News Reports for July 11, 2012

China: Bird flu expert urges tighter imports grip (Hong Kong)

The authorities have been criticized for allowing common and cheap pet birds to be imported into Hong Kong, as they are likely to fall sick from deadly bird flu and cause an outbreak.

On Thursday, health officials and police shut down Yuen Po Street Bird Garden - popularly known as Bird Street - in Prince Edward for 21 days and culled 1,000 birds at one of the shops after a sample of bird droppings inside the cage of an oriental magpie robin tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu.

Bird expert Mike Kilburn, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, said the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department should strictly enforce the requirements for importing caged birds into Hong Kong to further reduce the risk of bird flu.
(Snip)
The oriental magpie robin is a resident bird commonly found in the city, according to the department.

The bird involved was imported from a bird-flu-free Asian country. The department believes it was likely infected in Hong Kong or the feces may have come from a wild bird. Kilburn said caged birds are a risk and may cause human infection.

(Snip)

Infectious disease specialist Lo Wing- lok said the H5N1 virus is more active this year than in past years. Malik Peiris, virology professor at the University of Hong Kong School of Public Health, said H5N1 remains endemic across many parts of the world, including Hong Kong and the mainland. "The worry is not that trouble will start in Hong Kong but the virus is out there [to trigger another outbreak]," he said. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/...  

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 04:13:01 AM UTC

Mexico to Vaccinate 1M Chickens Against Bird Flu

A shipment of 1 million doses of vaccine from China will be used to inoculate chickens over the next few days to contain a bird-flu outbreak, Mexico's National Union of Poultry Farmers, or UNA, said.

(Snip) the number of farms with a confirmed presence of the flu virus has increased to 29, five more than indicated in the previous report, so that the epidemic has now affected close to 2.5 million barnyard fowl in the western state of Jalisco.

(Snip) the first doses of the vaccine have arrived in Mexico and will be applied to the poultry population most likely to catch the "highly contagious" H7N3 strain of avian flu. (Snip) the flu has caused the deaths of "at least a million fowl" in the Jalisco municipalities of Tepatitlan and Acatic, either from the virus itself or because they were slaughtered.

(Snip) another 7 million doses of vaccine are expected to arrive over the coming weeks to immunize a large part of the country's poultry farms.

UNA figures show that Mexico produces close to 2.5 million tons of eggs and 1.2 million tons of feedlot poultry meat per year. Jalisco contributes 55 percent of national production and by April 2012 had exported close to 4.49 billion pesos ($335 million) worth of fresh, powdered, liquid and cooked eggs, according to estimates of Mexico's agriculture department.

The state governor, Emilio Gonzalez Marquez, said that "the spreading of the virus has diminished" because the infected farms have been kept in isolation. Continued: http://latino.foxnews.com/lati...

(Note: I'm not in favor of vaccinating poultry because I think it just gives flu viruse more of a chance to jump to humans. The poultry can still have the virus, be shedding it as usual but not show symptoms or die. JMO)

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 04:22:45 AM UTC

Mexico Kills 2.5 Million Birds to Contain Bird Flu

MEXICO CITY -- Officials have slain 2.5 million birds at poultry farms in western Mexico over the past three weeks in an attempt to contain a bird flu outbreak, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday.

The virus responsible for Mexico's current bird flu outbreak, H7N3, has occasionally caused human disease in various parts of the world, according to the U.N., but has not shown itself to be easily transmittable between humans.

Officials said they have visited 148 poultry farms. Of those, bird flu was found in 31 farms, while 34 came up negative and results for the remainder were pending. (Snip) 3.4 million affected poultry (Snip)

The outbreak was first detected on June 20 in Jalisco state, and the Mexican government declared a national animal health emergency on July 2 in the face of the aggressive epidemic.

After importing one million vaccines from Pakistan, the farming officials said they have developed a seed-based vaccine that they will deliver to four laboratories to produce over 80 million doses initially. Continued:  http://www.nasdaq.com/article/...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 04:31:40 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Mexico situation

Some information differs in these two articles. Ones says they have found the virus at 29 farms and the other ups that to 31. One says 2.5 million poultry affected with 1 million dead and the other says there are 2.5 million dead. One says the vaccine was imported from China and the other says it was imported from Pakistan. There is a good chance they have gotten vaccine from both countries since they said they were expecting 7 million doses. I thought it was interesting that it was stated they have developed a seed vaccine and will have 80 million doses produced. I don't know if that is true or not.

Personally, I just don't think it is a good idea to vaccinate their poultry and I worry this strain of H7N3 will progress to a stage of easily infecting humans. JMO

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 04:45:16 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Australia: Flu season sees Coast on pneumonia alert (Queensland)

THE city is on pneumonia alert as flu season reaches its peak and hundreds of Gold Coasters are struck down with respiratory illnesses, including asthma and whooping cough.

Queensland Health data reveals five cases of invasive group A streptococcal disease in the week ending July 1. In the four weeks before that there were a further three cases. Prior to that, there was just one recorded case on the Coast.

Doctors say there has been a noticeable rise in the number of pneumonia-related illnesses through clinics in recent weeks. Queensland Health figures also reveal 12 cases of pneumococcal this year, including five in the past month. Both bacterial infections can lead to pneumonia, which can be fatal, particularly in the elderly.

Hope Island GP Dr Andrew Weissenberger said clinics were being swamped with patients suffering influenza and pneumonia-related illnesses. He said the city had reached its peak flu period. There have been 96 confirmed cases of influenza on the Coast in a month and 160 this year.

That figure makes up 2091 cases in Queensland and 425 in the week leading up to July 1. Continued: http://www.goldcoast.com.au/ar...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 05:05:55 AM UTC

New Zealand: Flu cases in Taranaki above national average

Taranaki's influenza rate has raced ahead of the national average.

Statistics from the Taranaki District Health Board from July 1 show that the rate of influenza-like illness has increased to 42 cases per 100,000 people in Taranaki, which is above the average of 37 cases per 100,000.

In the last week of June, the rate in Taranaki was only 10 cases per 100,000. Continued: http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranak...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 05:36:27 AM UTC

Australia: Spike in north coast flu cases (New South Wales)

There has been a significant spike in reported cases of influenza. The region's public health unit has stopped short of saying a flu outbreak is at epidemic levels.

There have been reports of health experts saying Australia is going through its worst influenza outbreak since the swine flu pandemic of 2009.

Mid North and North Coast Public Health director Paul Corben says there has been a significant spike locally in reported cases of influenza. But he says that's just the 'tip of the iceberg'. "The only cases we get reported to us under the Public Health Act are those that have been confirmed in a laboratory," she said. Continued: http://www.abc.net.au/local/st...  

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 05:44:02 AM UTC

Analysis - Bird flu vaccine now? More than a shot in the dark

LONDON (Reuters) - Culls of hundreds of thousands of chickens, turkeys and ducks to stem bird flu outbreaks rarely make international headlines these days, but they are a worryingly common event as the deadly virus continues its march across the globe.

As scientists delve deeper into H5N1 avian influenza, they have discovered it is only three steps way from mutating into a potentially lethal human pandemic form, adding new urgency to a debate over how to protect humans.

In 2009, during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, vaccines only became available months after the virus had spread around the world - and even then there was only enough for one in five of the world's 7 billion people.

Next time, experts say, we need another approach.

Talk is centred on "pre-pandemic vaccination" - immunising people years in advance against a flu pandemic that has yet to happen, and may never come, rather than rushing to create vaccines once a new pandemic starts.

"Even if you change manufacturing to higher-yield technologies, you're still going to be chasing the virus," David Salisbury, Britain's director of immunisation, who chaired a global group on vaccines during the H1N1 flu pandemic, said in an interview.

"The bottom line is that current production will never solve the problem. You'll always get at least one, if not two waves of infection before you can get sufficient quantities of vaccine to do anything significant ... If you want to get ahead of it, you've got to have a different strategy."

Scientists and vaccine makers have already produced pre-pandemic H5N1 vaccines and some are stockpiled by wealthy countries like the United States and European governments for front-line medical staff. Continued: http://af.reuters.com/article/...  

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 06:23:57 AM UTC

Cambodia illness due to mix of diseases

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/10/...

The mystery illness in Cambodia that has killed over 70 young children is due to a mix of a virus, dengue (also a virus) and strep. It seems the combination destroys the lungs quickly. Treatment options are not clear.

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by: INFOMASS @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 14:15:53 PM UTC

Source of Bird Flu Virus is Still Mysterious

July 11, 2012
http://www.mediaindonesia.com/...
West Java, Indonesia:  The death of KK, 8, a resident of Karachi, West Java, due to the bird flu virus attack, is still a question mark.  One was about the source of the virus that infected the victim.

"We've studied birds around the victim's home, neighbors, and relatives of victims, and all have negative exposure to the bird flu virus.  The Karachi Chicken Market is referred to as a source of transmission, we also do not have poultry infected with the virus," said Rasim, Head of Disease Control Department of Health and Environmental Diseases Karachi, yesterday.

From the investigation it is believed the victim contracted the bird flu virus from poultry, not humans.  She is also suspected to be infected from poultry in Karachi, but it could have been outside the country, because the victim went to Singapore.

"To date in Falkirk, we still have not found an outbreak of bird flu virus in poultry.  Residents do not need to worry," he said.  

"I am opposed to any form of tyranny over the mind of man."  Thomas Jefferson

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by: History Lover @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 19:57:36 PM UTC

Swine flu shots may be linked to increase in rare neurological syndrome: Quebec study

The flu vaccine used during the 2009 pandemic may have led to a slight increase in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome in Quebec, a new study from the province suggests.

The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that use of the vaccine may have led to a doubling of the rate of cases of the rare neurological condition.

But the authors of the article said that even with an increase in Guillain-Barre cases, the benefits of the vaccination probably outweighed the risk for Quebecers.

"Obviously there is a risk. But there are benefits," said first author Philippe De Wals, a professor of community health at Laval University in Quebec City. De Wals also works for Quebec's provincial public health agency. Continued: http://news.nationalpost.com/2...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 23:27:03 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for July 12, 2012

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Thu Jul 12, 2012 at 04:17:57 AM UTC