Laos: B2B H5N1 outbreak confirmed

Via the Vientiane Times: Emergency bird flu meeting held.

The National Committee for the Control of Communicable Diseases yesterday held an emergency meeting on how to tackle bird flu in Vientiane.

Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh chaired the meeting, and the Ad Hoc Committee against Avian Influenza of Vientiane presented a report on the recent detection of the H5N1 virus in ducks, followed by recommendations from the members of the committee to quickly contain the spreading of virus.

The meeting was in response to the recent bird flu outbreak in Sisattanak district, Vientiane.

On February 13, the Department of Livestock and Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry informed the National Avian Human Influenza Coordination Office of the detection of H5N1 among ducks on a private farm owned by Mr Khamphong in Phonpapao-thong village, and in the backyard of Ms Vankeo in Dongsavath village in Sisattanak district, Vientiane .

The report specified that seven of the 1,100 ducks on the farm had died, while more than 100 were sick, and 12 of Ms Vankeo's 600 ducks had died.

The meeting endorsed four priority targets: to contain the sp read of the virus as quickly as possible; to take all measures to avoid human infection in the affected areas; to undertake strict surveillance and response in nearby areas; and to avoid panic among the public by giving information in a way that would encourage community participation in basic hygiene and reporting poultry deaths.

The movement of poultry in and out of the detected areas was restricted, and more than 83,000 people living in the 50 villages near the area were surveyed for suspect symptoms from February 14-15.

Authorities were also checking inhabitants in 20 villages between Xaysettha and Sisattanak districts, and plan to cull all ducks on the two affected properties.

Those at the meeting were also urged to organise a meeting with Vientiane authorities to discuss a plan of operation, and to conduct education on good hygiene practices for residents of the affected areas, as well as to cooperate with international agencies and embassies to assess whether technical equipment and support funds were needed.

WHO doesn't appear to have made a public statement on this outbreak yet.