Bird-Flu inflicted Vietnam has got to be kidding us all!

Vietnam is “havin a laugh” as the Brits would put it!

One of the facts about the current Bird-Flu outbreaks in an increasing number of countries is so weird and dangerous, that if it were to be explained to the average man on the street, it would not be believed!

As per World Health Organisation approved rules, a country afflicted with the most infectious and virulent strain of the Bird-Flu virus, can declare it self “Free of Bird-Flu”, if no cases of the Bird-Flu appear for 21 successive days.

Think of South Africa, declaring itself “free of HIV” after 21 successive days without a new case of the AIDS!

What is more, a country can even declare one of it´s provinces “Free of Bird-Flu”, if there have been no fresh cases of the H5N1 for 21 days in that province.

It is like saying that even though I still have Malaria, I have had no problems with my right leg for a while now, therefore my right leg is free of Malaria!         

This entire drama is played by the Governments of the effected countries, due to the pressure from the  local tourism and the commercial sectors.

Obviously, a country which has it´s birds and even it´s people dropping dead from the Bird-Flu virus, is not the most desirable destination for the visitors from other countries.  

Equally important is the fact that no country wants to import poultry, eggs and other related products from a Bird-Flu inflicted country.

As a case in point, today, the 10th of July 2007, Egypt banned all poultry imports from France and Germany after the potentially fatal H5N1 strain of bird flu was discovered in birds in those countries.

A ban of import of poultry from an infected country can have a devastating effect  on       it´s entire poultry industry and so the Government comes under tremendous pressure to declare the country free of the virus as quickly as possible.

There have been cases in authoritarian countries like China and Iran of total denial of the presence of the virus, even though various branches of the Government of each country had made statements to the contrary.

Other countries such as Indonesia, have made it extremely hard for the International press to obtain any information what so ever regarding the continuing outbreaks of the H5N1, in the Poultry, in other animals as well as in the humans.

It is almost a simple case of deception by the Governments of these countries.

They are trying to say to the world community, that their country is safe to visit and to import poultry and related products from.

At best this practice would expose the International community to unnecessary risk. 

At worse, well……….  

The most amazing part of this saga is the apparent acquiescence of the WHO in it´s approval of this dangerous practice.

The declaration today, from Vietnam (which has been declaring its Bird-Flu localities one after the other as the “regulation” 21 days period passes without an outbreak) would be funny, if it were not so very dangerous for us all.

Talking about Ninh Binh, one of its provinces infected with the Bird-Flu virus, the Veterinary Department stated, “It was regrettable for Ninh Binh when two new outbreaks occurred on July 9 just when the 21 day period was about to end”

Come off it Vietnam, you have got to be pulling our collective leg!

Here is a link to the news item from The Vietnam News Agency- 

http://www.vnagency.com.vn/Home/EN/tabid/119/itemid/203723/Default.aspx

Bird-Flu Human Cases Map from WHO as of May31st – already out of date!

The latest Bird Flu map from the WHO (dated May31st 2007) is out of date already.

There are new cases of the Bird-Flu popping up almost every other day!

URGENT Bird-Flu Contact request- Were you recently at the Chelford Market in Cheshire?

Were you recently at the Chelford Market in Cheshire?

If so, then DEFRA (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) would like for you to urgently contact them.

The investigation into the source of the H7N2 low pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in North Wales is ongoing.

As part of the tracing exercise, and epidemiological investigation, Defra would like to hear from anyone, who has not already been contacted by Animal Health officials, who has:

• Purchased from or supplied to Chelford Market in Cheshire on Monday 7 May 2007 or
• Any poultry keeper who visited Chelford Market on this date whose birds have subsequently become ill.

These people should contact their local Animal Health Office.

See www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/about-us/contact-us/animal-health-offices.htm

Or phone the Defra helpline 08459 33 55 77 (open between 9am – 5pm 7 days a week).

4 Brits have the Bird-Flu. Then, 9 Brits down with Bird-Flu. Now its 11 Brits with Bird-Flu!!

At first it was announced that 4 Brits have the Bird-Flu.

Then, we were told that 9 Brits were down with Bird-Flu.

Now it is confirmed that at least 11 Brits have the H7N2 strain of the Bird-Flu!!

No need to worry though?

BBC reports that the officials investigating two possible cases of bird flu in north Wales have traced 26 people who may have been in contact with the disease.

Eleven of these people have shown flu-like symptoms, but none has been seriously ill.

Officials said there was not a “significant risk” to public health.

Four people, two from Wales and two from north-west England,

have been found to have contracted bird flu following the outbreak at Corwen.

A further four are being treated as having had the disease.

The latest figures come as officials examine two properties.

The confirmed case involved a smallholding at Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, near Cerrigydrudion, Conwy.

Owners Tony Williams and Barbara Cowling, who have tested negative for the virus, called in a vet after their Rhode Island Red chickens began to die.

The real story in all this however, is that the infected chickens were bought from the Chelford Market at Macclesfield, Cheshire, some 70 miles (112 km) away, on 7 May.

So the Bird-Flu is not limited to the outbreak at Corwen in Wales!!!! 

To see the full BBC article, please go to www.birdflubreakingnews.com

“Welsh Bird-Flu no risk for us Scots” says the new Scottish health minister!

Shona Robison, the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dundee East, who is now the new public health minister for Scotland, denied that there was any risk to health for the Scots, from the bird flu outbreak in Wales, calling it “negligible”. 

She said: “I want to reassure the public in Scotland that the risk to public health is negligible.”Tracings are ongoing but there is nothing to suggest any Scottish connections with events in Wales and England.”

People in Scotland and in the rest of the UK are wondering however, as to why she had to make that statement in the first place?

 Did any one suggest that there WAS a Bird-Flu risk to the public health in Scotland?

Why deny a risk that was never there?

Very curious indeed Ms Robison!

Bird-Flu resistant Super Chicken!

Central Avian Research Institute based in UP, India, is in the process of creating a Super Chicken with modified genes making it resistant to diseases like the pathogenic bird flu.

Sanjeev Kumar, who is leading this project, said that with help of biotechnological tools, once we develop disease resistant chicken, it would show complete resistance to any sort of diseases including avian influenza, IBD, Marek and other bacterial problems.

Elaborating on the research, he said, “we have found IR genes containing chemokines and cytokines molecules that have shown a good amount of resistance to chicken related diseases.”

Here is a link to the full article: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200704301021.htm

Boffins create a Super Interactive Map of the Bird Flu virus.

A team of biomedical experts, led by Daniel Janies, an assistant professor in the department of biomedical informatics at Ohio State University, used special software to create an evolutionary tree of the Avian Flu H5N1 virus’s mutations.

The new, interactive map of the spread of the avian flu virus, (H5N1) for the first time incorporates genetic, geographic and evolutionary information that may help predict where the next outbreak of the virus is likely to occur.

In the process, they also tested hypotheses about the nature of specific strains of the virus that appear to be heading westward and have the ability to infect humans.

Here is the link to the full article: http://www.physorg.com/news97149983.html

Bird-Flu Outbreak a Tourist Attraction???

Who would have thunk it?

On on the 29th of March 2006, a dead Whooper Swan was found floating in Cellardyke harbour, small village in Fife, Scotland.

Subsequent tests on the blood samples from the wild swan confirmed that the swan had died of the highly pathogenic H5N1 variant strain.

News of the presence of the Bird-Flu virus in the city would be greeted with horror by any city council any where in the world.

Not so in Cellardyke however! 

It appears that the H5N1 infected swan has created a wave of “horror Tourism” with thousands of visitors flocking over to the very beach on the shore of Cellardyke, where the swan with the Bird-Flu had been found floating lifelessly!!

Cellardyke community councillor Martin Dibley loves the the unaccustomed experience of finding himself and his little village under the world’s spotlight with journalists, photographers and film crews flocking to his village.

Here is the news item from the Edinburgh Evening News:

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=532692007&format=print

Fri 6 Apr 2007

 Bird flu scare has tourists flocking in

BIRD flu has helped Cellardyke experience a mini-tourism boom.

It is a year today since Britain’s first case of deadly bird flu was confirmed in a dead swan which had washed-up in the harbour slipway.

The normally sedate fishing village in the East Neuk of Fife was thrust under the world’s spotlight with journalists, photographers and film crews – as well as scientists – flocking to the area.

Cellardyke community councillor Martin Dibley said: “People still come along to see where the swan was found and anytime bird flu is on the news we get a mention. But to be honest it has all been quite positive.

“I think it showed the village and the area in a positive light.

“Everyone was saying how nice the area was and how friendly the people are and it has in a bizarre way increased tourism a little bit.

Mr Dibley said that property in the area has been snapped up in the last year.

He added: “It is more to do with people seeing it on the news and thinking ‘what a nice little place that is’.”

New Bird-Flu Research tool from the Imperial College London

A new way of understanding how highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) spreads among farm birds is published today.

The new study, carried out by mathematical modellers from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, focuses on how H7N3, H7N7 and H7N1 strains of the virus were transmitted between different farms in three recent outbreaks.

The study could help analyse the success of different control measures in the event of future outbreaks.

Imperial College London is rated as the world’s ninth best university in the 2006 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 11,500 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. 

Here is a link to the article from the Imperial College London:

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_4-4-2007-10-24-53?newsid=9494

Teenage girl from Jakarta is the 93rd Indonesian infected with Bird Flu.

A teenage girl in Indonesia is infected with the deadly bird flu virus, becoming the 93rd confirmed case in the country worst hit by the disease, a health official said Thursday.

The girl who was identified only as R, was transferred from Carolus Hospital in Central Jakarta to Sulianti Saroso bird flu referral hospital on April 2, 2007, said Ningrum, a staff with the Health Ministry, Thursday.

“The laboratory test has confirmed of H5N1 positive,” Ningrum was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

Here is the news item as reported by the 

 Young girl latest Indonesia bird flu case  05-Apr-2007 | 306 words, 1 images

JAKARTA (AFP) — A teenage girl in Indonesia is infected with the deadly bird flu virus, becoming the 93rd confirmed case in the country worst hit by the disease, a health official said Thursday.

The 15-year-old lives in the country’s sprawling capital, Jakarta, and is in intensive care in one of the city’s hospitals, a spokesperson from Indonesia’s bird flu information centre said.

“Specimens taken from her have tested positive for the H5N1 virus in two tests,” said the official, referring to the deadly strain that has killed 72 people here.

Meanwhile a 29-year-old man died Wednesday in Solo after showing bird flu symptoms, said Refiono, a doctor from the hospital that treated him. Solo lies about 500 kilometres (300 miles) from the capital.

“Results of tests have yet to be completed but the patient’s body is being treated as a bird flu case,” the doctor told AFP, adding the victim had been in contact with infected chickens.

Most human infections have occurred after contact with sick birds. The government has banned the popular practice of keeping poultry in backyards in Jakarta to try and stop the spread of the disease.

The World Health Organisation says the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has infected 288 people and killed 170 of them, mostly in Southeast Asia, since 2003.

Scientists say multiple strains of the disease originated in southern China and spread elsewhere.

They worry the virus could mutate into a form easily spread among humans, leading to a global pandemic with the potential to kill millions.

The fear stems from the lessons of past influenza pandemics. One in 1918, just after the end of World War I, killed 20 million people worldwide.

© 2007 AFP Copyright © 2003-2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.

New Bird-Flu Research tool from the Imperial College London

A new way of understanding how highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) spreads among farm birds is published today.

The new study, carried out by mathematical modellers from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, focuses on how H7N3, H7N7 and H7N1 strains of the virus were transmitted between different farms in three recent outbreaks.

 

The study could help analyse the success of different control measures in the event of future outbreaks.

Imperial College London was rated as the world’s ninth best university in the 2006. Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 11,500 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. 

Here is a link to the article from the Imperial College London:

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_4-4-2007-10-24-53?newsid=9494

Bird-Flu, now in an American Turkey “Farm”!!!

knocking softly at America’s door?

A strain of the H5N1, Bird-Flu virus, different from the one that has been killing birds and humans in Asia and Africa, has been found in a turkey farm in West Virginia.

Even though this has resulted in the killing of 25,000 West Virginia turkeys, the public has been told not to worry!

“People should not be worried,” said Buddy Davidson, a spokesman for the state Agriculture Department. “This should not

 affect the average person at all.”

 Recently a virulent strain of the Bird Flu virus had been discovered at the now infamous Barnard Matthews Turkey Factory farm in England.

I am sure that we all want to know,  if the conditions in the turkey farm in West Virginia, are as bad as were found at the Barnard Matthews Turkey Factory farm in England.

 

What kind of a “farm is it?   Is it really a farm?

Or is the word “farm” being used to describe a windowless shed, where the unfortunate turkeys spend all of their wretched lives in unnatural cramped conditions without ever seeing the light of the day?

Experts agree that the H5N1 virus is much more likely to mutate within domestic poultry under such “factory farm” conditions than it is in the wild bird population.

Here is a link to a report by AP via Via KSBW Channel:

http://www.theksbwchannel.com/health/11510370/detail.html

More Bird Flu for Indonesia!

More Bird Flu for Indonesia!

71 people (the highest number in the world) have now been killed by the Bird Flu virus in Indonesia. 

Why has Indonesia been specially selected by God for all this trouble?

Bird-Flu a valuable asset for Indonesia?

Indonesia WILL and then it will NOT and then it WILL and then…..

The Indonesians believe that they need to extract as much out of their “asset”- the bird flu that has been ravaging their country- as they can.

So they have been holding back on the tissue samples of the recent victims of the H5N1 virus in their country from the WHO scientists.

They want guarantees that the Indonesians would not be over charged for any vaccine that results from the resaerch conducted on the tissue samples of the Indon victims.

The Indonesians should remember that the entire world had rushed to their aid (without any previous agreements or guarantees) when the recent tsunami had devastated parts of Indonesia. Billions of dollars were sent by people from all over the world to help the victims of the tsunami.

For a country that seems to have been earmarked for repeated disasters by God for some reasons, the Indon people should start by sending positive vibes to the world community.

Here is a very good article by Revere at the Effect Measure, where they have been following this situation closely:

The Indonesian vaccine solution (again)

Category: Bird flu • Vaccines Posted on: March 28, 2007 7:42 AM, by revere

So the vaccine sharing summit in Jakarta is over and Indonesia says they will begin sharing virus again. The proviso is that they can’t be shared with pharmaceutical companies until a vaccine-sharing agreement is hammered out with WHO and that will take an estimated 3 months. I’ll be surprised if it is done that quickly, but Hope springs Eternal. Meanwhile the scientific community will be able to see the sequences (at least that’s how I read it) and WHO can prepare seed strains but not distribute them. The agreement should also allow determination if any markers of antiviral resistance have appeared and permit developmnet of diagnostic tests.

We don’t know the details of vaccine sharing because they don’t exist yet. The meeting seemed to accomplish the main thing, get Indonesian provision of the isolates unstuck so surveillance functions can resume. But what we know about the proposed strategy for vaccine sharing doesn’t sound very promising to us:

The meeting endorsed WHO’s efforts to link vaccine manufacturers in developed and developing countries to speed the transfer of influenza vaccine manufacturing technology.”We have struck a balance between the need to continue the sharing of influenza viruses for risk assessment and vaccine development,” Heymann said, “and the need to help ensure that developing countries benefit from sharing without compromising global public health security.”

Individual countries will negotiate how vaccine is made available to them.

“WHO is not involved in financial negotiations, either in selling viruses or buying vaccine,” he added. “Countries will negotiate bilaterally with vaccine manufacturers. We will certainly facilitate if countries are asking for support, but it won’t be standard.”

WHO best practices for sharing flu virus were developed for seasonal influenza vaccine, which has a market in developed countries but in only a few developing countries.

“H5N1 vaccines are a different issue,” Heymann said. “We will now modify our best practices to ensure that they are transparent to the developing countries which are providing samples and which have requested to share in the benefits resulting from those viruses.”

The director-general of WHO is committed to working with pharmaceutical companies and donors to develop a possible stockpile of vaccine for developing countries if they need vaccine, he added, but this is at an early stage of feasibility study. (Cheryl Pellerin, US State Dept. Washington File)

The fundamental problem, as we noted before, is that there isn’t enough productive capacity to make enough vaccine, even for the rich countries. Saying to developing countries, “You negotiate with Big Pharma and have them show you how to make vaccine in your country” doesn’t sound like it will work. We need an international effort to establish regional vaccine institutes on a global basis, financed by governments and international donors and outside the market system.

The Indonesians got what they asked for. Like everything else related to bird flu in that country, it probably won’t work.

Bird-Flu in Bangladesh Fast Food????

I guess that it is not really surprising that some people in Bangladesh would try and make a quick Taka (a buck to you) by selling poultry that is said to be infected with the Bird Flu virus.

The Weekly Blitz from Bangladesh reports that  some unscrupulous businessmen and poultry farm owners are selling Bird Flu infected Chickens to various fast food shops and bakeries in
Bangladesh at a through away price. Most of the fast food shops, including some famous international chains are buying these infected chickens at one twentieth prices!

Talking to Weekly Blitz, a (member of the) staff with a famous fried chicken outlet in city’s Gulshan area disclosed on anonymity that owners of such establishments are buying large number of suspected chicken at the rate of TK 10-15 each and storing these in their freezers in order to meet the requirement for several months. The staff said, generally in normal situation, price of such chicken ranges between TK. 110-150 each.

For the full article from The Weekly Blitz  go to www.birdflubreakingnews.com

Bird-Flu Panic in Tripura

The state of Tripura is in the north east corner of India.

It’s Himalayan range of mountains are covered with vast forests and many unexplored areas.

Tripura is blessed with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. 

However, I guess as a karmic balance to all the above, Tripura also shares a border with Bangladesh.

So not only is Tripura on the migrating route for a large number of wild birds, but also it now has a H5N1 infected neighbour! 

What is more, Tripura imports large quantities of poultry from Bangladesh!!

No wonder there is a bit of a panic going on in the state of Tripura.

So much so that as many as 266 trained ARD assistants (Animal Resource Development departments) will be given the duty of vigilance across the border. 

Err.. 266 “trained ARD assistants” are there to stop the Bird Flu from entering into Tripura, across thousands of Kilometers of partially unexplored Himalayan territory.

Tripura residents should have no worries then??? 

Here is an article from Medindia:

Bangladesh has proved an unlucky neighbor for Tripura, as the northeastern state of India which borders it, is under bird flu alert.

Bird flu in Bangladesh has proved a fear factor as not only is it in close proximity to Tripura, the state also imports chicks and eggs from Bangladesh.

In the wake of the scare, the Family Welfare Preventive Medicine and the Animal Resource Development departments have jointly taken all possible steps to tackle avian flu. This is according to ARD director Narayan Chandra Das.

The state has been asked to take precautionary measures by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

A total of 266 trained ARD assistants will be given the duty of vigilance across the border.

Source-Medindia
ANN

“Super Strain” of Bird Flu from Chicken & Turkey Factory Farms???

Recently, there was the disastrous Barnard Matthews turkey factory farm episode, which resulted in the first Bird Flu outbreak in the British domestic poultry.

Now there is an increasing concern around the world about the link between the Bird Flu and other viruses and factory farming of poultry.

It is said that there is a strong possibility that these cramped unnatural conditions imposed upon the poultry in these factory farms help breed viruses and other diseases.

Dr. Michael Greger, director of public health at the Humane Society of the United States said that overcrowding in chicken confinements, where there are large numbers of chickens in inadequate ventilation, with little sunlight, all create an environment that could create a “super strain” of the influenza.

“The poultry industry is not only playing with fire,” Greger told students at ISU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “They are fanning the flames.”

He said wild birds are attracted to large poultry sheds because there is food there. He said he is concerned that the virus could mutate into one that more easily spreads to humans. He said the virus has already changed from an intestinal virus in ducks to one that is spread through the air between chickens.

“By adapting to chickens, (the virus) is partially adapting to human beings,” he said, explaining that the respiratory tract of chickens resembles the respiratory tracts of primates, like monkeys.

A chicken industry spokesman said such confinements actually make an avian-flu outbreak less likely here. “The reason we put these birds in these facilities is to protect them,” said Kevin Vinchattle, executive director of the Iowa Poultry Association.
The above excerpts are from an article by Lisa Rossi & Tony Leys writing for The Des Moines Register.

To see the full article go to www.birdflubreakingnews.com

Is Tamiflu killing Japanese teenagers?

In Japan, Tamiflu is taken far more often than in any other country.

Japanese doctors prescribed the drug 24.5 million times between 2001 and 2005,compared to just 6.5 million prescriptions in the U.S.

Now,  there is a major concern in that country, that Tamiflu could be killing those who take it, specially if it is taken by teenagers. 

According to the Japanese Health Ministry, 54 people have died after taking Tamiflu — the drug governments around the world have stockpiled for use against avian flu — since the drug was approved for use in Japan in 2000. 

Most suspiciously, in multiple cases people, including those cases above, acted erratically after taking Tamiflu. Though the Health Ministry has said there is no clear evidence linking Tamiflu to the deaths, there is growing concern among doctors and parents in Japan over the drug’s possible side effects. 

The anti-Tamiflu forces in Japan are led by Dr. Rokuro Hama, an epidemiologist and internal medicine specialist who heads the Japan Institute of Pharmacovigilance, a medical industry watchdog.

Hama believes that Tamiflu can directly cause temporary neurological disorders in a small percentage of users — especially young people. That can lead to abnormal behavior, such as a seemingly happy, healthy teenager suddenly deciding to leap off a high-rise apartment building.  

Hama also notes that the Tamiflu doses taken in Japan can be as much as 10 times greater than the normal amount taken in the U.S., which could aggravate the side effects. “There is no possibility whatsoever” that there could be another cause behind the Tamiflu deaths, says Hama. “Ultimately it should be taken off the market.”   But according to the Japanese Health Ministry — and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — the side effects that Hama has seen are more likely caused by influenza itself. In rare juvenile cases influenza can cause brain inflammation — encephalitis — that can lead to neuropsychiatric events.

In fact, it was in Japan in the mid-1990s that pediatricians first began reporting such cases, which led to intense nationwide surveillance of pediatric influenza. 

Hama notes, however, that it was around that same time that Tamiflu became widely used in the country. Cases that included neurological side effects seemed to spike at the same time that Tamiflu prescriptions rose in Japan.

Nevertheless, it is possible that the side effects accompanied the disease and that more such extreme cases were seen because doctors were looking harder.  

Above Excerpts are from a Time/CNN article by Brian Walsh & Michiko Toyama  Full article here: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1601062,00.html?cnn=yes

Whats in a number? A lot if you have the Bird Flu!

Bird Flu is all about letters & numbers.

The familiar H5N1 is in fact really a flu which should only be effecting birds, but seems to also grab a few humans every now and then.

If and when the H5N1 virus does mutate in to a human version of the virus (and starts the dreaded human pandemic) we will hear for the first time of the new deadly combination of the letters and numbers.  

Even now, there are lots of different kinds of bird flu out there.

In the news today is the H9N2 virus, a “milder form of bird flu” which has effected a nine-month-old girl in Hong Kong.

This is not the first time that this “milder virus” has been found in China, two girls and a boy were confirmed to have H9N2 in 1999 and 2003 respectively

A news item from the news.gov.hk, (the official source of Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) says that The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) is investigating a case of influenza A virus (H9N2) involving a nine-month-old girl, H9N2 is a mild form of avian flu.

Centre Controller Dr Thomas Tsang today said the Tseung Kwan O girl developed upper respiratory tract infection symptoms and a fever on March 4. She was admitted to United Christian Hospital on March 6 and discharged three days later. She has not travelled recently. However, she has gone to a Tseung Kwan O market with her family several times. Her family members have no symptoms but will have blood tests. The centre and the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department have sent staff to clean and disinfect their home.

Dr Thomas Tsang said two girls and a boy were confirmed to have H9N2 in 1999 and 2003 respectively.

That strain of the virus has been found in ducks and chickens for many years, however infection in humans is rare and usually milder than the potentially fatal H5N1 strain. “H9N2 differs from H5NI in a number of aspects, the most important being the severity of the illness,” he said.

Advantage Bird Flu!

In the continuing battle between the human race and the viruses, the Bird Flu virus has made its latest move.

A strain of the H5N1 virus has now been found to be resistant to one of the current drugs used against it.

According to a news item Via Reuters, the scientists have found that a strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus circulating in Thailand is resistant to the flu drug amantadine, and they called for rigorous study of H5N1 strains to better treat human victims.

Yong Poovorawan, a medical professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, said an H5N1 strain in the central part of Thailand had become resistant to amantadine, casting more doubt over its use to fight the disease .

“It would be very dangerous if we don’t know the sensitivity or resistance of the strain to amantadine and we use amantadine (to treat people infected with this strain of H5N1),” Yong said. He urged more rigorous surveillance and study.

“If you follow any new strain you will know the genetic changes, you analyse its molecular structure, make experiments to see which drug it is sensitive to and find out which is the best antiviral for any given strain,” he said. “It’s like a jigsaw, we have to find the pieces and see the big picture.”

There are two H5N1 strains circulating in Thailand, one in the northeast and the other in the central part of the country. Yong identified the strain in the northeast province of Nakhon Phanom as the Fujian-like strain, which an international group of virologists said in October may start another wave of H5N1 outbreaks in poultry in Southeast Asia and Eurasia.

The Fujian-like strain was first isolated in China’s southern Fujian province in 2005.”The Nakhon Phanom strain is the same as the Fujian-like strain…which is also in (the Chinese provinces of) Anhui and Zhejiang, and Laos,” Yong said. “From the molecular structure, we would say it is sensitive to Tamiflu and amantadine.”

Although H5N1 mostly affects birds, the big concern is that it could mutate into a disease that easily passes between people, triggering a global pandemic. The emergence of various strains of H5N1 is a matter of deep concern because each one may respond differently to different antiviral drugs and vaccines. “If there are too many strains and they are very different, we will not know the efficacy of the vaccines,” Yong said.

Vaccine no protection from BIRD FLU!

There have always been many objections to the practice of mass vaccination of poultry against H5N1 and other viruses, including the fact that vaccination can mask the onset of infection in poultry.

Now it seems that even the idea of some kind of a perceived protection from the H5N1virus is not true, as reported by Caroline Lovell, writing for the Farmers Weekly Interactive.

Here is the full article:

Vaccinated flocks infected by avian flu 19/03/2007 12:40:00 Farmers Weekly Interactive

Egyptian poultry flocks have tested positive to H5N1 avian flu despite being vaccinated against the virus, reported Reuters this month.According to an animal health official, who remained anonymous, 12 different locations in Egypt have had outbreaks in vaccinated flocks in 2007.The official said: “We have outbreaks in vaccinated chickens in many places.  This puts a question mark on vaccination procedures.  It is dangerous.”

The official blamed the outbreaks – on poultry units and in household flocks of chickens and ducks – on inadequate inoculation procedures instead of a resistance to the vaccination.  by Caroline Lovell

WHO and the Ancient Bird Flu news.

All over the media today, we have the news about the Egyptian boy infected by the H5N1 virus bringing the tally of infected Egyptians to 26.

The above is not a rumor but a statement from the Egyptian Health Ministry:

2-year-old boy becomes Egypt’s 26th case with deadly bird flu strain

A two-year old Egyptian boy contracted the potentially deadly bird flu strain, bringing to 26 the number of people to be diagnosed with the disease since it appeared in the country last year, the Health Ministry said Monday. Youssef Mohammed Mahmoud from the southern city of Aswan was admitted to a hospital there on Friday, suffering from fever and muscle pain, ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahine told the state news agency, MENA. Mahmoud tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, MENA said, adding that the child’s family raises chickens in their home.

Also today, 19 March 2007, we have the Avian influenza – situation in Egypt – update 9 from the World Health Organisation. This UPDATE from the WHO tells us that there have only been 25 infected people in Egypt to date! It mentions the last person to be infected with the H5N1 in Egypt as the 10-year-old girl from Aswan Govermorate, was admitted to hospital with symptoms on 13 March 6 DAYS AGO!!!

No wonder the WHO is getting less relevant each day as the source of information related to the Bird Flu virus!

Here is the WHO “Update”:

WHO – Avian influenza – situation in Egypt – update 9 – 19 March 2007

The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population has announced a new human case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection. The case was confirmed by the Egyptian Central Public Health Laboratory and by the US Naval Medical Research Unit No.3 (NAMRU-3).The 10-year-old girl from Aswan Governorate, was admitted to hospital with symptoms on 13 March and her condition remains stable. Investigations indicate that she had recently been exposed to sick poultry. Contacts of the girl are being kept under observation. Of the 25 cases confirmed to date in Egypt, 13 have been fatal.

Turkish Boy Dies Of Bird Flu AGAIN!

 Jan Tincher, who is apparently a Master Neuro-Linguistic Programmer writes a blog about AVIAN BIRD FLU.

Yesterday, the blog had the following headline:

Sunday, March 18, 2007Avian Bird Flu – wcco.com –

Turkish Youths Die Of Bird Flu —Health Officials Fear Case Point To Possible Pandemic–

A Turkish teenager whose brother died of bird flu also succumbed to the disease … was believed to have been brought by birds migrating from the Caucasus regions. …

The contributors to this blog run several Bird Flu sites, including the largest News and blog site on the web.

ALL of the Bird Flu related news passes through our desk each day and I knew of no such Turkish casualty.

So logged in to the blog to find that the headline was about a story back in Jan of this year (Jan 5, 2006 )! 

How and why do these bloggers do this?

Is there blogging on an auto drive?

Does the Master Neuro-Linguistic Programmer not look at the blog, that has her name and photo spread all over it?

It wastes so much time for those of us, who have to sift through all the rubbish to bring only the 100% relevant blogs on to our site!

Please Ms Tincher do take an occasional look at what you are publishing.

Those of you who like their news three months old can go to:http://tameyourbrain.com/blogabf/2007/03/avian-bird-flu-wccocom-turkish-youths.html

A ten-year-old Egyptian girl down with bird flu

Via Reuters

A ten-year-old Egyptian girl has tested positive for bird flu, becoming the 25th human case from that country.

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L14640528.htm

Fear of Pandemic Flu, brings people together!

Should we be grateful for the Bird Flu?

It seems that some good things may result from the expected Pandemic.

Kamala Hayman writing for the Stff.co.nz says that the threat of a deadly flu pandemic has resulted in a large increase in neighbourhood support groups in New Zealand.About 170 new groups were set up last year, taking the total to over 1900 in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.

Canterbury University associate history professor Geoffrey Rice said his research into the 1918 flu pandemic in New Zealand showed communities which organised themselves early had the lowest death rates.

Sick people, especially those who lived alone, could have their lives saved by their neighbours, he said.

“You can’t be responsible for everybody in your street but you can get to know your neighbours on either side and the three opposite.”

Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) chief medical officer Nigel Millar said neighbours should at least get each other’s phone numbers.

Here is the full article: http://www.stuff.co.nz/northland/3993032a7144.html

Great Chinese fill-out-the-form defence against the Bird Flu!

Came across this really interesting blog from Jared Beard, an expat living in Hong Kong, who has to frequently travel to the mainland China.

It tells of the Great Chinese Bbureaucratic Defence against the Bird Flu.

Apparently, foreigners entering China have to complete a form declaring that they do not have the Bird Flu!

Only foreigners have to do this.

Chinese citizens do not need to declare their Bird Flu status.

This is so funny in so many ways.

So here is China, which is said to be not only the original source of the current H5N1 virus, but also one of the major Bird Flu hot spots in the world, pretending that it is the “foreigners” who are likely to introduce the Bird Flu in to China!

Well as Jared Beard points out, at the very least the form filling provides jobs for two collectors and stackers of forms :).

Here is the blog post from Jared   http://www.geoexpat.com/forum/lok-ma-chau-t18142.html

Brit Wildfowlers fight the Bird Flu!

Bernard Matthews the Brit Turkey Factory “farmer”  has launched an ad campaign to rebuild his reputation and that of his brand, after the bird flu outbreak at his Turkey Factory.

He can certainly afford to do this as the British tax payer has just been forced to pay him almost £700,000- for er.. compensation for er… having had to kill his infected Turkeys.

The fact that tons of his Tukey meat managed to enter the Brit food chain was unfortunate and obviously not his fault.

If there was an exact opposite of Bernard Matthews in the trade, it would be the British wildfowlers.

A team of 100 wildfowlers, who are all members of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC)  have been helping to keep out the Bird Flu from the country.

If you think that wildfowlers who shoot birds for sport are no better and may be worse than keeper of a Turkey Factory “Farm” then here is part of their code:

The Wildfowler’s Obligations
Always remember that your main quarry, wild geese and ducks, are largely migrant and we have a responsibility to safeguard them and their environment. Always remember that others judge the sport by your behaviour.

Hmmmm, if I were a Turkey, I would take my chances with the wioldfowlers any day, rather than be kept in a dark and windowless factory with hardly space to move around.