Birds

Month-by-month OIE confirmed avian influenza H5N1 activity in poultry, by country

Table 2: OIE¹ confirmed Avian Influenza H5N1 Activity in Poultry (September 2012 - present)
(Updated Jan. 11, 2013)

Country2	Date of Outbreaks		Number of Outbreaks by Month
	Initial	Most recent	Sep. 2012	Oct. 2012	Nov. 2012	Dec. 2012	Jan. 2013	Feb. 2013	Mar. 2013	Apr. 2013	May 2013	June 2013	July 2013	Aug. 2013	Total
OIE: Office International des Epizooties (World Organisation for Animal Health) Country grouping is based on United Nations Environment Programme mapping.   http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/h5n1/current-actuelt2t3-eng.php
Asia & the Pacific
Japan	2009-04-01	2011-03-16	0	0	0	0	0								0
Vietnam	2006-12-07	2012-09-03	4	0	0	0	0								4
Nepal	2010-10-25	2012-12-31	0	1	1	1	4								7
Hong Kong	2010-03-26	2012-06-25	0	0	0	0	0								0
Korea (Rep of)	2010-11-29	2011-05-16	0	0	0	0	0								0
Bangladesh	2007-02-05	2012-10-23	0	0	1	0	0								1
Myanmar	2010-03-26	2012-03-05	0	0	0	0	0								0
Cambodia	2010-01-10	2012-05-27	0	0	0	0	0								0
India	2010-06-02	2012-10-12	0	0	1	0	0								1
China (People's Rep. of)	2010-05-25	2012-09-11	1	0	0	1	0								2
Indonesia	2007-06-01	2011-04-06	0	0	0	0	0								0
Bhutan	2010-03-25	2012-10-02	0	0	1	0	1								2
West Asia (Middle East)
Palestinian Auton. Territories	2006-04-19	2011-02-27	0	0	0	0	0								0
Israel	2010-02-01	2012-03-13	0	0	0	0	0								0
Iran	2008-03-08	2011-10-17	0	0	0	0	0								0
Americas
Mexico	1995-06-01	2012-08-20	3	0	0	0	2								5
Europe
Africa
Egypt	2006-02-17	2010-12-30	0	0	0	0	0								0
South Africa	2006-07-01	2012-06-11	0	1	0	0	0								1
Oceania
Australia	1997-11-01	2012-11-09	0	0	1	0	0								1

Tell Me Why

Pakistan records 103 child measles deaths in 19 days: WHO

KARACHI: More than 100 children have died of measles in Pakistan this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Wednesday, calling it “an alarming outbreak”. “Some 103 Pakistani children have died from January 1-19 this year because of the post-measles complications such as pneumonia, post-measles encephalitis and diarrhoea,” WHO spokeswoman Maryam Yunus told reporters.

Sixty-three of the cases occurred in the southern province of Sindh, which was hit by severe flooding in 2010, 2011 and 2012. More than 300 Pakistani children died of measles in 2012, a staggering increase on the previous twelve months and a result of three consecutive years of flooding, officials said. The WHO said 64 children died of measles in Pakistan in 2011, 28 of them in Sindh. It was not immediately able to provide statistics for earlier years. The UN body said most of the cases occurred between October and December in northern parts of Sindh, but was unable to provide a breakdown  http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013%5c01%5c24%5cstory_24-1-2013_pg7_20

For What It's Worth

Border States on high alert after bird flu in Bhutan

January 24, 2013

West Bengal, Assam, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh to observe strict surveillance

The Centre on Wednesday sounded ‘high alert’ in border States against avian influenza after outbreak of the dreaded poultry disease in Bhutan.

Thousands of birds have been culled in Bhutan after the outbreak, which is yet to be controlled. Earlier this month, samples of affected birds were sent to India’s High Security Animal Disease Lab in Bhopal and they tested positive.

West Bengal, Assam, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh have been warned to observe strict surveillance along their border with Bhutan to ensure that no poultry is smuggled or imported from across the border. Veterinary officers have been asked to do special surveillance of the live poultry markets in the border areas.

People in these States have huge poultry farms in their backyard threatening huge populations of the birds in the event of an outbreak of the influenza.

In India, there was an outbreak last October near Bangalore in Karnataka. http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/border-states-on-high-alert-after-bird-flu-in-bhutan/article4337205.ece

Chikunguya outbreak, dead birds, Down By the River

Besides Chikunguya outbreak in the village
Limpas, 117 birds in the village Limpas H5N1 Positive
 January 23, 2013

Patrol also found cases discovery of dead birds sudden. Later known, dead birds that tested positive for bird flu virus. Officers survey of District Health Office Indramayu, Supriyadi SKM
put the number of birds
as many as 117 dead tail, good chicken or duck that is pets of local residents.
Cases are known of poultry deaths taking place since last week or
Chikunguya along with disease outbreaks. By citizen, chicken or
the dead duck thrown into the river. Some are even deliberately hamstrung ago
when cooked poultry in a state already sick. "From the description of the people, there
are eaten as well. But so far none of the people were sick with
symptoms such as bird flu, "said Supriyadi.
Knowledgeable, chickens that died of bird flu virus after a further Supriyadi
rapid tests performed by a veterinarian from the DVO Indramayu.
According to him, one of the causes of bird flu affected poultry because
lack of good sanitation and also influenced the erratic weather
today. This is evident from the results of monitoring in the field where stable conditions are not
maintained clean. Even some of them stuck to the wall of the house.
 January 23, 2013

Scientists to Resume Work on Deadly Bird Flu

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON January 23, 2013 (AP)

International scientists who last year halted controversial research with the deadly bird flu say they are resuming their work as countries adopt new rules to ensure safety.

The outcry erupted when two labs — in the Netherlands and the U.S. — reported they had created easier-to-spread versions of bird flu. Amid fierce debate about the oversight of such research and whether it might aid terrorists, those scientists voluntarily halted further work last January — and more than three dozen of the world's leading flu researchers signed on as well.

On Wednesday, those scientists announced they were ending their moratorium because their pause in study worked: It gave the U.S. government and other world health authorities time to determine how they would oversee high-stakes research involving dangerous germs.

A number of countries already have issued new rules. The U.S. is finalizing its own research guidelines, a process that Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said should be completed within several weeks.

In letters published in the journals Science and Nature this week, scientists wrote that those who meet their country's requirements have a responsibility to resume studying how the deadly bird flu might mutate to become a bigger threat to people — maybe even the next pandemic. So far, the so-called H5N1 virus mostly spreads among poultry and other birds and rarely infects people.  "The risk exists in nature already. Not doing the research is really putting us in danger," said Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He and Ron Fouchier of Erasmus University in the Netherlands separately created the new virus strains that could spread through the air.  The controversy flared just over a year ago, when U.S. officials, prompted by the concerns of a biosecurity advisory panel, asked the two labs not to publish the results. They worried that terrorists might use the information to create a bioweapon. More broadly, scientists debated whether creating new strains of disease is a good idea, and if so, how to safeguard against laboratory accidents. Ultimately, the flu researchers prevailed: The government decided the data didn't pose any immediate terrorism threat after all, and the two labs' work was published last summer.  Fouchier said that within weeks, he will begin new research in the Netherlands, with European funding, to explore exactly which mutations are the biggest threat. He said the work could enable scientists today to be on the lookout as bird flu continually evolves in the wild. U.S.-funded scientists cannot resume their studies until the government's policy is finalized. But the NIH had paid for the original research — and it would have been approved under the soon-to-come expanded policy as well, Fauci told The Associated Press. That policy will add an extra layer of review to higher-risk research, to ensure that it is scientifically worth doing and that safety and bioterrorism concerns are fully addressed up-front, he said. Had that policy been in place over a year ago, it could have averted the bird flu debate, Fauci said: "Our answer simply would have been, yes, we vetted it very carefully and the benefit is worth any risk. Period, case closed."

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/scientists-resume-work-lab-bred-bird-flu-18294611

Study Reveals Reduced Efficacy of H5N1 Vaccines in Egypt

23 January 2013\

EGYPT - Researchers are calling for a review of the prevention and control strategy for the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus in Egypt.

In light of their findings, Ghazi Kayali of St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis in the US and colleagues there and at Egypt's National Research Center in Giza recommend that the H5N1 prevention and control strategy in Egypt be updated and reinforced. Special consideration should be given to the vaccination strategy, they say, and the use of vaccines based on currently circulating viruses is advisable.

In a paper published in Poultry Science, they explain that, after emerging in Egypt in 2006, HPAI H5N1 viruses continued to cause outbreaks in Egyptian poultry and sporadic human infections.

The strategy used by Egyptian authorities relied on vaccinating poultry, depopulating infected areas, and increasing awareness and biosecurity levels. Despite these efforts, H5N1 has become endemic and vaccine-escape variants are thought to have emerged even though commercial poultry vaccines were protective in laboratory settings.

The group studied the cross-reactivity of six commercially available H5 poultry vaccines against recent H5N1 Egyptian isolates in a field setting in Egypt. Only one vaccine based on an Egyptian H5N1 virus induced high cross-reactive antibody titres.

The scientists suggest their results may be explained by the fact that the seed viruses in these vaccines are genetically distinct from H5N1 viruses currently circulating in Egypt.

Reference

Kayali G., A. Kandeil, R. El-Shesheny, A.S. Kayed, M.R. Gomaa, M.A. Kutkat, J. Debeauchamp, P.P. Mckenzie, R.G. Webster, R.J. Webby and M.A. Ali. 2013. Do commercial avian influenza H5 vaccines induce cross-reactive antibodies against contemporary H5N1 viruses in Egypt? Poult. Sci. 92(1):114-118. doi: 10.3382/ps.2012-02637

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/27711/study-reveals-reduced-efficacy-of-h5n1-vaccines-in-egypt

Siberian Khatru

In eight Russian regions exceeded the threshold for influenza and SARS
 January 22, 2013 7:5 - 

Russia has started to increase the incidence of influenza and SARS, - "Interfax" the country's chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko. According to him, the whole of Russia registered non-epidemic incidence. However, already there are serious revitalization. Rise in incidence is expected in the fourth week of January - that is, in the coming days.
 According to the head of Rospotrebnadzor, the results of last week the epidemic threshold for influenza and SARS exceeded in eight regions - Ryazan and Novosibirsk regions, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Yakutia, Altai Region and St. Petersburg. Onishchenko also said that every year suffer from colds and 30 million Russians, transmits radio "Vesti FM" . -  http://radiovesti.ru/articles/2013-01-22/fm/79654

Yekaterinburg hospital preparing for swine flu 
January 22, 2013 14:5 -

In the Sverdlovsk region flu epidemic. Each day, the surgeons new cases. Most residents of the Urals being infected H1N1, better known as "swine flu." In 2009, this strain has led to a pandemic, it is an epidemic that has spanned almost the entire world. This season in the Central Urals already registered the first case of death from swine flu. More information about the situation tells correspondent radio "Vesti FM" in the region Oksana Izbysheva.

 All hospitals Yekaterinburg quarantined. Those who come to the patients, the medical staff discourages meetings. In the outpatient queue. People complain about the heat and chill. Says the deputy chief medical officer of the Central City Hospital third Ekaterinburg Natalia Stikhin , phones break from calls. "Last week we celebrate the growing incidence of viral infections. On average, the number of calls has increased. If the previous figures was about 25 calls a day now increased to 30-35" - says Stikhin. Influenza in the Sv... http://radiovesti.ru/articles/2013-01-22/fm/79702

In Molyneux outbreak of pneumonia?

Photo: www.russianlook.com

Author: Philip MALOV

Posted on 22 January 13 (16:13)

Parents recruits serving in Mulinskom garrison, sounding the alarm: they say, in a local hospital, having tens of children with pneumonia.

Nizhny Novgorod, 22 January - AIF-NN . The military claim that it greatly exaggerated rumors. Is it such rumors guided Defense MinisterSergei Shoigu , quoted the army of pneumonia and canceling puttees?

"Harmless" cold

To our office appealed familiar rookie Ivan Alexeev (name changed on request of the soldier and his family. - Comm. corr.) According to Father Man, a few days before the oath, his son fell ill. Keep the temperature stable 37-37,5 - the cold season it twice a day for all measure the military.

- January 12, we had the oath, the 13th was transferred from Moulineaux in the army, and the 14th I became ill - told us on the phone Ivan. 

The next day in the local clinic did chest x-rays - pneumonia moderate!

- In Mulinskom garrison hospital like me, tens, - says Ivan. - Only one in my house, where we were about a dozen, all of pneumonia! They say that only with this diagnosis here 57 soldiers and hospitalized patients continue to arrive ...  http://www.aif-nn.ru/society/article/54799

Shoot High Aim Low

Prevent Flu Ducks, Breeder limit hike Vaccine Use Twice Lama

Tuesday, January 22, 2013, 



Surabaya - Department of Animal Husbandry (Disnak) Java appealed to all duck farmers to temporarily continue using bird flu vaccine for chickens and birds. This was done to anticipate the continued occurrence of duck deaths because of the unavailability of bird flu vaccine specific clade 2.3.2 ducks in East Java. 
Chief Disnak Java, Maskur said, calls for duck farmers use bird flu vaccine for chickens as interim anticipatory action. He also gave a note, farmers should vaccinate more for every single duck to Increase immune birds. "We encourage the use of two times for one poultry ducks," said Maskur to ROL .use bird flu vaccine clade 2.1.2 for chickens and birds, he explained, only use temporarily, pending masalnya produced bird flu vaccine clade 2.3.2 especially for ducks.

 He estimated mid-February to March, bird flu vaccine clade 2.3.2 can be obtained for a duck farmer in exchange for previous vaccines. To East Java, Maskur said the bird flu vaccine production clade 2.3.2 for ducks will be concentrated in centers Veterinaria Farma in Surabaya. Once the vaccine is mass produced, he sure Disnak Java will soon distribute to all duck farmers in East Java, with some priority areas that had infected

"March is confirmed breeders are able to get the vaccine," he said. Chairman of Local Poultry Farmers in East Java, Mujiono ever ask for ducks bird flu vaccine is produced, so the farmers have to wait more than two months. He also expects that the distribution of the vaccine schedule has promised Disnak. "Farmers can not wait any longer for duck deaths are still happening," he added. http://www.republika.co.id/berita/nasional/jawa-timur/13/01/22/mh01hp-cegah-flu-itik-peternak-diimbau-pakai-dua-kali-vaksin-lama

Soon

Country isn’t prepared for deadly flu pandemic

BY DAVID DAUSEY
The United States is currently experiencing the worst influenza epidemic in a decade. Places like Boston and New York have declared influenza emergencies. Experts tell us this is a “bad” flu season. Actually it isn’t, and things could be a lot worse. The dirty little secret is that the United States isn’t even close to being prepared for a serious influenza epidemic, and we can and should be doing more right now to prepare.

After 9/11, the U.S. government got serious for a while about public health preparedness. I was part of a group of researchers around the country who were funded to study how all levels of government (local, state and federal) should work together to prepare for all types of public health emergencies but, especially, bioterrorism and pandemic influenza. We made significant progress. We worked with local and state governments to develop pandemic influenza plans. We piloted tests to evaluate the preparedness of health departments to respond to emergencies 24/7. We crafted plans to help different sectors of government like public health, emergency management and law enforcement work together. We developed strategies for improving, managing and deploying the strategic national stockpile for vaccines and antiviral medications.

Then the recession occurred and most of this progress came to a screeching halt. Policymakers focused on fiscal austerity decided that public health preparedness wasn’t a serious enough threat to warrant continued funding. Grants to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fund research on bioterrorism and epidemics were cut. State and local health departments were left holding the bag with staff that they could no longer pay for and initiatives that were no longer funded. Preparation for pandemic influenza and novel infectious disease outbreaks were put on the back burner as low-probability events.

The result is that the United States is simply not prepared to respond to a deadly influenza pandemic. Imagine a flu season like the one we are having where the fatality rate is much higher and where no vaccine is available. What would we do? Movies like “Contagion” highlight just how grim the situation could become, and they are based in part on plausible scenarios.

We have a group of policymakers that can’t even balance the federal budget. How would we expect them to perform in an emergency situation where hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people are dying? We should all be grateful that so far we haven’t had to face another influenza pandemic like the one in 1918 where more than 50 million people worldwide died. Just because we haven’t faced this scenario recently doesn’t mean it can’t occur. In every century in recorded history, there has been at least one major pandemic that has resulted in a significant loss of human life, and many of those pandemics have involved influenza.

It is clear that our existing infection-control efforts and vaccine campaigns are unable to significantly slow the spread of the influenza. We shouldn’t wait for the movie “Contagion” to play out in real life before we decide to get serious about preparing to respond to novel infectious disease epidemics. Influenza has always represented a serious threat to public health. We need to be ready to respond not only to a “bad” influenza season but also to a catastrophic one. That requires bipartisan support for sustained investment in local, state and federal public health preparedness that is viewed as a priority even in tough economic times.



David J. Dausey, Ph.D., is a professor, researcher, epidemiologist and internationally known public health scholar. He is chairman of the Public Health Department at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa., and founding director of the Mercyhurst Institute for Public Health. http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130122/OPINION/130129757/1074

Tempus Fugit

National | Alert, The Case of Bird Flu Spreads!

January 22, 2013

, JAKARTA - The case of poultry deaths from bird flu spread to Bali. Four districts in Bali is reported to have contracted the bird flu virus that attacks the ducks and chickens. Data Ministry of Agriculture (Ministry of Agriculture) records the number of poultry deaths nationwide per January 21, 2013 reached 269 621 tails.

The number of deaths of poultry in Badung as many as 56 head of population of 112 674 individuals. In Buleleng regency, as many as 2025 dead birds out of a total population of 119,409. Then in Klungkung regency dead poultry population of 100 individuals from 142 003 individuals. Dead last in Tabanan 1 head of population of 132 072 individuals.

Director of Animal Health Directorate General of Livestock and Animal Health said the vaccine Kementan Pujiatmoko long as 350 thousand doses already distributed to Java, Lampung, South Sulawesi and Bali. Old vaccine is still effective to ward off bird flu virus caused the H1 clade 2.3.2 viruses.

Kementan allocate some budget to deal with cases of catastrophic bird flu attack birds. Compensation will be provided for the depopulation of poultry are still healthy. The budget is expected to reach USD 50 billion. Ministry of Agriculture also is seeking the recovery of livestock due to bird flu. "What already dead, we're try funds to build the farm," said Agriculture Minister Suswono told reporters on Tuesday (22/01).  

Agriculture also urged farmers to begin to fix the nomadic livestock systems. Although vaccinated, infected poultry will continue if they persist with nomadic livestock systems. The cages should be cleaned with disinfectant.

http://beritaparpol.com/nasional-waspada-kasus-flu-burung-semakin-meluas.html

Changes

JANUARY 22, 2013

Disease Outbreak Investigation At Ducks in Central Java, East Java, and DIY

Information from the Directorate of Animal Health,  that up to December 12, 2012 in Central Java, 61.459 ducks or (0.75%) of the total population of ducks and wild duck death.

Duck and wild duck populations in Central Java today as much as 8,159,311 birds. Regional  Demak  with the highest mortality rate reached 13 200 duck tail. While Klaten  ranks lowest with a mortality rate of up to 5 individuals.

According to Dr. Pudjiatmoko, if the government will issue a compensation fund that would channel it is the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare  (Kemenkokesra).  reason Kemenkokesra compensation fund will be issued through the National Committee for Avian Influenza Control. "The compensation was in Menkokesra. But we still will talk together. Currently we have no reports that," said Dr. Pudjiatmoko.

News Source:  http://ekonomi.inilah.com/read/detail/1937530/pemerintah-kaji-kompensasi-peternak-itik

DISEASE OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION ON DUCK IN CENTRAL JAVA, YOGYAKARTA, AND EAST JAVA: IDENTIFICATION OF A NEW VIRUS clade subtype H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA IN INDONESIA

ABSTRACT

The Eurasian lineage of H5N1 viruses continue to cause the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry in some countries in Asia and Africa. In Indonesia, H5N1 clade 2.1 viruses have been known to cause outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 in all roomates clade 2.1.3 viruses have predominantly Circulated in poultry in this country since 2005.

 Most H5N1 HPAI outbreak Occurs in chickens, whereas outbreaks in other avian species is rare Including ducks.However, between September and November 2012, several disease outbreaks were reported from duck farms in three provinces in Java (Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java) with high morbidity and mortality seen in ducks. The majority of disease cases found in young ducks, but in some occasions, adult ducks were also affected. Neurological signs, whitish eye and death were the main clinical signs in young ducks, while reduced in egg production were frequently observed in affected laying ducks.

 Showed histopathology acute necrotic to chronic non-suppurative encephalitis and perivascular cuffing in dead or severe infected ducks.

 Immunohistochemistry result Showed H5N1 viral antigen detected mainly in brain. H5N1 virus was successfully isolated either from tissues, oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs or from feather samples. Avian influenza subtype H5 viral RNA was detected by real-time reverse transcription PCR. Phylogenetic analysis of hemagglutinin sequences of seven H5N1 virus isolates indicated that these isolates belong to clade 2.3.2, a sublineage that H5N1 has not been detected previously in Indonesia. 

Further analysis should be done to investigate Whether the Emergence of this virus in Indonesia is due to new H5N1 viral introduction or to mutation processes occurring in poultry. In addition, another study is Necessary to assess the pathogenecity of the virus in ducks and other poultry, Including chickens.

INTRODUCTION

Disease  highly pathogenic avian influenza  (HPAI) caused by H5N1 subtype avian influenza virus was identified in poultry since 2003 (Dharmayanti  et al ., 2004; Wiyono  et al ., 2004). According to the classification of WHO / OIE / FAO, all H5N1 viruses isolated from poultry and humans in Indonesia, including the clade 2.1. The predominant H5N1 virus been found since 2005 to date comes from clade 2.1.3 (2.1.3.1, 2.1.3.2, and 2.1.3.3). 

Several studies have shown that infection with H5N1 virus-clade 2.1 in group chickens (gallinaceous ) as layer chickens, broiler chicken, chicken is highly pathogenic, causing illness and death perakut high amounts, while ducks and other water fowl are relatively more resistant to infection these viruses ( Bingham  et al. , 2009  ;  Swayne, 2007 ;  Wibawa  et al. , 2012 ).

 The study results are consistent with the results of the investigation BBVet / BPPV and some sur-vei epidemiology and molecular epidemiology suggests that the rate of prevalence of H5N1 clade 2.1 in ducks and other water fowl in Indonesia is very low compared to the prevalence of the virus in chickens ( Henning  et al. , 2010 ; Wibawa  et al. , 2011 ;  Loth  et al. , 2011 ).

 In September-November 2012 reported the case of a fairly high mortality in ducks in Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java DI. Center for Veterinary Wates (Wates BBVet) did invesitigasi in the field and conduct sampling in order to identify the causative agent of the death of the ducks. This paper aims to identify the causative agent of infectious diseases that are pathogenic to ducks. 

http://agro-online.blogspot.com/2013/01/investigasi-wabah-penyakit-pada-itik-di.html