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Published Date: 2007-02-21 21:00:03
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (39): Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan
Archive Number: 20070221.0646

AVIAN INFLUENZA (39): RUSSIA, PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN
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[1] Russia (Kaluga), suspected
[2] Pakistan
[3] EFSA Scientific Opinion on H5, H7 vaccination in zoos
[4] Afghanistan
******
[1] Russia (Kaluga), suspected
Date: Wed 21 Feb 2007
From: Joe Dudley <jdudley@eaicorp.com>
Source: Itar-TASS [edited]
<http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11273222&PageNum=0>

Bird flu spreads beyond territory of Moscow region
-----------------------------------------------
Bird flu has spread beyond the territory of the Moscow region.
Incidents of bird flu have been reported in the Borovskoi district in
the Kaluga region, spokesman for the Federal Service for Veterinary
Supervision Alexei Alexeyenko told Tass.
In a separate incident in the settlement of Ugino in the Dmitrov
district north of Moscow, all the chickens died at a private farm 2
days after its owner bought a few chickens at the notorious Pet
Market in Moscow.
Seven territories have been hit by bird flu in the Moscow region by
Wednesday [21 Feb 2007], including Domodedovo, Odintsovo, Podolsk,
Naro-Fominsk, Taldom, Volokolamsk, Zelenograd.
No human cases of bird flu have been reported, Chief Sanitary Doctor
Olga Gavrilenko told Tass earlier.
On Tuesday [20 Feb 2007], the Federal Service for Veterinary and
Phyto-sanitary Supervision did not rule out a possibility of more
incidents of bird flu in the Moscow and neighboring regions.
Given the Pet Market's turnover, more incidents of bird flu are
expected in the territory of the Moscow region in the next few days,
the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phyto-sanitary Service said in
a letter to the European Commission.
--
Joseph P. Dudley, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist,
Biosecurity and Biosurveillance
EAI Corporation
<jdudley@eaicorp.com>
[The Kaluga oblast (province) borders the Moscow oblast on its
southwest. Borovskoi, one of the 24 districts ("rayon," subdivision)
within the Kaluga oblast, is on its northeast, southwest of Moscow. Map at
<http://www.travelpost.com/AS/Russia/Kaluga/Kaluga/map/1475308>.
A WHO world map, showing areas reporting confirmed occurrence of H5N1
avian influenza in poultry and wild birds since 1 Jan 2007, status as
of 19 Feb 2007 (latest available update), is accessible at
<http://gamapserver.who.int/mapLibrary/Files/Maps/Global_SubNat_H5N1inAnimalConfirmed_2007_20070219.png>.
Three of the outbreaks in backyard poultry within the Moscow oblast
have been officially notified to the OIE on 19 Feb 2007. The reported
sites were villages in the subdistricts Podolsk (native chickens and
geese), Domodedovo (native chickens, turkeys and pigeons) and
Zvenigorod (native chickens and guinea fowl). The additional
outbreaks, reported by the media during the last 2 days, are still
pending laboratory confirmation.
Clearly, this outbreak involves the sector defined by the Dutch (in
2003) as "hobby holdings."
The notification, including map and additional details, can be seen at
<http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/reports/en_fup_0000004873_20070219_184306.pdf>.
For an OIE world map showing resolved and continuing outbreaks, see
<http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/public.php?PHPSESSID=78fb5dd0439ef8951348413445e07f9b&page=disease_outbreak_map&disease_id=15>.
- Mod.AS]
******
[2] Pakistan
Date: Tue 20 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Business Standard [abridged, edited]
<http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=275205&leftnm=3&subLeft=0&chkFlg=>

In Pakistan, H5N1 infection was recently detected among household
poultry, birds and peacocks in the Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Mansehra
areas. Migratory birds were believed to have been the source of this infection.
Though the disease has been more or less contained in these areas,
further spread of the virus through wild birds is not ruled out. This
has also posed a threat to India, as the birds cannot be prevented
from flying across the borders.
Kapur said the peak risk period for the appearance of bird flu in
India was over, as the migratory winged visitors had begun flying
back. But the next 20 to 30 days were still critical, he maintained.
He said the PFI had repeatedly urged the government to take
preventive steps by vaccinating the birds in the areas along the
migratory routes. The government had not offered any reasons for not doing so.
The bird flu outbreak last year [2006] and the panic created by it
among poultry consumers had crippled the poultry industry.
[Byline: Surinder Sud]
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Pakistan's last official H5N1 notification to the OIE on 2 outbreaks
was sent to the OIE on 7 Apr 2007. It referred to backyard poultry
(native hens) in a village in the Rawalpindi district, Punjab
province, and to backyard poultry, including fancy birds like
peacocks, pheasants, pigeons, ducks and parakeets in a village in the
Manshera subdistrict, Abbottabad district, North-West Frontier province.
The notification, including additional details and a map, is available at
<http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/reports/en_imm_0000004758_20070207_144611.pdf>.
According to another newswire (see item 4 further), the Islamabad
outbreak was detected in the zoo, following lab tests that confirmed
H5N1 in its peacocks and geese. An official notification will be
helpful. - Mod.AS]
******
[3] EFSA Scientific Opinion on H5, H7 vaccination in zoos
Date: Tue 20 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: EFSA website, AHAW opinions [edited]
<http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/ahaw/ahaw_opinions/ej450_zoobirdsvaccination.html>

Scientific Opinion on vaccination against avian influenza of H5 and
H7 subtypes as a preventive measure carried out in Member States in
birds kept in zoos under Community approved programs (Adopted 1 Feb 2007)
-----------------------------------------------
Summary
During the SCOFCAH - Working Group on Avian Influenza meeting held on
29 Aug 2006 on the implementation of the preventive vaccination plans
against AI approved by the Commission (n=17), data were presented by
13 EU Member States on the vaccination of zoo birds against AI.
EFSA was then requested to provide a scientific assessment of the
preventive vaccination against avian influenza of H5 and H7 subtypes
carried out in Member States in birds kept in zoos under Community
approved programs and elsewhere in the world. The assessment should,
in particular, address aspects of dosage, antibody response and
duration of immunity in different bird species.
The outcomes of this Scientific Opinion should provide an important
input in the Commission's overall vaccination strategy and be a
source of information to Member States when drawing up vaccination
plans. In accordance with the terms of the Mandate, the EU Member
States accepted to submit these data to EFSA for evaluation and
compiling this Scientific Opinion.
At the Plenary Meeting of 26-27 Oct 2006, the AHAW Panel decided to
entrust the scientific report and risk assessment to a WG under the
Chairmanship of Dr. A. Osterhaus.
The Scientific Opinion was adopted at the Plenary Meeting on 1 Feb 2007.
The most relevant conclusions and recommendations were:
- Differences in vaccination schedules, doses and routes,
- differences in methodology and antigens used in the
hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests between laboratories,
- the use of different vaccines in different taxonomic orders and the
sometimes incomplete reporting of results have limited the evaluation
of some of the data provided by EU Member States, which may have
affected the reliability of some of the conclusions reached.
Vaccination against avian influenza of the H5 and H7 subtypes with
currently authorized vaccines developed for use in poultry is safe
and, in most taxonomic orders of zoo birds, effective in terms of
inducing HI serum antiboby titres.
The H5 and H7 vaccines registered for poultry in the EU show
differences in performance in terms of HI response in zoo birds after 2 doses.
Three of the 5 vaccines evaluated induced relatively high HI serum
antibody titres in the vast majority of the vaccinated birds.
For most avian species, the poultry dose is suitable. In some larger
species, higher doses adjusted to body weight induce higher serum
antibody titres. There are indications that one vaccination is
sufficient in inducing high serum antibody titres in at least 2
orders. A 2nd vaccine administration ensures seroconversion in the
majority of birds of most species. Limited data indicate that
antibody titres persist in several species but not in others for 6
months after vaccination. Adverse effects and mortality associated
with vaccination were low and were mainly attributable to handling
stress or trauma.
Bio-security measures should be implemented in zoos as a 1st line of
protection of zoo birds against the introduction of AI viruses. This
will also reduce the risk of subsequent infection of wild birds from zoo birds.
If bio-security measures cannot sufficiently protect zoo birds from
exposure to HPAI viruses coming from wild birds, and depending on
overall risk assessment, vaccination with authorized vaccines against
HPAI of H5 and H7 subtypes for use in poultry should be used to
protect these zoo birds.
Standard protocols for vaccination, sampling, testing and reporting
should be established at the EU level to optimize evaluation and
future implementation of AI vaccination programs for zoo birds.
Research should be carried out to establish effective vaccination
schedules, routes, and dose regimens in different zoo bird species.
This may, among other things, lead to a reduction of the number of
booster vaccinations needed in certain species.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[For the full text of the EFSA opinion, readers are referred to the above URL.
An international scientific conference, "Vaccination: a tool for the
control of Avian Influenza," organized by OIE/FAO/IZSVehe, is to be
held in Verona, Italy on 20-22 Mar 2007. - Mod.AS]
******
[4] Afghanistan
Date: Wed 21 Feb 2007
From: Mary Marshall <tropical.forestry@btinternet.com>
Source: AP via IHT.com [edited]
<http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/21/asia/AS-GEN-Afghan-Bird-Flu.php>

H5N1 bird flu found in poultry in eastern Afghanistan, U.N. says
-----------------------------------------------
Afghan authorities were culling poultry after an outbreak of the
deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in chickens in an eastern Afghan city,
a U.N. official said Wed 21 Feb 2007.
Bird flu was reported in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and
Kunar, said Serge Verniau, the country representative of the U.N.'s
Food and Agriculture Organization in Afghanistan.
Samples from chickens in the Nangarhar provincial capital of
Jalalabad were found to have the H5N1 strain, while the exact type of
the outbreak in Kunar has yet to be confirmed, Verniau said.
Afghanistan reported its 1st outbreaks of H5N1 in March and April
last year [2006] in the capital Kabul and the provinces of Kapisa,
Logar and Nangarhar. There have been no reported infections of humans.
The latest Afghan outbreak was reported a day after authorities in
neighboring Pakistan closed a zoo in the capital Islamabad following
lab tests that confirmed H5N1 in its peacocks and geese [see item 2 above].
"We do not know whether it is the same strain as the one which
appeared in Pakistan," Verniau said.
Afghanistan is a crossroads for migratory birds, and there is
considerable trade among countries in the region, he said.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Previous H5N1 in Afghanistan was reported in March 2006; see
20060316.0818. - Mod.AS]

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