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Published Date: 2006-02-13 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza - worldwide (14): Europe, Africa
Archive Number: 20060213.0478

AVIAN INFLUENZA - WORLDWIDE (14): EUROPE, AFRICA
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
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ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
In this update:
Europe
[1] Slovenia, swan
[2] Romania (Constanta), poultry
[3] Italy (south), swan, 6th case
[4] Bulgaria
Africa
[5] Nigeria
[6] Chad, Mali - RFI
******
[1] Slovenia, swan
Date: Mon 13 Feb 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: DPA via Monsters and Critics.com, 13 Feb 2006 [edited]
<http://news.monstersandcritics.com/health/article_1097047.php>

Bird flu found in Slovenia near the Austrian border
-----------------------------------------------
An infected swan was found dead near the Austrian border, marking
Slovenia's 1st case of bird flu, authorities said Sunday [12 Feb 2006].
A European Commission spokesman said the detected virus belonged to
the H5 group. An exact diagnosis by the E.U. Reference Laboratory in
Weybridge, Britain [CRL], where samples had been sent for further
testing, was expected on Monday [13 Feb 2006]. [Differing from the
above statement, the dispatched package from Slovenia is expected by
CRL to arrive, at best, late Monday, 13 Feb 2006. On a precautionary
basis, CRL estimated that results confirming HPAI in the Slovenian
sample will not be available till Wed 15 Feb 2006. - Mod.AS]
According to the Austrian Health Ministry, 1st tests had revealed
that the virus was H5N1, which is dangerous for human beings.
Initially, there had been confusion over the exact location of the
find. A farmer had discovered the animal in Koblerjev zaliv in
Maribor, but had taken it to his farm in St. Primoz and informed the
authorities there.
In Slovenia, a protection zone of 3 km around the area where the swan
had been found was established. A further surveillance zone of 10 km
crossed the Slovenian border and extended to the Austrian province of Styria.
1st official statements in Austria had said that the province of
Carinthia, which also borders on Slovenia, would be affected by the
measures. Deputy Carinthian Governor Martin Strutz later accused the
Slovenian authorities of a "chaotic information policy."
In Styria, an emergency plan was set up for the villages in question.
Among other measures, there would be a ban on keeping poultry in the
open air, and the animals would be examined by veterinarians.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
******
[2] Romania (Constanta), poultry
Date: Mon 13 Feb 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Reuters Alertnet, 13 Feb 2006 [edited]
<http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L13188730.htm>

Romania finds suspect bird flu cases in fowl
-----------------------------------------------
Romania found cases of suspected bird flu in fowl close to the Black
Sea port of Constanta, authorities said on Monday [13 Feb 2006].
Avian flu has been discovered in 29 villages across the country since
the virus was 1st detected in the Danube delta in October 2005, but
Romania has not reported any human cases.
"Rapid tests on 2 dead hens found in a courtyard [backyard?] led to
suspicion of the presence of the H5 type of the virus in the
Topraisar village, in the county of Constanta," the country's chief
veterinarian Ion Agafitei told Reuters.
The village is 40 km north of the border with Bulgaria.
Agafitei said all 20 hens from the courtyard were killed. The village
will be quarantined, and birds will be culled there if further checks
confirm the presence of the H5 type.
On Saturday [11 Feb 2006], authorities found new suspect bird flu
cases in the delta and confirmed the presence of the virus in a
nearby village. Last week, Romania confirmed the presence of the H5
type in poultry in a village in the south of the country close to the
border with Bulgaria.
The delta is Europe's largest wetlands and lies on a major migratory
route for wild birds, believed to be the carriers of the virus in its
highly pathogenic form.
H5N1 has killed at least 88 people and caused the deaths of millions
of birds since 2003.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
******
[3] Italy (south), swan, 6th case
Date: Mon 13 Feb 2006
From: Christian Griot <christian.griot@ivi.admin.ch>
Source: Yahoo News, 13 Feb 2006 [edited]
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060213/hl_afp/healthfluitaly_060213101537>

6th swan in Italy tests positive for H5N1 bird flu
-----------------------------------------------
A 6th wild swan that died in Italy has tested positive for the highly
pathogenic H5N1 form of bird flu.
A specialist lab in Padua late Sunday [12 Feb 2006] confirmed the
presence in the bird of the flu strain, which has killed some 90
people, mainly in Asia.
On Sat 11 Feb 2006, Italian Health Minister Francesco Storace said
that more than 20 migratory swans found dead in the south of the
country were infected by the bird flu. Tests have been under way in
Padua to determine whether they carried the particularly virulent
H5N1 strain, the only one so far to have infected humans.
Their corpses were found in the Puglia and Calabria regions and on
the island of Sicily.
Italian authorities have put emergency health measures into place,
including setting up protective zones around outbreak areas to
control the movement of poultry and increasing agricultural and
veterinary checks.
Greece and Bulgaria, where H5N1 was detected in other wild swans,
have also put similar emergency measures into place. Slovenia
reported a case of an H5 bird flu but had not yet confirmed whether
it was the H5N1 strain that can infect humans.
Storace was due later Monday [13 Feb 2006] to meet with local
authorities in all 3 Italian regions affected by the outbreak.
Meanwhile, authorities urged people to remain calm and stressed that
only migratory birds, and no domestic poultry, had been affected so far.
--
Christian Griot
<christian.griot@ivi.admin.ch>
[The geographical location of the 6th case -- seemingly, in one of
the 3 named regions -- has not been indicated. - Mod.AS]
******
[4] Bulgaria
Date: Mon 13 Feb 2006
From: Mary Marshall <tropical.forestry@btinternet.com>
Source: Reuters Alertnet [edited]
<http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L13390967.htm>

Bulgaria finds more bird flu, expects deadly H5N1
-----------------------------------------------
Bulgaria has detected another case of H5 bird flu, authorities said
on Monday [13 Feb 2006], and expects it and 2 other samples found in
dead swans over the past 2 weeks to be the H5N1 strain that can kill humans.
The Balkan state announced on Saturday [11 Feb 2006] that the highly
pathogenic H5N1 strain, which has killed at least 88 people and
forced the culling of millions of birds in Asia and Turkey since
2003, had been found in Bulgaria for the 1st time.
The latest bird found with H5 was a swan near the Black Sea port
Bourgas, some 3.5 km (2 miles) from a farm with 120 000 egg-laying
hens, Chief Veterinarian Zheko Baichev told journalists. He said his
office would send samples to the EU-certified laboratory in
Weybridge, England for further analysis.
Agriculture Minister Nihat Kabil said that, following a spate of
cases of the H5N1 strain across the region, he expected the latest
Bulgarian samples to test positive for this strain.
"We suppose, after all samples sent to Weybridge from southeast
Europe tested positive for H5N1, the other samples (from Bulgaria)
that will be sent tomorrow [14 Feb 2006] will, with very high
probability, also test positive for H5N1," he said.
Authorities are also awaiting results from 2 other H5-infected swans
found dead near the Black Sea coast and have started preliminary
tests on at least 9 more swans, 2 ducks and a cormorant found dead
across the country since last week.
Police have blocked access to wetland areas and begun to shoot wild
predators to prevent them from spreading the remains of potentially
contaminated birds. They also plan to post signs in high-risk areas
warning "Danger of Bird Flu."
The discovery of H5N1 in the country is a blow to its already reeling
poultry industry, which produces around 9 percent of the foie gras
consumed in Europe, and Kabil said he feared it was only a matter of
time before H5N1 appeared in domestic poultry.
"It is not necessary to start culling domestic birds ... (but) we
have to accept the thought that, in the coming days, we might have
the 1st outbreak," he said.
"The probability of that is very high, and we have to be ready for
pictures of veterinarians going into those areas with special suits
to cull birds."
[Byline: Kremena Miteva]
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Additional information from an earlier newswire (Novinite / Sofia
News Agency <http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=59119>
mentions: "Minister Kabil said it is highly probable that samples
from dead swans collected at the dams of Tsonevo and Durankulak test
positive for H5N1. The samples will be sent to Weybridge laboratory
on Tuesday [14 Feb 2006].
The dams are among the 4 geographical spots in Bulgaria where samples
from dead birds have tested positive for H5. The other 2 are located
near the river Danube and the Black Sea town of Burgas.
Bulgarian veterinarians' biggest concern now is that domestic poultry
may come into contact with migratory birds, which are expected to
leave the country no earlier than April 2006." - Mods.AS/MPP]
******
[5] Nigeria
Date: Mon 13 Feb 2006
From: Shamsudeen Fagbo <oloungbo@yahoo.com>
Source: The Guardian (Nigeria), 13 Feb 2006 [abridged, edited]
<http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article01>

Government moves to curb bird flu; farmers meet today
-----------------------------------------------
The Federal Government has announced stringent measures to check the
spread of the avian flu, which broke out in Jaji, Kaduna State last
week. It has also restated that no human has been known to have
contracted the virus in the country. Nigerians, the government
advised, must cook their chicken very well before consumption. Under
the policy of cordoning, culling, destroying and disinfecting farms
that may be affected, the Minister of Information and National
Orientation, Mr. Frank Nweke Jr., said that the steps would be
executed through immediate quarantine and closure of farms identified
or under suspicion for a period of one year and a ban on movement of
poultry from one state or local council to the other.
As the government unfolds its plans to curb the disease's spread,
poultry farmers in the country will today [13 Feb 2006] converge in
Abuja to develop a homegrown solution to the problem. For affected
farms to be disinfected effectively, all carcasses of affected birds,
the government directed, must be either burnt or buried properly. In
addition, the government has warned poultry farmers against
restocking. Similarly, farm workers must wear protective clothing
while on duty and reduce their visits to such farms. Nweke said it is
"funny" for some countries to say they have banned the importation of
poultry from Nigeria because "the poultry industry in Nigeria can
hardly meet local demands. So, Nigeria really does not export [a
large amount of] poultry products, except perhaps to a few
neighboring countries."
While emphasizing that investigations would continue to identify the
source of the appearance of the virus in Nigeria and allaying fears
of infection of humans, the minister said that "information available
to us from the experts has shown that well-cooked chicken does not
infect anybody. All we advise you to do is cook properly ... As soon
as it was confirmed, the Nigerian government was open and transparent
enough to tell the world that, yes, avian flu had occurred in Nigeria
and enunciated very clearly the measures that had been taken or that
are being taken to make sure that the flu does not spread further,
that it is managed in a sustainable manner, in a way that it would
not ravage the entire poultry industry and mutate into a thing that
will affect humans. The government knows that it is an international
issue ... The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has met with veterinary
officials from the various states and instructed them very clearly to
intensify their surveillance of poultry and the bird population in
the various states. They have also been encouraged to interface with
the local government officials in the various states and also to
enlighten them of the situation with regards to the avian flu."
He added: "Specific messages are being developed to enlighten people,
the farmers on one hand and also the receiving public on the other.
Large poultry farmers are being encouraged to reduce the frequency of
their visits to their poultry farms. When they do need to visit, they
are being encouraged to wear protective clothing. They have also been
encouraged to [advise] their poultry workers to reduce contact as
much as possible and to be properly dressed. They have also been
encouraged to monitor the mortality of birds in these poultry and to
so report such mortality to the appropriate authorities as the case
may be, either at the state level, the ministries of agriculture and
health or at the local government level."
The meeting, described as very crucial, is being organized by the
Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria. Officials of the body told
The Guardian at the weekend that the farmers would take stringent
steps to avert a looming distress in the industry as a result of the
worldwide virus. Last Friday, the Federal Government swung into
action in its efforts to curb the spread of the deadly avian
influenza by destroying 46 000 birds at the Kaduna farm, where the
disease was 1st noticed. And to minimize the effects of the policy on
the affected poultry farmers, the Federal Government has offered to
pay N250 [approximately USD 2.00] as compensation for every bird that
is killed.
Amid the growing fears over the virus, some fast food outfits
yesterday [12 Feb 2006] said there was no need to panic over the
spread and the possibility of being infected by eating chicken. The
chairman, Poultry Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria,
Chief Tunde Badmus, who made today's forum known to The Guardian,
said it was to further explore more effective ways to check the
disease spread. Badmus said poultry farmers were concerned with what
he referred to as exaggeration of the bird flu scare, especially by
the media. Warning against driving the nation into a panicky
situation over an issue that he said was under control, Badmus said
today's [13 Feb 2006] meeting would take far-reaching measures that
would allay unnecessary fears on the disease. "For example, we will
open information centers in selected locations nationwide, where
necessary information can be ascertained from us on the update on the
disease as experienced by our members, just as those with helpful
information can make such available at designated centers," Badmus said.
Stressing that the virus causing bird flu cannot withstand high
temperature, he canvassed for thorough cooking of chickens before
consumption. "While it is true that the disease can be transmitted
from chicken to human beings, those who stand any high risk of
infection through poultry are those who come in contact with infected birds."
On his part, Adebogun commended government's response to the disease,
which, he said, was prompt, and particularly lauded the approval of 2
billion NGN [USD 15.5 million] to compensate affected poultry
farmers. He, however, faulted the allocation of NGN 250 [USD 2] per
bird, suggesting an increase of the sum to NGN 1000 [USD 8]. He said:
"If government sincerely wants to compensate poultry farmers, then
NGN 1000 is it. A day-old chick costs about NGN 120 to 180
[approximately USD 1]. And to feed it to maturity, you need between
NGN 300 to 400 [approximately USD 3], including drugs and management.
If you then add about 200 for exigencies, then you can estimate not
less than NGN 1000 as compensation for affected farmers." Adebogun
insisted that only such amount could guarantee necessary rapport
between farmers and government so that they would be forthcoming on
the disease. "Call it a reward and not even a compensation. What is
important is the need to ensure that affected farmers willingly
disclose if their birds are infected, so as to avoid further spread."
During a visit to some fast food firms in Lagos at the weekend,
customers were seen making orders for meals with chickens. A
respondent who preferred anonymity said: "For now, I am still eating
chicken until future revelations may give me a 2nd thought." Another
customer, who identified himself as Tunde Oyebanjo said: "The truth
of the matter is that necessary awareness on the bird flu scare is
still lacking. So, life goes on for now."
Meanwhile, experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
and the World Health Organization (WHO) for Animal Health have
arrived in the country to step up measures to prevent further spread
of the virus, even as officials await the results of a test on 2
children feared to be infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.
The Federal Ministry of Health officials, led by a director in the
ministry, Dr. Abdulsalami Nasidi, yesterday [12 Feb 2006] visited the
families of 2 critically-ill children who live near an infected farm
in Kaduna, where their blood samples were taken and sent to a
laboratory in Zaria for analysis. "We are suspecting this might be
something, but we are trying to get the real case notes," said
Nasidi, after visiting the family. "People can catch the virus from
contact with infected birds, but it cannot be spread from one human
to another," he said.
The outbreak of H5N1 in the country is the 1st known appearance of
the virus in Africa. Although only 4 farms in 3 northern Nigerian
states have confirmation of H5N1, officials believe more than 20
farms have been hit in Kano State alone.
The FAO and the WHO urged neighboring Benin Republic, Cameroun, Chad,
Ghana and Niger to tighten border inspections. The deadly H5N1 strain
of bird flu was found on 3 more farms in the North of the country on
Friday [10 Feb 2006], where thousands of poultry have died recently.
The new cases -- confirmed by the National Veterinary Research
Institute head, Dr. Lamy Lombar -- are in Kano and Plateau states, on
either side of Kaduna, where the 1st case was found on Wed 8 Feb 2006.
It is speculated that Nigeria may lose 90 percent of its chicken
population to bird flu in a few months if it relied absolutely on the
policy of stamping out and depopulation. Speaking with The Guardian
at the weekend [11-12 Feb 2006], the General Manager of Zartech
Limited, an agro allied industry based in Ibadan, Oyo State, Mr.
Roger Aboujaoude, advised the Federal Government to change its policy
and embark on aggressive vaccination of birds in the industry and
also allow importation of H5-type vaccines into the country since
they had proven to be very effective in the control of the avian
influenza epizootic.
[Byline: Madu Onuorah (Abuja), Ben Ukwuoma, Babatola Adeyemi (Lagos)
and Najeem Raheem (Ibadan)]
--
Shamsudeen Fagbo
<oloungbo@yahoo.com>
[The Nigerian government is engaged in addressing the allegations,
expressed in some international media sources, of delayed response
and indifference.
The Africasia.com website published today [13 Feb 2006] a newswire
titled "Nigerian bird flu outbreak feared spreading south" (see
<http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=africa&item=060213150933.89j4q5s5.php>.
It says:
"Nigeria is probing suspected cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird
flu near Abuja and in a neighboring state, the 1st sign the outbreak
is spreading south, Health Minister Eyitayo Lambo said Monday [13 Feb 2006].
The minister said that in addition to confirmed cases of poultry
flocks infected in the northern states of Kaduna, Kano and Plateau,
officials were testing samples from several neighboring regions ...
"we have suspected cases in Nassarawa, the Federal Capital Territory
and Katsina."
Nassarawa and the FCT are in central Nigeria, while Katsina lies on
its northern border closer to previous outbreaks. See map at
<http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gmap&lng=en&des=gamelan&dat=200&geo=-158&srt=pnan&col=aohdqcfbeimg>
Nigeria is a major trade partner of China. However, rumors about
possible imports of breeding material from China or other East Asian
countries could not be confirmed by reliable contacts. - Mod.AS]
******
[6] Chad, Mali: Request For Information
Date: 13 Feb 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

ProMED-mail received the following request for information: "An
internet news board has word of mouth lay reports from contacts in
Mali that there is an H5N1 outbreak in birds in Chad.
Does anyone have more reliable information about H5N1 in birds in
Chad and/or Mali?"
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[We have been in contact with the originator of the original news
bulletin board announcement, verifying that this information was
received from a contact in Mali, but we have been unable to
substantiate this. Given the concerns about spread of avian influenza
throughout the African flyways, we are posting this information as an
RFI, hoping to receive more information from knowledgeable sources. -
Mods.AS/MPP]

See Also