Health News
WHO warns nations to prepare for pandemic
Sep 19, 2006, 19:00 GMT

It also called for urgent steps to prepare to battle emerging infectious diseases, such as avian influenza and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

Many countries and areas did not have the required national and local capacities to avoid serious health threats with potential to cause substantial economic and social disruption, the WHO warned in a statement from a regional conference being held in Auckland.

'Many health systems were undermanned and under-resourced when SARS struck, causing great human suffering, enormous fear and staggering economic losses,' Dr Richard Nesbit, acting regional director for the western-Pacific, said.

He said countries should not only have plans to deal with an immediate outbreak but public health officials must focus on the mid- and long-term battle against infectious diseases.

The international health agency noted that a few months after it declared that the SARS outbreak had been contained in July 2003, an outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1) hit Asia and has since spread to Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

More than 40 countries had reported outbreaks in either wild or domestic birds, or both, an indication that the virus continued to present a threat, Nesbit said.

'In the early stages of a potential pandemic, it may be possible to stop or delay the spread of the virus by swiftly implementing pandemic influenza rapid response and containment measures,' he said.

'If rapid interventions are successful, the severe adverse health, social and economic consequences expected to result from a pandemic might be prevented.'

Nesbit said the window of opportunity for action was very narrow because rapid globalization, urbanization, and increasing cross-border travel and trade aided the spread of infectious disease.

'Countries and areas must therefore prepare for such an eventuality and develop operational capacities and coordinating mechanisms to swiftly implement rapid containment measures, which also require close regional and international coordination and collaboration,' he said.

USDA said it expanded the National Poultry Improvement Program to cover commercial production flock, such as table-egg layers and meat-type chickens and turkeys. Until now, only breeder flocks were eligible.

The NPIP, a voluntary measure among federal and state governments and the poultry industry, was created in the 1930s to certify flocks as free of poultry diseases.

Under the expansion, participating producers would be reimbursed for 100 percent of their costs associated with the cleanup of low-pathogenic H5 and H7 subtypes.

Facilities that do not actively survey their flock as required by the program will have 25 percent of their eradication costs covered by USDA. In previous cases, compensation was handled by the states.

"This program expansion strengthens U.S. protections against poultry diseases such as avian influenza," said Ron DeHaven, administrator of USDA's Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service.

The interim rule will become effective on September 26 when it is published in the government's Federal Register. The public will have until November 27 to submit comment.

USDA eradicates the low-pathogenic H5 and H7 subtypes because they can mutate into the highly-pathogenic strain, which produces high disease and mortality in birds. Low-pathogenic bird flu does not pose a risk to humans.

USDA said expanding the program will ensure the department was complying with international standards and will minimize trade impact on U.S. poultry producers.

In order to participate, commercial facilities and states must meet the following provisions:

--States must create a diagnostic surveillance program for all poultry. This surveillance will be administered by state agencies according to plans approved by APHIS.

--States must develop APHIS-approved response and containment plans that detail what actions will be taken in the event of an H5 and H7 low-pathogenic avian influenza outbreak.

--Industry must maintain active surveillance. This component also includes proactive testing at the flock level or at slaughter for commercial meat-type chickens and meat-type turkeys, and must be conducted according to plans detailed in the regulations.

<> var year = new Date() document.write('© Reuters ' + year.getFullYear() + ". All Rights Reserved." ); © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reservedhttp://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=13577221&src=rss/domesticNews

Venezuelan Health and Environment Ministries prepare avian flu emergency plan

VHeadline.com News Editor Patrick J. O'Donoghue writes:  Venezuelan Environment & Renewable Resources (MARNR) Ministry has announced that it will shortly release a national plan to combat bird flu. 

Changes made to how Singapore will tackle bird flu pandemic
By Yvonne Yong | Posted: 09 October 2006 1517 hrs

SINGAPORE: Three key changes are being made to Singapore’s response to a possible bird flu pandemic, based on lessons learnt from the preparedness exercises Sparrowhawk 1 and 2 conducted earlier this year.

Speaking at a flu pandemic training session for Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) Minister of State for Health Heng Chee How said the first main area of improvement is the line between Government polyclinics and GPs.

“Initially, the plan was to centralise treatment at the 18 polyclinics. But we also recognise that most Singaporeans consult their family doctors in the private sector for acute illnesses like influenza...In Sparrowhawk, we validated the feasibility of utilising GPs to continue to serve the population. With some coordination we will be able to organise more than 1000 GP Clinics to provide primary care to the community”.

Also reviewed is the work of public and private hospitals in an outbreak. Previously, Restructured Hospitals were to manage all flu patients who required hospitalised care, while non-flu patients would be referred to Private Hospitals. But as Mr Heng pointed out, “It would be very difficult to fully effectively segregate such cases in a pandemic. Hence, hospitals, both public and private will need to be prepared to manage both”.

Thirdly, all hospitals are to have a dedicated group of staff or an ‘infection control response team’. According to Mr Heng, “Sparrowhawk highlighted that it is impractical to expect that all staff have the same level of readiness and training and are able to sustain a high level of readiness over a prolonged period of time…The key lesson is for hospitals to maintain and roster a team of dedicated Health Care Workers who are very well versed with the handling of infectious cases”.

Mr Heng also talked about the three-pronged or ‘3P’ approach involving the Public, Private and People sectors in the event of a pandemic. “The fight against the flu pandemic requires a ‘whole of Singapore’ approach to ensure that Singapore is ready should a flu pandemic hit…I am heartened to see that such inter-agency, cross sector collaboration is well in place…and I am pleased to report that our border agencies, healthcare institutions and security agencies are ready”.

He also stressed the importance of continued .,http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/234564/1/.html

Flu exercise to test pandemic readiness

It would also test agencies' ability to make decisions and coordinate their response, which will include the establishment of fever clinics and distribution of anti-viral drugs.

"Australia is recognised as a world leader in pandemic preparedness," Mr Abbott said.The government has already spent more than $600 million preparing for an influenza epidemic, including building up one of the world's largest anti-viral stockpiles.Fears were raised of a worldwide influenza pandemic when the deadly H5N1 bird flu was found in humans, but so far there have been no proven cases of person-to-person transmission.The government has stockpiled enough anti-virals Relenza and Tamiflu to cover about 20 per cent of Australia's population, and is waiting on orders that would take that figure to 44 per cent.

But it intends to hand out the medication only to sick people and those in direct contact with infected patients - not automatically to sufferers' next-of-kin and all health workers.Exercise Cumpston is named after Dr John Cumpston, the health department's first director general and an epidemiologist responsible for showing quarantine measures could help limit the spread of the deadly Spanish flu pandemic in 1918-19.

Queensland Health Minister Stephen Robertson said Exercise Cumpston was the first of its size and scope anywhere in the world.The exercise will also involve the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and include a mock community assessment clinic at Logan.   http://fdimages.fairfax.com.au/crtvs/asragepop.html

New bird flu restrictions come into force

Poultry kept within a one-kilometre radius of major Swiss lakes and rivers must stay indoors from Sunday as part of targeted preventive measures against avian flu.

The restrictions, imposed by the economics ministry, are designed to prevent domestic flocks from coming into contact with migratory birds infected with the H5N1 virus. 

The measures will remain in place until April 30 next year and could be reinforced should the need arise. The outdoor ban applies to poultry holdings near around 20 lakes and rivers in low-lying areas.

The Geneva-based World Health Organization remains on a state of pandemic alert as deaths from the human form of bird flu continue to climb. On Sunday the Indonesian authorities announced that an 11-year-old boy had died from bird flu, raising the national death toll from the disease to 53.

Thirty-two dead wild birds were found with the H5N1 virus in February and March last year in Switzerland, mainly around lakes. As a result the Swiss authorities ordered poultry to be locked up from February 20 to May 1. No new cases have been detected in Switzerland since April.

The economics ministry says monitoring of wild birds will continue, especially on lakes Geneva, Constance, Neuchâtel and Zurich where 74 per cent of waterfowl spend the winter.

Switzerland's summertime waterfowl population of 50,000 swells to 500,000 during the winter migration to Africa.

Birds tested Throughout the winter, samples will be taken from live birds on lakes Constance and Sempach and at the Bolle di Magadino nature reserve in canton Ticino. Similar checks will be carried out on birds shot by hunters on lakes Geneva and Neuchâtel.

As was the case last year, all suspect birds found across Switzerland will be analysed by the authorities.

"The period of vigilance will not be limited to periods of migration, but throughout the winter," said the ministry when it announced the measures at the end of last month.

The new measures will affect about 1,000 of the country's 17,000 large poultry farms and 4,000 smaller holdings, say officials.

Poultry markets

In addition to the outdoor ban on chickens, ducks, geese and ostriches, poultry markets and exhibitions will be prohibited within the exclusion zone.

Checks will be maintained at the country's borders and all imports from countries affected by bird flu remain banned.

Both the Swiss Farmers Union and Kagfreiland, a farm animal protection organisation, have backed the targeted measures.

Most European Union countries have relaxed restrictions requiring poultry to be kept indoors but say they are ready to act should risk levels increase. Switzerland is not a member of the EU.

swissinfo with agencies

Farm netting to prevent AI spread

// 19 Oct

By Jason Gale

Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Bird flu may return to Europe in the coming weeks, spread by wild ducks, swans and geese carrying the lethal virus south from their Arctic mating grounds.

Twenty-six European nations reported initial infections of the H5N1 avian influenza strain in poultry or wild birds in late 2005 and early 2006 after a severe winter in Russia and the Caucasus area pushed migratory birds south and westward. The Food and Agriculture Organization said a resurgence of H5N1 in China and Russia indicates the pattern may be repeated.

``It is possible that a similar situation could occur in the approaching weeks with the migratory movement of wild birds from their northern breeding grounds,'' the United Nations agency said in the October edition of a newsletter published on its Web site. ``Eastern Europe and Caucasus region is at particularly high risk'' because of the higher density of backyard poultry there.

Diseased birds increase the opportunities for human infection and provide chances for H5N1 to change into a form more dangerous to people. The virus is reported to have killed a person every four days this year, more than double the 2005 rate. Millions could die if H5N1 becomes easily transmissible between people, sparking a lethal pandemic.

The H5N1 virus is known to have infected 256 people in 10 countries in the past three years, killing 151 of them, the World Health Organization said on Oct. 16. Half the countries that have reported cases -- Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Egypt and Djibouti -- are outside East Asia.

China, Russia

Outbreaks in the Middle East and Europe have been linked with a variant of the H5N1 virus found at China's Qinghai Lake, where more than 6,000 wild birds died in April 2005. Infected birds were found at the nature reserve again this year, as well as in the Novosibirsk-Omsk area of Russia.

Central and Eastern Europe are crisscrossed by overlapping migration flyways, and their wetlands, rivers and shorelines provide sanctuary for wild fowl which can come into direct contact with backyard poultry, the Rome-based agency said.

Improved control measures on poultry farms in Russia and early warning systems there have helped stem the spread of H5N1, the FAO said. These measures could reduce the risk that avian flu will be reintroduced to Central and Western Europe, it said.

``Should there be outbreaks in Central and Eastern Europe, these are likely to occur later in the year than they did in 2005,'' the agency said.

A severe pandemic similar to the one that killed 50 million people in 1918 may cause global economic losses of as much as $2 trillion, the World Bank said last month. Poultry farmers in infected countries have already suffered because of outbreaks. The Washington-based bank in January estimated the cost at $10 billion in Asia alone.

`Serious Jeopardy'

Unless the virus is controlled and eradicated, the livelihoods of people raising free-range poultry flocks as a source of income and food ``will be in serious jeopardy,'' the FAO said in its Emergency Preparation Systems newsletter. ``The virus will pose a constant threat to human beings and cause serious economic losses to the poultry sector and to avian wildlife-generated tourism.''

Studies of migratory waterfowl in Asia and Europe suggest these birds may play a role in introducing avian flu, although legal or illegal trade of birds and poultry may contribute more to the disease's spread within and across regions, the FAO said.

Ducks, swans and geese harbor the highest diversity and prevalence of avian influenza viruses, and past outbreaks of highly pathogenic strains in poultry have been traced to strains originating in ducks.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Gale in Singapore at j.gale@bloomberg.net