H5N1

Indonesia records its 86th H5N1 death (updated)

Via Associated Press: Indonesia records 86th death from bird flu.

Apparently the 21-year-old man died in Jakarta on Friday, and the tests were reported positive on Sunday night, Indonesia time. Antara has a very brief account.

The International Herald Tribune has the story here, but with few extra details.

While the Indonesian ministry of health is the source of the story, its own website has nothing about it. The ministry usually takes a few days to post such reports, but then offers some specifics about the case that the usual media don't provide.

The 85th Indonesian fatality was officially confirmed by WHO on September 11.

Update: Here's a report from Reuters with considerably more detail.

Easier commenting

When the comment spam got to be too much, I set up TypeKey authentication, which I realize is an annoyance (sometimes it gives even me a hard time when I want to comment).

As an experiment, I've removed the authentication. You will still need to include an email address when you post a comment, and you may sometimes be asked to copy a series of random numerals and letters to prove you're not a robot. But it should be much easier to comment if you wish to. If the spam returns, I'll have to restore the authentication but I won't be happy about it.

If you prefer to email me directly, just click on the link in the upper left-hand column.

A counterfactual pandemic

I love "alternate history" science fiction, as well as its grown-up cousin "counterfactual" history—speculation by historians on what might have resulted if Napoleon had won at Waterloo, or Hitler had died in World War I. We know it didn't happen that way, but...what if?

Since it's a quiet flu-news day, and I have a little time, here's a speculation on what might have happened if H5N1 had become a pandemic in the fall of 1997.

Finland breaks off vaccine deal with Dutch company

Via YLE News, a Finnish news source: Bird flu programme takes more time and funds. Excerpt:

Finland's planned vaccination programme to deal with a possible bird flu pandemic has been delayed. The National Public Health Institute has broken off its deal with the Dutch pharmaceuticals company Solvay, because of its inability to deliver the medication on schedule.

The vaccines are considered to be essential, and the Dutch Solvay was expected to prepare enough vaccinations to ensure protection for each person in Finland, in the event of an outbreak.

According to terms of the deal signed 18 months ago, the pharmaceuticals company was to deliver more than 5 million experimental doses of the vaccine, along with the same number of true vaccines, by the end of this year.

However, the company has not been able to acquire the new cell cultivation technology needed for production of the vaccine. The Institute now faces the search for a new partner.

During the bird flu scare in 2005, Parliament granted 20 million euros in additional funding for stockpiling the vaccine; those funds are still waiting to be spent.

"We are not sure what the vaccine producer will ask for, but possibly we'd need about 37 million euros," said Rose-Marie Ölander, of the National Public Health Institute.

Swiss order some poultry indoors for the winter

Via swissinfo.org: Winter bird flu measures put in place in Switzerland. Excerpt:

Swiss lakeside areas are to be subject to a ban on keeping poultry outdoors during the winter over fears that bird flu could be transmitted from migrating wild birds.

The Federal Veterinary Office said on Friday that these zones were considered to be the most at risk from the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, of which there have been recent cases in neighbouring countries.

From October 15 a one-kilometre zone around Switzerland's largest lakes, such as Lake Constance and Lake Geneva, will be subject to the restrictions.

This means that poultry owners, both amateur and professional, will have to keep their birds inside when feeding them. They will also have to keep them away from wild birds at all times and farms and smallholdings will be under veterinary supervision.

The Veterinary Office said that the measures were necessary to coincide with the start of winter and the migration season.

"We know that a lot of wild birds will spend the winter in Switzerland - we have half a million wild birds in winter and only 50,000 in summer," Veterinary Office spokeswoman Cathy Maret told swissinfo.

These latest measures, ordered by the government, are estimated to affect at least 800 people, said Maret. The partial ban is due to end on April 30, 2008.

In other years there has been a full ban on keeping domestic fowl outdoors. Maret said that this year officials had decided that such a move would not be necessary. Transmission of the virus from wild birds to poultry was still rare, she said.

In 2005 and 2006 there were 32 cases of the bird flu virus in wild birds in Switzerland, but the country has not recorded any more cases since then.

Manipur worries about mysterious swine disease

It's very quiet on the flu front this Sunday morning, but in northeast India's Manipur state they've got a new problem. Via Kangla Online: Deaths of swines in Tamenglong cause fear among villagers. Excerpt:

Deaths of at least four pigs due to a mysterious disease in the last few days at Namtiram village in Tousem sub-division of Tamenglong district is causing panic in the villagers as they fear it may spread to human beings.

Spread of the disease was also reported at other places but there were no reports of mass deaths due to the disease.

As per the villagers, a pig suffering from the disease stayed away from food for two to three days before starting to run to and fro and dying later. Some escaped from their pens and died in the forest.

The affected villagers were not happy with the district veterinary office at district headquarter for failing to respond to their complaints on the spread of the disease.

However, the authorities have maintained that they received no complaints or reports on the matter.

The recent outbreak of bird flu in the state has compounded the fears of the villagers as there is apprehension that it may spread to humans too.

The fear comes amidst worry of losing investments on piggery, said Arangbou, president of the Namtiram Youth Club. Villagers want the veterinary and medical teams to investigate into the disease and caution the villagers so that they can take up precautionary or preventive measures, Arangbou said.

The staff at the veterinary office have, meanwhile, advised the villagers to administer tetracycline and teramycin to the sick pigs, the president stated.

The commandant of the 6th Manipur Rifles at Khongjaron had recently complained that his pigs had been infected by an unknown disease and the veterinary office had advised administering of Ampicilin to the infected pigs, sources at the veterinary office said.

Swine disease and avian flu seem to have some kind of rough association in hot-zone countries, but I don't know whether it's due to generally unsanitary farming conditions or some more direct casual link.

Canada: CFIA reports on the cull

Here's the report from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency about its handling of the Saskatchewan H7N3 outbreak:

•The CFIA began humane depopulation of birds on the affected farm on September 28.

•Medical staff and regional animal welfare representatives will be on site throughout the disease control operations.

•All birds will be disposed of in accordance with provincial environmental regulations and internationally accepted disease control and biocontainment guidelines.

•As a precaution, one backyard flock located in the three-kilometre region around the index farm has also been placed under quarantine measures. This is not a commercial operation. There have no signs of illness in the flock and test results from samples taken from this flock will determine next steps.

•Surveillance of premises within the three-kilometre and 10-kilometre regions around the index farm is underway.

•Although there has been limited movement on or off the index farm, the CFIA is conducting a comprehensive trace-out investigation associated with all recent movement of birds, bird products, vehicles or equipment.

•Avian influenza viruses do not pose risks to food safety when poultry and poultry products are properly handled and cooked.

•The CFIA's actions are consistent with internationally recognized animal health guidelines and the CFIA’s established avian influenza response protocols.

•The CFIA is collaborating with the Province of Saskatchewan, industry, local authorities, health officials and the producer in this response effort.

Canada: Second farm under H7N3 quarantine

Via CBC News: 2nd Saskatchewan farm under quarantine over avian flu worries. Excerpt:

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has put another Saskatchewan chicken farm under quarantine, but says the move is only a precautionary measure.

The small farm affected by the decision on Friday is less than three kilometres away from Pedigree Poultry, a much larger operation just north of Regina, where officials confirmed on Thursday they had found a strain of avian influenza.

The CFIA said the quarantine measures are standard given the close proximity of the two farms. It said the 20 chickens tested on what the agency calls a "small backyard operation" have shown no signs of disease.

More than 50,000 chickens at the Pedigree Poultry operation near Regina Beach were to be killed and all equipment thoroughly sanitized.

Fears over spread of bird flu in West, Central Africa

Via Afriquenligne.fr, datelined Gambia: Fears over spread of Bird Flu in West, Central Africa. Excerpt:

Regional experts have ended a workshop on Avian Influenza here, amid fears the disease could spread throughout the West and Central African region, thus increasing the risk of a human pandemic.

The first outbreak of H5N1 virus was reported in Nigeria, after which the virus was discovered in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Niger, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo.

"Although less rapid than initially expected, the continuous spread of the H5N1 virus within the region is of major concern because it increases the risk of human pandemic and could have a devastating impact on poultry of millions of people poultry producers, traders, veterinarians, owners of restaurants and fast-food," said Yankuba Touray, Gambia's Secretary of State for Fisheries and Water Resources

Thais worry about possible return of H5N1

Via the Bangkok Post: Bird flu mysterious chicken deaths. Excerpt:

As the weather gets cooler, health authorities have warned that bird flu could re-emerge following the mysterious deaths of flocks of backyard chickens in two districts in Phichit. Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla yesterday warned of the possible re-emergence of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu after about 70 backyard chickens died in Ta Pan Hin and Po Pratabchang districts on Sept 16.

Epidemiologists have inspected the areas in question to find out the real cause of fowl deaths and are also closely monitoring the health of the chicken owners and some 40 neighbourhood residents. They will continue to do so for the next 21 days.

Health volunteers have put 25 lower North and Central provinces under special surveillance for signs of bird flu outbreaks.

''We cannot be complacent during this period as the cool season also offers a chance for flu to spread,'' he said.

Since the virus was first identified in 1997, the H5N1 strain of avian flu is known to have infected 328 people worldwide, killing 200, with 17 fatalities recorded in Thailand, according to the World Health Organisation. No bird flu outbreaks have been reported in the country so far this year.

So the Phichit outbreak may or may not have been B2B avian flu.