Published Date: 2006-04-22 00:00:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza - worldwide (95): DEU, NOR, FRA, UK
Archive Number: 20060422.1177
AVIAN INFLUENZA - WORLDWIDE (95): GERMANY, NORWAY, FRANCE, UNITED KINGDOM
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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>
[Note that in order to list all of the countries included in this
update on the subject line, internationally accepted 3 letter codes
have been used as abbreviations for the countries. A listing of 3
letter and 2 letter country abbreviations can be found at
<http://worldatlas.com/aatlas/ctycodes.htm>. - Mod.MPP]
In this update:
[1] Germany (Bavaria), wild birds, weekly update
[2] Norway - vaccination, penguins
[3] France, wild birds
[4] UK (Scotland): restrictions lifted
*****
[1] Germany (Bavaria), wild birds, weekly update
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006
From: Thomas Roesel <roesel@lycos.com>
Source: Press release, Bavarian Ministry for the Environment, Health,
and Consumer Protection website, accessed 21 Apr 2006 [trans. by
submitter, edited] <http://www.stmugv.bayern.de/de/aktuell/presse/2006/173.htm>
For the year 2006 in Bavaria, 63 cases of avian influenza in wild
birds have been confirmed by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI).
During the week of 13 Apr 2006 (2:00 PM) until 21 Apr 2006 (12 noon),
the following new cases were confirmed:
No. / Municipality / Administrative or City District / Regional
District / Species / Date H5N1 confirmed
63 / Burghausen / Altoetting / Upper Bavaria / Gadwell Duck / 20 Apr 2006
62 / Oeberau / Town of Straubing / Lower Bavaria / Falcon /20 Apr 2006
61 / Oberottmarshausen / Augsburg / Schwabia / Owl / 13 Apr 2006
60 / Strasslach-Dingharting / Munich / Upper Bavaria / Owl / 13 Apr 2006
So far in 2006, 6452 wild birds have been handed over to the Bavarian
Agency for Health and Food Safety; 5698 of them have already [by
21Apr 2006] been tested for influenza A, and the 81 samples that were
influenza A positive have been sent to the Friedrich Loeffler
Institute (FLI) for further testing. The FLI has confirmed 63 samples
as H5N1 positive, 17 as H5N1 negative, and 1 has yet to be determined.
In addition to avians, 277 carnivores (martens, foxes, cats) have
been sent to the LGL; 269 have been tested for influenza A virus. One
influenza A positive sample has been forwarded to the FLI, where it
was found H5N1 negative.
Daily updated information in tabular format (in German) is available
at <http://www.stmugv.bayern.de/de/lgl/vogelgrippe/anzeige.php>
Map: <http://www.stmugv.bayern.de/de/tierschutz/vogelgrippe/bayernkarte.htm>
Further information (in German): <http://www.tierschutz.bayern.de>
--
ProMED-mail
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[Though the incidence (or, rather, detection rate) of H5N1 infection
in wild birds in Bavaria continues to maintain a constant pace (3-5
cases per week), the spectrum of the affected/detected birds seems to
shift from aquatic birds to raptors. Explanatory attempts from
ornithologists will be welcomed.
Subscribers are referred to the 21 Apr 2006 (Vol 312) special issue
of the journal Science, dedicated to Influenza. A review titled
"Global Patterns of Influenza A Virus in Wild Birds", by Bjorn Olsen
and 6 co-authors, including maps, can be found on pages 384-388. The
authors discuss available data and identify important gaps in the
current knowledge regarding H5N1 in wild birds. - Mod.AS]
******
[2] Norway - vaccination, penguins
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006
From: Mary Marshall <tropical.forestry@btinternet.com>
Source: AP via Yahoo News, 21 Apr 2006 [edited]
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060421/ap_on_sc/norway_safe_penguins_1>
Fri 21 Apr 2006, 8 penguins became the first birds in Norway
vaccinated against bird flu after an aquarium won an 8-month battle
with health authorities, a newspaper reported.
"The safest birds in the Nordic region," declared a headline in
Bergen's Tidende newspaper. The paper said the birds were among the
first in northern Europe to get the vaccine.
The Bergen Aquarium, in western Norway's main city, had been trying
since October 2005 to get government authorization for the vaccinations.
The Norwegian Food Protection Authority, which must approve such
cases, refused since no outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain have been
found in Norway and it frowns on overuse use of vaccines.
On Friday, the authority relented and granted approval. But after 2
of the 8 birds were vaccinated, it withdrew the permit, only to give
the final go ahead a few hours later.
"When we had already vaccinated 2, they said go ahead and do the
rest,"Aquarium director Kees Ekeli was quoted as saying. He said the
agency was changing its rules so that "zoos and aquariums are not
treated the same as farmers with 25 000 hens."
The vaccine does not guarantee the birds won't contract H5N1 but
helps protect against influenza.
According to the Norwegian news agency NTB, the first bird vaccinated
was 9-month-old Pingrid Alexandra, whose name plays on that of
Norway's future queen, Ingrid Alexandra.
Pingrid Alexandra promptly threw up, while the other birds did not
appear to have an adverse reaction.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[If the above information is accurate, Norway has become, to the best
of our knowledge, the first European country which allowed (albeit,
on an extremely restricted basis) vaccination of avians in spite the
fact that no H5N1 infection, in wild or domestic birds, has been
recorded within its boundaries. This might have been done within the
provisions of Section 3, articles 56-57: preventive vaccination, in
the European Council Directive 2005/94/EC of 20 Dec 2005 on Community
measures for the control of avian influenza and repealing Directive 92/40/EEC.
It may be assumed the vaccine used was, in line with the EU
provisions, an inactivated H5N2 "DIVA" (Differentiating Infected
from Vaccinated Animals) vaccine; see 20050307.0680,
20030428.1047. Such vaccines are currently commercially available. - Mod.AS]
******
[3] France, wild birds
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: AP via The Poultrysite.com, 22 Apr 2006 [edited]
<http://www.thepoultrysite.com/avianflu/bird-flu-news.asp>
2 more swans have tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird
flu in France, authorities in the affected region said.
The swans were found this week in Saint-Paul-de-Varax in the Ain
region of southeast France, some 45 km from the city of Lyon.
A national laboratory on Friday confirmed they were infected with
H5N1, the Ain region's prefecture said.
Anti-bird flu protection and surveillance zones were put in place for
10 km around the spot where the 2 dead swans were found. The measures
will be in place for a month.
The Ain is the epicentre of French efforts to combat bird flu,
recording 65 of the 66 cases of H5N1 found so far in 2006 in tests on
more than 14 000 dead wild birds in France.
The other case was in the Bouches-du-Rhone region further south.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[An updated interactive H5N1 map of Europe is available at
<http://disasters.jrc.it/AvianFlu/index.asp?europe=true>.
The following world maps on H5N1 are available at the WHO web-site
<http://gamapserver.who.int/mapLibrary/app/searchResults.aspx>:
1. World: Affected areas with confirmed human cases of H5N1 avian
influenza since 2003. Date: 12 Apr 2006.
2. World: Affected areas with confirmed human cases of H5N1 avian
influenza since January 2006. Date: 12 Apr 2006.
3. World: Areas reporting confirmed occurence of H5N1 avian influenza
in poultry and wild birds since 2003. Date : 7 Apr 2006.
4. World: Areas reporting confirmed occurence of H5N1 avian influenza
in poultry and wild birds since January 2006. Date : 7 Apr 2006. - Mod.AS]
******
[4] UK (Scotland): restrictions lifted
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: BBC NEWS, 22 Apr 2006 [edited]
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/4932934.stm>
Some bird flu restrictions, imposed after a dead whooper swan at
Cellardyke in Fife tested positive for a strain of the H5N1 virus,
have been lifted.
The measures, limiting the movement of poultry and eggs in parts of
eastern Scotland, were introduced on 5 Apr 2006.
Tests since then have established that no further cases have been found.
The immediate 3-km protection zone will lapse, but a 10-km control
zone on the movement of poultry and captive birds will not be removed
until 1 May 2006.
The final restrictions will only be lifted if there are no further
positive tests for the virus. So far tests for the virus -- which
can be passed to humans -- on all dead birds across Scotland have
proved negative.
First Minister Jack McConnell announced the lifting of the
restrictions to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday [20 Apr 2006].
Vets now believe the swan which had the virus died before it could
spread the disease. But the discovery of the bird at Cellardyke
harbour prompted fears of a possible outbreak of bird flu in Scotland.
Restrictions followed and local farms were warned not to transport
poultry or eggs in or out of the area.
The Scottish Executive intends that the Wild Bird Risk Area -- east
of the M90/A90 stretching from the Forth Bridge to Stonehaven -- will
lapse on 1 May, subject to a veterinary risk assessment. [For a
detailed map, see
<http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/915/0026441.pdf>. - Mod.AS]
The restrictions on the movement of birds are also due to end on that date.
In making the announcements, Mr McConnell praised the work of vets
and other officials who, he said, reacted quickly and effectively to
what could have been a serious outbreak. He said people had responded
"calmly and reasonably".
"I think we all know the damage that can be done when people panic,"
said Mr McConnell.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Further to our posting 20060420.1161, which included updated
information on the UK H5N1 surveillance in wild birds, we have been
kindly informed by Defra that an error in their web-site, referring
to the date on which the isolation of HPAI virus (subtype H5N1) was
reported from a dead wild swan, in Fife, Scotland, has been
corrected. The
web-site
<http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/wildbirds/survey-results.htm>
now includes the correct date, namely 6 Apr 2006. - Mod.AS]
See Also
Avian influenza - worldwide (94): OIE 20060421.1168Avian influenza - worldwide (93): UK, Pakistan, China 20060420.1161
Avian influenza - worldwide (92): Sudan, conf. 20060419.1154
Avian influenza, worldwide (91): China, Sudan 20060418.1145
Avian influenza - worldwide (90): Egypt, Pakistan 20060416.1132
Avian influenza, worldwide (89): Germany, UK, Ivory Coast 20060416.1126
Avian influenza, worldwide (88) - Asia, Europe: OIE 20060415.1122
Avian influenza - worldwide (87): Russia, Israel 20060413.1098
Avian influenza - worldwide (86): Germany,Denmark,Indonesia 20060412.1085
Avian influenza - worldwide (85): OIE 20060411.1078
Avian influenza - worldwide (84): Czech Rep., UK (... ) 20060410.1070
Avian influenza - worldwide (83) 20060408.1060
Avian influenza - worldwide (76): migratory birds, OIE 20060402.0995
Avian influenza - worldwide (68): migratory birds, OIE 20060328.0940
Avian influenza - poultry vs. migratory birds (12) 20060413.1099
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (11) 20060412.1088
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (10) 20060324.0907
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (09) 20060320.0867
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (08) 20060309.0749
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (07) 20060305.0721
2005
----
Avian influenza, poultry vaccines: a review 20050307.0680
Avian influenza - Belgium, Netherlands: vaccination 20030428.1047
...............arn/pg/mpp
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