Published Date: 2006-01-08 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza, H5N2 - Mexico
Archive Number: 20060108.0064
AVIAN INFLUENZA, H5N2 - MEXICO
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A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: 8 Jan 2005
From: Pablo Nart <pablo12@hotPOP.com>
Source: People's Daily Online, 7 Jan 2006 [edited]
<http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200601/07/eng20060107_233516.html>
Mexican Health Minister Julio Frenk said Friday [6 Jan 2006] that his
country had controlled the outbreak of bird flu in Chiapas state on
the Guatemala border, adding there was no risk for human health.
Speaking at a Mexico City press conference, Frenk said that Mexico
had been maintaining vigilance for years, making sure that bird flu
was kept under control.
This vigilance helped in the early detection of the outbreak, spotted
15 days ago, that has hit 300 birds. There was little risk that the
human population could be infected, unlike with the virus present in
Europe and Asia, he said.
The Chiapas strain is H5N2, which is different from the deadly H5N1
detected in Europe and Asia. Health authorities in Chiapas had
established a quarantine, culled the 300 infected birds, disinfected
contaminated areas and compensated affected farmers, Frenk said.
Frenk said that there was no risk to people eating Mexican eggs or
chicken, and repeated that Latin America was free of bird flu in humans.
In Guatemela on Friday [6 Jan 2006], the agriculture authorities said
they had increased epidemiological vigilance at the frontier to
prevent any possible outbreak.
--
Pablo Nart
<pablo12@hotPOP.com>
[N5N2 is regarded as a low pathogenic strain. Although it can mutate
to a much more highly pathogenic strain, this particular case has
been depopulated and should put a stop to any opportunity for the
virus to mutate. Currently, all outbreaks of the highly pathogenic
form have been caused by influenza A viruses of subtypes H5 and H7.
Decontamination is important with regard to eliminating the virus
completely. - Mod.TG]
[ProMED-mail would like to thank Gil Colgate in Oaxaca, Mx
<gilcolgate@aol.com> for a similar submission. - Mod.MPP]