Duck in Guangzhou suspected of H5N1

(Xinhua)

16:17, September 05, 2012   

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/7937932.html

GUANGZHOU - A duck at a market in China's southern city of Guangzhou is suspectedof being infected with the Influenza A (H5N1), according to the Guangdong ProvincialAgriculture Department on Tuesday night.

The Guangzhou agriculture and animal husbandry department has carried out acomprehensive epidemic investigation of Jiangnandong Market in Haizhu District after atwo-year-old boy from Hong Kong who visited the market in mid-May was confirmed withH5N1.

One duck out of the 40 samples was suspected to be infected with the virus, accordingto the municipal animal epidemic disease control and prevention center.

There is no report of human infection of H5N1 as of Tuesday in Guangzhou.

The 2-year-old boy confirmed with H5N1 infection on Saturday is currently receivingintensive care at Princess Margaret Hospital and his condition remained serious.

The boy developed fever and a runny nose on May 23 in Guangdong. He returned toHong Kong on May 26 and sought medical attention from a private medical clinic inMong Kok.

High alert for deadly bird flu virus

(VOV) - Bird flu has hit many provinces and cities and is spreading far and wide, according to the Ministry of Health.

As of August 23, four cases of A/H5N1 infection had been recorded with two deaths in Vietnam.
Health workers said that the epidemic will become more complicated, especially in the northern and central regions, when it reaches its peak in the next two months.
According to the national steering committee for bid flu prevention and control, seven provinces and cities, including Ha Tinh, Haiphong, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Bac Kan, Quang Ngai and Thanh Hoa, have not yet passed the 21-day deadline for no bird flu infection.
Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Health Ministry’s Preventive Health Department, said that the disease has occurred in Vietnam since 2003, causing a huge loss of human life and property.
He asked local authorities, relevant agencies and people to take sterilization and vaccination measures and strictly control the transport, slaughtering and trading of poultry in order to curb the epidemic.
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced the appearance of a new H5N1 virus in Asia that is more dangerous than the original one.
Associate Professor Nguyen Tran Hien, Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), confirmed that no cases of the new virus has been detected in Vietnam.
However, he said, it is urgent to prevent the A/H5N1 virus from changing into new types with higher toxic contamination through people-to-people transmission.
The healthcare sector should work more closely with relevant agencies and local households to intensify sanitation and sterilization work and quickly stamp out new outbreaks of the fatal disease, he added.
*** Meanwhile, the Prime Minister on September 6 urged ministries, sectors and localities to strengthen the prevention and control of the avian influenza A/H5N1, hand-foot-mouth disease and dengue fever.
So far this year, there have been 80,180 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease with 41 deaths and 43,220 cases of dengue with 35 deaths.
To prevent these diseases from spreading, the PM asked the chairmen of provincial and city people's committees to establish interdisciplinary teams to inspect the prevention and control of epidemics in their localities, especially in residential areas, kindergartens and slaughterhouses.
He emphasized the need to spray for mosquitoes and increase the dissemination of information on the preventive methods by village-based health staff.
The Government leader also assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to assist local authorities in the inspection of poultry and waterfowl diseases to prevent transmission of the A/H5N1 virus to humans.  http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/High-alert-for-deadly-bird-flu-virus/20129/141851.vov

Yosemite doubles scope of hantavirus warning to 22,000; third death confirmed

Updated at 8:12 a.m. ET:

A third person has died from the rare, rodent-carried hantavirus after visiting Yosemite National Park, bringing the total number of infected persons to eight and prompting warnings that the virus is not contained to just one area of the park, health officials said.
Yosemite National Park doubled the scope of its warning on Thursday to some 22,000 visitors who may have been exposed to the deadly mouse-borne disease.

---

U.S. officials had recently sounded a worldwide alert, saying that up to 10,000 people were thought to be at risk of contracting Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) after staying at "Signature Tents" at the Curry Village lodging area between June and August

DNC Parks and Resorts via AP

Officials are expanding their efforts to notify visitors to a complex of tent cabins at Yosemite National Park who may have been exposed to a rare but potentially deadly rodent-carried virus.

Since June, eight park visitors, including six from California, have contracted the virus, according to Yosemite officials. Three of those infections have been fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), hantavirus is spread by contact with infected rodents, primarily deer mice.
On Thursday, it was revealed that the virus is not confined to Curry Village, according to a statement from the park.
One of the infected campers, who exhibited mild symptoms and is recovering, stayed in multiple High Sierra Camps in Yosemite in July.
The five High Sierra Camps are similar to the Curry Village tent cabins, but they're spaced about six to 10 miles apart and are accessible only via backpacking trails at higher elevation than Yosemite Valley.
US officials sound worldwide alert for Yosemite hantavirus
The other seven cases have all been connected to the historic Curry Village tent cabins, which were recently been closed to the public.
No cure
It can take up to six weeks for symptoms of the virus to show, though they usually appear two to four weeks after exposure. Early stage symptoms include fatigue, fever and body aches, and can rapidly progress to severe difficulty breathing....
http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/07/13719926-yosemite-doubles-scope-of-hantavirus-warning-to-22000-third-death-confirmed?lite

Hantavirus in Yosemite: World Health Organization issues alert

September 6, 2012
The World Health Organization is the latest agency to weigh in on the recent hantavirus outbreak in Yosemite National Park, issuing an advisory about the rare disease that has killed two and sickened four.

Issued Tuesday though the agency's "global alert and response network," the notification summarizes the Yosemite outbreak and advises travelers to "avoid exposure to rodents and their excreta."

The agency also sent several tweets about hantavirus Wednesday.

"If you stayed in the Signature Tent Cabins in Yosemite National Park, USA, since June 2012 & have #Hantavirus symptoms, see a doctor," read one message.

"Doctors, if you have patients with #Hantavirus symptoms, ask for their travel history," read another.

The tweets came the same day Dr. David Wong, an epidemiologist with the National Park Service's Office of Public Health, confirmed to The Times that U.S. health authorities had notified 39 other countries whose citizens may be at risk for hantavirus aft....

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/hantavirus-in-yosemite-world-health-organization-issues-alert.html

Yosemite says it has extended the hantavirus warning to additional 12,000 people who visited camping area.

Yosemite says it has extended the hantavirus warning to additional 12,000 people who visited camping area.

Ebola spreads in Congo: it may "soon be a global emergency"

 The UN has launched an appeal for two million dollars to fight the epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, a highly contagious, which has killed 14 people since mid-August in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) .

 September 6, 2012 3:55 p.m.

•  " The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF) launched a "joint appeal for funds to support this struggle which totaled $ 2 million," he said Wednesday the press Dr. Léodegal Bazira, WHO Representative in the DRC. "We also call on all partners to join in the fight against this epidemic, which if not controlled quickly, is an event public health can quickly provide a global emergency, "he added. Les fonds doivent aider  Funds should help "the government to organize this struggle to provide means to fight this. It is a struggle that many countries, not only the DRC can not undertake alone," he stressed UN representative.

Une souche moins virulente qu'en Ouganda A less virulent strain in Uganda

 DRC is struck by the virus Bundibungyo theoretically less virulent, while in a neighboring region of western Uganda, this is a strain that has plagued Sudan.  Monday, the WHO announced that the epidemic in Uganda, where 17 people died, was nearing its end.

 Two outbreaks of epidemic

 In the DRC, the epidemic broke out in mid-August in the Eastern Province (northeast): nine dead were then recorded, almost all in the town of Isiro on 11 cases. Au 3 septembre, 28 cas ont été enregistrés, dont huit cas confirmés en laboratoire, six cas probables, 14 cas suspects. September 3, 28 cases have been recorded, including eight laboratory confirmed cases, six probable cases, 14 suspected cases.  In total, there were 14 deaths. "Epidemic seems to have its epicenter in the town of Isiro, with a secondary focus in the town of Viadana", located about 70km Isiro said Dr. Léodegal Bazira.

 Three times more cases in two weeks

. The doctor refuses to be alarmist, even if the number of cases has tripled in two weeks: "I personally would not call the situation catastrophic but I would call serious and can escalate if it is not quickly taken into account properly.  The Ministry of Health, WHO, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC-Atlanta) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are working closely to fight against the disease.

 No cure, no vaccine

. Ebola, which the DRC has experienced eight epidemics, killing between 25 and 90% of patients, according to WHO. In 1995, his strain "Zaire", the most virulent, had more than 350 victims in Bandundu (west). A ce jour, il n'existe ni traitement ni vaccin. To date, there is no treatment or vaccine.

. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, bodily fluids (sweat, feces ...), by sex and by the mishandling of corpses contaminated. . It is characterized by fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and bleeding gums.  http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rtl.be%2Finfo%2Fmonde%2Finternational%2F905039%2Fl-ebola-se-repand-au-congo-ca-peut-rapidement-constituer-une-urgence-de-portee-mondiale-

W.Va. health officials report hantavirus death

Sep 6, 4:08 PM EDT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Health officials say a West Virginia resident has died from the outbreak of a rodent-borne illness linked to Yosemite National Park.

Kanawha-Charleston Health Department director Dr. Rahul Gupta withheld the victim's name at a news conference Thursday. Gupta says the victim had visited the park since June.. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_YOSEMITE_RODENT_DISEASE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

WEST NILE VIRUS - USA (12): (TEXAS, OKLAHOMA)

In this report:

[1] Texas 

[2] Oklahoma


******

[1] Texas

Date: Tue 4 Sep 2012
Source: Statesman [edited] 
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/austin-man-dies-from-west-nile-virus-numbers-2450727.html


West Nile virus illnesses in Texas continue to rise dramatically, state health officials said Tuesday [4 Sep 2012], with the number of cases this summer rising to 1013 -- with 40 deaths -- as an Austin man became the 2nd in Travis County to die from the mosquito-borne disease [virus].

A little less than 2 weeks ago, there were 640 cases and 23 confirmed deaths statewide. That is a 58 percent increase in cases and 74 percent increase in deaths. State officials warned that the infections may continue until the 1st hard freeze of the year.

"The peak for West Nile season is August, and then there is a delay before it gets reported to us. We are expecting the numbers to keep increasing," said Christine Mann, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. The agency's count does not include the new Travis County death, which had not yet been reported to the state. As of Tuesday [4 Sep 2012], there have been 48 confirmed cases of West Nile in Travis county, up from 23 cases and one death on 22 Aug [2012].

Health authorities have said that this year [2012] is the worst since West Nile 1st appeared in the U.S. in 1999 and in Texas in 2002. Health officials attribute the spread of the disease to a mild winter followed by late spring rains and a hot summer. A total of 1590 cases of West Nile, including 65 deaths, have been reported nationwide. The 1st death of a Travis County resident was reported on 1 Aug [2012]. Williamson County has had 11 cases and one death, Hays [county] 4 cases and no deaths, and Bastrop County 2 cases and no deaths.

Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Director Carlos Rivera on Tuesday [4 Sep 2012] confirmed the county's 2nd death from West Nile neuro-invasive disease, the more serious form of the virus. Officials did not release the victim's name, saying only that the person was among those at the highest risk of severe illness: older than 50.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts


******
[2] Oklahoma
Date: Tue 4 Sep 2012
Source: OK News [edited]
http://newsok.com/oklahoma-breaks-west-nile-virus-record-two-additional-deaths-reported/article/3706868


Oklahoma has reached 118 confirmed West Nile virus cases this year [2012], the highest number of cases recorded in the state in a single year, state Health Department officials said. Officials say this year's outbreak could rival those of 2002 and 2003.

The Health Department also reported Tuesday [4 Sep 2012] that 2 more residents have died from West Nile virus-related illness. So far, 7 residents have died because of the virus [infection]. One of the deaths, a man between the ages of 40-50 in Tulsa County, marks the youngest person reported dead from the virus. The other person who died was a woman in Tulsa County who was between the ages of 70-80.

West Nile virus is cyclical, peaking every 3-4 years. In 2007, Oklahoma saw 107 confirmed cases of West Nile virus and 9 deaths.

Oklahoma is not alone in high cases of West Nile virus. There have been 1590 cases reported nationwide. It is the highest number the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen through the last week in August since the virus entered the U.S. in 1999.

West Nile virus is generally contracted through the bite of a virus-infected mosquito. Public health officials recommend that residents use mosquito repellent with DEET and remove standing water from their homes.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts


[Human cases of West Nile virus infection continue to mount, particularly in the south-central USA. These cases will likely continue to increase until the transmission season ends when killing frosts occur in autumn. Until then, people in this epidemic area should follow the instructions of health departments to avoid mosquito bites. Aerial spraying has been done in the Dallas area to control mosquito vectors. There is no mention of spraying in the above reports from Texas and Oklahoma.

A US CDC fact sheet on West Nile virus with a map of 2012 equine and human cases in the USA can be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm.

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map showing the location of the states mentioned above can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/1FTA. - Mod.TY]

The new H5N1 virus is not transmitted from person to person"

 Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development warned that a new influenza virus appears and spreads rapidly in northern and central Vietnam.

Pathogenic viruses have strong, highly lethal. Liên quan đến thông tin này, PGS.TS Nguyễn Trần Hiển, viện trưởng viện Vệ sinh dịch tễ trung ương đã có trao đổi với Sài Gòn tiếp thị. Related to this information, Dr. Nguyen Tran Hien, Director of the Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology has exchange with Saigon marketing.

 UA V, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the new H5N1 avian viruses appear, but still belongs to the 2.3.2.1 branch, but there are differences with the virus 2.3.2.1 (group A, B ) cause disease in Vietnam in 2011.  This group of viruses capable of causing bird flu continues to spread in the future is very high. With the emergence of new viruses are dangerous to human health.  And if infect humans will cause what sir?

Các cơ quan dịch tễ cần tăng cường kiểm tra ổ dịch Epidemiological agencies should strengthen inspection outbreak

. From 8/2011 International Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) warned the rebound of A/H5N1 flu in birds and poultry due to the transformation, transmission and dissemination of influenza A virus circulation / H5N1 Subheading...  http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=vi&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Falobacsi.vn%2F20120906100359756p0c160%2Fvirus-h5n1-moi-xuat-hien-chua-lay-truyen-tu-nguoi-sang-nguoi.htm

World Health Organization says new Vietnam H5N1 change does not increase the risk to human health

But that is not true..

Not detect cases of avian influenza A/H5N1 virus in Vietnam

 (Reuters) - The arrival of new bird flu virus more dangerous in poultry causing many people to worry. Evaluation of new avian influenza virus, the World Health Organization said that this transformation does not increase the risk to human health.

. Accordingly, recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced the emergence of a new H5N1 virus in poultry. Compared with the H5N1 virus is still circulating earlier in their flocks, this new virulent virus are much higher.

. Assessment of the transformation of the A/H5N1 flu virus, Dr. Nguyen Tran Hien, Director of the Institute of about sich Epidemiology for that variation is not uncommon, but it is the change in natural evolution of the virus.
. Prior to that, from August / 2011, the International Food and Agriculture Organization has warned of the transformation of the A/H5N1 flu virus subgroup 2.3.2 in many Asian countries, including Vietnam ..

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=vi&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdantri.com.vn%2Fc7%2Fs7-638040%2Fchua-phat-hien-ca-nhiem-virut-cum-gia-cam-ah5n1-moi-tai-viet-nam.htm

DC reports 1st West Nile virus death, resident also hospitalized

Thursday, September 6, 11:29 AM

WASHINGTON — District of Columbia health officials are reporting the city’s first West Nile virus death.

Health officials also announced Wednesday that another district resident is hospitalized with the virus. The Washington Post (wapo.st/RaDKkr) reported that the number of cases in the Washington area is about the same as in previous years...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-reports-1st-west-nile-virus-death-resident-also-hospitalized/2012/09/06/a01fe33a-f837-11e1-a93b-7185e3f88849_story.html

Why Ebola Experts Are Keeping A Close Eye On The Democratic Republic Of The Congo

Sep. 5, 2012, 6:23 PM

The World Health Organization announced on Monday that it believes the most recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in Uganda has subsided. The virus began to spread in early July.

Ebola is a rare virus that causes hemorrhagic fevers. While the exact origins of the virus are unknown, it spreads through direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person — and kills anywhere from 50-90 percent of its victims. One of its most gruesome symptoms is the bleeding from body orifices before dying. It's scary stuff.
Dr. Pierre Rollin, an epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Control (CDC), recently returned from Uganda to help quarantine the latest outbreak of the disease in Uganda. He told Business Insider that the outbreak could have been much worse: "[Compared to the outbreak in 2007], this one was detected much earlier, and we [have acquired] a lab in Entebbe that can receive specimen."
Without the presence of the new lab in Entebbe, a major town in Uganda, the virus could have spread much faster. "The fact that there is lab in Uganda that is able to receive every sample that is collected for suspicion of hemorrhagic


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-ebola-experts-are-keeping-a-close-eye-on-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-2012-9#ixzz25hPPOACx
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-ebola-experts-are-keeping-a-close-eye-on-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-2012-9#ixzz25hPGvL5Y

France investigating 2 suspected cases of deadly Yosemite virus

Published September 06, 2012

Health officials in France were investigating two suspected cases of deadly mouse-borne hantavirus in people who may have been exposed at Yosemite National Park this summer. 

Some 1,923 Europeans in 18 countries may be at risk of contracting hantavirus pulmonary syndrome from visits to the U.S. national park in California between June and August, according to an assessment by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on Wednesday.
"In France, the French National Institute for Public Health Surveillance has reported an ongoing investigation into two potentially exposed cases," the European CDC said.

The disease has so fa... [link to www.foxnews.com] 

DRC: Ebola fever, 169 people under surveillance in the Eastern Province

DRC: Ebola fever, 169 people under surveillance in the Eastern Province

posted 1 hour ago, 46 minutes | Last update September 5, 2012 at 6:17

Twenty-eight cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, including fourteen deaths were recorded in the Eastern Province, according to the latest figures, this Wednesday, September 5 in Kinshasa by the World Health Organization (WHO). 169 others who have been in contact with the victims are under surveillance, according to the same source.

"On September 3, the epidemic seems to have its epicenter in the town of Isiro with a secondary focus in the town of Viadana which is located about 70 kilometers from Isiro," has said the WHO representative in DRC, Dr. Léodégal Bazira. Eleven people died of Ebola in Isiro eighteen cases recorded.

WHO has supported the coordination, case investigation, but also the activities of management of patients and families.

Dr. Léodégal Bazira calls for the involvement of all:

"We call on all partners to join in the fight against this epidemic, which if not controlled quickly, constitutes an event of public health emergencies of global reach . "

Lack of knowledge of the medical

Virologist Muyembe Tamfum, coordinator of the International Coordinating Committee Scientific and Technical fight against haemorrhagic fever in high-Uele district, for his part, felt that the virus is spread by a lack of knowledge on the part of the diagnostic the medical health zones concerned. He felt that this deficiency is the basis for the delay of Ebola fever has been reported in this part of the DRC:

" The outbreak began between the months of May and June, and even before.The virus was already [Isiro]. But the disease is unnoticed, certainly confused with malaria epidemic that raged in the region. This is why the statement [of the disease] was made ​​in August. So there is a big delay in our communities to recognize ebola delay. "

During a press conference he held shortly before leaving Isiro, Wednesday morning, called Dr Muyembe carers and administrative vigilance whenever there are suspected cases:

" It is imperative that we review the way we teach and work in the hospital.Unusual events should draw our attention to declare the disease as early as possible. The sooner you report fewer cases you. Therefore, nurses, doctors and administrative staff need to learn now to detect cases of Ebola. "..  http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2012/09/05/rdc-fievre-debola-169-personnes-placees-sous-surveillance-dans-la-province-orientale/

U.S. officials sound worldwide alert for Yosemite hantavirus risk

 Tue Sep 4, 2012 9:37pm EDT

(Reuters) - U.S. health officials have sent warnings to 39 other countries that their citizens who stayed in Yosemite National Park tent cabins this summer may have been exposed to a deadly mouse-borne hantavirus, a park service epidemiologist said on Tuesday.

Of the 10,000 people thought to be at risk of contracting hantavirus pulmonary syndrome from their stays in Yosemite between June and August, some 2,500 live outside the United States, Dr. David Wong told Reuters in an interview.

Wong said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials notified 39 countries over the weekend, most of them in the European Union, that their residents may have been exposed to the deadly virus.

The lung disease has so far killed two men and sickened four other people, all U.S. citizens, prompting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a health alert.

Officials are concerned that more Yosemite visitors could develop the lung disease in the next month or so. Most of the victims identified so far were believed to have been infected while staying in one of 91 "Signature" tent-style cabins in the park's popular Curry Village camping area.

There is no cure for the dise http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/05/us-usa-hantavirus-yosemite-idUSBRE88402O20120905

Appear dangerous new strain of bird flu

- A new type of influenza virus appears and spreads rapidly in northern and central Vietnam. Pathogenic viruses have strong, highly lethal.

Mr. Hoang Van Nam, Acting Director of Animal Health, said: The new H5N1 virus appears still of branching 2.3.2.1 but there is a difference with pathogenic viruses 2.3.2.1 in Vietnam in 2011.

Bird flu is complicated in North, Central

The new virus (named is virus group C) relatively close to group A, but with a higher virulence. Nguyen Tung, deputy director of the Central Veterinary Diagnostic Center said the center is preparing experiments to test the vaccine's protection with this branch. viruses appear between July and August spreads rapidly wide from the North Central. According to epidemiological experts, the new virus is detected is likely to cause bird flu continues to spread in the future..

http://vietnamnet.vn/vn/xa-hoi/87408/xuat-hien-chung-virus-cum-gia-cam-moi-nguy-hiem.html

August 2012 - Yosemite National Park Outbreak Notice

Updated: August 29, 2012

Yosemite valley from tunnel view, Yosemite National Park, California, USA

As of August 30, 2012, The National Park Service (NPS) announced that there were 6 confirmed cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in visitors who stayed at Curry Village in Yosemite National Park since June of this year. Public health officials believe that these visitors may have been exposed to Hantavirus while staying at the Signature Tent Cabins in Curry Village. Two people have died. CDC and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are working with the National Park Service in responding to the situation.

The park is contacting visitors who stayed in the Signature Tent Cabins from mid-June through the end of August, advising them to seek immediate medical attention if they exhibit symptoms of HPS. Hantavirus is a rare but serious disease and confirmed cases should be reported to CDC via state health departments.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Yosemite National Park Public Health Service officers are conducting rodent surveys, monitoring deer mouse abundance and virus activity in the parks mouse populations. They are also providing health education and prevention messages to the public.

The Yosemite National Park has a non-emergency phone line (209-372-0822) for all questions and concerns related to Hantavirus in Yosemite National Park. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a hotline number (404-639-1510) and information about HPS on their Hantavirus website.

RC: Ebola cases tripled in two weeks in the east, 14 dead

KINSHASA (© 2012 AFP) - Thirty cases of haemorrhagic fever Ebola killed 14 in two weeks in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, three times more cases compared to mid-August, according to the Organization World Health Organization (WHO).

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 | 09:36 UTC

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© WTO / AFP / Archives Christopher Black. Picture taken 28 September 2007 by the WTO of a mobile laboratory dedicated to the fight against Ebola in DRC

On the same subject

• Ground floor: 2 million U.S. sought to eradicate the Ebola outbreak in Eastern Province (04/09/2012)
• WHO: 18 deaths caused by the Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the DRC (09/04/2012)
• Ebola content, allows public gatherings Kampala (08/30/2012)

September 1, "a total of 30 cases were recorded, including 6 probable 17 suspects and seven positive to Ebola virus, with 14 deaths," said a WHO report, adding that 169 people have been contact with the victims were under surveillance.

In mid-August, nine deaths were recorded in 11 cases reported.

The epicenter of the epidemic is Isiro, in the Eastern Province (northeast), where 11 people died on 18 cases recorded...

 http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.afriquinfos.com%2Farticles%2F2012%2F9%2F5%2Ffievre-ebola-triplent-deux-semaines-dans-lest-morts-209226.asp

New highly toxic avian flu virus spreads to Vietnam

A new strain of avian flu virus that was found in China two months ago has appeared in Vietnam, health experts have confirmed.

• The new strain, 2.3.2.1 C, which has been detected through epidemic investigations, is highly toxic and therefore extremely deadly, Diep Kinh Tan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said at a meeting on September 4 to review the epidemic situation.

The 2.3.2.1 C strain has recently spread to Vietnam and is now present in affected areas in seven provinces and cities, namely Haiphong, Ha Tinh, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Bac Kan, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ngai, said Hoang Van Nam, head of the Department of Animal Health (DoAH).

As the new strain is different from the A/H5N1 virus, the ministry is to conduct experiments and tests to confirm if the vaccines that are being used to combat A/H5N1 are also effective against the new strain.

If the existing medication is ineffective, studies on new vaccines against the new strain should be conducted soon, Tan said, adding that he has asked the DoAH to isolate the virus for this purpose.

The Central Veterinary Diagnosis Center is also monitoring and looking into the new strain to help find a specific medication against it.

The avian flu has so far this year severely impacted the seven above-mentioned provinces and cities, with more than 181,000 ducks and chicken having died or been culled, the DoAH reported.

Most of these provinces are involved in smuggling poultry from China that might have carried pathogens that were then spread to domestic poultry, the department said.

China: Duck in Guangzhou suspected of H5N1

Hattip croftsblog

China: Duck in Guangzhou suspected of H5N1

Via People's Daily Online, a Xinhua report: Duck in Guangzhou suspected of H5N1.

GUANGZHOU - A duck at a market in China's southern city of Guangzhou is suspected of being infected with the Influenza A (H5N1), according to the Guangdong Provincial Agriculture Department on Tuesday night. 

The Guangzhou agriculture and animal husbandry department has carried out a comprehensive epidemic investigation of Jiangnandong Market in Haizhu District after a two-year-old boy from Hong Kong who visited the market in mid-May was confirmed with H5N1. 

One duck out of the 40 samples was suspected to be infected with the virus, according to the municipal animal epidemic disease control and prevention center. 

There is no report of human infection of H5N1 as of Tuesday in Guangzhou. 

The 2-year-old boy confirmed with H5N1 infection on Saturday is currently receiving intensive care at Princess Margaret Hospital and his condition remained serious. 

The boy developed fever and a runny nose on May 23 in Guangdong. He returned to Hong Kong on May 26 and sought medical attention from a private medical clinic in Mong Kok.

This is an "old" case. I'm surprised that the boy is still under treatment, and that the investigation has taken this long just to identify a suspected H5N1-positive bird in the market.