Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
1/29: Bloomberg Update 2 |
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Posted: January 29 2007 at 11:23am |
Bird Flu Confirmed in Hungary; Virus Spreads in Japan (Update2)
By Jennifer M. Freedman and Karima Anjani Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Geese in Hungary tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, marking the first confirmed infection in the European Union since August. Japan found a third outbreak of avian influenza on a poultry farm. Authorities found the H5N1 avian influenza strain in two separate flocks of geese in Hungary, European Commission spokesman Philip Tod said today. Japan's agriculture ministry reported an H5 virus in chickens in the western prefecture of Okayama, after H5N1 outbreaks on the southern island of Kyushu. Countries in Europe, Asia and Africa reported fresh outbreaks of the H5N1 virus starting in November, after going months without finding infections. Egypt and Indonesia later found seven human cases, six of whom died. There are no signs that the virus is evolving to become more easily spread among people, a World Health Organization official in Indonesia said. ``There haven't been changes and that's good news,'' Georg Petersen, the WHO's country representative in Indonesia, said in an interview on Jan. 25. Indonesia has reported more H5N1 fatalities than any other country, with 63 confirmed by WHO. The WHO is tracking the virus in case it becomes more infectious among people, possibly leading to a pandemic like the 1918 outbreak that killed as many as 50 million people worldwide. At least 164 of the 270 people known to be infected with bird flu since 2003 have died, including a six-year-old Indonesian girl in Central Java Province, the Geneva-based WHO said today. High Risk The European Union hasn't had any human cases. The last reported avian infection in Europe was a wild bird found in Germany in August, according to the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health. Tod said the EU is ``in a period of high risk,'' adding that the bloc's 27 members have been asked to be particularly vigilant for signs of bird flu. Hungary is investigating an outbreak among geese at a farm in the southern town of Derekegyhaza, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the site of the initial outbreak. Authorities ordered all 9,400 geese to be slaughtered Jan. 27 after some of the fowl began showing symptoms associated with avian flu, Hungary's Agriculture Ministry said in an e-mailed statement. ``There's a big lake nearby, and some wild ducks were there to enjoy the incredibly mild winter weather,'' ministry spokesman Andras Dekany said in a telephone interview. ``They spread the virus through their feces.'' Infections in Asia Governments across Asia are intensifying surveillance for H5N1 after the virus resurfaced in domestic poultry and wild fowl in South Korea, Thailand, China and Vietnam in the past few weeks. Hong Kong's government today confirmed that two more birds found earlier this month carried the H5N1 virus, adding to the three already discovered in the city. Demand for poultry products has dropped by as much as 50 percent in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, following the local government's ban on raising backyard flocks, effective Feb. 1. The Rome-based FAO today encouraged Indonesians to continue eating poultry, saying that the meat is safe as long as hygiene procedures are followed. ``Controlling highly pathogenic avian influenza is difficult enough, without having to deal with the economic consequences of a market collapse, which affects the livelihoods of so many people,'' Anni McLeod, senior officer for livestock policy, said in the FAO statement. Companies and countries are preparing for an outbreak of pandemic flu with medicines and vaccines. GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Europe's largest drugmaker, today asked European regulators to approve an H5N1 vaccine that could be given to people before the virus begins spreading widely in humans. Taiwan's National Health Research Institute conducted successful animal tests of a vaccine against the bird flu strain, the Associated Press reported today. The vaccine might be ready for mass production in two years after human testing is completed, the wire service reported, citing Pele Chong, leader of the Institute's vaccine development program. To contact the reporters on this story: Jennifer M. Freedman in Brussels at jfreedman@bloomberg.net ; Karima Anjani in Jakarta at kanjani@bloomberg.net Last Updated: January 29, 2007 11:05 EST |
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doabirds
Adviser Group Joined: June 27 2006 Status: Offline Points: 54 |
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Typical industry response, keep eating chicken, do not worry, wash your hands, cook thoroughly. As Bush would say just keep shopping.
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roni3470
Adviser Group Joined: August 30 2006 Location: Colorado Status: Offline Points: 5390 |
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hehe
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NOW is the Season to Know
that Everything you Do is Sacred |
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They take it more seriously than you probably think.
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary May 3, 2006 Fact Sheet: Advancing the Nation's Preparedness for Pandemic Influenza
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan and Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend Today, The Bush Administration Announced The Implementation Plan For The National Strategy For Pandemic Influenza. The President's Homeland Security Advisor, Frances Townsend, discussed the Avian and Pandemic Influenza threat and outlined the Federal Government's preparedness and response steps. The Plan translates the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza into more than 300 actions for Federal departments and agencies and sets clear expectations for State and local governments and other non-Federal entities. It also provides guidance for all Federal departments and agencies on the development of their own plans. The Administration Is Taking Action To Prepare For A Possible Pandemic. On November 1, 2005, the day the President announced the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, the Administration also submitted a $7.1 billion emergency budget supplemental request to Congress for pandemic preparedness funding. The request supports the President's strategy by investing in international health surveillance and containment efforts; medical stockpiles; the domestic capacity to produce emergency supplies of pandemic vaccine and antiviral medications; and preparedness at all levels of government. On December 30, 2005, the President signed the Department of Defense, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and Pandemic Influenza Act, 2006. The Act includes $3.8 billion for pandemic influenza preparedness, the first installment of the President's request to launch these critical activities. The Act also provides comprehensive liability protection for pandemic countermeasures, as well as a compensation program for individuals who are inadvertently harmed by a pandemic countermeasure. Taken together these steps remove a major impediment to the establishment of a domestic vaccine production base - one of the most critical elements of the President's Strategy. The President's Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2007 includes a $2.3 billion allowance to support the next phase of the President's strategy. The Avian And Pandemic Influenza Threat Pandemic Influenza Poses A Greater Risk Than Seasonal Influenza. Most Americans are familiar with seasonal influenza or the "flu" - a respiratory illness that makes hundreds of thousands of people in the United States sick every year. For most healthy people, seasonal influenza is not life-threatening. Pandemic influenza is different from seasonal influenza because it occurs when a new strain of influenza emerges that can be transmitted easily from person-to-person and for which people have no immunity. Unlike seasonal influenza, which typically affects the frail and sick, pandemic influenza could present as much risk to the young and healthy. The Federal Government Is Closely Monitoring An Avian Influenza Virus Known As H5N1. This influenza strain has infected domesticated birds, including chickens, and also migratory and other wild birds in 50 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa. It has also infected more than 200 people worldwide. Today, H5N1 Avian Influenza Affects Primarily Birds - This Does Not Signal The Start Of A Pandemic. Unless people come into direct contact with infected birds, it is unlikely they will contract the disease. There are no reported cases of sustained human-to-human transmission of the current strain of avian flu. If the virus develops the capacity for sustained human-to-human transmission, however, it could spread quickly around the world. Translating The National Strategy For Pandemic Influenza Into Action The Federal Government Is Releasing The National Implementation Plan To Help The Nation Prepare For The Possibility Of A Pandemic. Shortly after announcing the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, the White House led the development of an Implementation Plan for the National Strategy. The Implementation Plan provides clear direction to Federal departments and agencies, State and local governments, communities, and the private sector on the actions that must be taken to prepare for a possible pandemic across the following six functional areas:
The Implementation Plan provides a common frame of reference for understanding the pandemic threat and summarizes key planning considerations for all public and private stakeholders. It also requires that Federal departments and agencies take specific coordinated steps to achieve the goals of the Strategy and outlines expectations of non-Federal stakeholders in the United States and abroad. The Implementation Plan will be continually updated and revised. The Importance Of Preparedness By Individuals, Communities, And The Private Sector Individuals Must Actively Participate. Simple infection-control measures including hand washing and staying home when ill are critical. Individuals should actively participate in their communities' responses. State And Local Governments Must Prepare. Pandemics are global events, but individual communities experience pandemics as local events. State and local governments, with clear guidance from the Federal Government, should be prepared to implement community-wide measures, such as school closures and suspension of public gatherings, to halt the spread of disease. The Private Sector Must Prepare. The private sector, with targeted and timely guidance from the Federal Government, should develop plans to provide essential services even in the face of sustained and significant absenteeism. Businesses should also integrate their planning into their communities' planning. Four Federal Priority Actions In The Implementation Plan 1. Advance International Capacity For Early Warning And Response.
2. Limit The Arrival And Spread Of A Pandemic.
3. Provide Clear Guidance To All Stakeholders.
4. Accelerate The Development Of Countermeasures.
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..and keep it out of the local news.
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There was a big piece about h5n1 in the recent issue of Time magazine.
It wasnt the cover but it was enough to get people to notice. It said at the time it was in 5 countries.
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Rember last year at tjis very time evrything went crazy and bird flu just started popping up everywhere. I started veiwing this site about the same time last year and sined up. Seems like it is happening all over again.
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http://www.bosnewslife.com/europe NEWS WATCH: EU Confirms Deadly Strain Of Birdflu In Hungary Monday, 29 January 2007 ( less than one hour ago) By BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest Veterinarians at the Budapest Zoo vaccinate a pelican to protect it from the H5N1 bird flu virus. BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- The European Commission confirmed the first outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in the European Union this year, after tests on Hungarian geese proved positive. European Commission spokesman Philip Tod delivered the bad news to Hungary on Monday, January 29, when he revealed that the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has now been confirmed in the country. "The Hungarian authorities were informed by the European Reference Laboratory for Avian influenza in Weybridge [near London] that the Avian influenza that was detected last week in Csongrad county was indeed the H5N1 strain," he said. And it doesn't end there. Tod confirmed that Hungarian authorities also suspect a second outbreak in the same area southeast of the country. He said they had responded by slaughtering over 9-thousand geese on the farm. HUNGARIAN AUTHORITIES "I can confirm that the Hungarian authorities informed the European Commission that they detected [another] Avian influenza H5N1 in the town of Derekegyhaza, about eight kilometers from the farm where an outbreak was reported last week," he told reporters. "This outbreak is a flock of 9,384 gees. Increased mortality in this flock was detected by the Hungarian authorities on the 26th January. As a precaution the flock and animals in a one kilometer zone around the farm were [slaughtered]" The origin of the Hungarian outbreak is still being investigated. But wild birds are considered "a strong possibility" by the European Commission. Sandor Szigeti, the Chief Veterinarian of the Csongrad province where the deadly strain was detected, has warned that authorities are still struggling to prevent further outbreaks. "The infection is huge among the wild birds. It can break out anywhere anytime," he said. "We urge the poultry producers and farmers to inform us immediately when they notice something strange. This way we can act quickly." AVOIDING PANIC Although the European Commission has tried to avoid panic in the region, several neighboring countries as well as Russia have already closed their borders for Hungarian poultry. While so far about 160 people have died from the H5n1 strain of bird-flu, experts fear the virus could mutate, causing a pandemic like the Spanish flu in 1918 which killed millions of people. (The headquarters of BosNewsLife News Agency is based in Hungary). |
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