US funds international partnership against H5N1 in high-risk regions

The United States Agency for International Development has provided more than $20 million to support the ongoing U.S.-Food and Agriculture Organization partnership against H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza and a widening focus on potential emerging pandemic threats.
The partnership focuses largely on "hotspot" areas, such as Bangladesh, China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Funding will also go to regional coordination to support surveillance and avian influenza prevention in Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and Myanmar, which are threatened by the disease's continuing persistence in neighboring countries. "The U.S. government has been key in generating international support to combat avian influenza and to reduce the chances for a human pandemic by assisting the FAO and others to address the threat in animals before it spills over into humans," said Food and Agriculture Organization Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth. "Such support for basic prevention measures is rare, yet most sensible and cost effective."
The partnership has resulted in a better understanding of what drives disease emergence and what measure to take to prevent disease, according to involved researchers. The U.S Agency for International Development launched an Emerging Pandemic Threats program, which helps funnel support to countries to diagnose and characterize different types of influenza virus threats. The Food and Agriculture Organization has established a Crisis Management Center for Animal Health, an emergency response unit that can mobilize and deploy teams of veterinary and other experts anywhere in the world to advise governments on emergency control measures.

Vietnam bank finances avian influenza control project

The State Bank of Vietnam and the World Bank have signed on to help finance the Vietnam Avian and Human Influenza Control Preparedness Project, which will help the country improve its responses to highly pathogenic avian influenza, human influenza and other newly emerging zoonotic diseases.
US$25 million will be provided to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to increase the effectiveness of public services in reducing the health risk to poultry and humans from avian influenza in 11 high-priority provinces. The focus will be on controlling the disease at the poultry level, early detection and response to infection, and preparing for the medical consequences of a pandemic.
Two other avian influenza projects have been funded (at a total cost of US$40 million) and implemented since 2004: the Avian Influenza Emergency Recovery Project and the Vietnam Avian and Human Influenza Control and Preparedness Project.

Avian influenza outbreak in Manitoba flock

H5N2 avian influenza isolate was obtained from a commercial farm located in Rockwood, Manitoba, according to a press release from the Food Inspection Agency of Canada (CFIA).
Initial clinical evaluation suggests that the infection is associated with a virus of low pathogenicity and is not of significance to humans. An epidemiological investigation has been initiated to attempt to determine the source of infection.
The affected flock has been depleted and disposed of and appropriate quarantine precautions have been implemented.

Scientists hypothesize 1872 influenza pandemic may be linked to AI

Scientists affiliated with the National Institute of Health hypothesize that an influenza pandemic occurred in the U.S. 1872. Their contention published in Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses is based on a review of contemporary news reports.
If in fact the U.S. outbreak of mortality was attributed to avian influenza it would have been the first recorded case of widespread losses, preceding the reports by Proncito in Italy in 1878. The authors, Dr. David Morens and Jeffrey Taubenberger base their findings on the fact the most of the deaths in the then small poultry flocks in the Northeast and Midwest occurred concurrently with an outbreak of influenza in horses. Eventually equine influenza extended to Central America and the Caribbean.
Unlike the “Spanish Flu” outbreaks of 1917, there is no residual biological material which could be subjected to sensitive PCR to confirm the presence of RNA characteristic for the virus.

Iowa FAST Egg Plan introduced

At the 2010 North Central Avian Disease Conference, Daryl W. Trampel of the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reviewed the Federal and State Transport Plan for Movement of Egg Products, or the FAST Egg Plan, which was introduced on April 1, 2010, in Iowa. The purpose of this initiative is to allow, in the event of a disease emergency, egg production units with high levels of biosecurity and free of catastrophic disease to ship eggs to market under intensified surveillance.
The plan would include minimum biosecurity standards, location verification using GPS, an active surveillance program using real-time PCR to detect exotic Newcastle disease or highly pathogenic avian influenza, and assurance that the designated unit has no direct or indirect epidemiologic contact with an affected farm. The incident commander will apply an analysis algorithm providing a geospatial risk estimate to decide whether to allow farms within a quarantined area to ship washed eggs. The FAST Egg Plan could serve as the model for a national program.

Europe detects first case of avian flu in a year

Authorities ordered the culling of a poultry flock in Romania in which two birds died of avian flu, and they established a two-mile “protection zone” and larger “surveillance zone” around the backyard farm, Agence France Presse reported.
The cases occurred on a farm near the Ukrainian border and were the first incidences of H5N1 detected in Europe in a year, according to the European Commission. The last detected case was in a wild duck shot in southern Germany in March 2009.

Vietnam culls poultry in five provinces

Avian influenza has led to the culling of thousands of poultry in Vietnam, reported Agence France Presse. Six provinces have been hit, with about 3,600 chickens and ducks infected and 14,000 destroyed since January 15 in Ha Tinh, where the outbreak is the most severe, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
A ministry official has expressed concern that H5N1 could spread in central Vietnam and the Mekong Delta because many birds are being transported for slaughter in preparation for the Chinese New Year on February 14.

Bird flu hits southern Vietnam

About 4,000 birds were recently culled in Vietnam to contain the spread of avian influenza A H5N1, according to the Vietnam New Agency. The outbreaks occurred in two separate provinces, one in the far south and one in north-central Vietnam. Authorities said that most of the affected birds had not been vaccinated but that they are working to vaccinate other flocks.
The current migration of wild birds could worsen the situation, said Diep Kinh Tan, deputy minister of agriculture and rural development.
A duck farmer tested positive for H5N1 and other poultry farmers with culled flocks are under medical observation, a hospital official said. The affected provinces have established checkpoints to prevent the movement and slaughter-for-sale of contaminated poultry, according to the news agency.

Avian influenza 2009 statistics

Last year, 17 countries reported outbreaks of H5N1 in domestic poultry and wild birds, according to ScienceInsider. From 2003 to 2010, 62 countries reported H5N1 avian influenza in domestic poultry or wildlife.
Five countries recorded H5N1 in humans in 2009, compared with six countries in 2008. The World Health Organization recorded 72 human cases in 2009, 32 of which were fatal. The disease had its toll on developing countries: Indonesia accounted for 19 of the 32 H5N1 human deaths; five were in Vietnam, four were in China and four were in Egypt. Of the 72 confirmed human cases, 39 were recorded in Egypt.
The number of human fatalities has declined steadily since peaking at 79 in 2006. From 2003 to December 2009, there have been 467 confirmed human cases and 282 deaths.

Southeast Asian researchers work to contain H5N1

Southeast Asian researchers hope to contain the spread of H5N1 avian influenza by identifying poultry smuggling routes, according to Reuters news agency. Disease and agriculture experts from five countries met in Kunming, China, to develop a plan.
Unregistered, informal trading and more organized smuggling appear to be especially prevalent along the Cambodian border with Thailand and Vietnam.
In the past year, the H5N1 virus has killed people in China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Egypt. Although transmission from birds to humans is relatively rare, the disease poses a threat because it kills 60% of people who contract it, the agency reported.

USDA poultry meeting set for Jan. 27

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has scheduled a meeting of the National Poultry Improvement Plan General Conference Committee for Jan. 27, 2010, from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd. NW, Atlanta, Ga.
The General Conference Committee acts as a liaison between the poultry industry and USDA in issues affecting poultry health. It includes representatives of state agencies and the poultry industry.
Meeting topics are:
*National Poultry Improvement Plan diamond anniversary conference
*Salmonella isolation and identification laboratory protocol
*Notifiable avian influenza
*Salmonella and baby poultry contact
*Experimental use of a live Mycoplasma synoviae vaccine in broiler breeders
*National Poultry Improvement Plan database
The public may attend the meeting, but not participate in discussions. Written statements on meeting topics may be filed with the committee at the meeting. They may also be sent before or after the meeting to Andrew R. Rhorer, senior coordinator, NPIP, VS, APHIS, USDA, 1498 Klondike Road, Suite 101, Conyers, GA 30094. Writers should refer to Docket No. APHIS-2009-0096.

Hong Kong resumes import of Spanish poultry

Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety is in the process of resuming imports of Spanish poultry, excepting the provinces of Guadalajara and Navarra, say reports.
Poultry imports from Spain were halted last month after cases of avian influenza H7 were confirmed in Guadalajara, and avian influenza H5 cases were found in Navarra.
Given control measures and no further cases reported, import applications have resumed.

FAO study offers Cambodia ways to prevent avian flu

A study from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) suggests Cambodia better control and regulate imported poultry and increase market hygiene to best prevent the spread of avian flu, according to reports.
Import border control, transport and marketing regulation and a veterinary law would help in attaining these higher standards, the report stated.
Multiple studies were done by local FAO partners during the past two years to research the spread of avian flu and potential ramifications for producers.

Study explores viability of avian influenza in water

A recent article from scientists at the University of Georgia investigated the survival of avian influenza virus in water.
Viability is affected by pH, but with values of 7.4 to 8.2 supporting survival. A low temperature (approximately 50 F) and low to moderate salinity also extended the time over which viruses retained infectivity. The results of this study are important in understanding the transmission of avian influenza from free living water fowl to commercial flocks.

Report finds AI infectious up to 2 years

Nebraskan researchers found that poultry carcasses infected with avian influenza can remain infectious in municipal landfills for almost two years, according to their report Survival of the Avian Influenza Virus (H6N2) After Land Disposal.
Researchers at the Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences and the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln combined their findings to report that AI survived in landfill leachate — liquid that drains or "leaches" from a landfill — for at least 30 days and up to 600 days.
The study found two factors that most reduced influenza survival times: elevated temperature and acidic or alkaline pH.

H1N1 outbreak in West Bengal

A new outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been reported in West Bengal according to an article in India's Business Standard.
On May 25, deaths of about 20 backyard poultry birds in the rural areas of Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal were contributed to H1N1. All samples tested by the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal, and the National Institute of Virology, Pune, tested positive for this virus.
The outbreak was reported to the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) on May 28. The animal husbandry department told OIE that curbs on the movement of poultry products, screening and culling of domestic poultry in a 3 km radius around the outbreak spots are in place.

Mx gene in chickens can resist bird flu

At least 62% of Indonesian chickens are resistant to bird flu due to a gene in their body called Mx, reports the Indonesian Institute of Science.
Sri Sulandari, a gene researcher at the institute's biological research center, said the indigenous chickens' ability to resist avian influenza varies according to the strength of the antivirus genes in their body.
Sulandri added that since the birds may contain information on how resistant a specific breed is to the flu, culling them results in loss of crucial information.
Avian influenza was first detected in Indonesia in August 2003 and has now been found in birds from 31 of the archipelago's provinces. According to the Indonesia National Committee for Avian Influenza Control and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, there have been 145 human cases of bird flu in Indonesia spread over 12 provinces. Of these, 119 have been fatal.

Animal ID tags up for debate

Despite the creation of the National Animal Identification System in 2004 in an effort to streamline animal disease control, "many of the issues and concerns that were initially raised by producers, such as the cost, impact on small farmers, privacy and confidentiality and liability, continue to cause debate," said USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
Because of the resistance to the program, a USDA-APHIS "listening tour" concerning the implementation of animal ID tags began May 14 to get feedback from stakeholders and will conclude June 1 in Loveland, Colo., according to the USDA-APHIS Web site.
Small farmers and hobby ranchers have tended to oppose the ID tagging system because of the cost, which a USDA study estimated to be up to $228 million annually.
Larger industrial farms and food processors, including Tyson Foods Inc., have supported the system as some already operate under strict requirements.
"We support the principles of the U.S. Animal Identification Plan and encourage rapid adoption of a premises ID system," Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson said in an e-mailed statement to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
However, Mickelson said the system should be accurate, affordable, confidential and compatible with programs used in Canada and Mexico.

California closes poultry health lab

After an unsuccessful pursuit of a budgetary increase, the decision has been made to close the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory Systems' Fresno facility, effective July 19, according to the CAHFS Web site.
The lab, which operates out of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in partnership with the CDFA and poultry producers, diagnoses mainly avian diseases.
Some of the testing performed at Fresno will be redistributed throughout the other four CAHFS laboratories: Davis, Turlock, Tulare and San Bernardino. The remaining services will be outsourced to qualified laboratories throughout the U.S., according to CAHFS.

WHO declares swine flu crisis health emergency

The World Health Organization has declared the swine flu outbreak in North America a "public health emergency of international concern."
The decision means countries around the world will be asked to step up reporting and surveillance of the disease implicated in human deaths in Mexico and at least 20 non-fatal cases in the US. WHO fears the outbreak could spread to other countries and is calling for a coordinated response to contain it.
WHO director-general Margaret Chan made the decision late Saturday after consulting influenza experts during an emergency meeting. She earlier told reporters the outbreak had "pandemic potential." But her agency held off raising its pandemic alert level, citing the need for more information.
"It would be prudent for health officials within countries to be alert to outbreaks of influenza-like illness or pneumonia, especially if these occur in months outside the usual peak influenza season," Chan told reporters by telephone from Geneva, where she convened an emergency meeting of influenza experts.
Several Latin American and Asian countries have already started surveillance or screening at airports and other points of entry.
More than 100 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by a flu-like illness in Mexico, WHO says. More than 1,600 people are ill with the symptoms. Some of those who died are confirmed to have a unique flu type that is a combination of bird, pig and human viruses.
US authorities said 20 people were infected with swine flu in California, Texas, New York, Kansas and Ohio All recovered, having had only mild symptoms. Canada has also reported some mild cases.
WHO's emergency committee, called together Saturday for the first time since it was created in 2007, draws on experts from around the world. They may decide the outbreak constitutes an international public health emergency. If so, they will consider whether WHO should recommend travel advisories, trade restrictions or border closures and raise its pandemic alert level.
President Obama said Monday the swine flu outbreak is a "cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert," but is not a "cause for alarm," according to a story from CNN.
He added the federal government is closely monitoring the situation and declared a public health emergency as a "precautionary tool to ensure that we have the resources we need at our disposal to respond quickly and effectively."