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Published Date: 2007-02-11 18:00:02
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (31): Pakistan, S. Korea, Turkey, Russia, Japan
Archive Number: 20070211.0523

AVIAN INFLUENZA (31): PAKISTAN, SOUTH KOREA, TURKEY, RUSSIA, JAPAN
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[1] Pakistan
[2] South Korea
[3] Turkey (Batman), OIE
[4] Russia (Krasnodarskiy Kray), OIE
[5] Japan (Miyazaki), OIE
******
[1] Pakistan
Date: Sat 10 Feb 2007
From: Jawad Asghar <jawad@alumni.washington.edu>
Source: DAWN-internet edition, Pakistan [edited]
<http://www.dawn.com/2007/02/11/nat2.htm>

3rd bird flu case detected
---------------------------
The National Reference Laboratory (NRL) has confirmed the presence of
bird flu virus in a domestic flock of turkeys and peacocks in
Islamabad as authorities have beefed up monitoring and surveillance
activities at the district level across the country to save
commercial farms from avian flu.
"This is the 3rd confirmed H5N1 case [since Tue 6 Feb 2007] in a
domestic flock. Fortunately, commercial farms are still safe," Dr
Mohammad Afzal, head of the NRL, told Dawn here on Saturday [10 Feb 2007].
The virus in Islamabad was confirmed on Tuesday [6 Feb 2007], but it
was not revealed to the media because it was witnessed in a few
domestic birds, Dr Afzal said.
Rawalpindi and Mansehra are the other places where the virus has been
found in domestic flocks of chickens and peacocks.
Last year [2006], hundreds of thousands of flu-hit birds were culled
in commercial farms in various parts of the country, causing a loss
of Rs 10 billion [USD 164.5 million] to the poultry industry.
[A project proposal for national level monitoring and surveillance of
bird flu] also includes legislations that will remove hurdles in the
way of forming a national level integrated strategy to control the
avian flu. At present, there is overlapping in roles of various
departments at provincial and district levels which has hampered
efforts to monitor the situation properly, said Dr Rafiqul Hassan
Usmani, Minfal [Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock]
spokesman on bird flu issues.
In a related move, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have
asked the government to come up with a national level project to
monitor the spread of avian flu not only in animals but also in humans.
The project will be developed by Minfal and the Ministry of Health
for which the banks are likely to provide USD 25 million in assistance.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has
warned Asian countries that cats can become infected with the highly
lethal H5N1 virus, but at present there is no scientific evidence to
suggest that there has been sustained transmission of the virus in
cats or from cats to humans. As a precautionary measure, the FAO
recommended that in areas where the virus had been found in poultry
or wild birds, cats should be separated from infected birds until the
danger passed. On commercial poultry premises, cats should even be
kept indoors.
The organization has advised against killing cats as a virus control
option because there is nothing to suggest that cats are transmitting
the virus in a sustained way. Removing cats can lead to a surge in
rodents such as rats, which are an agricultural pest and often
transmit diseases to humans.
[Byline: Sher Baz Khan]
--
Rana Jawad Asghar MD, MPH
Coordinator South Asian Public Health Forum
Typhoid Net
<http://www.typhoid.net>
<jawad@alumni.washington.edu>
[A map of Pakistan is available at
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/pakistan_pol_2002.pdf>.
- Mod.AS]
******
[2] South Korea
Date: Sat 10 Feb 2007
From: Mary Marshall <tropical.forestry@btinternet.com>
Source: AFP via Channelnewsasia [edited]
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/257776/1/.html>

Bird flu spreads to 6th South Korean farm
-----------------------------------------------
Bird flu has spread to a 6th farm in South Korea, despite government
efforts to contain the deadly virus by culling more than 2 million
birds, officials said on Saturday [10 Feb 2007].
A new outbreak has been discovered at a farm near the capital Seoul,
with some 133 000 chickens, the agriculture ministry said.
"Test results confirmed that breeding chickens at a farm in Iljuk
Village were infected with highly contagious bird flu virus," the
ministry said in a statement.
Poultry at the farm in Iljuk Village near Ansung City, some 90 km (56
miles) southeast of Seoul, began dying on Tuesday [6 Feb 2007], and
the case was reported to authorities on Friday [9 Feb 2007]. It is
not yet known whether the virus is of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain.
Officials immediately ordered the culling of the remaining chickens
and of 107 000 other birds at 28 farms within a 3-km radius of the
affected farm. They also declared a 10-km quarantine zone, from which
movement of birds and eggs will be prohibited. It is the country's
6th outbreak of avian influenza since November 2006.
Officials have slaughtered 2.3 million birds at farms, including
those near the southern cities of Iksan, Gimje and Asan, after the
country's 1st case of bird flu in almost 3 years was confirmed on 25 Nov 2006.
South Korea was hit hard by bird flu between December 2003 and March
2004, prompting the cull of 5.3 million poultry costing about USD one billion.
--
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<promed@promedmail.org>
******
[3] Turkey (Batman), OIE
Date: Fri 9 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: OIE Disease Information, WAHID [World Animal Health
Information Database], Vol. 20 - No. 7 [edited]
<http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/public.php?page=weekly_report_index&admin=0>

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Turkey: Information received on 9
Feb 2007 from Dr. H Sungur, Director General, Animal Health, General
Directorate of Protection and Control, Ankara, Turkey.
Summary:
Report type: Immediate notification
Start date: 5 Feb 2007
Date of confirmation of event: 8 Feb 2007
Report date: 9 Feb 2007
Date submitted to OIE: 9 Feb 2007
Reason for notification: Reoccurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence: 31 March 2006
Manifestation of disease: Clinical disease
Causal agent: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Serotype: Not typed
Nature of diagnosis: Clinical, Laboratory (basic)
Report pertains to: Defined zone within the country
New Outbreaks
Outbreak 1: Bogazkoy, Bogazkoy, Gercus, Batman
Date of start of outbreak: 5 Feb 2007
Outbreak status: Continuing (or date resolved not submitted)
Epidemiological unit: Village
Species: Birds
Susceptible: 993
Cases: 200
Deaths: 80
Destroyed: 793
Slaughtered: 0
Affected population: 742 backyard chickens, 37 backyard turkeys, 5
geese, 7 ducks and 2 pigeons.
Summary of outbreaks
Total outbreaks: 1
Outbreak statistics
Species: Birds
Apparent morbidity rate: 20.14 percent
Apparent mortality rate: 8.06 percent
Apparent case fatality rate: 40.00 percent
Proportion susceptible removed*: 87.92 percent
* Removed from the susceptible population either through death,
destruction, or slaughter.
Epidemiology
Source of infection: Contact with wild Species
Diagnostic test results
Laboratory name and type: Elazig Veterinary Control and Research
Institute (Regional Reference Laboratory)
Species: Birds
Test: Haemagglutination (HA) test
Test date: 8 Feb 2007
Result: Positive
Species: Birds
Test : Haemagglutination inhibition test (HIT)
Test date: 8 Feb 2007
Result: Positive
Species: Birds
Test: Rapid tests
Test date: 8 Feb 2007
Result: Positive
--
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******
[4] Russia (Krasnodarskiy Kray), OIE
Date: Fri 9 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: OIE Disease Information, WAHID [World Animal Health
Information Database], Vol. 20 - No. 7 [edited]
<http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/public.php?page=weekly_report_index&admin=0>

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Russia: Information received on 9
Feb 2007 from Mr. Evgueny A. Nepoklonov, Deputy Head, Orlikov per.,
1/11, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Moscow, Russia.
Summary:
Report type: Immediate notification
Start date: 12 Jan 2007
Date of confirmation of event: 26 Jan 2007
Report date: 9 Feb 2007
Date submitted to OIE: 9 Feb 2007
Reason for notification: Reoccurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence: August 2006
Manifestation of disease: Clinical disease
Causal agent: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Serotype: H5N1
Nature of diagnosis: Suspicion, Clinical, Laboratory (basic),
Laboratory (advanced)
Report pertains to: Entire country
New Outbreaks
Outbreak 1: Upornaya, Labinsk, Krasnodarskiy Kray
Date of start of outbreak: 16 Jan 2007
Outbreak status: Continuing (or date resolved not submitted)
Epidemiological unit: Village
Species: Birds
Susceptible: 49
Cases: 8
Deaths: 8
Destroyed: 41
Slaughtered: 0
Affected population: native chickens and traditionally raised ducks,
geese, and turkey cocks.
Outbreak 2: Labinsk, Labinsk, Krasnodarskiy Kray
Date of start of outbreak: 12 Jan 2007
Outbreak status: Continuing (or date resolved not submitted)
Epidemiological unit: Village
Species: Birds
Susceptible: 57
Cases: 18
Deaths: 18
Destroyed: 39
Slaughtered: 0
Affected population: native chickens and traditionally raised ducks,
geese, and turkey cocks.
Outbreak 3: Borodinskaya, Primorsko-Akhtarsky, Krasnodarskiy Kray
Date of start of outbreak: 17 Jan 2007
Outbreak status: Continuing (or date resolved not submitted)
Epidemiological unit: Village
Species: Birds
Susceptible: 41
Cases: 3
Deaths: 3
Destroyed: 38
Slaughtered: 0
Affected population: native chickens and traditionally raised ducks,
geese, and turkey cocks.
Summary of outbreaks
Total outbreaks: 3
Outbreak statistics
Species: Birds
Susceptible: 147
Cases: 29
Deaths: 29
Destroyed: 118
Slaughtered: 0
Apparent morbidity rate 19.73 percent
Apparent mortality rate 19.73 percent
Apparent case fatality rate 100.00 percent
Proportion susceptible removed* 100.00 percent
* Removed from the susceptible population either through death,
destruction, or slaughter.
Epidemiology
Source of infection: Contact with wild Species
Diagnostic test results
Laboratory name and type: Federal Centre for Animal Health
(FGI-ARRIAH) (National laboratory)
Species: Birds
Test: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Test date: 29 Jan 2007
Result: Positive
Species: Birds
Test: Virus isolation
Test date: 29 Jan 2007
Result: Positive
--
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******
[5] Japan (Miyazaki), OIE
Date: Thu 8 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: OIE Disease Information, WAHID [World Animal Health
Information Database], Vol. 20 - No. 7 [edited]
<http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/public.php?page=weekly_report_index&admin=0>

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Japan: Information received on 8
Feb 2007 from Mr. Hirofumi Kugita, Director, Food Safety and Consumer
Affairs Bureau, Animal Health Division, Tokyo, Japan.
Summary:
Report type: Follow-up report No. 3
Start date: 10 Jan 2007
Date of confirmation of event: 13 Jan 2007
Report date: 8 Feb 2007
Date submitted to OIE: 9 Feb 2007
Reason for notification: Reoccurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence: 5 Mar 2004
Manifestation of disease: Clinical disease
Causal agent: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Serotype: H5N1
Nature of diagnosis: Clinical, Laboratory (advanced)
Report pertains to: Entire country
New Outbreaks
Outbreak 1: Shintomi-town, Miyazaki
Date of start of outbreak: 30 Jan 2007
Outbreak status: Continuing (or date resolved not submitted)
Epidemiological unit: Farm
Species: Birds
Susceptible: 93 000
Cases: 300
Deaths: 300
Destroyed: 92 700
Slaughtered: 0
Summary of outbreaks
Total outbreaks: 1
Outbreak statistics
Species: Birds
Apparent morbidity rate 0.32 percent
Apparent mortality rate 0.32 percent
Apparent case fatality rate 100.00 percent
Proportion susceptible removed* 100.00%
* Removed from the susceptible population either through death,
destruction, or slaughter
Epidemiology
Source of infection: Unknown or inconclusive
Diagnostic test results
Laboratory name and type: National Institute of Animal Health
(National laboratory)
Species: Birds
Test: Haemagglutination inhibition test (HIT)
Test date: 1 Feb 2007
Result: Positive
Species: Birds
Test: Intravenous pathogenicity index (IVPI) test
Test date: 8 Feb 2007
Result: Positive
Species: Birds
Test: neuraminidase inhibition assay
Test date: 3 Feb 2007
Result: Positive
Species Birds
Test: Pathogen isolation by egg inoculation
Test date: 1 Feb 2007
Result: Positive
--
ProMED-mail
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[A map of recent avian outbreaks (1 Jan-6 Feb 2007) is available from
WHO at:
<http://gamapserver.who.int/mapLibrary/Files/Maps/Global_SubNat_H5N1inAnimalConfirmed_2007_20070206.png>.
It shows outbreaks across widely disparate areas of the Old World
(Asia, Africa, Europe). To date, and I emphasize to date, we are not
seeing the wave of wild bird outbreaks that occurred last year
[2006]. Therefore, intensive follow-up on these current outbreaks in
backyard and commercial type poultry may pay great dividends for our
understanding of the source of new outbreaks.
Unfortunately, none of the OIE reports here have very much detail on
the epidemiology of the outbreak. Particularly helpful would be
attack rates by species in the mixed backyard poultry outbreaks in
Russia and Turkey. Likewise, any information on the source of the
continuing outbreak in large commercial farms in Japan would also be
most helpful.
Additionally, if the wild bird outbreaks start again, it will mean
that another factor is added to the potential epidemiologic causal
web. A graph of such outbreaks from 1 Feb to 30 Nov 2006 is
accessible at:
<http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/adns/adns_wildbirds.pdf>.
This graph shows an uptick starting the middle of February 2006 and
hopefully, if and when the same pattern happens again, intensive
epidemiologic follow-up can help develop a greater understanding of
where new infections are coming from. Undoubtedly, this is a tall
order but we have had a year to prepare for a 2nd round of outbreaks.
Hopefully, we can sort out some of the multiple causal hypothesis
with good outbreak investigation. - Mod.PC]

See Also