ONE WORLD, ONE HEALTH.

One world,one health; the veterinarian and medical doctors working together on the avian influenza virus outbreak.

 Today,i went with a team of investigators from the federal ministry of health and NVRI to a farm that recently had the bird flu outbreak.

The team had to ask questions and collect samples. one world,one health,one medicine.

AVIAN INFLUENZA IN MAN.

Avian influenza also referred to as bird flu caused by the bird flu virus is of various strains and virulence.The various strains of the bird flu virus has various virulence in various animal specie including man. The H5N1 strain is very virulent in chicken and highly pathogenic in man. The possible route of infection with the bird flu virus are as follows; 1) contact with infected birds. 2)contact with surfaces,floors,clothing and tools contaminated with infected poultry droppings. 3)Living in close proximity with poultry houses and sharing gadgets,implements and tools. 4)Processing infected poultry. 5)Handling dead infected poultry. 6)Visiting aviaries,parks and wild life resorts where there is an incidence and where large numbers of reservoir host. 7)Purchasing artworks or decorations made from infected birds such as feather pens,hand fans and feather mosaics. 8)Purchasing furnishings made from infected poultry such as pillows,foot cushions,throw pillows with feather stuffing's. 9)Visitations to live bird markets with various species of birds from various sources with critical health status. 10) Handling infected organs from birds especially when collecting samples. Avian influenza in man can be treated if the patients starts medication and treatment early.The signs include fever,severe headaches,followed by chest pain,coughing and sneezing.This is accompanied by muscular pains and generalized body weakness. The patient is usually isolated and treated with Tamiflu,the prognosis of which depends on the time of initiation of treatment. Avian influenza is deadly but preventable,stay safe. Hand washing after handling poultry and also restriction of visits to parks and zoos where incidence of bird flu has been reported.The simple technique of isolation,disinfection will curb the spread.

Avian influenza ; in the news.

The H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected in the following states in Nigeria; Lagos,Ogun,Edo,Delta,Rivers,Kano and Plateau. A total of 140,390 birds have been exposed to the virus out of which 22,573 have died, and others culled. The farms have been decontaminated,quarantined and bio-security protocol enhanced .The area of infection include:21 commercial farms,9 live bird markets and a private zoo. The H5N1 virus has registered its presence in Egypt,with number of cases increased to 21 ,with 16 deaths.The infection occured in people who had close contact with infected birds/contaminated surfaces,handling and processing of birds. Israel has joined in the HPAI trend,as the virus has been discovered in Aviel farm,as @ 20/1/15; 15,000 birds have died.In a Palestinian coop,4000 birds have died. The H5N1 virus has affected 30000 birds in Israel,with 15,000 deaths and other birds destroyed. The culling of affected flock is ongoing,backyard birds will also be culled. The health officials in Israel have provided 100 safety suits for those handling infected birds, and also 1000 Tamiflu bottles provided in hospitals. The HPAI infection across the globe is a wake up call for all to imbibe high levels of bio-security protocol and ensure strict compliance. WE CAN STOP THE BIRD FLU VIRUS! STEP UP YOUR BIO-SECURITY PROTOCOL! USE VIRKON® S. The power is in your hands! Wash hands with soap and water and sanitize hands.

BIRD FLU WATCH.

H7N9 kills 2 people in China,Taiwan battles worst H5N2 outbreak and Egypt report 3rd bird flu death in 2015. The ever changing bird flu virus makes it a potential global threat in terms of economic loss and also death of man. The capacity of the virus to mutate enables it to cross species and cause fulminating infection in these species, this is the reason why it poses a pandemic threat. The bird flu virus infection has been linked to wild birds/waterbirds and migratory birds which act as reservoir .The key prevention will be to keep wild birds away from poultry.These can be achieved as by the following measures ; do not handle birds of unknown origin, dont touch dead birds, wash hands immediately after handling poultry, do not buy processed birds from unknown origin, if you observe high mortality in poultry in your area notify vet authorities in your area. The surveillance of live bird markets, farms and control/border points are paramount in the preventive measure. BE ALERT! BE PROACTIVE ! STOP BIRD FLU VIRUS!.

Avian influenza: Emerging infectious disease.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)A virus subtype H5,have been circulating among poultry in several countries in Asia and Africa for many years. The HPAI virus have caused hundreds of infections in humans and has poised public health threat.This prompted the government of China to embark on mass vaccination of flock and culling of infected birds. The protocol was effective because the virus was curtailed,thus saving lives and preserving animal production lines, but it had some major disadvantages. The protocol is expensive, and the government is currently seeking ways to stop the mass vaccination.The key disadvantage was that subclinical levels of HPAI was found among vaccinated chicken,where the H5N1 had evolved into multiple H5N2 genotypes which are all vaccine-escape variants.(emerging infections journal vol 20. Num 12-Dec 2014) The vaccination played an important role at the onset,but resulted in production of other variants that are highly pathogenic and pose a more fatal threat .This clearly shows that vaccination of flock is not the way to combat the virus, rather education of the populace,bio security,surveillance,rapid diagnosis and culling/destruction of infected birds.