More bird flu cases reported in Germany

Mar 2, 2006, 13:42 GMT - Berlin - Three more cases of bird flu were registered in Germany on Thursday, bringing to 136 the number of animals infected with the feared H5N1 strain of the virus.

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Possibilities of bird flu outbreaks in Spring: official

BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhuanet) -- There are possibilities of bird flu outbreaks in China during spring and more cases of infected humans may be reported, said Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu on Thursday, at a televised national conference on the prevention and control of the disease.

The forecast is based on a comprehensive analysis, the Vice-Premier said, calling on people to be aware of the gravity of bird flu in the country and to make every effort to implement preventative measures.

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Bird flu killed 495,000 fowl in February (Russia)

March 2, 2006. MOSCOW, RUSSIA -- The bird flu strain known as H5N1 has killed half a million domestic fowl in southern Russia in the past month despite efforts to control the outbreak by culling poultry, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Wednesday.

About 495,000 birds in southern Russian regions near the Caspian and Black Seas have died since Feb. 3 from the virulent strain of bird flu, which also can infect humans, ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov said. An additional 220,000 birds were killed in an attempt to stem the outbreak, he said.

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Suspected bird flu death in Iraq

A woman has died in a suspected case of the deadly bird flu virus H5N1 close to the town of Nassiriya in southern Iraq.

Two fatal cases of human bird flu - in a teenage girl and her uncle last month - were previously confirmed in the northern province of Sulaimaniya, close to the border with Turkey.

Meanwhile, a cat that was found dead in northern Germany with the H5N1 bird flu virus had the highly pathogenic Asian strain that can be transmitted to humans, an institute specialising in veterinary diseases said.

And Serbia has detected its first case of bird flu in a swan found dead in the region of Sombor, close to the Croatian border.

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Indonesian Children Treated for Bird Flu Symptoms Die

March 2 (Bloomberg) -- An Indonesian girl and her brother who were treated for bird flu symptoms died, according to a hospital in Indonesia. The World Health Organization confirmed that an Iraqi man died of the virus.

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Iraq checking four possible human cases of bird flu

BAGHDAD, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Iraq said on Tuesday it was making checks for three suspected human cases of bird flu in Baghdad and one in the northeastern province of Dayala.

"There are three suspected cases in Baghdad and one in the town of Kefry, in Dayala," said Ibtisam Aziz, head of a health minister task force charged with monitoring the disease.

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Distrust of authorities major barrier in Nigeria bird flu fight

4:13 a.m. March 1, 2006 - JAJI, Nigeria – The peasant farm hands were deeply suspicious as they watched the police marksmen trying to control bird flu kill 168 ostriches the farm had reared over eight years. Days later, when the 160 workers were invited for tests to see if they, too, were infected, nearly everyone fled.

“Most of them feared they would end up like the ostriches, to be shot dead for having the virus,” said one of the more enlightened of the Sambawa Farms workers, Ibrahim Hassan, who turned up promptly for medical checks.

...International experts have looked askance at Nigeria, where H5N1 is believed to have spread widely before it was detected and has since cropped up in neighboring Niger.

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Govt. intensifies sensitization on bird flu

Lusaka, March 2, ZANIS – Government says sensitization programmes aimed at educating poultry farmers in the country about the Deadly H5N1 influenza, popularly known as ‘bird flu, have started. ...Health deputy minister, Chilufya Kazenene told the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in an interview today that the sensitization programmes, which are aimed at breaking the myths surrounding the disease, have started in all the border posts.

Mr. Kazenene’s sentiments follows media repots that poultry farmers were selling their chickens at K1000 instead of K20000 after being misled by some traders that their chickens were at a high risk of contracting the disease.

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UN aims to soften bird flu blow to tourism

The United Nations agency responsible for world tourism is preparing for an eventual pandemic of bird flu in humans to try to minimise its impact on the tourist industry, the agency's chief said Wednesday. ..."For the moment, bird flu is a phenomenon affecting birds, it's an epidemic affecting animals, not people," said Francesco Frangialli, head of the World Tourism Organisation.


But if the virus mutates and can be passed from human to human, "the tourist industry will suffer," he said. "The important thing is that it does not suffer more than necessary."


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First case of H5 bird flu found in Serbia

BELGRADE, March. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- A swan found dead in northwest Serbia has tested positive for the H5 strain of bird flu, but further tests at a British laboratory will determine whether it is the deadly H5N1 virus, according to a statement issued by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday.

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Hungarian firm may build bird flu vaccine plant in Russia

BUDAPEST. March 2 (Interfax) - The Hungarian-based Serbolab Company is considering the construction of a bird flu vaccine plant in Russia, Chelyabinsk regional economic development minister Yury Klepov told a Thursday press conference in Budapest.

The $30 million plant might be built in the Chelyabinsk region, he said. The Hungarian Export-Import Bank may fund the project, he added.

[Ed. Either no one told these guys the horse already left the barn - or more likely - authorities fully expect H5N1 bird flu to become endemic, and anticipate having to deal with the "problem" for a long, long time.

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Seven areas of Southern Federal District have bird flu

MOSCOW. March 2 (Interfax) - Bird flu outbreaks have been confirmed in seven areas of the Southern Federal District, the Agriculture Ministry's press release said with the reference to the Federal Veterinarian and Phytosanitary Control Service.

Kabardino-Balkaria, Dagestan, Chechnya, Kalmykia, Adygeya, Krasnodar and Stavropol territories have had bird flu outbreaks caused by migratory birds.

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Bird Flu: Is anyone ducking the issue?

Almost half of Indonesians and Turks have stopped eating chicken as a result of the threat of bird flu, a recent Synovate survey has discovered.

Americans and Canadians, on the other hand, have not lost their taste for poultry, which is also true of close to half of respondents in Hong Kong and Thailand.

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EU-wide safety precautions for pets announced

Pet owners across the European Union must take safety precautions to stop their animals catching bird flu - that is the latest recommendation from the bloc's veterinary experts. They have warned that people living in areas affected by the deadly H5N1 virus must keep dogs on leads and cats indoors to stop them coming into contact with infected birds. ...The EU is also asking for dead stray cats and dogs found in affected zones to be reported to authorities.

Many experts blame the rapid spread of avian flu on migratory birds. The H5N1 virus has been detected in about 20 new countries over the past month alone.

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Bird flu moving faster than anticipated

March 2, 2006 - Avian flu has spread in Europe more quickly than Finnish authorities had anticipated, admits Prof. Liisa Sihvonen, who heads the virology unit of EELA, the National Veterinary and Food Research Institute of Finland.

It was previously believed that the disease would not reach these latitudes until later in the spring. Sihvonen took part earlier this week in a meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in Paris, where the consensus view was that the cold winter in Eastern Europe had got birds on the move.

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Fears of bird flu in Bahamas

March 2, 2006 - Nassau: Experts yesterday probed the unusual deaths of 14 birds in the southern Bahamas amid fears that the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus strain had reached the Americas.

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Antiviral Medication Noncompliance During an Avian Flu Pandemic

According to officials, it is not a question of “if” the avian flu virus will mutate but “when?” On March 1st, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued their recommendation to control the virus with a particular focus on children, the main carrier of the flu. To this end, the US government is procuring millions of doses of Tamiflu® as its first line of defense. However, the pediatric version of this drug has an extremely bitter taste making it not only difficult for children to swallow but to keep down. In response, specialty pharma FLAVORx, Inc has developed four flavors to mask the bitterness and ensure 100% compliance.

To participate and view the latest results on American’s public take on government avian flu preparedness click on www.surveymonkey.com... For more information, please contact Gunjan Koul at 240.223.0949.

[ED. I guess no one told Bush that Tamiflu doesn't work - even if patients take all their medicine.]

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Bird flu advice for travellers outlined

Last Modified: 2 Mar 2006 - The Department of Health has published public health information for people travelling to countries affected by bird flu.

The leaflet advises travellers not to visit bird or poultry farms and markets, to avoid close contact with live or dead poultry, not to not eat raw or poorly-cooked poultry or poultry products, including blood, and to wash their hands frequently with soap and water.

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Hawaii on front lines for bird flu

Mar. 02, 2006 HONOLULU - The plans, detailed and terrifying, are for the worst-case scenario.

One section of this city's bustling, tourist-filled airport could be converted into an emergency quarantine station for patients suspected of carrying avian influenza. Special air filters would kick on to prevent the deadly virus from spreading. And medical personnel entering the quarantine area would wear special protective suits.

As avian flu continues to spread across the globe, health officials are paying close attention to Hawaii, the nation's gateway to Asia and the state where some experts believe the much-feared H5N1 virus could first be detected on American soil.

In what is being seen as a model for the rest of the United States, Hawaii has become the first state in the country to establish an airport surveillance program to test visibly ill passengers for avian flu, many arriving from nations where the virus already has proved deadly.

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Vets warn mushers about canine flu

March 2, 2006 - WASILLA -- More than a dozen veterinarians strolled through Iditarod Headquarters' parking lot Wednesday doing standardized tests on canines racing in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. ...Most checkups were routine -- electrocardiograms, blood tests and physical examinations. But lingering in the minds of some vets is a new canine virus that causes flu-like symptoms and spreads quickly.

Canine influenza was discovered less than three years ago on the East Coast. ...The virus, which causes fevers, joint pain and respiratory complications, is commonly found in very old or very young dogs. And unless a mutation occurs, the virus only infects its host species.

"It's a horse flu and it just jumped species, much like the bird flu jumping to people," said Barker, who has been a vet for 10 years. "We were unprepared."

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Bird flu detected in Romania

Domestic fowl have tested positive for an H5 subtype of bird flu in three villages in eastern Romania. Samples from the dead hen, turkeys and geese from the villages were sent to the capital Bucharest for further tests to determine whether they had the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, said Danut Culetu, the top government official for Constanta county, where the dead birds were discovered.

Authorities quarantined the nearby village of Topalu near the Black Sea, where domestic fowl tested positive for H5N1 in Bucharest laboratory tests. The deadly virus has been found in nine places in Constanta.

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Quarantines envisioned if bird flu hits Florida county

March 02, 2006 - County health officials are quietly drafting a plan to combat the potential spread of bird flu that includes mass distribution of antiviral drugs, house-to-house quarantines and closing of shopping malls and sports stadiums.

A surge of the influenza virus could overwhelm local hospitals and require hurricane shelters to be used as temporary health clinics, according to the plan being written by the Palm Beach County Health Department. ... Nearly 7,000 people may need hospitalization if the bird flu virus infects 35 percent of the county's residents, according to the document. At that infection rate, the virus could kill from 1,041 to 2,207 county residents.

Because the virus possibly could be spread by contact or through coughs, the health department likely would advise the public to observe "social distancing." That means no handshakes or hugs and staying at least 6 feet away from others. ... Like most parts of the country, Palm Beach County has no stockpiles of antiviral drugs to treat those who fall ill, although emergency managers said federal stockpiles can be shipped within six to eight hours. ...Bornstein said the county's planning should address every possible scenario, including "worst case." ..."Hopefully it will be like Y2K 2000," he said, referring to the doomsday theory that computers would crash as the year 1999 ended. "We'll prepare for it and hope nothing will happen."

Vietnam to produce human H5N1 vaccines

Thursday, Mar 2, 2006 - Vietnam will start manufacturing human vaccines against bird flu virus strain H5N1 in late 2006 with initial annual capacity of between two to three million doses, an official in charge of hygiene and epidemiology said yesterday.

A human H5N1 vaccine production line has already been installed at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the official from the institute told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The institute's initial vaccine production capacity is able to serve some one million people.

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Hungarian firm may build bird flu vaccine plant in Russia

BUDAPEST. March 2 (Interfax) - The Hungarian-based Serbolab Company is considering the construction of a bird flu vaccine plant in Russia, Chelyabinsk regional economic development minister Yury Klepov told a Thursday press conference in Budapest.

The $30 million plant might be built in the Chelyabinsk region, he said. The Hungarian Export-Import Bank may fund the project, he added.

...bird flu, H5N1, which has been entrenched in Asia for almost 20 years...

Vaccine in the works

Scientists discover deadly bird flu began in Scotland

Scientists tracing the history of the H5N1 virus have traced its first recorded episode to an Aberdeen farm. ...A scientist identified only as Dr JE Wilson, of the Veterinary Laboratory in Lasswade, outside Edinburgh, is recorded as having worked on the case - sending the chicken to Addlestone, where the strain was medically isolated so it could be used in experiments. The Scottish H5N1 has been used in experiments, named "chicken/Scotland/1959".

No medical agency in Scotland or England was able to give many details - except to say that the disease has become heartier and deadlier since it was found in Scotland. There is also no sign of Dr Wilson. The Moredun Research Institute at Penicuik said that it had no record of him and that he was likely to have passed away."

Mela attempts to diffuse bird flu scare

March 06, 2006 - While officials and elected representatives savoured chicken and eggs on the dais, people queued up to enjoy a free lunch at the ‘Chicken and Egg Mela’ held at the Town Hall on Friday.

The ‘mela’ was organised jointly by the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), Mysore zone and the Department of Animal Husbandry, Government of Karnataka.

Dismissing the fears of ‘bird flu’ as mere rumour, the speakers had earlier blamed the global firms for spreading the rumour to market their vaccines.

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Tourism chiefs to discuss bird flu

World tourism chiefs are to hold the first in a series of briefings about the impact of bird flu on travel.

The tourism bosses - members of United Nations agency the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) - will discuss avian flu during the world's largest travel fair, ITB Berlin, on Friday, March 10.

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Very interesting: Conflicting signals on bird flu

Man dies from bird flu in southern China

HONG KONG, March 5 (Reuters) - A man died from bird flu in southern China last week, the ninth death from the H5N1 virus in China, the official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday, quoting the Health Ministry.

The man, identified as a 32-year-old with the surname Lao, was the 15th bird flu case in China. He died in Guangdong province, which borders Hong Kong. ..."Previously, the country reported 14 cases, in which eight were fatal, two are under treatment and the other four have been discharged from hospital," Xinhua said.

Lao had symptoms of fever and pneumonia on Feb. 22 and died on March 2, Xinhua said

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Lethal bird flu spreads in France

March 5, 2006 PARIS, France (AP) -- A lethal strain of bird flu has spread to a region on France's Mediterranean coast, with confirmation Sunday that a swan there died of the H5N1 strain of the virus. ...Earlier, all of France's bird flu cases had been confined to the southeast Ain region.

On Sunday, the Agriculture Ministry announced that a wild swan found dead last week in Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts, in the Bouches-du-Rhone region, had the H5N1 strain. ...The Bouches-du-Rhone region includes the port city of Marseilles, several hundred kilometers (miles) south of the Ain region.

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Poland reports first case of bird flu

WARSAW, March 5 (Reuters) - Poland detected its first case of bird flu, the government said on Sunday, as France, Switzerland and Romania reported further cases of the virus. ...The government said two swans found dead on the banks of the River Vistula in the northern city of Torun had tested positive for H5 bird flu. Tests were being carried out at a British laboratory to determine if it was the deadly H5N1 strain.

Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz was quoted by news agency PAP on Sunday as saying he would have chicken for dinner -- seen as an attempt to protect the poultry industry.

France's poultry sector, Europe's biggest, is losing 40 million euros ($48 million) a month after it last week confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 virus at a poultry farm.

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Azeri Doctors Blame Bird Flu for Death of 2 Girls

Created: 05.03.2006 14:35 Two girls from a family hospitalized on suspicion of contracting bird flu have died in Azerbaijan, Interfax news agency reported.

Six members of their family were rushed to a hospital earlier this month. “Those hospitalized have been diagnosed with acute pneumonia, but the cases arouse a great deal of suspicion,” Azerbaijan’s Deputy Health Minister Abbas Velibekov said. Girls, the daughters of the head of the family, died few days ago, he reported.

Experts continue laboratory tests. Blood samples have also been sent to London.

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Four new cases of bird flu discovered in northeastern Switzerland on Sunday bring the total in wild birds across the country to 11.

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March 05, 2006. New case of H5N1 bird flu virus confirmed in Romania

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Bird flu reaches sixth German state