Ministry of Health rapid-response teams were identifying the latest victims’ close contacts, looking for any epidemiological link between the cases and initiating preventive treatment, Bunheng said.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013012560997/National/two-cambodians-die-of-avian-flu.html The communique said the three patients from different areas, including Phnom Penh City, an 8-month-old boy has recovered after treatment, the baby boy in the illness did make contact with poultry; Takeo Province, a 15-year-old girl and Kampong Speu Province, a 35-year-old man convicted of ineffective treatment within 21 days of death, the girl had had contact with chickens and dead chickens in the village and eating chicken. http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-01/25/c_114505397.htm PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia on Friday reported three new human cases of bird flu, two of them fatal, in the first three weeks of this year. That's as many cases as the Southeast Asian country reported in all of 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/cambodia-reports-3-bird-flu-cases-2-fatal-131138889.html
Cambodian workers carry chicken at a market in Phnom Penh on Jan 25, 2013. Two Cambodians have died from bird flu contracted while preparing infected chicken, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday, Jan 25, 2013.
PHNOM PENH: Two Cambodians have died from bird flu contracted while preparing infected chicken, the World Health Organization said Friday.
Tests on the victims, a 15-year-old girl and a 35-year-old man who died earlier this week, confirmed they had contracted the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, the WHO said in a joint statement with the Cambodian health ministry.
An eight-month-old boy admitted to hospital in Phnom Penh on January 9 was also infected with H5N1 but later recovered, the statement said.
There was evidence of infections among poultry in the villages of the two who died and the pair "prepared sick chicken for food prior to becoming sick", the statement said.
Cambodia has recorded 24 cases of H5N1 since 2003 with all but three of the victims dying.
The virus has killed 362 people worldwide since a major outbreak in 2003, according to WHO statistics.
It typically spreads from birds to humans through direct contact, but experts fear it could mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans, with the potential to trigger a pandemic.
SURABAYA_DAKTACOM: handling team Avian Influenza Research Center or the Asian Research Center (AIRC) Universitas Airlangga (Airlangga University), Surabaya, managed to find a vaccine to address the spread of bird flu in humans.
But the government seemed slow to respond to discovery, so the findings are not yet developed for handling citizen bird flu, said Dr.. CA Nidhom, AIRC chairman Airlangga University Surabaya.
The findings have been submitted to the Ministry of Health to ditindaklanjut. But until now there has been no progress, he said to Shifa Faradillah of Radio Dakta, in the event Dakta morning, Thursday (25.01.13).
The most widely epedemi bird flu in humans are in the area Banten, West Java and Jakarta, he added explaining.
Explained, strategically, that found vaccines are intentionally designed for people with economic reasons. Because if you make a vaccine for poultry, the costs will be even greater because the number of birds in Indonesia many times more than the total population. Besides poultry are also evenly spread across the land in Indonesia. http://www.dakta.com/berita/nasional/37954/vikasin-flu-burung-ditemukan-pemerintah-cuek-saja.html/
Touch the dead birds while using protective equipment
Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Health (Disnakeswan) Pandeglang, Banten asking local residents to use protection when going to hold or take the dead birds. "We ask residents will be careful when holding birds that die continue to use personal protective equipment, "said Secretary Disnakeswan Pandeglang Winarno in Pandeglang, Banten, on Thursday (24/1). Prudence, he said, is necessary for fear of the dead birds infected with bird flu or any other disease dangerous to health humans. Below are tips to protect yourself from bird flu disari from conversations with Disnakeswan Pandeglang: First , use of protective equipment such as gloves and masks. Do not forget to wash your hands with soap after touching the carcasses of dead birds."Use of personal protective equipment, also we recommend when people would hold the birds are sick, so do not hold the original play by," he said. Secondly , Winarno asserted, so far as may not make direct contact with sick or dead or products. Thirdly , cook meat or poultry products until completely cooked.Fourth , if the need to maintain the separate bird cage with house and cleaned periodically while wearing protective equipment. "The people we asked immediately report any sick or died suddenly on animal health officer or directly to the Office Disnakeswan," said Winarno. http://www.beritasatu.com/news/93444-4-tips-agar-tidak-terjangkit-flu-burung.html
KBRN, Jakarta: Ministry of Health to make sure up to now has not been found infected people who died from bird flu virus or the H5N1 virus.But Health Minister confirms Nafsiah Mboi MoH together with the Ministry of Agriculture will continue to monitor closely.
"At the moment we have not got people so that together with the Ministry of Agriculture should be fast moving. If there is a case then we Itiknya elimination, "said Menkes Nafsiah Mboi, Thursday (24/01/2013)...
, Bogor - At least 25 chickens owned by residents in Kampung Kayu Manis, RT 03/RW 01 Village Cibadak, District Land Sareal city of Bogor, West Java, died suddenly, allegedly due to bird flu (H5N1).
By Isah (53) local residents, the chickens have died since this week without cause.
"It's been a week is a lot of chickens died suddenly, including my two male chickens died this morning," he said when met yesterday.
Besides chickens died suddenly, a cat belonging to the resident is found dead for no reason.
"Maybe it's because eating sick chickens," said Isah.
Meanwhile, according to Parinem (44), a member of the local integrated health cadres, besides chickens that died, there are also a number of residents who are sick. "There are two people who are sick of fever, chest tightness and high heat," he said.
Parinem said residents had reported the incident to RT, Ward and District.
"Last of the Department of Agriculture also gone down and do the inspection, he said chicken here positive bird flu," said Parinem.
Health officials in Egypt and the world are scrambling to prevent an outbreak of polio after poliovirus from Pakistan was discovered in sewage samples collected at two sites in Cairo in December.
Genetic analysis just completed has linked the Egyptian viruses to one that was last seen in Pakistan in September 2012. How it got to Cairo remains unclear, but the genetic evidence suggests that the virus made the long journey sometime in the past 3 months. Egypt has been polio-free since 2004.
So far, no polio cases have been found in Cairo, and there is no evidence that the virus has established itself and begun to circulate widely. But it's a real risk, says Bruce Aylward, who runs the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland.
"The last thing anyone wants is for Eqypt to be reinfected," Aylward says. That's why the country and the international agencies that advise it are treating the positive samples as a fullblown outbreak, "We are being very, very aggressive," Aylward says.
The importation of the virus into Egypt is another setback for the global program, which has finally been making significant progress in the past 2 years, with polio cornered in just three endemic countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. (India has now gone 2 years without a single case of polio.) Of the three, Pakistan was doing especially well in knocking out the virus, but the program there has recently been disrupted by the targeted assassination of nine polio workers in December and early January. Those killings, widely condemned, have stoked fears the virus will regain strength in Pakistan and then reinfect polio-free countries. "This is proof positive of long-distance importation from Pakistan, and there may be more," Aylward says.
This is only the second time poliovirus from Pakistan has infected any country other than neighboring Afghanistan; the first was China, where a virus from Pakistan sparked an outbreak in 2011. This new importation puts even more pressure on Pakistan to wipe out the virus within its borders.
The wild poliovirus was detected in untreated sewage water collected on 2 and 6 December as part of routine sampling in the Al Salam and Al Haggana areas in Cairo. Once they were found to be positive, the samples were shipped to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta for genetic sequencing. The analysis, completed on 18 January, showed that the viruses from the two sites are closely related to each other, and both could be traced to a virus last seen in September in environmental samples in Sukkur in northern Sindh Province in Pakistan.
The presence of the virus in untreated sewage means that a person or several people—maybe a family—carried it from Pakistan and are now excreting it in their stool. No polio cases have been found so far; in general, polio causes paralysis in about one out of every 100 people it infects. Both samples came from the same sewage tributary, says Sona Bari, a WHO spokesperson.
Alerted on Friday night (18 January), WHO, CDC, and other partners in the global initiative immediately sent in teams to help the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population investigate and plan a response. The have stepped up environmental surveillance and are actively looking for any cases of paralysis that may have been missed. Planning is under way for an emergency campaign to vaccinate children in these two areas of Cairo as soon as possible, to be followed by one in greater Cairo in mid-February and then national campaigns.
Egypt has had two other known poliovirus importations since 2004, but neither caused any illness. A key variable in determining how widely the virus will spread is the population's immunity level. The poliovirus cannot gain a foothold if immunity is high and few kids are susceptible, as is generally the case in Egypt. But experts are worried, Bari says, because Egypt has scaled back its national polio vaccinations campaigns from twice to once a year during the turmoil of the revolution. And even in the best of times, Aylward says, there are always some children who do not receive polio vaccinations, usually in poor populations living in slum areas with inadequate sanitation.
The events come in the week WHO's Executive Board is meeting in Geneva to discuss, among other things, progress and threats to the long-running polio eradication effort, originally scheduled for completion in 2000. "First and foremost on everyone's mind is Pakistan," Alyward says. One issue he expects to be on the table is travel restrictions. The Independent Monitoring Board that oversees GPEI recommended in a November 2012 report that, under the International Health Regulations, the three endemic countries introduce measures to ensure that no one can leave the country without proof of polio vaccination.
Already, Shahnaz Wazir Ali, the Pakistani Prime Minister's focal person for polio eradication, has advised all provincial governments and federal administrations to set up permanent booths in international airports to vaccinate all children under age 5 against polio before they leave the country. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/01/polio-virus-spreads-from-pakista.html?ref=hp
A nasty new strain of norovirus, a highly contagious gut bug, has circled the globe and landed in the U.S., where it’s now the leading cause of what’s known indelicately as “winter vomiting disease.”
Health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that the GII.4 Sydney strain of norovirus was responsible for more than half of outbreaks of the illness during the last four months of 2012. The new norovirus spread amid a particularly harsh flu season that's also causing misery.
Of 266 outbreaks of norovirus between September and December, 141 were caused by the bug that was first detected in Australia in March 2012, according to data from CaliciNet, which tracks norovirus outbreaks. The proportion of outbreaks caused by the new strain jumped dramatically from 19 percent in September to 58 percent in December, the CDC says in its weekly report on death and disease.
“Right now, it’s too soon to tell whether the new strain of norovirus will lead to more outbreaks than in previous years. However, CDC continues to work with state partners to watch this closely and see if the strain is associated with more severe illness,” said Dr. Aron Hall, a CDC epidemiologist specializing in viruses.
Like the virus that causes the flu, norovirus mutates quickly, resulting in a new strain every few years, Schaffner said. When that happens, people who’ve already had previous versions of the bug that can cause profuse vomiting and diarrhea are more likely to get it again. “What that means is more of us are susceptible,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
That can be a particular problem in enclosed spaces, such as cruise ships, nursing homes or other gatherings where people share close quarters.
The virus spreads ridiculously easily, often carried in the air after projectile vomiting, or lingering on surfaces where it infects the next victim, Schaffner said.
“It’s very contagious,” he said. “It takes only a few viral particles.”
Young children and the elderly are most at risk of serious complications, typically because of the danger of dehydration from rapid fluid loss.In the U.S., norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis, affecting more than 21 million people a year and leading to about 800 deaths, CDC said.
Another danger is that dehydration can cause blood pressure to drop, resulting in fainting that can lead to falls. Schaffner said when he heard that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suffered a concussion after fainting following a stomach virus in December, his first thought was norovirus.
“She’s a global traveler; she could have picked it up anywhere,” he said.
CDC officials advised health workers to be vigilant for increases in norovirus outbreaks this winter because of the new GII.4 Sydney strain. They should follow standard infection control practices to prevent norovirus.
In addition, the general public ought to be aware that the new bug is out there and take precautions including washing hands with soap and water, disinfecting surfaces, rinsing fruits and vegetables, cooking shellfish thoroughly and not preparing food or caring for others while ill.
Iraq:Babyloncriticizes "blackout" on pandemic influenza and demanding health awareness and confirms fears provoke
he long-Presse / Babel accused the province of Babylon, (its city of Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad), on Wednesday, maintaining health obfuscate the incidence of pandemic influenza type H1N1, and demanded intensify awareness about the disease, while showed the Department of Health as "prohibited" from the permit or "disclose" any information on the subject, The Ministry of Health they proceeded to "central" statements not to provoke "panic" citizens, especially after that provided the necessary treatment plan developed to reduce its spread.said the Chairperson of the Committee on Health and the Environment in the province of Babylon, hope Saluma, in an interview to the (long-Presse), "The Babel health department deliberately obscure the incidence of the flu epidemic in the province," noting that "the department hid information thereon even for the provincial council, which does not serve one, "according to her opinion.demanded Saluma Ministry of Health and the Department of Health Babylon to "awareness campaigns and extensive to educate citizens about the ways of preventing the disease and how to confront it."But general manager of health Babylon July Mzhi, attributed the "secrecy "pursued by the Chamber to" instructions ministry strict in this regard. "said Mzhi, in an...
The virus that killed nearly 80 percent of its total infections in Bangladesh has struck back killing an 8-year-old boy in Dhaka and leaving his father critically ill, the government’s disease monitoring agency, IEDCR confirms.
According to its Director, the family drank raw date sap brought from Bhaluka on Jan 11 and fell ill six days later. “The boy succumbed on Tuesday at a Dhaka clinic and his father is in an intensive care unit,” Prof Mahmudur Rahman told bdnews24.com.
He said they were confirmed about the presence of the nipah virus in their laboratory at around 5.45pm on Wednesday.
The bat-borne nipah virus that infects a person only after drinking raw date sap and later can pass on to other persons through contact is a cause of public health concern in Bangladesh as it breaks out every year during Jan-Apr.
Since 2001, when it first broke out as an unknown disease, the virus has killed 136 of its 176 victims in 21 districts across Bangladesh.
“It is hundred percent preventable if we can prevent people from drinking raw date sap,” the Director said, “But once infected, we don’t have a cure.”
“It usually takes seven to eight days on an average between exposure and signs of symptoms — fever, altered mental status and seizure,” Prof Rahman said. He said they would watch the family where eight members took the drink, up to 21 days.
They were also following the families who received the date sap from the same source. “We have discovered that one person from Bhaluka supplied 100 bottles of sap to families in Dhaka,” he said.
He could not rule out further outbreaks. “We are watchful.”
Nipah virus was first detected in Malaysia in 1998 but at present Bangladesh, a hotspot for infectious diseases, is the only country in the world that reports the disease.
Though public health analysts believe that border districts of India have the virus, reports are not available from the Indian government to confirm it.
Anthropological study says drinking raw date or palm sap in the morning is an old practice in Bangladesh, especially in rural areas, where there is a general lack of maintaining hygiene.
An ICDDR,B study using infrared cameras found that fruit bats perch on the jars, put up on trees to collect the sap, and try to drink the juice. They also urinate into the pot.
The Pteropus bats’ saliva and urine carry the virus. But it gets destroyed if the sap is boiled.
“The virus is killed in 70 degrees Celsius temperature,” Prof Rahman said.
Bangladesh first confirmed the virus in 2004 after testing samples from the US following deaths of number of people as an ‘unknown’ ailment since 2001.
Meherpur, Naogaon, Rajbarhi, Tangail, Faridpur, Manikganj, Rangpur, Kushtia, and Thakurgaon districts of central and northwestern region are highly vulnerable to nipah, according to IEDCR. When it breaks out in a place, panic runs so high that people even desert their homes en masse.
The presence of the virus at Bhaluka in Mymensingh is new.
It is not clear why the virus is widespread in some districts, and why it strikes new places, but date tree is very common in those areas.
“We did not find it in Jessore despite many date trees being there. It was because bats in that region do not carry the virus,” Prof Rahman said.
Tracking the history of nipah in Bangladesh, bdnews24.com found that it is highly communicable and can be passed on with minimal human contact.
Many victims were infected and they died after not taking precautions in taking care of patients.
“But you can prevent the infection by washing hands with soaps, and not sharing the same food,” he said suggesting caregivers should wear masks.
Floods soak Bandar Lampung..Where all the birds are dying
Thursday, January 24, 2013, 20:41 pm
Rakhmawati / AP
car and flooding / illustrations
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LAMPUNG AIRPORT - Heavy rains on Thursday (24/1) since at 15.30 pm, immersing homes and roads in Bandar Lampung. Rain water overflow from siring to homes and roads agency protocol. The high reached 30 centimeters (cm).
The rain that fell Thursday evening's larger volume and longer. So that makes the water in the siring and times overflowed. Blow water from the hills also damaged culvert crossing water.
Houses in Wayhalim, Labuhan Queen, Palapa, and constable, half-calf-high water flooded adults.
In addition to submerged homes, flooding also occurred on Jl Kartini, Jalan Radin Intan, partly Teukur Umar Road, and Road Cut Nyak Din. Flooding is causing traffic jams until after the Maghrib and Isha. There are no reports of deaths and injuries in the event of this nature.
According to Zulkarnain, heavy rains since late been soaking roads and houses in the Palapa. "The water in the kingdom around the tires, due to take place at a standstill," he said.
While Erni, Wayhalim residents, said water during heavy rains siring had entered his house as high as 25 cm. "It's quite heavy rain, lots of siring in residential overflow and go home," he explained.
While the citizens of Housing Beringin Kingdom, Kemiling, Bandar Lampungk, siring many complained the water flow from the hills blocked by garbage.
NEPAL - The Nepali veterinary authorities have reported four new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at various commercial broiler farms located in Gandaki.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) received follow-up report no. 5 on 21 January 2013.
A total of 3160 birds were found susceptible, out of which 1112 cases were reported. The reportedly affected birds were found dead, while the remaining 2048 were destroyed.
The source of the outbreaks remains inconclusive.
According to the report, the birds showed respiratory distress, nervous signs and all affected birds died.
Cleaning and disinfection activities in the infected premises are completed.
Yemen Launching a national campaign to immunize more than 4 million children against polio next Sunday
[24 / January / 2013]
(Saba) -: Nabil Al-Najjarstarts next Sunday national campaign to immunize against polio implemented by the Ministry of Public Health and Population during the period from January 27 to 29 current and target all children under five years of age and the estimated 4,591,620 children in all governorates of the republic. aims Campaign to make Yemen polio-free and prevent the infiltration of the disease from countries that still infested.
A report issued by the Ministry of Public Health and Population got news agency Saba, a copy of that will participate in the campaign 40 thousand and 55 workers from the health staff and volunteers them Alvin and 721 constant factor, and 37 thousand and 334 workers moving, spread over 2 721 team fixed, and 18 667 team moving.
also participates in the work of the awareness campaign on the ground 333 coordinator healthy in all governorates and 22 intellectuals health centrally in each province, while overseeing the immunization four thousand and 824 supervisors, as well as 22 observers from local councils at the provincial level and 666 observers from local councils at the district level and 3 thousand and 330 of preachers.
Regarding sites implementation of the campaign according to the report it will be from house to house in addition to the health facilities and temporary sites and new, such as schools and arenas villages and homes dignitaries and others. The report pointed out that was part of the special needs campaign providing 5.2809 million doses of vaccine, and 5 thousand 157 vehicles to transport vaccination teams in all districts... http://www.sabanews.net/ar/news296124.htm
Jambi: H5N1 bird flu virus is rapidly evolving Batanghari, Jambi, and has caused the death of thousands of chickens owned by residents in the area. watchlist in court on Thursday (24/1), outbreaks of bird flu virus was originally found in Durian's Luncuk then spread to other villages. Currently the virus is again attacked residents in the Village poultry Rengas Condong, District Muarabulian. http://www.metrotvnews.com/metronews/read/2013/01/24/6/125589/Virus-Flu-Burung-Merebak-di-Jambi-Ribuan-Ayam-Ditemukan-Mati
Jambi-Thousands of chickens have died from bird flu Batanghari Thursday, January 24, 2013 21:00 pm
Jambi (Jambi Reuters) - The bird flu virus or H5N1 rapidly evolving Batanghari, Jambi, and has caused the death of thousands of chickens owned by residents in region. Observation in the field, on Thursday, outbreaks of bird flu virus was originally found in the Durian Luncuk, then spread to other villages. Currently, the virus is again attacked poultry residents Leaning Rengas in the Village, District Muarabulian. The chicken deaths from bird flu positive. A resident of the Village Rengas Condong, Agus, said that in recent days the poultry citizens many died, and many of its citizens as well concerned since the virus can be transmitted on humans. "Within two days of my neighbors many poultry people that died suddenly, "said Agus. Residents were dead poultry have been asked to not holds the poultry and immediately report to the isntansi related.
Chief District Veterinary Office Batanghari Elly Ismail said officers had gone down to the field and
took samples of dead chickens residents, the chicken turned out positive for bird flu.
"Once our officers took samples of dead chickens, the chickens certainly affected residents due
bird flu, "he said.
After receiving reports from residents, it went down to the site to take samples of dead chickens
to determine whether the dead chickens tested positive for bird flu or other diseases.
To the owner of the chicken was asked to bury dead chickens or burned, so as not to infect chickens
others, including humans.
To cope with outbreaks of bird flu in the village Rengas Leaning, he would take
spraying the chickens sometimes owned by local residents in order not to spread everywhere. He admitted that the current outbreak of bird flu has swept Batanghari, including the District Bathin XXIV, Tembesi, Bajubang, and the last in the village Pemayung Rengas Lean Bulian Muara District.
Efforts to tackle bird flu was done in collaboration with the Department of Animal Husbandry Jambi Province, kartena
budget constraints, particularly in the procurement of drugs for spraying the cage.
Was halted for fear of causing acts of bioterrorism, global studies on avian influenza virus continues to understand this more deeply.
Officers at Bali oversee culling to prevent the spread of bird flu
. (LONDON - Scientists around the world, on Wednesday (24/1) announced the end of a moratorium on studies of mutant forms of deadly H5N1 bird flu that has caused concern internationally.
announcement of the decision to continue through what they call risk, but important study, scientists say. This study will be continued in places that are very safe in countries that agreed to do so. means that this study will resume in laboratories in the Netherlands and other countries, but not in the U.S. or other research centers funded by the United , because it is still waiting for your safety and security there. Scientists voluntarily halt H5N1 transmission research last year for fear that information about how the growth of harmful viruses can be utilized acts of bioterrorism. flu experts said they are aware of this fear and strive ease, and felt it was time to continue the research. They say the study is important to get a thorough understanding of H5N1, which many fear could one day lead to a pandemic deadly to the human race. "We want the world to be better prepared than now if the H5N1 pandemic appears," said Yoshihiro Kawaoka of Tokyo University, the principal investigator bird flu.... http://www.voaindonesia.com/content/dihentikan-setahun-studi-flu-burung-dilanjutkan/1589897.html
Pakistan issued the polio virus to Cairo by sewage
24
January
(WHO) said on Wednesday that he found the polio virus in the streams of the Egyptian capital Cairo, coming from Pakistan, Wednesday, which explains the suffering of Egypt polio cases since 2004.
The newspaper "The New York Times" American Barry Sauna, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization (WHO), as saying: "now being planned to campaign Ttaaamadd disease on February 25, next."
The newspaper, quoting Sauna in its edition of Thursday morning that health workers Ffersoa cases of Cairene neighborhoods, samples were taken from the wastewater.
She SUNA as saying that the organization is looking for children or adults who have been recently paralyzed.
For its part, Pakistan has said it will deploy teams in international airports to vaccinate all children traveling abroad under the age of 5 years.
In the past month, killing at least nine Pakistani volunteers in vaccination campaigns against polio internationally backed across Pakistan; in a campaign of intimidation that harmed efforts to eradicate the disease there.
Pakistan has one of the three countries, which suffer from outbreaks of disease among the indigenous population, with Afghanistan and Nigeria.
The polio virus has been found in the sewers of Cairo, and it appears to have come from Pakistan, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. Egypt has not had a case of polio since 2004.
A vaccination drive is being planned for Feb. 25, and health workers are canvassing the neighborhoods where the sewage samples were taken, looking for children or adults who may have recently been paralyzed, said Sona Bari, a spokeswoman for the W.H.O. Pakistan has said it will post teams at its international airports vaccinating all outward-bound passengers under age 5. ..
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture has quarantined two farms, one in Gladstone and one in Pompton Plains, after tests confirmed a horse from the Gladstone farm contracted the neurologic form of Equine Herpes Virus, Type One (EHV-1). That horse is recovering and receiving treatment at a veterinary quarantine facility in Oldwick.
State Veterinarian Dr. Manoel Tamassia said the horse had attended a horse show in Newburgh, New York, the weekend of January 12. On January 18, a veterinarian informed the Department that they were treating a horse for an illness involving neurologic signs. The initial positive test result for EHV-1 was confirmed by the New Jersey Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory that day and a trace of the horse's movements was undertaken with the assistance of the New York State Veterinarian's office. Pennsylvania and Connecticut authorities also are involved in the disease investigation.
Tracing activities revealed eleven additional horses from New Jersey also participating in the show were exposed to the positive horse. All have been located and none are currently showing signs of illness. "The Department has taken immediate preventive measures to stop the virus from spreading," said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher. "It is essential that we use quarantines and trace back in Equine Herpes cases since the disease is easily transmitted, causing many horses to become sick or die." The EHV-1 virus spreads quickly from horse to horse, has a high morbidity and can cause a wide range of symptoms, from a complete lack of clinical signs to respiratory problems, especially in young horses, and spontaneous abortions in pregnant mares. The neurologic form of EHV-1, additionally, can cause an acute paralytic syndrome, which results in a high mortality. The incubation period of EHV-1 is typically 2 to 10 days. The virus spreads readily through direct contact with infected materials. While highly infectious, the virus does not persist in the environment and is neutralized by hand soap, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and sunlight. The virus does not affect humans and other domestic animals, with the exception of llamas and alpacas.
Concerned owners should consult with their veterinarian prior to taking any action as the clinical signs of infection with the neurological form of EHV-1 are common to many other diseases. The neurologic form of EHV is a reportable disease in New Jersey. If an owner has a horse that is exhibiting neurologic signs or suspects Equine Herpes, they are directed to call their veterinarian immediately.
