Poultrymed | Infectious Diseases 2006

Vietnam: a third outbreak was confirmed in Hau Giang

28.12.2006

Viet Nam

A third outbreak was confirmed Thursday (28 Dec 2006) in Hau Giang, 220 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. The 3 provinces have so far culled nearly 14,000 ducks and chickens in and around the infected areas.

Egypt reports 10th avian influenza human death

27.12.2006

The Egyptian Ministry of Health announced the country's 10th death from avian influenza in Egypt since an outbreak of the virus started in February. The victim was identified as Reda Abdel Halim Farid, a 26-year-old man the third member of his extended family to die of the virus. The man showed symptoms of the disease Dec. 14 and was admitted to a rural hospital three days later. He started receiving Tamiflu treatment on Dec. 20 after a second case appeared in his family and the medical staff learned that he may have come into contact with poultry.

Egyptian girl dies of avian influenza

25.12.2006

A 15-year-old girl died today from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. The girl was admitted to a hospital on Dec. 20 after being diagnosed with the disease. Her death brought to nine the number of people who have died in Egypt after contracting the deadly strain. The girl is part of a family cluster of avian influenza.

Egypt: A family cluster of avian influenza

24.12.2006

Egypt

Egypt detected three new human avian influenza cases, all of whom came from a family in the Egyptian Delta governorate of Gharbiya (Zifta), some 90 km north of Cairo. A sister, 15, and brother, 26, and a 30-year-old woman were diagnosed over the past week with the lethal H5N1 virus, said Hassan el-Bushra, a WHO regional adviser.

South Korea says fourth avian influenza case confirmed

21.12.2006

South Korea

A fourth case of avian influenza has been discovered in South Korea. The case was diagnosed at a duck farm in Asan. South Korea confirmed in November its first case of the H5N1 strain in about three years. South Korea has slaughtered more than 1.13 million poultry during its three previous outbreaks in November and December in an attempt to keep the disease from spreading. About 5.3 million birds were slaughtered in the last known outbreak in South Korea in 2003.

Pakistan: highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N1

21.12.2006

Avian influenza H5N1 was confirmed in two poultry farm, in Nelore, Islamabad. The case was a mix infection with H9N2.

Egypt: 15 cases of avian influenza between 17 Oct. to 13 Dec

21.12.2006

These cases were reported from 9 different governorates. Egypt is using vaccination in response to the outbreaks.

Nigeria: Avian Influenza returns

21.12.2006

A fresh outbreak of avian influenza has been reported in Nigeria, a development which has provoked fears of long-term risks. Spokesman of the Nigerian Veterinary Association, Bala Mohammed, said more states have reported new cases of the diseases in the last few weeks.

China: Live poultry market closes in Beijing

20.12.2006

China

The government in Beijing, China, has made a ban on live poultry markets permanent. Beijing’s Municipal Bureau of Agriculture said last week that the city will ban live poultry markets permanently. According to the bureau, the move is part of its effort to comply with a newly-issued document by the State Council that calls for gradually moving live poultry markets away from urban areas in a renewed effort to combat the avian influenza. Beijing suspended live poultry trade, as well as bird marketing and pigeon shooting from last November, when several outbreaks were confirmed in its neighboring provinces like Liaoning and Inner Mongolia.

Vietnam: first avian influenza outbreaks in 2006

20.12.2006

The disease broke out in Ca Mau's Tran Van Thoi district on Dec.6, killing 490 chickens and 2,033 ducks, and stroke Bac Lieu's Hoa Binh district on Dec. 7, killing 3,550 out of 4,450 ducks raised by five local households. Recent tests show that the affected poultry were infected with avian influenza virus H5N1 The risk of avian influenza spreading in the southern Mekong Delta is very high because local people have thrown dead fowls in canals, which could have distributed viruses elsewhere. Moreover, ongoing cold weather is favorable for their development and spread.

South Korea confirmed its third Avian Influenza outbreak

11.12.2006

Hundreds of quails have died of a HPAI H5N1 at a farm south of Seoul. The outbreak occurred in Gimje, some 170 kilometres south of the capital, killing about 4,000 quails. The outbreak site was 18 kilometres south of the site of a November 19 outbreak on a chicken farm. A second outbreak on a chicken farm occurred November 26, three kilometres from the first.

Newcastle disease in Serbia and Montenegro

06.12.2006

Date of first confirmation of the event: 4 December 2006. Date of start of the event: 27 November 2006. Location of the outbreaks: Zitiste and Koracica villages (Srbija province). Number of animals in the outbreaks: 3,897 susceptible animals, 973 deaths and 2,924 animals destroyed.

Indonesian Woman Dies of Avian influenza

29.11.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country's 57th death from H5N1 avian influenza. The 35-year-old female, whose infection was announced on 13 November, died early in the morning on 28 November in hospital. Of the 74 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 57 have been fatal (WHO).

South Korea confirms second H5N1 avian influenza case

28.11.2006

South Korea confirmed a second outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza at a poultry farm. The agriculture ministry said about 600 chickens died in the latest outbreak at a farm 3 km from where the first case had been confirmed in poultry in North Cholla province in the country's southwest. The farms lie on a path for migratory birds that are heading south from Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan and sparked concern that other parts of South Korea might have also been hit.

South Korea to kill cats and dogs over avian influenza fears

27.11.2006

South Korea plans to kill cats and dogs to try to prevent the spread of avian influenza after an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus at a chicken farm last week, officials said today. They plan to slaughter a total of 236,000 poultry, as well as an unspecified number of other animals, including pigs, and all dogs and cats in the area. About six million eggs also will be destroyed. Indonesia has killed pigs in the past, but most countries concentrate solely on destroying poultry. It would not be the first time for South Korea to kill cats and dogs due avian influenza concerns.

Newcastle disease in Latvia

27.11.2006

Newcastle diseases was never reported before in Latvia. Report date: 24 November 2006. Identification of agent: avian paramyxovirus type 1 (APMV1), lineage 4. Date of first confirmation of the event: 17 November 2006. Date of start of the event: 27 September 2006. Clinical disease: no. Nature of diagnosis: laboratory. Location of the outbreaks: Valmiera, Blome and Strenci cities (Valmiera and Valka districts). Number of animals in the outbreaks: 9 cases (9 deaths). Description of affected population: wild pigeons found dead and sent for testing within the framework of avian influenza passive surveillance programme. Laboratory where diagnostic tests were performed: VLA-Weybridge, United Kingdom (OIE Reference Laboratory). Diagnostic test used: virus isolation (OIE).

Avian Influenza in Ivory Coast

25.11.2006

The avian influenza virus has been discovered in turkeys in Ivory Coast. The turkeys came from a livestock camp at a village near Abidjan in the south.

South Korea to Slaughter 236,000 Poultry After Avian Influenza Outbreak

25.11.2006

South Korean quarantine officials will slaughter 236,000 poultry after an outbreak of the virulent H5N1 avian influenza virus strain at a parent stock farm (broiler breeders - 45 weeks old).. The outbreak occurred at a farm in Iksan, about 155 miles south of Seoul, earlier this week, resulting in the deaths of 13,300 chickens — 6,500 a direct result of infection and the rest culled.

S. Korea reports suspected Avian Influenza case in southwest

23.11.2006

The South Korean government said today it has discovered a suspected case of the avian influenza virus at a chicken farm in the southwestern city of Iksan. The country went on high avian influenza alert this month as migratory birds that can spread the deadly disease flock to the country for the winter, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said. "About 6,000 birds out of 13,000 chickens raised on the farm have died from Sunday through Wednesday," said Kim Chang-seob, chief veterinary officer at the Agriculture Ministry. He said the government received word of the outbreak yesterday when more than 5,000 birds died suddenly on the farm. He said judging from the large number of deaths and initial tests conducted, the virus is likely to be of the virulent strain.

Newcastle disease in Sweden

17.11.2006

Report date: 17 November 2006. Reason for immediate notification: re-occurrence of a listed disease in a zone following a report declaring the outbreak(s) ended. Identification of agent: avian paramyxovirus type 1 (APMV1). Date of first confirmation of the event: 16 November 2006. Date of start of the event: 15 November 2006. Location of the outbreak: ֵkerby, Norrkoping municipality, ײstergotland county. Affected population: layer hens. Number of animals in the outbreak: 32,400 susceptible animals, 52 cases, 52 deaths and 20,400 destroyed. Laboratory where diagnostic tests were performed: National Veterinary Institute of Sweden.

Egypt: New avian influenza-infected area reported in northern Egypt

17.11.2006

Egypt reported on Thursday (16/11) a new avian influenza-striken area in the north of the country where domestic birds were tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus.

Scientists identify key mutations in avian influenza virus.

16.11.2006

Research

A group of scientists has discovered two mutations in the haemagglutinin protein of the H5N1 avian influenza virus that enable it to bind more easily to human cells. Some H5N1 viruses isolated from humans can bind to both human and avian receptors, in contrast to those isolated from chickens and ducks, which recognize the avian receptors exclusively. Mutations at positions 182 and 192 independently convert the HAs of H5N1 viruses known to recognize the avian receptor to ones that recognize the human receptor. The amino acid changes that were identified in this study might serve as molecular markers for assessing the pandemic potential of H5N1 field isolates (Nature 444:378-382, 2006).

Egypt: New Avian Influenza case was discovered in Luxor.

13.11.2006

On 11 November, Sayyid al-Abbasi Egyptian health ministry official said a new avian influenza location was discovered in Luxor, 720 km south of the capital, Cairo. According to the health ministry, the area of Najaa Al-Abyada has now been quarantined, after domestic birds there were tested and found to be carrying the virus.

Indonesia's avian influenza cases hit 74

13.11.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional two cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The first newly-confirmed case is a 35-year-old female from Tangerang in Banten Province. She developed symptoms on 7 November and was hospitalized on 10 November. She remains hospitalized. Her source of exposure is currently under investigation. The second case occurred in a 30-month-old male from Karawang in West Java Province. He developed symptoms on 5 November, was hospitalized on 10 November, and died on 13 November.

China reports 10 avian influenza outbreaks this year

11.11.2006

About 47,000 poultry birds died in ten outbreaks of avian influenza in seven provinces on the Chinese mainland this year, said an official with the Ministry of Agriculture. Another 2.94 million fowls were culled, Jia Youling, chief veterinary officer and director of the the Veterinary Bureau of Ministry of Agriculture, told a press conference. A total of 3,641 migratory birds in west China's Qinghai Province and Tibet Autonomous Region had died of the disease this year, he said.

Emergence and predominance of an H5N1 influenza variant in China

02.11.2006

Yi Guan of the University of Hong Kong and colleagues were cited as reporting in November's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they have discovered a new strain of avian influenza that appears to sidestep current vaccines and is infecting people as well as poultry in Asia. The development of highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza viruses in poultry in Eurasia accompanied with the increase in human infection in 2006 suggests that the virus has not been effectively contained and that the pandemic threat persists. Updated virological and epidemiological findings from our market surveillance in southern China demonstrate that H5N1 influenza viruses continued to be panzootic in different types of poultry.

USA: Avian Influenza in wild bird sampling

02.11.2006

Samples Collected From Mallards in Niagara County Indicate Low Pathogenic Virus. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced test results which indicate that a virus found in samples collected earlier this month from wild mallard ducks in Niagara County was low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI). LPAI has been detected several times in wild birds in North America. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed the presence of LPAI H5N1 from 2 of 27 mallard ducks collected from the Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area in Niagara County on October 21, 2006.

Newcastle Disease in Romania

02.11.2006

Romania

Newcastle diseases was diagnosed in Grindu, province of Ialomita in a poultry flock imported from Austria and bred for production of table eggs. All poultry had previously been vaccinated against Newcastle disease.

Italy: Avian influenza near Grosseto, hundreds of wild ducks culled.

01.11.2006

After the discovery of avian influenza yesterday in the Grosseto area, hundreds of animals will be put down. Late yesterday evening, the Health Ministry asked the National Avian Influenza Centre for its advice concerning the whether the ministerial decree DM 22/9/2000 should be urgently applied regarding the wild duck breeding grounds on which avian influenza has been found, with the H5 strain and of the N type, still a phase of definition, but having ruled out that it is the "N1", the most contagious. The ministerial decree referred to provides for the culling of all the animals on the farm.

Dead ducks prove avian cholera moving north

30.10.2006

More than 3,000 common eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) found dead on Nunavut's South Hampton Island this summer were infected with avian cholera, a scientist with the Canadian Wildlife Service says. The disease was first detected in northern Quebec three years ago when about 200 dead birds were found.

Egypt: Seventh Egyptian dies of avian influenza

30.10.2006

An Egyptian woman died of avian influenza on 30 October, bringing the total number of human deaths in Egypt to seven. The victim was a woman from the Nile Delta town of Samanoud. The woman is a 39-year-old Hanan Aboul Magd, was admitted to hospital with a high temperature and respiratory trouble on Oct. 4 and was confirmed on 11 October.

Newcastle disease

19.10.2006

Cases of Newcastle disease were diagnosed in: Turkey (7 august) at Kolyol, Malatya province. Russia, near Kaluga in 2 suburban settlements. Italy (16 august), in Cadoneghe, Padova (Veneto) in homing pigeons.

Indonesia: Three fatal human cases of avian influenza

16.10.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional three cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. All three cases were fatal. The first newly confirmed case occurred in a 67-year-old woman from West Java Province. She developed symptoms on 3 October, was hospitalized on 7 October, and died on 15 October. Diagnosis was complicated by the presence of chronic diseases. Chickens reportedly died in her household and neighbourhood prior to symptom onset. The second case was an 11-year-old male from South Jakarta, Jakarta Province. He developed symptoms on 2 October, was hospitalized on 5 October, and died on 14 October. His recent history included exposure to dead chickens in his neighbourhood. The third case was a 27-year-old female from Central Java Province. She developed symptoms on 8 October, was hospitalized on 12 October, and died on 13 October. The source of her exposure is currently under investigation.

Newcastle Disease confirm in Scotland

13.10.2006

Laboratory results have confirmed Newcastle Disease PMV1 (Pigeon Variant) in partridge (grey partridge- approximately 17,000 birds) on Fenton Barns Farm, Northern Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. The results from Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge follow investigation of suspect disease at the holding in Fenton Barns, Drem. In response to this confirmation, the Scottish Executive, Defra and the State Veterinary Service are undertaking thorough epidemiological assessments to determine the source of the disease and the level of risk it may pose to other poultry.

Newcastle disease in France

12.10.2006

An outbreak was identified on 18 Sep 2006 in the Deux Sevres district on a farm at Pompaire. There were 5250 fattening pigeons, all of which were destroyed.

Egypt: Egypt reports new human case of avian influenza

11.10.2006

The Egyptian Health Ministry said that it had detected a new case of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, the first since May. Hanan Aboul Magd, 39, from the northern Nile delta province of Gharbiya was tested positive for avian influenza after suffering from high fever and shortness of breath. The woman raised ducks.

Italy: Avian influenza near Grosseto, hundreds of wild ducks culled

01.10.2006

Indonesia reports 69th H5N1 case

29.09.2006

Indonesia reported its 69th H5N1 avian influenza case today, in the 21-year-old sister of an 11-year-old boy who died of the same disease on Sep 18. The woman from the Tulungagung district of East Java tested positive for H5N1 today. She developed symptoms on 19 September and was hospitalized on 25 September. She remains hospitalized.

Indonesia: Indonesian patient with avian influenza dies

28.09.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 52nd death from H5N1 avian influenza. The 20-year-old man, whose infection was announced on 27 September, died early in the morning of 28 September.

Indonesia: Possible avian influenza cluster in Indonesia

27.09.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 68th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The patient is a 20-year-old male from Bandung, West Java. He developed symptoms of fever and cough on 17 September and was hospitalized on 24 September. He remains hospitalized. The man’s 23-year-old brother developed symptoms on 16 September. He died of respiratory disease on 24 September, two hours after admission to hospital. Infection with the H5N1 virus is suspected for the older brother, but cannot be confirmed as no samples were collected for testing. Both men had direct contact with dead chickens when feeding carcasses to their dogs. Local agricultural authorities also found evidence of H5 infection in household birds.

A 59-year-old Thai man has died of avian influenza

26.09.2006

It is the country's 17th victim of the H5N1 virus since it swept through much of Asia in late 2003, a senior Health Ministry official said. The man is a farmer from Nong Bua Lam Phu Province in the north-eastern part of the country. He developed fever on 14 July, was hospitalized on 24 July, and died of severe pneumonia on 10 August. Possible H5N1 infection was suspected when relatives reported the sudden death, in the days prior to symptom onset, of several fighting cocks raised by the farmer.

Indonesian boy dies of avian influenza

24.09.2006

A nine-year-old Indonesian boy has died of avian influenza. The boy died on Friday (22/09) at a hospital in Jakarta. The boy, a resident of Ciputat Raya in South Jakarta, had suffered from fever, cough, runny nose and pneumonia after he began to get sick on September 13.

Indonesia: An 11-year-old Indonesian boy has died of avian influenza

22.09.2006

Avian influenza killed an 11-year-old boy in Indonesia, a Ministry of Health official said, pushing the country's death toll to 50. Tests by two local laboratories confirmed that he had H5N1 avian influenza. The child from East Java (Karanggentong) died on Sept. 18. The boy's death marks the second avian flu fatality in the Tulungagung district in recent months. A 5-year-old boy from the district died Jun 16, according to the WHO.

Montana Wild Bird Samples Undergo Additional Avian Influenza Testing

21.09.2006

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced a detection of the H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from wild Northern pintail ducks in Montana. Initial tests confirm that these samples do not contain the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. These samples were collected from apparently healthy ducks and initial test results indicate the presence of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus, which poses no threat to human health.

Avian influenza in Egypt

20.09.2006

8 new avian influenza cases, in backyard poultry were reported to the OIE: - Gerga (governorate: Sohag- 1) - Hadaiek el koba (governorate: Cairo - 1) - Madenet Nasr (governorate: Cairo - 1) - Mataria (governorate: Cairo - 1) - Damietta city (governorate: Damietta - 2) - Badrashine (governorate: Giza - 1) - Nahia (governorate: Giza - 1)

Newcastle disease in Turkey

20.09.2006

Report date: 19 September 2006. Date of first confirmation of the event: 19 September 2006. Date of start of the event: 7 August 2006. An outbreak of Newcastle disease has been reported in birds at Kolyol, Malatya province (150 susceptible animals, 10 cases, 8 deaths and 142 destroyed).

Iraq: third Avian Influenza human case

19.09.2006

The Ministry of Health in Iraq has retrospectively confirmed the country’s third case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case, a 3-year-old boy, was hospitalized in Baghdad on 15 March 2006. His illness was mild and he fully recovered. During its outbreak, which is now considered over, Iraq faced problems in the shipment of specimens for external verification of diagnostic tests. For the retrospectively confirmed case, initial test results were inconclusive, possibly as a result of sample deterioration during shipment. Repeated testing, using different methods, was needed for diagnostic confirmation.

South Korea says 5 more infected with avian influenza 2003-04

16.09.2006

Five more South Koreans were infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus about three years ago but none of them developed any serious illnesses, officials said on Friday after recently completed testing on old samples. South Korea, which did not have comprehensive testing at the time, sent samples of 318 poultry industry workers taken during an outbreak in late 2003 and early 2004 to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2005 for further examination. Of those workers, four South Koreans were infected, the CDC has said. The government said in February the four did not develop major illnesses.

Avian influenza tests complete on Maryland resident wild mallard ducks

14.09.2006

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced final test results, which confirm that an H5N1 avian influenza virus detected in fecal samples collected last month from resident wild mallard ducks in Maryland is a low pathogenic subtype. This strain has been detected several times in wild birds in North America and poses no threat to human health. The USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed the presence of the "North American strain" of low pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza through virus isolation in samples collected from the resident wild mallards in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. Test results announced on September 1 indicated that an H5N1 avian influenza subtype was present in nine of the collected samples, but further testing was necessary to confirm pathogenicity.

Indonesia: two additional cases of avian influenza

14.09.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed two additional cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. These cases occurred in March and May 2006. The first case occurred in a five-year-old male from East Bekasi, West Java Province. He developed symptoms on 4 March 2006, was admitted to hospital on 6 March, and died on 19 March. Test results, using two different assays, showed high antibody titer for H5N1 on consecutive serum samples taken on days 11 and 15 of his illness. These test results are consistent with new WHO criteria for laboratory confirmation. A field investigation at the time found that the case was exposed to diseased poultry in the vicinity of his home, where some birds tested positive for the H5 virus subtype. The second case is a 27-year-old male from Solok, West Sumatra Province.

Sudan: avian influenza in Juba

13.09.2006

South Sudan has found the first case of avian influenza in a poultry farm in the capital city of Juba. Chairman of the National Task Force on Avian influenza Sam Okware was quoted as saying that the deadly virus was confirmed on Sept. 6 and was affecting local chicken.

Three more H5N1 cases in Indonesia

08.09.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed a new case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case is a 14-year-old female from Makassar, South Sulawesi Province. She developed symptoms on 18 June, was hospitalized on 23 June and died on 24 June. The case had contact with poultry near her home. This case was detected through the Ministry’s routine influenza surveillance system. In addition to the above case and following the recent revision of case definitions for H5N1 infection, WHO is adding two cases in Indonesia, dating back to June and November of 2005. Inclusion of these two cases now aligns figures given for Indonesia in the WHO cumulative table of laboratory-confirmed cases with those officially issued by the Ministry of Health.

Egypt: Report on the spread of the H5N1 virus among birds:

05.09.2006

1 – Damietta: One case among the birds was reported there. All infected birds were culled. All involved persons were checked and all specimens tested negative. 2- Giza: One case among the birds was reported there. All infected birds were culled. All involved persons were checked and all specimens tested negative.

Egypt reports new avian influenza case in poultry

03.09.2006

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been reported in a domestic poultry farm in southern Egypt, the first time the highly pathogenic virus was detected in the country in months. The new case was reported in the village of Al-Rakakna, in the Sohag province, some 490 kilometres (305 miles) south of Cairo, a statement from the agriculture ministry said Sunday.

Confirmatory tests being conduced on Pennsylvania wild bird samples

02.09.2006

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced that the presence of the H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from wild mallard ducks in Pennsylvania. Testing has ruled out the possibility of this being the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. Test results thus far indicate this is low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI), which poses no threat to human health. The ducks were sampled August 28, 2006 in Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The ducks were showing no signs of sickness, which also suggests this is LPAI. The samples were taken by Pennsylvania Game Commission personnel under a cooperative agreement with USDA, as part of an expanded wild bird monitoring program.

Thailand: Dog contracts avian influenza

02.09.2006

Hospital vet calls on public not to panic or abandon pets after Suphan Buri case. A dog in Suphan Buri contracted avian influenza after eating infected ducks, new findings show. Prof Dr Yong Pooworawan, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University´s Faculty of Medicine, released the findings at a seminar at the university yesterday. According to Yong, a researcher at Kasetsart University´s Kamp-haengsaen campus found that a dog had contracted avian influenza. The findings will be published in the scientific journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases, soon, Yong said. He declined to elaborate on the findings.

Nigeria: Avian Influenza

30.08.2006

In the period July-August, new outbreaks of avian influenza were confirmed in eight local government areas: Ajah, Agege, Ojo, Ikorodu, Alimosho, Badagry, Ifako-Ijaiye and Ibeku-Lekki.

Indonesian girl confirmed as infected with avian influenza

23.08.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country's 60th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case is a 6-year-old female from Bekasi, West Java Province. She developed symptoms on 6 August and was hospitalized on 11 August. She remains hospitalized but is recovering. The source of her infection is currently under investigation.

Indonesian woman dies of avian influenza

20.08.2006

The Health Ministry's director general of communicable disease control, was cited as saying Sunday that a woman (35 years) has died of avian influenza in an Indonesian village (Cikelet, a group of villages in West Java’s Garut district), where authorities were investigating a possible cluster of human cases of the H5N1 virus.

Resurgence of avian influenza in Asian countries

17.08.2006

(Continuing outbreaks in China, recurrence in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, and the steady march of the disease in Indonesia) Both endemic and new virus strains to blame for avian influenza recurrence in Asia’s poultry Laboratory confirmation points to both old and new isolates of the avian influenza virus as sources of recent HPAI outbreaks in Southeast Asia, FAO said today. Concerned about the recurrence of avian influenza in Asia, close monitoring of diagnostic results by FAO has revealed that avian influenza is endemic in some areas while new strains have emerged in other places. “Last month’s HPAI outbreak in Thailand’s Pichit province was caused by the same virus strain circulating in the area since 2003/4. The H5N1 virus thus remained alive in central Thailand in a reservoir of birds and poultry, most probably a mix of backyard chicken, ducks and fighting cocks,” said Laurence Gleeson, regional manager of FAO’s avian influenza centre in Bangkok today.

Indonesia confirms 45th avian influenza death

17.08.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 58th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case occurred in a 9-year-old girl (Ai Siti Aminah) from a remote village, Cikelet, a group of villages in Garut district, West Java Province. She developed symptoms on 1 August, was hospitalized on 14 August, and died on 15 August. Recent chicken deaths were reported in her household. Three hamlets within the village are currently under investigation. An additional case from the village, but from another hamlet, was confirmed by the Ministry of Health on 14 August. This 17-year-old male developed symptoms on 26 July and is now recovering. Another death from severe respiratory disease occurred on 5 August in a 20-year-old neighbour, who is also now known to be a cousin. As no samples were taken for testing, the cause of his illness remains uncertain.

USA: Low pathogenic avian influenza

15.08.2006

A low-pathogenic strain of avian influenza was found in two wild swans as the result of the expanded avian influenza surveillance program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced the discovery of two wild mute swans infected with a low-pathogenic H5N1 of the avian influenza virus. The two swans were found in Michigan as part of the recently expanded avian influenza surveillance program. Preliminary results have ruled out the possibility of this being the highly-pathogenic H5N1 strain that has spread through wild birds in Asia, Europe, and Africa.

China confirms 21th avian influenza case

14.08.2006

The Ministry of Health in China has confirmed the country’s 21st case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case occurred in a 62-year-old male farmer from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the north-western part of the country. He developed symptoms on 19 June and died on 12 July. Initial tests on patient specimens produced negative results. As a precautionary measure, tests were repeated during July and August and eventually produced positive results, which were confirmed today by the Ministry of Health.

Indonesia confirms 57th avian influenza case

14.08.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 57th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case is a 17-year-old male from a remote village in Garut district, West Java Province. He developed symptoms on 26 July and was referred to hospital on 9 August. At the hospital, medical staff suspected H5N1 infection based on his respiratory symptoms and a history of exposure to dead poultry. Because of this suspicion, specimens were collected from the patient and sent for testing. Results received on 12 August were positive for H5N1 infection. The patient is presently recovering.

Suspected case of H5N1 avian influenza in Rotterdam zoo

12.08.2006

Two young owls which died in a zoo in Rotterdam are suspected of having the H5N1 avian influenza virus, the Dutch farm ministry said late on Saturday. The Netherlands, Europe's second biggest poultry producer after France, has never reported a case of the highly pathogenic avian influenza strain. A ministry spokeswoman said further tests were being conducted, but it was suspected that the birds died of a highly pathogenic strain of the virus. Final test results are due in the coming days.

Cambodia: New outbreak of avian influenza

12.08.2006

A Cambodian agriculture official confirmed that 1,400 ducks that died on a farm near the border with Vietnam were infected with the often deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza. Yuos Mony, chief of the agricultural office in Prey Veng Province in eastern Cambodia, said the Pasteur Institute in Phnom Penh determined the ducks, which died earlier in the week, succumbed to H5N1 avian influenza.

Dutch avian influenza virus is H7N7 LPAI

09.08.2006

Dutch agriculture ministry spokesman Murco Mijnlieff said that the avian influenza virus found on a central Dutch poultry farm this month is a H7N7 LPAI strain.

Indonesia: A case of human Avian influenza

09.08.2006

The case of avian influenza H5N1, occurred in a 17-year-old female from Jakarta Province. She developed symptoms on 28 July, was hospitalized on 4 August, and died on 8 August. An investigation into her source of infection found that pet pigeons were kept inside her home and that several neighbouring households maintained flocks of backyard poultry.

China: A Human case of Avian influenza

08.08.2006

The Ministry of Health in China has today retrospectively confirmed a human case of H5N1 infection dating back to November 2003. The case occurred in a 24-year-old member of the military service based in Beijing. The man developed symptoms on 25 November 2003 and was hospitalized with pneumonia in Beijing. His condition deteriorated rapidly and he died of severe respiratory disease on 3 December 2003. Confirmation of this case marks the earliest known instance of human H5N1 infection in mainland China, and is now the first confirmed case in the present outbreak. Previously, the first confirmed cases were thought to have occurred in Viet Nam in December 2003.

Thailand: 24th human case of Avian influenza

07.08.2006

The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand has confirmed the country’s 24th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case, which was fatal, occurred in a 27-year-old man from the central province of Uthai Thani. He developed symptoms on 24 July, was hospitalized on 30 July, and died on 3 August.

Russia: Avian influenza in Siberia

04.08.2006

During 2006, in Siberian Federal District, avian influenza H5N1 was reported in private backyards in Altaj, Tomsk, Omsk and Novosibirsk regions. In Tomsk region, 2 outbreaks were registered, one of them in domestic pigeons. On 31 July 2006, one outbreak of avian influenza was still active in Tomsk region. No new outbreaks of the disease have been reported since 5 July 2006.

The Netherlands: low-pathogenic avian influenza in a poultry farm

03.08.2006

Dutch authorities have detected a case of low-pathogenic avian influenza in a poultry farm, in the central region of Gelderse Vallei. The virus strain has been found to be H7.

Avian influenza in Cote d'Ivoire

01.08.2006

Ring vaccination was applied in response to avian influenza outbreak In Abidjan district 115,000 bird were vaccinated with a H5N9 inactivated vaccine.

New avian influenza outbreak along Thai-Lao border

30.07.2006

The H5N1 avian influenza virus has been found in the Thai northeast bordering Laos, prompting culling of 310,000 hens in 78 farms. The lab results confirmed chickens from a village in Nakohn Panom province have died of avian influenza.

H5N1 Avian influenza found on poultry farm in Laos

28.07.2006

An outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza has killed more than 2,000 chicken on a poultry farm in Laos, the government and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said. Veterinarians had slaughtered 6,000 more birds on the farm about 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of the national capital, disinfected the cages and declared a five-kilometre (three-mile) surveillance zone, they said. The Xaythani district farm, which previously suffered a avian influenza outbreak in early 2004, found 155 dead chickens on July 14, and about 2,000 dead birds the following day, said the FAO chief technical advisor on avian influenza in Laos, Ricarda Mondry.

Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 13a associated with attendees of a charity event

28.07.2006

Twenty-one cases of Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 13a have been identified among attendees of an outdoor charity event which was held in Hertsmere, Hertfordshire, on 18 June 2006. After reports of illness among attendees were received, an investigation led by Hertsmere Borough Council, the London borough of Barnet, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Health Protection Unit, and the East of England Regional Epidemiology Office of the Health Protection Agency was started. About 600 people (mostly children) attended this outdoor charity event which took place during 18 June 2006. The event consisted of two sessions of team games played by children. Those who attended lived in Hertfordshire or north London.

Newcastle (and avian influenza ?) in Bulgaria

27.07.2006

Bulgaria has introduced a ban on exports of live poultry and poultry products to the European Union as a preventive measure against the spread of the Newcastle disease that was detected earlier this month in a southern area. The order was issued by the veterinary medical service head Zheko Bajchev. It will be in force until the European Commission delivers its verdict on exports of poultry products from the village of Slunchogled, the region of Kurdzhali, where the infection is believed to be a combination of Newcastle disease and avian influenza.

Thailand: first human case of H5N1 in 2006

26.07.2006

The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand has confirmed a case of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza. The patient, a 17-year-old man from Thap Khlo district of Phichit province in the north, developed symptoms on 15 July, was hospitalized on 20 July and died on 24 July. On 10 July, the young man had buried the carcasses of dead chickens. This case coincides with a recurrence of a confirmed H5N1 outbreak in animals in the province.

South Africa culls 8,000 ostriches to control avian influenza

26.07.2006

South Africa has culled 8,000 ostriches to contain an outbreak of avian influenza in West Cape province, the Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. While the department reiterated that the H5N2 outbreak was under control it said it suspected that ostriches in other areas may have been exposed to the virus. But it stressed that the disease had not been detected elsewhere. The European Union has banned imports of ostriches, emus and their meat from two districts in South Africa because of the outbreak.

Thailand: new outbreak of avian influenza

24.07.2006

Thailand is facing its first outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in birds in 8 months, along with flu-like illnesses in a number of people in areas with sick birds, according to news services. The eight-month avian influenza-free hiatus in Thailand ended yesterday as the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry confirmed a fresh outbreak of the H5N1 virus in Bang Mun Nak district (Pichit province). The ministry had repeatedly denied avian influenza had recurred but eventually verified the outbreak yesterday.

Avian Influenza among Waterfowl Hunters and Wildlife Professionals

24.07.2006

Serologic evidence of avian influenza infection in 1 duck hunter and 2 wildlife professionals with extensive histories of wild waterfowl and game bird exposure. Until now, serologic studies of the transmission of subtype H5N1 and other highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza have focused on humans who have contact with infected domestic poultry.

WHO confirms Indonesia’s 54th avian influenza case

20.07.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 54th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case, which was fatal, occurred in a 44-year-old man from East Jakarta, Jakarta Province. He developed symptoms on 24 June, was hospitalized on 10 July, and died on 12 July.

Indonesia Reports 42nd Human Avian Influenza Death

16.07.2006

A 44-year-old man has died as a result of avian influenza infection, say authorities in Indonesia. The man was from eastern Jakarta. He was hospitalized on 10 July with a temperature, breathing problems and a bad cough. Authorities said the man had been in close contact with live poultry. Local tests indicated he died of H5N1 avian influenza infection. As with all local confirmed tests, samples have been sent on to a WHO recognized laboratory in Hong Kong for final confirmation. This last case will bring Indonesia equal to Vietnam regarding total human avian influenza deaths. Thirty people have died so far in Indonesia this year alone, while not one confirmed death has been reported in Vietnam (this year).

Indonesia confirms 53rd avian influenza case

14.07.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country's 53 rd case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case, which was fatal, occurred in a 3-year-old girl from a suburb of Jakarta. She became ill on 23 June, was hospitalized on 5 July and died the next day. Specimens collected from the girl were confirmed positive for H5N1 avian influenza virus. An investigation found that the case handled chickens that had died in the neighbourhood, to dispose of them, two days before the onset of her symptoms. Samples taken from chickens in the neighbourhood were found to be positive.

England: Final Epidemiology Report For Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H7N3)

12.07.2006

England: Final Epidemiology Report For Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H7N3) Outbreak In Norfolk, England, April - May 2006 Published Epidemiology report (10 July 2006): Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H7N3) outbreak in Norfolk, England, April - May 2006 - This report describes the epidemiology of the outbreak of Low Pathogenic H7N3 Avian Influenza in Dereham, Norfolk in April 2006, and the detailed investigations surrounding it.

Spain detects H5N1 avian influenza for first time

07.07.2006

A Spanish laboratory has confirmed the country's first case of H5N1 avian influenza after analyzing a sample taken from a wild migratory water bird, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday. The dead great crested grebe, Podiceps cristatus, was found in the northern province of Alava and a sample sent to the National Reference

LPAI in Denmark

06.07.2006

On 5 July 2006 low pathogenic avian influenza (H5) has been detected in a game bird holding in the city Lovel in Viborg County. There have not been clinical signs of disease among the animals. Ducklings (mallards) from the holding were tested in accordance with the Danish surveillance programme for avian influenza in poultry.

Brazil: Newcastle disease

05.07.2006

Newcastle disease was detected backyard poultry. The outbreak occurred on a farm in Vale de Real (Rio Grande do Sul).

South Africa (SA) finds avian influenza in ostriches

03.07.2006

An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been reported at Riversdale in Western Cape province in an ostrich rearing farm (58 ostriches) aged 4 months. The diagnosis has been established on 1 July 2006 by the Agricultural Research Council Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute by RT-PCR and sequence analysis. Tests confirmed the presence of the H5N2 strain (highly pathogenic avian influenza virus).

5-year-old boy dies of H5N1 avian influenza in Indonesia

03.07.2006

The Indonesian government has confirmed another death in the country due to avian influenza, an official said today. The latest victim was a five-year-old boy who died on June 16 in Tulungagung, a town in East Java, said Nyoman Kandun of the Health Ministry. A test by a WHO-affiliated laboratory in Hong Kong found that the boy was infected by the H5N1 virus.

China: Avian influenza misdiagnosed as SARS ?

22.06.2006

In a letter published this week in an American medical magazine, the New England Journal of Medicine a group of Chinese scientists said a 24-year-old man had pneumonia and respiratory distress in November 2003 and died four days after being hospitalized. Because the clinical manifestations were consistent with those of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and occurred when sporadic cases of SARS were described in southern China. All tests were negative for SARS. A virus was isolated from the lung tissue.

Indonesian teenager dies of avian influenza

20.06.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 51st case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case, which was fatal, occurred in a 13-year-old boy from South Jakarta. He developed symptoms on 9 June one week after helping his grandfather slaughter diseased chickens at the family home. The boy was hospitalized on 13 June and died on 14 June.

Salmonella in the European Union

18.06.2006

In the European Union, Salmonella enterica serotypes Enteritidis and Typhimurium are the Salmonella types most frequently associated with human illness. Eggs are considered the main source of human salmonellosis in Europe and in many other countries worldwide. Preliminary results of a Salmonella baseline study, conducted on commercial large-scale laying hen holdings with at least 1000 laying hens (Gallus gallus) in all European Union countries and Norway, have just been published.

Canada finds avian influenza, unclear what virus strain

17.06.2006

Canada has detected a case of H5 avian influenza in a dead gosling at a poultry farm in eastern province of Prince Edward Island and plans further testing over the weekend to determine the strain and virulence, government officials announced on Friday (16/06). A gosling in a small backyard poultry flock in the western end of the tiny province contracted the disease, but there is a low risk of human illness from the case, the chief health officer for Prince Edward Island said in a news release.

China: New avian influenza case

16.06.2006

The Ministry of Health in China has confirmed the country’s 19th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The patient is a 31-year-old man (Jiang) employed as a truck driver in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, near the border with Hong Kong. He developed symptoms on 3 June and was hospitalized on 9 June. He remains hospitalized, in critical condition, with severe pneumonia. Investigation of his source of infection is under way.

Indonesia: Another AI human cluster

15.06.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country's 50th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case, which was fatal, occurred in a 7-year-old girl from Tangerang district, Banten Province. She developed symptoms on 26 May, was hospitalized on 30 May, and died on 1 June. Her 10-year-old brother died of respiratory disease on 29 May, but no specimens were taken for testing and the cause of his death cannot be determined.

Ukraine: Avian influenza has been confirmed in Sumy region

13.06.2006

Avian influenza was found in a northeastern Ukrainian village, Peski village of Sumy region, marking the first confirmation of the disease outside the Crimea region. Over 7,000 domestic birds will be destroyed. The village of Peski has been put in quarantine to deter the spread of the virus.

Hungary finds H5 avian influenza virus in poultry

09.06.2006

The Hungarian authorities have informed the European Commission of a confirmed outbreak of avian influenza in a domestic flock of geese in Kiskunmajsa, in the south of the country. The tests carried out so far have shown that is a H5 highly pathogenic strain, while it is still to be determined whether or not this is the H5N1 strain. Samples will be sent to the Community Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza in Weybridge for further tests. The flock was situated in a county where cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza occurred in wild birds earlier this year.

Indonesia: another avian influenza patient died

06.06.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 49th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case occurred in a 15-year-old boy (Mastur) from Cangkuang, Tasikmalaya District, West Java Province. He developed symptoms on 24 May, was hospitalized on 26 May, and died on 30 May. An investigation conducted by provincial health authorities found a history of contact with sick and dying chickens in the boy’s household in the week before the onset of his symptoms.

Avian influenza low pathogenic H5 type found in Denmark

02.06.2006

A detection of LPAI H5 has been done in a game bird holding near the city of Tommerup in Funen County. The holding is a hatchery for farmed game birds (mallards), ducks and geese. Despite from ducklings and goslings there are also 6 grown geese and 14 grown ducks at the holding. There have been no clinical signs of disease among the animals.

Indonesia : Avian influenza Kills 8-Year-Old Indonesian Girl

02.06.2006

Local tests showed an 7-year-old girl (Yohana) has died of avian influenza. The latest case in a spike putting Indonesia on pace to become the world's hardest-hit country. The girl, from Pamulang on the outskirts of Jakarta, died late Thursday (01/06) after apparently coming into contact with sick poultry, said Nyoman Kandun, a senior Health Ministry official. The girl's 10-year-old brother (Tony) died three days earlier with similar flu-like symptoms, but no samples were taken, said Dr. Hariadi Wibisono, a senior official at the national Health Department. The boy died in an emergency room before being treated, and the family immediately took him home for burial, he said.

Indonesia: The family cluster of cases in North Sumatra

31.05.2006

The cluster involves an initial case and seven subsequent laboratory-confirmed cases. All cases are members of an extended family: sisters and brothers and their children. Family members resided in four households. Three households were next-door neighbours in the village of Kubu Simbelang, Karo District, North Sumatra. The fourth household was located about 10 kilometres away in the nearby village of Kabanjahe. The initial case in the cluster was a 37-year-old woman who sold fruits and chillies at a market in the village of Tigapanah. Her stand was located about 15 metres away from a stand where live chickens were sold. The investigation uncovered no reports of poultry die-offs in the market. However, the woman kept a small number of backyard chickens, allowed into the house at night. Three of her chickens reportedly died before she became ill. She is also known to have used chicken faeces from these household chickens as fertilizer in her garden.

115 outbreaks of avian influenza reported in Romania

31.05.2006

A total of 115 outbreaks of avian influenza had now been reported in Romania, according to Agriculture Ministry spokesman Adrian Tibu on Monday (29/05). The avian influenza was spreading very rapidly in Romania, Tibu added. Currently, just two of the six districts of the Romanian capital have not reported any outbreaks.

Indonesia: WHO report

29.05.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional six cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Three of these cases were fatal. None of the newly confirmed cases is associated with the family cluster in Karo, North Sumatra. The cases are widely dispersed geographically. One newly confirmed case is an 18-year-old boy from East Java Province. He developed symptoms on 6 May and was hospitalized on 17 May. He is now recovering. The investigation found a history of exposure to dead chickens in his home within the week prior to symptom onset. No further cases of influenza-like illness have been identified during the investigation and monitoring of his close contacts.

Avian influenza Kills Two Siblings in Indonesia

26.05.2006

Preliminary tests have found that avian influenza killed two more siblings in Indonesia. Initial tests found that a brother and sister from West Java who died earlier this week were infected by the H5N1 virus, said Nyoman Kandun, head of the Health Ministry's office of communicable disease control.

Indonesia: an additional case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus

23.05.2006

The case occurred in a 32-year-old man. He developed symptoms on 15 May and died on 22 May. The case is part of a family cluster in the Kubu Sembelang village, Karo District, of North Sumatra. The man is the seventh member of an extended family to become infected with the H5N1 virus and the sixth to die. An additional person, who was the first member of the family to fall ill, died of respiratory disease on 4 May. No specimens were taken prior to her burial and the cause of her death cannot be determined. However, as her clinical course was compatible with H5N1 infection, epidemiologists at the outbreak site include this woman as the initial case in the cluster.

Iran: Tests show Iranian siblings had lethal avian influenza strain

23.05.2006

Tests in Iran on the bodies of a 41-year-old man and his 26-year-old sister showed they had the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, an Iranian medical official said yesterday. The two - a 41-year-old man and 26-year-old woman - were among five members of the same family who became sick after returning from a trip to the town of Marivan, close to their home in the northwestern city of Kermanshah. Their three relatives were in hospital and one of them, aged 30, had slipped into a coma. It was not clear when the siblings died.

Recent outbreaks of avian influenza

20.05.2006

Russia: Avian influenza caused a massive death of domestic poultry in the village of Troitsk, the Kulundinsk district of the Altai Territory. Deaths among domestic fowl have been registered in two villages and a town in the Omsk region. Three ducks died in the village of Klimino, eight chickens in the village of Ukrainka, and one chicken in the town of Nazyvayevsk. Two dead wild ducks were found on the shores of Lake Utuskoye. China: The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture confirmed outbreak of avian influenza among wild birds in a remote areas Qinghai Province, northwest China. 308 migratory birds have died since April 23.This is the second time H5N1 has turned up in Qinghai, a region of high-altitude plains and mountains that sits on a prime migration route for birds between Siberia and South Asia.

Indonesia: An additional case of human infection with the H5N1

19.05.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case occurred in a 12-year-old boy from Bekasi in East Jakarta. He was hospitalized on 7 May and died on 13 May. An investigation is under way to determine the source of his infection. The newly confirmed case brings the total in Indonesia to 41. Of these cases, 32 have been fatal (WHO).

Denmark confirms H5N1 avian influenza on poultry farm

18.05.2006

Denmark has confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 avian influenza strain on a backyard poultry farm on the island of Funen. The farm consisted of around 100 birds, including laying hens, ducks, geese and peacocks, and was located in the same area in Denmark where cases of H5N1 bird flu occurred in wild birds in March.

Indonesia: The largest Avian influenza family cluster

18.05.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional seven cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Six of the cases were fatal. One fatal case, in a 38-year-old woman, occurred in the city of Surabaya, in East Java. She developed symptoms on 2 May, was hospitalized on 7 May, and died on 12 May. The case is the first reported from this area. The remaining six cases are from the village of Kubu Sembelang in the Karo district of North Sumatra. All six are members of an extended family, and all but one lived in neighbouring houses.

Egypt: A 75-year-old woman died of avian influenza

18.05.2006

A 75-year-old woman died of avian influenza in Egypt on Thursday (18/5), the sixth death caused by the disease, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official said. She developed symptoms on 11 May and died on 18 May.

Laos finds first avian influenza case since 2004

17.05.2006

The H5N1 avian influenza strain has been found in a duck in Laos, but there is no sign that the virus is spreading, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Wednesday. The isolated case in a backyard farm 20 km (12 miles) south of Vientiane is the first since the Southeast Asian nation reported an outbreak among poultry in early 2004.

Indonesia: Five Indonesian people from a family related by blood were positively infected by avian influenza

13.05.2006

Five Indonesian people from a family related by blood were positively infected by avian influenza virus after tested by the country's laboratory, health ministry official said here Saturday. Director General of Disease Control of the ministry, I Nyoman Kandun said that the five from Indonesia's North Sumatra province had had contacts with fowls and pigs. He said that their blood samples had been sent to the World Health Organization's (WHO) affiliated laboratory in Hong Kong. They have been tested, the result were positive, Kandun said. The five are 29 year-old woman, two men of 19 years old and 35,whom have died since at the end of last month, and two others men of 25 years old and 35 years old man, whom survive, according to the director. They are from one family tree, he said.

Baby in Djibouti diagnosed with avian influenza

12.05.2006

The World Health Organization said Thursday that a baby in Djibouti has contracted the H5N1 virus, the country's first human case of avian influenza. A 2-year-old girl, from a small rural village in Arta district, from Djibouti, was confirmed as H5N1 positive by the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit 3 (NAMRU-3) in Cairo. The girl's symptoms began on April 23 and tests were conducted by the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit 3 (NAMRU-3) in Cairo on May 10. Three of the child’s siblings are under investigation for possible infection and are also receiving care. Samples have been taken and are being sent to NAMRU-3 for testing.

25th avian influenza death in Indonesia

08.05.2006

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 33rd case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case, which was fatal, occurred in a 30-year-old man from Greater Jakarta. He developed symptoms on 17 April, was hospitalized on 21 April, and died on 26 April. An investigation to determine the source of his infection is continuing. He lived in close proximity to pens where animals, including poultry, were kept.

China: Outbreak of new avian influenza cases in Qinghai confirmed

06.05.2006

The Ministry of Agriculture on Friday (05/05) confirmed another case of avian influenza outbreak among wild birds in a remote area of Northwest China's Qinghai Province. Seventeen bar-headed geese were found dead on a wetland in Yushu County on April 23. The number of dead wild birds had risen to 125 by Thursday, of which 123 were bar-headed geese, the ministry said on its website. The national avian influenza laboratory on Wednesday confirmed the dead birds were tested positive for the H5N1 strain. The place where the outbreak happened is a high and cold area, located more than 800 kilometres away from Xining, the provincial capital, and Qinghai Lake, which is an important habitant of a vast number of migrant birds.

Vietnam centers on avian influenza vaccination

06.05.2006

Since early 2006, Vietnam has imported 150 million doses of poultry vaccines against avian influenza H5N1 strain from China. Additional 150 million doses will arrive in Vietnam this month. Since March, Vietnam has vaccinated 65 million fowls in over 50 cities and provinces nationwide. Vietnam is trying to complete the first batch of vaccination among 120 million poultry by late May.

Egypt reports fifth avian influenza death

05.05.2006

A 27-year-old Egyptian woman, Samah Abdel-Aziz Mohamed, died of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza on Thursday (She was hospitalized on 1 May and died on 4 May), the fifth fatal human case in Egypt, the official MENA news agency reported.

Egypt 13th case of human avian influenza

03.05.2006

A 27-year-old Egyptian woman is being treated in hospital for avian influenza, the country's 13th human infection with the avian influenza virus, a spokesman from the health ministry said on Tuesday (02/05). The latest victim caught the disease after coming into contact with poultry kept in houses in her family's home town in Manoufiya province, outside of Cairo.

Avian influenza spreads to two more farms

29.04.2006

Chickens at two more poultry farms in eastern England have tested positive for avian influenza, the environment ministry said on Saturday. "We can confirm preliminary tests indicate H7N3 (avian influenza), but further tests are being carried out," said a spokeswoman, adding two free-range flocks will be slaughtered.

Confirmation of type of avian influenza in chickens: Dereham, Norfolk

28.04.2006

The results of further tests from the poultry farm in Dereham, Norfolk have confirmed the H7 avian flu virus, Defra announced today (28 April). The tests also indicate that the strain of virus is low pathogenicity. The virus is confirmed as H7N3 and last occurred in the UK in 1979.

A poultry worker is suffering from conjunctivitis after contracting the H7 strain of avian influenza

28.04.2006

The person was infected through close contact with birds at the Witford Lodge Farm in North Tuddenham, Norfolk, which had the disease.

China: 18th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus

27.04.2006

The Ministry of Health in China has reported the country’s 18th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The patient is an 8-year-old girl from the south-western province of Sichuan. She developed symptoms of fever and pneumonia on 16 April. She remains hospitalized.

UK - Avian influenza test result on dead chickens

27.04.2006

Preliminary tests have indicated that the avian influenza virus is present in samples from chickens (Broiler breeders) found dead on a poultry farm in Hockering, Norfolk. Further tests are being carried out to determine the strain of the virus. The preliminary test results show that it is likely to be the H7 strain of avian influenza, and not H5N1. Further confirmatory tests are in progress to determine the pathogenicity.

Avian influenza in Cote d'Ivoire

26.04.2006

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) confirmed on Wednesday the first case of the highly pathogenic type of H5N1 avian influenza in Cote d'Ivoire, where 17 infected birds (seven backyard chickens, nine ducks and a sparrow hawk) were found in the Abidjan area.

Avian Influenza H5N1 confirmed in four provinces of Afghanistan

24.04.2006

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representation in Afghanistan received the results of tests on 103 samples which were sent to the OIE/FAO reference laboratory in Padova, Italy, on 6 April 2006, to determine the N subtype. According to the results, H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cases have been definitely confirmed in four provinces: Kabul, Logar, Nangarhar and Kapisa.

China confirms 12th human avian influenza death

20.04.2006

A man in central China has died of avian influenza, the country's 12th H5N1 virus death since November. There have been more than 30 outbreaks in poultry in a dozen provinces over the past year in China, making it one of the countries worst-hit by a virus that has spread with surprising speed this year, with outbreaks in more than 30 countries.

Israel: A new avian influenza outbreak

31.03.2006

A new avian influenza H5N1 outbreak was identified in turkey coops (20,000 turkeys) in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom on Friday. Culling of the infected poultry was to begin later in the day.

Avian influenza detected in south Lebanon

30.03.2006

The laboratory of the American University of Beirut has detected the virus H7 on several sample of domestic poultry from the South of Lebanon. The Ministry of Agriculture has agreed for sending samples from the affected poultry to the Weybridge Laboratory in UK or IZS-Venezie laboratory in Italy for further testing.

Czech: EU lab confirms H5N1 avian influenza

29.03.2006

Tests at a UK-based EU reference laboratory have confirmed a dead swan found in the Czech Republic had the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, the Czech State Veterinary Authority said on Wednesday.

Israel: Avian influenza was detected in a broiler breeder farm

28.03.2006

Avian influenza was detected in a broiler breeder farm (40 weeks of age), at Ma'ale Ahamisha. The mortality rate is very low 40 out of 30,000 birds in 6 buildings. The preliminary results were obtained from the Kimron Veterinary Institute, Poultry division, by PCR.

Second Egyptian dies from avian influenza virus

28.03.2006

Tests conducted by the Cairo-based US Naval Medical Research Unit 3 (NAMRU-3) have confirmed an additional three cases. A 32-year-old man, who worked on a farm where poultry were recently culled, developed symptoms on 16 March and was hospitalized the same day. He has since recovered. A 17-year-old boy, whose father runs a poultry farm in the Gharbiya governorate in the Nile Delta, developed symptoms on 18 March and was hospitalized the following day. He has since recovered. The fifth case is an 18-year-old girl from the Kafr El-Sheikh governorate. She developed symptoms following the slaughter of sick backyard poultry. She was hospitalized on 25 March.

Sweden finds mink infected with avian influenza virus

28.03.2006

Swedish veterinarians have found a mink with the H5 avian influenza virus and had the mammal put down, the National Veterinary Institute said on Monday. The animal was found in the Blekinge region of south Sweden, an area where several avian influenza cases have been found. What is initially described as an virulent form of H5 avian influenza is often later confirmed as the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus.

The Netherlands: preventive vaccination against the highly pathogenic H5N1

28.03.2006

The Netherlands launched preventive vaccination on Thursday (23/03) for its 1-3 million backyard poultry and about 5 million free-range poultry against the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus after receiving EU permission on Feb. 22. The main Dutch poultry farmers organisations said most farmers have not started vaccinating because the biggest importer of Dutch poultry, Germany, refuses to buy meat and eggs from vaccinated animals as consumers fear possible health risk.

China: Country’s 16th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus

24.03.2006

The case, which was fatal, occurred in a 29-year-old female migrant worker. She was hospitalized in Shanghai on 15 March with symptoms of pneumonia and died on 21 March. This is the first case reported in Shanghai. Her source of infection is under investigation. No poultry outbreaks have been reported in the Shanghai area since February 2004.

Cambodia: Fifth case of human infection with H5N1

24.03.2006

The Ministry of health in Cambodia has confirmed the country’s fifth case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case, which was fatal, occurred in a 3-year-old girl from Kampong Speu Province, west of Phnom Penh in the southern part of the country. The child developed fever on 14 March. Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she was hospitalized in Phnom Penh on 20 March. She died on 21 March. Samples from the girl tested positive for H5N1 infection at the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia. A team of officials from the Ministry of Health and WHO have investigated the situation in the remote village where the child lived. Backyard poultry began dying in the village in February, and chicken deaths have continued. The child is known to have played with chickens, including some showing signs of illness.

Jordan: Avian Influenza H5N1 confirmed

24.03.2006

At least three dead turkeys at a domestic farm in Kofranja - Ajloun governorate, had tested positive for the avian influenza H5N1 virus. Israel Radio reported Israel and Jordan were coordinating efforts to combat the spread of the virus.

Israel: Avian influenza confirmed in another village

23.03.2006

Avian influenza H5N1 has been found in turkeys in Bekaot, a village in the Jordan valley.

Avian influenza confirmed in the Gaza Strip

22.03.2006

The H5N1 avian influenza strain which struck Israel last week appears to have spread to the Gaza Strip. Positive (PCR) results were obtained from the Veterinary Institute in Israel.

Avian influenza – situation in Azerbaijan - WHO

21.03.2006

Samples from 11 patients under investigation in Azerbaijan for possible H5N1 infection have now been tested at a WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom. Positive H5N1 results were obtained for seven of these patients. Five cases were fatal. Six of the cases occurred in Salyan Rayon in the south-eastern part of the country. All six cases resided in the small Daikyand settlement of around 800 homes. A 17-year-old girl died on 23 February. Her first cousin, a 20-year-old woman, died on 3 March. The 16-year-old brother of this woman died on 10 March. A 17-year-old girl, a close friend of the family, died on 8 March. All four of these cases lived together or near each other. The source of their infection is presently under investigation. The additional two cases in Salyan involve a 10-year-old boy, who has recovered, and a 15-year-old girl, who is hospitalized in critical condition. The seventh case occurred in a 21-year-old woman from the western rayon of Tarter.

Afghanistan: highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N1: OIE report

20.03.2006

Date of the start of the event: 2 March 2006 Date of first confirmation of the event: 15 March 2006 Thirteen outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been reported in poultry (chicken and turkey) in five provinces of Afghanistan (4 in Jalalabad, 6 in Kabul, 1 in Laghman, 1 in Vardak and 1 in Kunar).

Serbia and Montenegro: First case of avian influenza in domestic poultry

20.03.2006

Report date: 15 March 2006. Identification of agent: avian influenza virus subtype H5. Date of first confirmation of the event: 13 March 2006. Date of start of the event: 9 March 2006. Description of affected population: chicken, the case was a rooster. On 4 March 2006, a dead swan (Cygnus olor) was found in the river Drina near Bacevci village at the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina and the presence of avian influenza was confirmed.

Israel: Avian Influenza spread to two more Israeli communities in the western Negev

20.03.2006

The two communities, Nir Oz and Amioz, are very close to the kibutzim where avian influenza has already been confirmed.

Egyptian woman dies of avian influenza

18.03.2006

A 30-year-old Egyptian woman has died of avian influenza, the country's first human victim of the virus, Egypt's health ministry said on Saturday. The first case of suspected human infection with Avian influenza was discovered when a 30 year-old woman from a village in the governorate of El-Qalubia (about 40 kms [25 miles] north of Cairo) was admitted to Abassiya Puliminary Hospital on Wednesday 15/3/2006, after being transferred from Qalboub Fever Hospital where she had showed symptoms of high fever and difficulty breathing. Tamiflu was immediately administered to the woman as soon as suspicions arose that she may have been infected with Avian influenza virus. She was isolated from other patients in a private room and transferred to the hospitals intensive care unit where specimens were taken for testing at the central laboratories of the Ministry of Health and Population, as well as the American research unit NAMRU 3. Testing proved positive for Avian influenza.

Sweden confirms H5 Avian influenza

17.03.2006

Sweden has confirmed the H5 strain of avian influenza in a duck on a game farm in the east of the country, the second possible case on a commercial farm in the European Union (The first was in France), the EU executive said on Friday.

Israel: More cases of avian influenza

17.03.2006

The avian influenza was suspected of spreading to two additional sites - Moshav Sde Moshe, near the southern town of Kiryat Gat, and Kibbutz Nachshon, 25 kilometers from Jerusalem.

Israel, suspected case of avian influenza in a turkey farm

16.03.2006

First case of highly pathogenic avian influenza is suspected in Ein Ashlosha, a turkey farm in southern Israel. There is no virus isolation yet, just PCR positive for H5. there is anotehr suspected case in Kibbutz Holit.

Dutch to start voluntary avian influenza vaccination

15.03.2006

Dutch authorities will launch a postponed voluntary vaccination campaign against avian influenza on Thursday (15/03/06), the farm ministry said on Tuesday. The Netherlands initially planned to launch voluntary vaccination of its 1-to-3 million backyard poultry and about 5 million free range poultry against the H5N1 avian influenza virus last week after receiving EU permission on Feb. 22. The ministry said in a statement that owners would have to bear the costs of the vaccination, which is an alternative to the requirement to keep birds indoors to avoid contact with any wild animals infected with H5N1.

Denmark finds first case of H5 avian influenza

15.03.2006

Denmark has found its first case of the highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza virus in a wild fowl, officials said on Wednesday. It was still unclear if the case was the H5N1 strain. So far H5N1 has never been found in Denmark.

Avian influenza in humans in Azerbaijan

14.03.2006

The Ministry of Health in Azerbaijan has reported its first three cases of human infection with the H5 subtype of avian influenza virus. All three cases were fatal. Testing was conducted using a portable PCR field laboratory provided by the US Naval Medical Research Unit 3 (NAMRU-3) based in Cairo, Egypt. NAMRU equipment and staff arrived in Azerbaijan on Monday to strengthen a WHO team that has been in the country since late February. NAMRU-3 serves as a WHO collaborating centre for emerging infections. Test results are considered reliable. In line with WHO policy, arrangements have been made to send samples to a WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom for diagnostic verification and further analysis. WHO will adjust the figures in its cumulative table of confirmed cases following the results of this external verification. Test results from the UK are expected later this week.

German Suspicion of avian influenza in Poultry

13.03.2006

The first case in Germany of avian influenza in domestic poultry may have been identified in the southern state of Bavaria, the state's environment ministry said. Seven young ducks were found dead on a poultry farm in the district of Lichtenfels and initial tests confirmed an influenza virus. The Federal Research Institute for Animal Health will now determine whether it is the H5N1 virus. At the moment the case is rated as suspicious.

First case of avian influenza detected in Afghanistan

13.03.2006

The first case of avian influenza has been detected in Afghanistan and there's a high risk that tests could prove it to be the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, a U.N. agency said Monday. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said five swab samples from backyard poultry farms in Kabul and the eastern city of Jalalabad tested positive on Monday for H5, and that tests were under way to discern the subtype (The virus was found in three birds in the capital, Kabul, and two in the eastern province of Nangarhar). Dr. Azizullah Esmoni, director of the husbandry and veterinary department of the Afghan Agriculture Ministry, said the tests on the five samples from Afghanistan were underway at an FAO laboratory in Italy. He expected results within 48 hours to determine whether or not H5N1 was present.

Myanmar tests show first case of avian influenza

13.03.2006

Myanmar (Burma) has found the H5N1 avian influenza virus in chickens in what is believed to be the secretive country's first case. The case emerged on March 8 after 112 chickens died on a farm in Aung Myae Thar Zan township near Mandalay, about 430 miles (700 km) north of Yangon. Officials destroyed a flock of 780 birds and sent samples for testing at government laboratories in Mandalay and Yangon.

Cameroon records first case of avian influenza

12.03.2006

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been detected in Cameroon, making it the fourth African country to be hit by the virus. A government statement said it had been found in a duck on a farm near the northern town of Maroua, on the border with Nigeria. H5N1 had previously been detected in poultry in Nigeria itself, Niger and also in Egypt. Cameroon banned all imports of Nigerian poultry last month.

New avian influenza vaccine - an Indonesia-Japan venture

10.03.2006

An Indonesia-Japan venture said it has created what it believes is a more effective avian influenza vaccine for poultry and hopes to quickly boost production to help nations fight the deadly H5N1 avian influenza strain. The vaccine is produced using a new production technique called reverse genetics in which an inactivated, genetically modified form of the H5N1 virus is grown in chicken eggs. The strain is A/IPB-SGT/1/2004 with high similarity to the A/Ck/Indonesia/Legok/2004 (H5N1).

Avian influenza hits weasel-like animal

09.03.2006

The H5N1 avian influenza virus has been found in a stone marten, a German laboratory said Thursday, indicating the disease has spread to another species of mammal. This finding marks the first documented infection of this species with an avian influenza virus.The Friedrich-Loeffler Institute confirmed the presence of the virus in the marten, a weasel-like animal, found on the island of Ruegen in north Germany on March 2. The sick animal apparently dying,was found in the same heavily affected area of the island, near Schaprode, as three dead domestic cats. Tests conducted at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut subsequently confirmed that all three cats were infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus.

Avian Influenza in Albania

08.03.2006

Date of first confirmation of the event: 7 March 2006 Date of start of the event: 16 February 2006 An outbreak of avian influenza subtype H5N1 has been reported in chicken in the village of Cuke, Sarande county (Vlore state). All 60 susceptible birds died from the disease.

China: 10th victim of avian influenza

08.03.2006

A nine year old girl from the eastern province Zhejiang, is the 10th victim of avian influenza in China. The girl, who was named Yu, died Monday (06/03/06) night after having been in hospital since February 10th.

Japan: Newcastle disease

07.03.2006

Report date: 6 March 2006. Date of first confirmation of the event: 4 March 2006. Date of start of the event: 2 March 2006. Location of the outbreak: Chikuzen town (Asakura county, Fukuoka prefecture). Description of affected population: chicken hobby flock (OIE).

H5N1 in cats in Austria

06.03.2006

Three cats have tested positive for the deadly strain of avian influenza in Austria's first reported case of the disease spreading to an animal other than a bird, state authorities said Monday. The sick cats were among 170 living at an animal shelter in the southern town of Graz where the disease was detected in chickens last month, authorities said.

Poland confirms first case of H5N1 avian influenza

05.03.2006

Poland has detected its first case of H5 avian influenza after two swans were found dead on the bank of the River Vistula in the northern city of Torun.

China confirms new avian influenza death

05.03.2006

A man who died last week in the south Chinese province of Guangdong has been confirmed by the health ministry as the country's ninth victim of avian influenza. The 32-year-old fell ill after frequenting a market in the main city, Guangzhou, and he was diagnosed as having the H5N1 strain of the virus.

Turkey confirms new avian influenza cases among poultry

04.03.2006

Turkey confirmed on Friday three new cases of the H5 strain of avian influenza among poultry in an area to the west of Istanbul and said culling of birds was under way. The Agriculture Ministry said samples from the infected ducks and chickens had been sent to Britain for further tests to ascertain whether they had the H5N1 form of the virus. Earlier this week, authorities said they had culled a total 2.27 million poultry so far across the country of 72 million people in a bid to halt the spread of the disease.

Indonesia: boy dies of avian influenza

04.03.2006

A three-year-old boy from Indonesia's Central Java province has died of avian influenza, a senior health official said on Saturday, citing the results of local tests. A sample of the boy's blood has been sent to a laboratory in Hong Kong recognised by the World Health Organisation for confirmation.

Switzerland: avian influenza has been confirmed in wild birds

03.03.2006

Switzerland's first case of the H5N1 avian influenza has been confirmed by tests on a duck found in Lake Geneva. The merganser duck was found on 22 February between two boats on a pier leading to Geneva's Jet d'Eau fountain.

Avian influenza on Azerbaijan poultry farm is H5N1

03.03.2006

Avian influenza found this week on a poultry farm in Azerbaijan has been confirmed as the H5N1 strain, a top veterinary official said today. This marks the first time the virus has spread to domestic fowl in the former Soviet nation. Avian influenza due to highly pathogenic virus subtype H5N1 has been reported in poultry in the following locations: - Ghiljazi, Khyzy; - Samedabad, Biljasuvar

Serbia says dead swan tests positive for avian influenza

02.03.2006

Serbia said on Thursday it had detected its first case of avian influenza in a swan found dead in the region of Sombor, close to the Croatian border.

Russia plans mass avian influenza vaccination of poultry

01.03.2006

Russia said it had destroyed 1.35 million domestic and wild birds since July 2005 and planned to start mass vaccination of domestic fowl on March 10 to prevent the spread of the deadly avian influenza virus. An Emergencies Ministry statement said the latest outbreak of the H5N1 virus, which started in Russia on February 3, had hit domestic fowl in five regions of southern Russia.

H5N1 avian influenza Virus Found in Cat in North Germany

28.02.2006

Authorities in Germany have today announced detection of H5N1 avian influenza in a domestic cat. The cat was found dead over the weekend on the northern island of Ruegen. Since mid-February, more than 100 wild birds have died on the island, and tests have confirmed H5N1 infection in several. In October 2004, captive tigers fed on fresh chicken carcasses began dying in large numbers at a zoo in Thailand. Altogether 147 tigers out of 441 died of infection or were euthanized. Subsequent investigation determined that at least some tiger-to-tiger transmission of the virus occurred.

H5N1 avian influenza found in Sweden

28.02.2006

Sweden has detected its first case of H5N1 avian influenza strain, in two wild ducks. The virus has been found in wild birds near a nuclear power plant in Oskarshamn, about 250 kilometers south of Stockholm.

Pakistan: Poultry tests positive for H5N1 strain of avian influenza

28.02.2006

Workers killed 15,000 chickens in northwestern Pakistan after poultry at two farms tested positive for the H5N1 avian influenza strain. One farm was in Charsadda (layer farm), near Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province. The other was in the hill resort city of Abbottabad (breeder farm).

France: Avian influenza vaccination

28.02.2006

France has begun vaccinating thousands of geese and ducks against avian influenza in a southwest region of the country believed to be at risk from the virus from migratory birds.

Avian influenza cases confirmed in Niger

27.02.2006

Niger has become the third African country with confirmed cases of the H5N1 avian influenza strain. The H5N1 strain was found in traditionally-reared poultry in Magaria District, Zinder Region. Magaria district borders the State of Kano, in Nigeria, where highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been confirmed to be present. Ilaria Capua, chief of the laboratory in Padua, Italy, that identified the H5N1 strain in birds from the deeply impoverished West African country, confirmed the test result and said the government of Niger had been informed. H5N1 had earlier been confirmed in Nigeria, Niger's southern neighbour, and officials had said in mid-February they were investigating whether it had surfaced in Niger.

Bosnia says H5N1 avian influenza found in two wild swans

26.02.2006

Bosnia's veterinary office said on Monday tests at the European Union reference laboratory had confirmed its first case of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in two wild swans. "Results from the reference laboratory in Weybridge (in England) were positive, H5N1 was isolated," veterinary office head Jozo Bagaric told a news conference. The swans were culled 10 days ago at Malo Plivsko Jezero lake near the western town of Jajce. Tests at Bosnia's reference laboratory returned positive for H5 avian influenza virus a week ago.

China: two more human cases of avian influenza

25.02.2006

A nine-year-old girl in east China's Zhejiang Province and a 26-year-old woman farmer in east China's Anhui Province were confirmed to be infected with H5N1 avian influenza, reported the Ministry of Health on Saturday. The Zhejiang girl, surnamed You, lives in Anji County. She showed symptoms of fever and pneumonia on Feb. 10 and has been hospitalized. She is now in critical condition, said a report released by the ministry. You's samples tested H5N1 positive by both the Zhejiang provincial center for disease control and prevention (CDC) and China's national CDC. The other new case in Anhui is from Yingshang County, and the patient is identified by the surname Wang. She developed fever and pneumonia symptoms on Feb. 11. The report says she is also in critical condition. Wang's samples tested H5N1 positive by both the Anhui provincial CDC and the national CDC.

Avian influenza found in Georgia

25.02.2006

Authorities in Georgia reported finding H5N1 avian influenza in swans. Dead swans found in the village of Adliya, in the Black Sea coastal region of Adjara, tested positive.

India Detects Avian influenza in Two Farms in Country's Gujarat State

25.02.2006

India detected avian influenza in two farms in the country's western district of Surat in Gujarat state, close to the area where infections were confirmed a week ago, said A.D. Negi, joint commissioner, of the national animal husbandry department. Gujarat is located next to Maharashtra, where an outbreak of avian influenza last week prompted the culling of hundreds of thousands of birds. Maharashtra, where the outbreak was detected Feb. 18, ended the culling of fowl Feb. 23 and began paying compensation to farmers.

Indonesia confirms 20th human avian influenza death

25.02.2006

Avian influenza has killed its 20th human victim in Indonesia, a 27-year-old woman, according to tests by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The 27-year-old woman died last Monday (20/02) after being admitted to the Sulianti Saroso hospital in Jakarta, which is designated to treat patients showing avian influenza symptoms.

France confirms H5N1 avian influenza found at turkey farm

25.02.2006

France confirmed the presence of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza at a farm in the east of the country where thousands of turkeys had died. It was the first case of the virus in domestic farm birds in the European Union and threatened to deal a severe blow to France's struggling poultry industry, worth 6 billion euros ($7 billion) a year and the biggest in the bloc. Laboratory tests by Afssa, France's national agency for nutritional safety, showed the virus found at the turkey farm was 99 percent homologous with that found in one of the ducks, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement. Poultry sales in France are already down by about 30 percent.

South Korea: first human avian influenza infection

24.02.2006

The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed Korea’s first human avian influenza infection without symptoms in an announcement yesterday. According to the KCDC, the cases were confirmed after it carried out an antibody test on the blood serum of 318 soldiers and workers who took part in a poultry cull from December 2003 to March 2004. Four tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Egypt: Avian influenza and panic reactions

24.02.2006

A Supreme National Committee, headed by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, was immediately formed to formulate and execute plans to control the spread of the avian influenza virus. The committee, which includes the ministers of health, agriculture, environment, defense and interior, moved quickly to ban the transport of fowl and urged poultry outlets, as well as the estimated two million people who raise chickens on their rooftops, to cull all birds. As promises of compensation for losses were made, the government decided to buy all healthy stock reared by farmers until 25 March, in a bid to curb the losses of hard hit farms.

Avian influenza infects turkeys in France - the first outbreak in farmed poultry in Europe

24.02.2006

The French agriculture minister said the H5 avian influenza virus had been found on a turkey farm in south-eastern France, but it was not immediately clear whether it was the H5N1 strain. Dominique Bussereau said more tests were needed to determine if the case involved the deadly H5N1 strain. If confirmed, it would be the first time the disease has spread to poultry stocks in France - the European Union's largest poultry producer.

Government Testing of Chicken Shows Dramatic Jump in Salmonella in 2005

23.02.2006

USDA test results announced today show that Salmonella rates in chicken increased almost 80 percent since 2000. In 2000, about 9 percent of chickens tested by USDA were positive for Salmonella but the new data show more than 16 percent testing positive. Steady increases in Salmonella, including a 2.8 percent jump in 2005, mean that more chickens contaminated with Salmonella are going home with consumers than at any time since the mid 1990s. USDA is belatedly stepping up oversight of the poultry industry to try to reverse this trend, but it has stood idly by while processors have challenged the agency's authority in court.

Austria confirms H5N1 in swans

23.02.2006

Several dead swans were found in a reservoir in Graz-Umgebung district on 13 and 14 February 2006. First results of the Austrian Agency were H5N1-positive. Confirmation was provided by the OIE/European Union (EU) reference laboratory for avian influenza, Weybridge, United Kingdom. Since 19 February, the entire country is defined as a “risk area” - all poultry to be kept indoors, enforced biosecurity measures, prohibition of bird markets, in accordance with EU legislation. Protection and surveillance zones have been established around the reservoir.

Slovakia detects H5N1 strain of avian influenza

23.02.2006

Slovakia detected the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in two dead wild birds Initial tests of the samples of a wild falcon and a grebe showed positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, the two wild birds were found dead Tuesday near the capital Bratislava.

Navapur to be sealed off

23.02.2006

Officials will begin sealing off the entire town of Navapur, ground zero for the outbreak of avian influenza. No one will be allowed in or out of Navapur, which has a population of nearly 30,000. A red alert has been issued in the area and nineteen nearby villages will also be sealed off. The measures come after preliminary results of blood samples show that some of people kept under observation in a Navapur hospital tested positive for avian influenza.

Avian influenza - situation in Nigeria

22.02.2006

The outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry, confirmed at a commercial farm in Kaduna State on 8 February, has now spread to commercial farms in several other contiguous states. No human cases have been detected to date. Nigerian officials have confirmed outbreaks at commercial farms in the states of Kano, Plateau, Katsina, and Bauchi, and in the Abuja area. Outbreaks have also been detected at more farms in Kaduna. Outbreaks in additional states are currently under investigation. To date, four patients with respiratory symptoms and a history of exposure to diseased poultry have been investigated for possible infection. This number includes a woman who died of an acute respiratory illness on 16 February. The three remaining patients are all in good condition.

EU to decide on avian influenza vaccination

22.02.2006

The European Union (EU)'s veterinary experts discussed on Tuesday proposals of France and the Netherlands that poultry vaccinations should be used to fight avian influenza. France and the Netherlands presented plans at a meeting of EU veterinary experts on conducting targeted preventive vaccination campaigns on certain poultry to fight against highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus. EU experts discussed the technical and scientific details of the plans, which, if go ahead, would be the first vaccination programs against the lethal H5N1 virus in the EU. The discussions will continue Wednesday morning.

Avian influenza Confirmed in Swans in Hungary

22.02.2006

Test results Tuesday confirmed that three dead swans found in Hungary were infected with deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza. The three dead swans, found earlier this month near the village of Nagybaracska, about 100 miles south of Budapest, were Hungary's first confirmed cases of H5N1.

Malaysia culls poultry as avian influenza reappears

21.02.2006

Malaysia stepped up its defences against avian influenza on Tuesday, killing suspect poultry and sending health officials to track any human infections, after it reported its first case of H5N1 virus in more than a year. No human cases have so far been reported in Malaysia, which had last reported the H5N1 virus in a chicken in the northern state of Kelantan on Nov. 22, 2004.

Avian influenza: significance of mutations in the H5N1 virus

20.02.2006

Several recent media reports have included speculations about the significance of mutations in H5N1 avian influenza viruses. Some reports have suggested that the likelihood of another pandemic may have increased as a result of changes in the virus. Since 1997, when the first human infections with the H5N1 avian influenza virus were documented, the virus has undergone a number of changes. These changes have affected patterns of virus transmission and spread among domestic and wild birds. They have not, however, had any discernible impact on the disease in humans, including its modes of transmission. Human infections remain a rare event. The virus does not spread easily from birds to humans or readily from person to person.

Bulgaria: H5N1 confirmed

20.02.2006

The European Union's animal health laboratory in the United Kingdom has officially confirmed three dead swans found in Bulgaria were infected with the lethal H5N1 avian influenza strain.

Belgium: vaccination of Zoo birds against AI

20.02.2006

The zoo of Antwerp and the animal park in Planckendael started vaccination of birds that are being kept outdoors, such as pelicans, ostriches and storks. against avian influenza. The vaccine used is the inactivated H5N2.

Avian influenza in Egypt

20.02.2006

Report date: 19 February 2006. A total of 7 outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza were reported in five governorates in Egypt. Cairo; Giza; Menia; Quena; Qualiubia; Behera; Dakahlia. The cases were diagnosed by Animal Health Research Institute (national laboratory) and confirmed by NAMRU-3 as H5N1.

Cairo zoo closes after avian influenza reaches Egypt

19.02.2006

The Egyptian authorities closed Cairo zoo and seven other state-run zoos around the country for two weeks from Sunday to prevent the spread of avian influenza after cases of the H5N1 virus were detected on Thursday. Cairo zoo manager Talaat Sidraus told Reuters that zoo workers has immediately started disinfecting bird cages. Witnesses saw dead and sick birds inside the zoo grounds on Sunday but it was not immediately clear if they had avian influenza.

France Confirms Avian influenza in a wild Duck

19.02.2006

France confirmed that a wild duck found dead near the border with Switzerland. The dead duck was found by a lake in the rural east of the country, in the Ain region outside Lyon. was infected with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.

India: Avian influenza reported in Maharashtra

18.02.2006

The first cases of avian influenza have been confirmed in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra. On Saturday morning, the animal diseases lab in Bhopal confirmed that seven samples taken from dead chickens tested positive for the disease. The lab had been testing samples of chickens which had died over the past few weeks in Maharashtra's Nandurbar district. Over 50,000 chickens have died in the last few weeks in Nandurbar, a poultry belt that lies along Maharashtra's border with Gujarat.

Indonesia confirms 19th human avian influenza death

18.02.2006

Avian influenza has killed its 19th Indonesian human victim, a 23-year-old man, according to tests by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. That brought the total number of confirmed Indonesian human cases of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza to 27. Eight of those who have had the disease have survived. Of Indonesia's confirmed fatalities, eight have been in 2006, making Indonesia the country with the most avian influenza deaths so far this year.

Avian influenza found in Egypt

17.02.2006

Egypt has joined the list of countries with cases of avian influenza. Officials at the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) have confirmed the H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been found in dead birds in Egypt. The WHO regional advisor for emerging diseases said the disease had been found in three areas of the country.

Second Iraqi dies of avian influenza

16.02.2006

The dead uncle of an Iraqi girl who died last month after contracting the deadly avian influenza virus also had the disease, a US official said, citing results of samples tested at a UN-certified laboratory in Egypt. The man died on January 27 in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. He lived in the same house as his 15-year-old niece. She was confirmed as the country's first avian influenza-related death. They died 10 days apart.

Slovenia confirmed H5N1 in swan

16.02.2006

Slovenia has confirmed that a swan found dead in the north of the country had the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus. The dead swan was sent for testing in Italy after it was found last week near the city of Maribor, less than 10km, from the Austrian border.

H5N1 avian influenza strain found in southern Russian region

16.02.2006

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza was confirmed in the Russian region of Dagestan, where hundreds of thousands of birds were found dead at poultry farms. The two incidents of mass deaths in Dagestan occurred about two weeks ago and involved some 345,000 birds. Dagestan authorities initially blamed Newcastle disease, but tests were conducted to determine the cause of death.

Infectious laryngotracheitis in the USA

15.02.2006

About 20 farms in Delaware have reported Infectious laryngotracheitis. Delmarva - the peninsula containing Delaware and parts of Maryland and Virginia - is home to more than 5,400 broiler houses. The initial outbreak, seems to have originated in Benton and Washington counties.

H5N1 avian influenza found in dead swans in Germany

14.02.2006

Two dead swans in Germany have tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza, the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Ministry said on Tuesday. Two of four dead swans found on the Baltic Sea island of Rugen had registered positive in an initial test for the virus -- the first such positive result in Germany.

Austria Says Deadly H5N1 Avian influenza Found in Two Swans

14.02.2006

Experts confirmed the presence of the H5N1 avian influenza strain in two dead swans in Austria. The Austrian Health Ministry said it had taken preventive measures, including the creation of a restricted zone within a 3-kilometer (2-mile) radius of where the dead swans were found, near Graz in the Styria region bordering Slovenia.

Iran detects first cases of H5N1 avian influenza

14.02.2006

Iran's veterinary organization said on Tuesday the first cases of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza had been detected in wild swans in the Islamic Republic. "International laboratory results confirm that some wild swans died from avian influenza," a statement from the organization said. An official from the veterinary organization, confirmed the birds had died from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. The avian influenza virus has killed 135 wild swans.

Newcastle disease in Ukraine

14.02.2006

Report date: 13 February 2006. An outbreak of Newcastle disease was reported in the farm "Staroverskiy"; Shevchenkovskiy district, Kharkiv region. Identification of agent: velogenic strain of the virus. Date of first confirmation of the event: 9 February 2006. Date of start of the event: 23 January 2006.

Avian influenza in Azerbaijan

10.02.2006

Azerbaijan said on Friday the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza had been found in wild birds on the Caspian Sea. Samples from the birds were sent for tests to London and showed the avian influenza strain was present, a spokesman for the Health Ministry said. Azerbaijan, which has borders with Turkey, Russia, Iran, Armenia and Georgia, has been testing birds after poultry deaths in the south of the country.

Avian influenza in Nigeria

08.02.2006

An outbreak of avian influenza was reported in Jaji, Igabi, Kaduna State, in a poultry layers commercial farm in which ostriches and geese were also kept. Date of first confirmation of the event: 6 February 2006. Date of start of the event: 10 January 2006.

Bulgaria reports first case of H5 avian influenza in swan

03.02.2006

Bulgaria has discovered its first case of H5 avian influenza in a sick swan on its border with Romania. "Our teams found a wild swan in the Danube river near the town of Vidin. The tests on the swan showed it was infected with H5," Agriculture Minister Nihat Kabil told journalists.

Avian influenza in poultry in Iraq

03.02.2006

Report date: 2 February 2006. Identification of agent: avian influenza virus type H5. Date of first confirmation of the event: 1st February 2006. Date of start of the event: 18 January 2006. Clinical disease: yes. Nature of diagnosis: clinical and laboratory.

Iraq Confirms Human Avian influenza Death

30.01.2006

Iraqi and U.N. health officials said Monday a 15-year-old girl who died this month was a victim of the deadly H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus, the first confirmed case of the disease in the Middle East. Tests were under way to determine if the girl's uncle (39-year-old) , who lived in the same house, also died of the virus. He died 10 days later after suffering the same symptoms, officials said. Iraqi health authorities began killing domestic birds in northern Iraq, which borders Turkey, where at least 21 cases of the deadly virus have been detected. Turkey and Iraq also lie on a migratory path for numerous species of birds.

Turkey Finds Five More Human Avian influenza Cases

09.01.2006

Five more people have tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza in Turkey. Four of them come from the center of the country. This brings the total number of human avian influenza cases in Turkey to 14, including two deaths. A third person is thought to have died from avian influenza, though tests haven't confirmed it was the H5N1 strain. Another 45 have been hospitalized with flu symptoms, Fehmi Aydinli, deputy chief of planning and health care at the health ministry, said yesterday. ``It seems that the epidemic has been spreading among animals in Turkey for much longer than believed,'' Klaus Stoehr, who heads the WHO's global influenza program, told German radio, according to AFP.

Turkey: A 14-year-old boy died of avian influenza

02.01.2006

A 14-year-old boy who worked on a Turkish poultry farm died following a suspected avian influenza outbreak. Doctors are awaiting test results to confirm whether or not he died of the virus. The boy was one of the six people. Mehmet Ali Kocyigit, was one of four children, two brothers and two sisters, aged between six and 15-years-old admitted to a hospital in the south east of Turkey on Saturday. The boy who died, Mehmet, and the other children all worked on the Turkish poultry farm.

Turkey tests six people for avian influenza

01.01.2006

Six people in eastern Turkey, four of them children, are being tested for possible avian influenza, the state Anatolian news agency said on Sunday. The agency said a 35-year-old woman and a five-year old child had been sent to hospital on Sunday in the city of Van, near the Iranian border. Earlier, four children aged between 6 and 15 and from the same family, were admitted to the Van hospital after exhibiting flu symptoms and failing to respond to antibiotics, the Hurriyet newspaper said.All six patients come from the district of Dogubayazit, a remote, rural area near Turkey's border with Armenia. Anatolia quoted local officials as saying they had banned all transportation of poultry in Dogubayazit and that culling of birds would begin shortly as a precautionary measure.