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This blog doesn’t attempt to list every H5N1 bird flu outbreak that crosses the wires, since those stories are already well covered by terrific bloggers and newshounds at Crofsblog, Arkanoid Legent, Chen Qi, the Flu Wiki, FluTrackers and others.
H5N1 outbreaks are ongoing among poultry and wild birds in a number of countries right now, including Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia.
But when activity increases or is somehow unusual in nature, or jumps to regions where it is less common, or involves suspected human cases, I try to provide some coverage.
Yesterday, after an absence of new outbreaks for nearly a year, India reported a reoccurrence of H5N1 to the OIE at a state duck & poultry farm in Tripura.
Map credit- OIE.
The epidemiological notes on the OIE Report states:
Epidemiological investigation is ongoing. Stamping out of all domestic birds is being applied in an approximately 3-km-radius zone around the outbreak followed by compensation of the owners.
An intensive surveillance campaign has been launched in a 10-km-radius zone including:
- Closure of poultry markets and prohibition on sale and transportation of poultry products in the infected zone;
- Disinfection of premises after culling and sealing of premises where appropriate.
Restocking will be permitted in accordance with a protocol to be followed in this regard.
This report appears in the Indian Newspaper, The Hindu:
Birdflu in Tripura, culling begins
At least 3000 poultry, including chicken and ducks, were today culled in a State-owned poultry and within its three km radius here following outbreak of birdflu in Tripura.
State Animal Resource minister Aghor Debbarma told newsmen over two thousand chicken and ducks have died in the area since February 3 last and blood samples of some of them which were sent to Regional Animal Diseases Diagnostic Centre in Kolkata tested positive for H5N1 virus.
Given the past history of outbreaks, and the porous border between India and hard hit Bangladesh, it isn’t particularly surprising to find the virus has returned.
Meanwhile, Vietnam has seen the re-emergence of the virus in a number of places this month, including Nam Dihn, Tom Hum, and Lang Son Province.
Overnight we learned via a pair of stories posted by Treyfish on FluTrackers that authorities are looking into a suspected H5N1 fatality in Thừa Thiên-Huế province.
From a machine translation of a story that appears in the VN Express, it is reported that a 15-year-old has died shortly after being transferred to the Hue Central Hospital for fever and respiratory problems.
While testing has not yet confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus, 27 Healthcare workers and 4 patients who had contact with the teenager have been placed in quarantine and are receiving prophylactic antivirals.
Additionally, relatives and contacts of the victim are to receive Tamiflu.
Teenager suspected death from influenza A/H5N1
15-year-old patient in the mountainous district of Nam Dong, Thua Thien - Hue province, was taken to the family at the Medical University Hospital, Hue, then move the Hue Central Hospital and died there.
Through diagnosis, doctors Hospital of Hue Medical University identified patient (hospital day 14 / 2) with signs of influenza A/H5N1 infection with symptoms such as fever, dyspnea, pneumonia, failure acute respiratory. Health status is increasingly critical. The same day of admission, Hue University of Medicine decided to move patients to the Hue Central Hospital. However, only two half hours from when the referral, the patient died.
27 doctors, nurses, nurses and technicians of the University Hospital of Hue Medical and four patients share a room, contact with the sick, must be quarantined immediately and tamiflu medication within 10 days to prevent influenza A/H5N1 vaccine. On the same day, the University Hospital of Hue Medical and disinfection carried out the entire hospital.
Health Department of Thua Thien - Hue province has also sent its staff to the South East district conducted disinfection patient residence area, and isolation and to relatives of patients with preventive medication tamiflu.
And lastly, from Sumatra, Indonesia we get this report posted by Dutchy – again on FluTrackers – of a large outbreak of bird flu in poultry and a suspicious fever being reported by children in the region.
Out of an abundance of caution, these children are being monitored by local health authorities. While Tamiflu has been dispensed (a standard precaution in these sorts of cases), no confirmatory test results have been received indicating that these children have the bird flu virus.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
KAYUAGUNG - The bird flu virus attacked the village of Old Srigeni, District Kayuagung, OIC. Hundreds of chickens and ducks died, ironically, this animal carcasses thrown into the River Komering by the citizens.
''We do not know what disease that makes chickens and ducks died,''said Kadesh Srigeni Old Mujahid.
This problem, already reported to the Animal Husbandry Department OIC. Officers had been taking samples chicken and sent to a laboratory (lab) in Flash Lampung. The result is ''a dead chicken of the residents are attacked due to bird flu,''he said.
<SNIP>
The result, as many as 16 children have a fever, hot and diarrhea. ''We have not find out whether they are exposed to the virus or not, that obviously they already we give the drug Tamiflu, bird flu antiviral drugs,''said Hakim.
He said there is one resident who develop shortness of breath. This incident “could not said outbreaks or unusual events, because there is no insulation our citizens and we continue monitor developments in the field by reducing medical personnel,''he said.
It should be noted that fevers and diarrhea are not uncommon symptoms, and may be due to a wide variety of causes. Their proximity to a bird flu outbreak raises concerns, but often these cases turn out to be something far more mundane.
Despite the obvious concerns over human exposure to bird flu, the H5N1 virus remains primarily adapted to avian physiology. Humans have only rarely contracted the virus, usually after direct exposure to infected birds.
The concern, of course, is that over time the virus may adapt better to humans, and spark another pandemic.
So we remain at Pre-pandemic Phase III for H5N1 and and monitor reports such as these with considerable interest.
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