police to prevent the movement of sick animals in the municipalities was set up a cordon sanitaire.
The National Health Service, Food Safety and Food Quality (SENASICA) argues that the virus is identified in laying hens and broiler production focused on poultry meat and eggs...http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldemexico/notas/n2606505.htm

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Mary Ann Benitez and Phoebe Man
Friday, July 06, 2012

Travelers to Cambodia are being advised to take precautions as the World Health Organization and the country's health ministry race to identify a disease that has killed 61 children since April.

However, the WHO is yet to issue a global alert regarding the disease.
Some 150 Hong Kong tourists in five groups are currently in Phnom Penh and Ankor Wat, and about 500 more in 30 tour groups are set to leave for Cambodia, which is bordered by Thailand, Laos and Vietnam..

..Laboratory test results suggest that this syndrome is unlikely to be associated with avian influenza. It can be a mixture of known diseases which have been reported as one syndrome, or something new," said Joy Rivaca Caminade, technical officer (risk communications) of the WHO Regional Office for Western Pacific.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=124110&sid=36947782&con_type=1

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the virus is contained in a perimeter of 40 to 60 kilometers.
the radius quarantine is guarded by federal police. http://www.latarde.com.mx/index.php/panorama/1644-controlan-virus-de-gripe-aviar

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A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Wed 27 Jun 2012
Source: 7Day News Journal [in Myanmar, trans. Mod.YMA, edited]
http://www.thithtoolwin.com/2012/06/blog-post_1643.html

In Maubin Town of Irrawaddy Region, about 20 students from Saint Rita catholic church had nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and fever, and were admitted to the hospital. On 24 Jun 2012, a 16-year-old child got sick and the infection was transmitted overnight to other 17 children in the church. They were urgently admitted to hospital, according to a humanitarian worker to 7Day News.

A health care worker from Maubin said that most of the children had an influenza-like illness with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and fever. However the symptoms vary in each individual.

U Tun Myint, head of Maubin Township Hospital, said, "It is seasonal influenza. The children have fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. There is nothing to worry about. As the church is a boarding school, the transmission occurred very rapidly. Some children will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow [28 Jun 2012]. A total of 20 children were admitted in our hospital."

Among the 115 students in the catholic school, about 60 children are infected.

The school is closed for a week and entrance to the nearby areas is not allowed. Preventive and control measures have been implemented in the area, according to a resident from Maubin Township.

-- Communicated by: PRO/MBDS

[The influenza outbreak in Maubin Township has spread to 60 children in a short period. However, the type of influenza infection is not mentioned in the newswire above. Influenza surveillance should be maintained and the pandemic preparedness and response plans for pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 should be updated according to the seasonal trends of influenza infection. Recently, 41 suspected cases of pandemic H1N1 2009 infection were reported from a local hospital in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand (see prior PRO/MBDS posting Influenza - MBDS region (03): Thailand (Nakhon Ratchasima), H1N1 20120623.1404).

For a map of Myanmar with administrative divisions, see http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/myanmar_map2.htm. A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Myanmar can be seen at http://healthmap.org/r/2H4V. - Mod.YMA] http://www.promedmail.org/direct.php?id=20120704.1518

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06-07-2012

The World Health Organisation and Cambodian officials are investigating an unknown disease that has killed more than 60 children. The Cambodian Ministry of Health said the disease starts with high fever followed by rapid deterioration of respiratory functions.

The Controller of the Centre for Health Protection in Hong Kong, Thomas Tsang, said they are in close contact with their Cambodian counterparts and the WHO. He said letters would be sent out to alert local doctors.

The Travel Industry Council is closely monitoring developments. Its executive director, Joseph Tung, said there are Hong Kong tour groups in Cambodia.

But, he said the affected area is a long way from popular tourist spots, and there does not appear to be a need at present to warn people to avoid Cambodia. http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120706/news_20120706_56_853060.htm

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05-Jul-12 10:21AM

The impact on bat populations of a deadly fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome may depend on how gregarious the bats are during hibernation.

Species that hibernate in dense clusters even as their populations get smaller will continue to transmit the disease at a high rate, dooming them to continued decline, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz. One gregarious species has surprised researchers, however, by changing its social behavior.

White-nose syndrome has decimated bat colonies throughout the northeast since it first appeared in New York state in 2006, and it continues to spread in the United States and Canada. In the new study, researchers analyzed population trends in six bat species in the northeast. They found that some bat populations are stabilizing at lower abundances, while others appear headed for extinction. The study, published July 3 in Ecology Letters, examined data from bat surveys between 1979 and 2010, covering a long period of population growth followed by dramatic declines caused by white-nose syndrome.

All six species were impacted by white-nose syndrome, but we have evidence that the populations of some species are beginning to stabilize, which is really good news," said Kate Langwig, a graduate student at UC Santa Cruz and first author of the paper. "This study gives us an..

http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/environment/detail?token=ODA5NTU0NTA1Y2Q0MDViYWIyZWI3M2VlNzVlYjg1

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By Sheila Crisostomo July 06, 2012 12:00

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines and neighboring countries have been warned of an “unknown respiratory disease” that has killed 61 children in Cambodia..

..The WHO said the neighboring countries of Cambodia “have already been officially informed through a posting made through the International Health Regulations (IHR) event information system.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=824581&publicationSubCategoryId=63

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Hat tip Tetano

(AFP)–5 hours ago

HONG KONG — Hong Kong on Thursday closed a popular tourist spot where hundreds of caged birds are on display after the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus was detected at one of the stalls.
The agriculture, fisheries and conservation department said it was closing the Yuen Po Street bird market in the city's bustling Mongkok district for 21 days. There are about 70 bird stalls in the market.
The move came after the virus was found in a swab sample collected from a cage holding an oriental magpie robin during a routine avian influenza surveillance operation.
All the stall's birds would be killed, the department said in a statement.
A spokeswoman told AFP they were still investigating the cause of the virus as the bird itself was not infected... http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jdoaJ2YAbzQ821h49g0CDSbZGTyQ?docId=CNG.051f804d4677263cca8ea52a406c33d6.431

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Thursday, July 5, 2012 15:09

Baghdad - the way
Iraq decided to prevent the import of birds and eggs from 18 countries in order to preserve the environment from bird flu.
An official source said on Thursday that the government ban, which included both types of eggs hatching and table and live birds of prey and the decorations.
He added that the countries covered by the ban are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India and Hong Kong, Laos, Mainmar, Egypt, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, South Africa, Indonesia, Nepal, Australia and Sri Lanka.

http://www.assabeel.net/%D9%85%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA/misc/96998-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%B8%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B6-%D9%85%D9%86-18-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9.html

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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Undiagnosed illness in Cambodia - update

Monday, July 9, 2012

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Friday, July 6, 2012

July 7, 2012 7:34am

Laporan Kasus Flu Burung ke 190

Undiagnosed illness in Cambodia - update

Thursday, July 5, 2012

05-Jul-12 10:21AM