China reports another human case of H5N6 bird flu.

 

Another person in mainland China has fallen seriously ill after testing positive for H5N6 bird flu, raising the number of cases so far this year to 17, officials say. The spike in human cases has led to calls for increased surveillance. 

 The latest case is a 51-year-old woman from Nanchang in Jiangxi province who developed symptoms on February 20 after exposure to live domestic poultry, according to the Hong Kong Health Department. She was hospitalized 3 days later and remains in critical condition. Other details about the case were not released by the Chinese government, which often takes a long time to announce new cases. 

 Last week, China reported that a 12-year-old girl and a 79-year-old man died of H5N6 bird flu in early December. Both lived in Liuzhou in the Guangxi region and visited a live poultry market before falling ill. It’s unknown why it took 3.5 months to report the cases. 

 Only 76 people have been infected with H5N6 bird flu since the first confirmed case in 2014, but the vast majority of cases were diagnosed during the past year. At least 17 cases, including five deaths, have been reported so far this year.

COVID-19 AND MEAT PACKAGING PLANT.

COVID-19 AND MEAT PACKAGING PLANT. Although the identity of COVID-19's patient zero is still unknown, the virus is widely suspected to have originated in a Wuhan wet market. And one thing is crystal clear: These informal slaughterhouses, along with their more formal counterparts in the factory farming industry, are the perfect place to spread disease. Crowding animals into confined, unsanitary conditions to be slaughtered—mixing blood, guts and feces—creates a petri dish for pathogens. These informal and formal "flu factories" can quickly spread a bat- or bird-borne disease among intermediary animals that humans consume. Slaughterhouses and meat-packing plants are also among the worst COVID-19 hot spots for humans. Some of the largest outbreaks in North America occurred in meatpacking plants.

Avian flu: Virus with an Eggshell.

Avian flu: Virus with an Eggshell. Avian flu can be transmitted from birds to humans; transmission among humans, however, is limited. The reason may be an eggshell-like mineral layer that the virus acquires due to the high calcium concentration in the intestines of birds. As reported by Chinese researchers in the journal Angewandte Chemie, these mineralized viruses are significantly more infectious and, in addition, more robust and heat stable than the native viruses. Avian flu is a highly infectious disease among birds that has developed into a serious threat to human health. Close contact with diseased birds or their feces is considered to be the primary source of infections in humans. Transmission between humans is limited, however, which indicates that these viruses cannot directly infect humans. Previously it was assumed that these viruses crossed the species barrier as a result of mutation or recombination with another pathogen. More recent results demonstrate that avian flu viruses isolated from infected humans have the same gene sequences as those from birds.Avian flu: Virus with an Eggshell. So how is it that humans catch the disease from birds? Researchers working with Ruikang Tang at Zhejiang University (Hangzhou, China) claim that it is because the viruses acquire a mineral "shell" in the bird intestines. They discovered that viruses can become mineralized under calcium-rich conditions. Naturally, the digestive tract of birds--the primary location of avian flu viruses--provides just such a calcium-rich environment, so that the birds can make egg shells.Avian flu: Virus with an Eggshell. Experiments with a solution that imitates the bird intestine environment allowed the researchers to demonstrate that 5 to 6 nm shells of a calcium phosphate mineral form around H9N2 and H1N1 viruses. In both cell cultures and mice, these mineralized viruses proved to be significantly more infectious--and deadly--than the native viruses. In humans, avian flu viruses infect the airways and are then found in bodily fluids, where the calcium concentration is too low for mineralization.

Reverse zoonosis: Can you make your pet sick?

Reverse zoonosis: Can you make your pet sick? Swine and bird flu are two of the most recent and startling examples of animals passing diseases to humans.

Other unpleasant pet-to-human medical problems include ringworm, roundworm, and hookworm, as well as beaver fever, toxoplasmosis, and rabies.

 Although these animal-to-human transmissions are relatively well described, pathogenic traffic in the opposite direction is much less well understood.

 Reverse zoonosis is not just an interesting concept; it is an important global issue. Animals bred for food are transported far and wide, interacting with wild species that they would never naturally have encountered.

With a rapid growth in animal production and an increase in the movement of both animals and people, a human pathogen within an animal could potentially move thousands of miles in just 24 hours.

 For instance, during the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009, the virus was able to travel the breadth of the planet and from pigs to humans in a matter of months.

Telecommunication: Northern Ireland launches avian flu text alert service.

Northern Ireland launches avian flu text alert service.New service designed to inform poultry keepers of disease outbreaks.

Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has launched a new text alert service to inform poultry producers of any disease outbreaks. 

 The new system ‘goes live’ as Northern Ireland Chief Veterinary Officer for Robert Huey urges farmers and other bird keepers to remain vigilant to the threat of avian influenza as the migratory cycle begins.

Be vigilant about avian flu as bird migrations begin.

Be vigilant about avian flu as bird migrations begin.USDA chief veterinary officer advises closely monitoring flocks and using good biosecurity measures.Poultry producers in the United States are being advised to be on the lookout for signs of avian influenza as wild birds are beginning their fall migrations. Dr. Jack Shere, USDA chief veterinary officer and deputy administrator for Veterinary Services, said poultry farmers are at risk as wild ducks and geese that could be carrying the avian influenza virus are flying south for the winter. “Look to see if there’s any reduction in feed consumption, any decrease in egg production, any birds that just don’t act right that seem weak or separate themselves or just don’t act like they normally do,” Shere said. “Those are signs that things are different in the flock and they should do what they can to get that flock tested.” Avian

Bird flu back in Abuja, 7 states - FG alerts.

Bird flu back in Abuja, 7 states - FG alerts.The Federal Government yesterday alerted the public on the outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and seven states. Gideon Mshelbwala, the Director of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, issued the alert at a meeting with state Commissioners of Agriculture in Abuja. Mr. Mshelbwala listed the states affected by the outbreak to include Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa, Plateau, FCT and Kaduna, which reported a case in May 30. He said the disease had spread across 26 states of the federation and the FCT since it started in 2008, affecting 800 farms in no fewer than 123 local government areas.more

Avian influenza questions up-most on producers mind.

Avian influenza has spread all over the world with outbreaks reported in many countries and human deaths in others, suggesting that it will challenge poultry production on every continent for along time. Producers are worried about trend and wonder if the incidence is a sign that the virus is a global potential threat that cannot be tamed. Producers are concerned that avian influenza posses a greater threat to the global poultry industry than it was a decade ago?. The largest factor that could make avian influenza more severe is the rapidly growing global poultry population. Population and income growth around the world is dictating larger flocks and bigger operations, but the level of biosecurity isn’t increasing at the same rate, especially in smaller,operations in the developing world. Producers are also wondering about the risk implication of having more birds,a larger operation.? The size of farm or number of birds does not increase or decrease risk,what matters is the biosecurity level of farm and compliance level of farm hands. The most common question is the method to keep free-range and pasture chicken free from avian influenza virus?. The quest to go cage-free and have free range birds is a major foci of bird flu virus as many outbreaks started from free range birds and spread to commercial farms. see The continuous risk of raising free range birds can only be minimized with proper surveillance and monitoring of health status of birds. Education and training on proper management technique will go a long way to reduce risk of exposure and consequently spread of virus.

Russia battles diverse livestock diseases

Russia battles diverse livestock diseases: Russia is facing numerous biosecurity problems, as African swine fever (ASF) challenges the pig industry, poultry farmers battle bird flu, the first outbreaks of nodular dermatitis hit cattle farmers, and venison breeders combat anthrax.

Bird flu affecting half of China: ‘controllable’ but may spread.

Bird flu affecting half of China: ‘controllable’ but may spread further.National health commission puts provincial authorities on alert as the country grapples with its worst outbreak of the deadly bird flu strain. Chinese health authorities have issued stern warnings over the H7N9 bird flu outbreak in the last two days, admitting the situation had already affected half of the country and could lead to even more fatalities. Since January, human deaths and infections from H7N9 have been reported in 16 provinces and municipalities, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.While the situation was still “preventable and controllable”, the COMMISSION WARNED in a statement on Tuesday that if the situation was not tightly controlled the virus could spread further. The virus had killed at least 87 people by February 12, including 79 in January. It is the highest death toll since the first known human infection in 2013, and most of the cases have been in the Pearl and Yangtze River delta areas. In the previous three years, January’s death toll had ranged between 20 and 31. The commission’s statement came one day after it warned provincial health authorities across the country, including Xinjiang and Tibet, of the risks of the latest H7N9 outbreak. Local authorities were ordered to make “utmost effort” to contain the disease and minimise deaths. The World Health Organisation said there were no signs of sustained human-to-human transmission in bird flu cases this year, but it would remain “vigilant” over the puzzling outbreak in which affected poultry did not show any symptoms more

Bird flu kills 11,000 poultry in one week in Plateau .

The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has reported that the resurgence of Bird flu in Plateau state killed over 11,000 birds, last week. According to PAN’s chairman in the state, John Dasar, six farms had so far been affected and no fewer than 11,000 birds were gotten rid of. Dasar attributed the fast spread of the disease to failure by farmers to report the outbreak of the disease. “Farmers in Plateau state are really going through tough times because of the resurgence of bird flu in the last one week. In one week, six poultry farms were depopulated. The main concern here is that most farmers don’t report the outbreak, they prefer to sell their birds to marketers rather than wait for government’s compensation that will never come. So, all we do is when we get wind of an outbreak in any farm, we alert government’s officials to take immediate action,” he said. The chairman, however, urged poultry farmers to report any outbreak in their farms to the appropriate authorities so as to prevent any further spread of the disease in the state.Source

Poultry market tests spark flu advisory.

Consumers in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, are being urged to avoid contact with live poultry after tests found that more than 30 percent of live poultry markets in the city were contaminated with the H7N9 avian flu virus, according to Guangzhou's disease control authority. Health experts have called for stricter measures to contain the virus to prevent possible outbreaks. Zhang Zhoubin, deputy director of the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said surveillance reports in the past week show that the H7N9 virus exists in about 30 percent of the city's farmers markets that sell live poultry. The Guangzhou government had decided to suspend live poultry trade in all markets from Jan 16 to 18, Feb 16 to 18 and March 16 to 18 as a preventive measure to curb bird flu virus.An assessment report shows that the three-day trade halt in January helped reduce all types of bird flu virus at these markets by at least 60 percent.continue

China steps up human H7N9 avian flu prevention.

A number of provinces in China have stepped up efforts to prevent H7N9 avian flu following reports of scattered human cases of the virus. Authorities closed 280 live poultry trading and slaughtering venues in Suining city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, after four human H7N9 cases were reported in the city this year, according to the provincial health authorities. Commerce officials in Suining have enhanced inspections to crack down on unlicensed poultry businesses. The central province of Hubei has set up headquarters for the prevention and control of human H7N9 outbreak, according to the provincial Health and Family Planning Commission. Hubei confirmed 19 human H7N9 cases from Jan.1 to Feb. 9, scattered across several cities. Two patients have been discharged from hospital after recovering. The province has dispatched 16 inspection teams to check on prevention efforts. In Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, all live poultry markets have been suspended. The province has reported 24 H7N9 cases, including five fatalities, this year. Eastern China's Zhejiang Province ordered all markets across the province to halt live poultry trading by 6 p.m. Saturday, over bird flu concerns. Staff with the Zhejiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that the province had entered a high season of bird flu outbreak. In January alone, Zhejiang reported 35 infections of the H7N9 strain of bird flu. Contact with live poultry is the major source of infection, particularly in rural areas. H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in China in March 2013. It is most likely to strike in winter and spring. Beijing on Saturday reported a human H7N9 case. The patient is a 68-year-old man from Langfang city in neighboring Hebei Province. Liaoning, Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Guangdong and Guizhou provinces have all reported human H7N9 cases this year.source

Bird flu sensitization seminar and new compensation scheme.

The bird flu virus ravaging many nations is a wake up call for strict biosecurity protocols and surveillance strategies. Poultry keeping is a money spinner and a source of employment, and raw materials for many companies,but a breech in bio security measures will make a mess of the business and loss of products. In line with the go back to agriculture initiative, all hands must be on deck to support farmers,agribusiness' and feed millers to ensure there ventures are profitable to provide wholesome products for the people thus contributing to food security. The Lagos state avian influenza office is organizing a sensitization seminar on bird-flu and how to stop the virus. The scope of seminar will be ; 1) Biosecurity. 2) New compensation scheme . The seminar will hold at Johnson Agiri Complex,Oko Oba Agege on the 15/2/2017 @ 9am prompt. This is an open invite for farmers ,live-poultry-dealers,veterinarians,feed-millers and other members of the poultry value chain. Products will be on display, for your education and purchase.

First NI bird flu case found in County Derry wild swan.

The first case of bird flu has been confirmed in Northern Ireland. The avian influenza strain H5N8 was discovered in a dead wild swan near Lough Beg, County Londonderry. The swan was reported by a member of the public as part of the Department of Agriculture's dead wild bird surveillance programme. Initial testing has indicated the presence of the H5N8 strain of bird flu. However, the department has said the risk to the public is very low.Officials have been on alert for the disease since cases were confirmed in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. source

Free range eggs may have to be renamed because of bird flu restrictions.

Free range eggs may have to be renamed because of bird flu restrictions. UK egg producers have warned that the future of the premium free range sector is at risk should the eggs lose their prized status because of the ongoing threat of bird flu. Flocks of free range hens are being housed indoors because of the bird flu outbreak and if they are unable to go back outside by the end of February the eggs will be downgraded to “barn produced”, the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) has said. continue

Hungary orders poultry indoors amid bird flu concern

Hungary orders poultry indoors amid bird flu concern: Hungary’s chief veterinarian Lajos Bognar has ordered the nation’s poultry industry to keep birds indoors as the country grapples with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HAPI).

Proliferation of bird flu outbreaks raises risk of human pandemic.

The global spread of bird flu and the number of viral strains currently circulating and causing infections have reached unprecedented levels, raising the risk of a potential human outbreak, according to disease experts. Multiple outbreaks have been reported in poultry farms and wild flocks across Europe, Africa and Asia in the past three months. While most involve strains that are currently low risk for human health, the sheer number of different types, and their presence in so many parts of the world at the same time, increases the risk of viruses mixing and mutating - and possibly jumping to people. "This is a fundamental change in the natural history of influenza viruses," Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease specialist at University of Minnesota, said of the proliferation of bird flu in terms of geography and strains - a situation he described as "unprecedented". Global health officials are worried another strain could make a jump into humans, like H5N1 did in the late 1990s. It has since caused hundreds of human infections and deaths, but has not acquired the ability to transmit easily from person to person. The greatest fear is that a deadly strain of avian flu could then mutate into a pandemic form that can be passed easily between people - something that has not yet been seen. While avian flu has been a prominent public health issue since the 1990s, ongoing outbreaks have never been so widely spread around the world - something infectious disease experts put down to greater resilience of strains currently circulating, rather than improved detection or reporting. While there would normally be around two or three bird flu strains recorded in birds at any one time, now there are at least half a dozen, including H5N1, H5N2, H5N8 and H7N8. The Organization for Animal Health (OIE) says the concurrent outbreaks in birds in recent months are "a global public health concern", and the World Health Organization's director-general warned this week the world "cannot afford to miss the early signals" of a possible human flu pandemic. continue

Panic in Plateau over fresh bird flu outbreak .

Poultry farmers in Plateau State have been urged to report any observed disease in their farms due to fresh outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu) in the state.The Plateau State Chairman of Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, Mr. John Dasar, who gave the charge yesterday, said reporting diseases observed in their farms on time to relevant agency will help prevent the diseases from unaffected farms. Although the outbreak of bird flu has raised fears among poultry farmers in the state, Dasar called for calm as he urged farmers to reinforce safety measures in their farms to avoid lost of investments. He said: “Three farms have recorded an outbreak: one at Dong village, one at Rukuba Road and at another farm, which I cannot recall now. I also cannot say precisely the number of birds that were affected. “We are working with veterinary doctors and they are working hard to ensure the disease does not spread. That is why I am appealing to all poultry farmers to report any trace of the disease in their farms so that prompt action can be taken to arrest the situation.” source

A New, “Highly Aggressive” Bird Flu (H5N5) Has Been Found in Germany.

H5N5, a new, highly pathogenic sub-type of bird flu has been found on several turkey farms in northern Germany, adding to concerns of the spreading of new strains of avian influenza.The Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Germany’s national institute for animal health, discovered H5N5 on Jan. 21 at four different locations, all owned by the same company, in Steinburg, in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. First, a farmer found a number of dead turkeys at a site housing 3,400 birds,then the virus spread to a larger facility housing 15,000 birds, according to the news agency Kieler Nachrichten. The birds were culled in an attempt to stop the virus virus, but on Thursday, the Schleswig-Holstein Agriculture Minister Robert Habeck stated that two more nearby farms with another 15,000 birds had been infected and would also have to be culled. Preventive measures, including closing down the sites, have been put in place to contain the virus, according to Habek. Habek described the new subtype, which has never been found in European poultry, as “highly aggressive,” noting that it killed more than half of the flock of 3,400 birds where it was first discovered within 48 hours with the rest of the turkeys having shown disease symptoms. H5N5 had already been found in wild geese in Germany and in wild birds in the Netherlands, Italy, Montenegro, Italy, Croatia and Israel. This discovery shows how dynamic the bird flu is as the virus is present and is changing,there hasn’t been a known case of H5N5 being contracted by humans.