Bird Flu Center

German authorities have decided to close the doors of a poultry farm in the south of the country, after the presence of the H5N1 virus was confirmed in a number of birds in the area. Further checks on other samples from farm birds were taken in for analysis, as the farm raises around 44000 birds. Several cases of avian influenza were identified in Germany in June this year, as well as 2006. Also this week, Russia banned poultry imports from Italy, in an attempt to prevent the spread of the disease in the country.

Children and young people in Georgia will have the chance to get an insight on avian influenza through drama lessons and performances. The project is coordinated by the Internally Displaced Persons Women’s Association ‘Consent’, with support from UNICEF Georgia. Puppet shows will be organized for around 4,000 children and around 20 theatre performances will focus on getting the message across to young people.

This mean was chosen as children are known to be very motivated to learn through theatre and play, as Nana Gogokhia, the project’s coordinator, says. The performances are meant to be interactive, so that the children are encouraged to become involved and learn by having fun. School calendars, as well as bookmarks presenting messages on influenza prevention will also be distributed in the locations where the performances take place.

A highly pathogenic form of bird flu is again spreading through Europe. Most recently, Germany and the Czech Republic have reported outbreaks of H5N1, despite the European Union intensifying its efforts to prevent the reappearance of the virus among poultry. Some specialists are claiming that the latest outbreaks are a sign that the disease is in the process of mutating and becoming endemic on the continent.

The Czech Republic is dealing with a spread of the virus among broilers, as 60 birds were found to be infected in a farm in Norin. Another outbreak was discovered at a turkey farm in the same area. 6,000 birds had to be culled to halt the spread of the disease.

Germany has also confirmed that the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus strain was detected in 6 wild birds found dead near Nuremberg and later on reported the discovery of 3 wild swans in the east of the country, which carried the same disease. Germany’s previous virus detection dated from August 2006, when a zoo in Dresden was confirmed as a bird flu carrier.

Researchers working at the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology and Ghent University in Belgium are due to start human trials for their flu virus vaccine. The drug is promising because it is aiming to be a universal vaccine for all the “A” type strains of the virus. It is designed to replace the currently yearly administered vaccines and provide a lifelong protection against the disease.

Trials at this stage aim to verify the safety of the vaccine and provide an insight into its influence on the immune system. The scientists goal is for two administrations to be sufficient for a lifelong protection against the virus.

Friedrich-Loeffler Institute officials (Germany’s top animal health institution) have released a new report containing recommendations for the country’s veterinary workers, as traces of the H5N1 virus was found in the body of a dead domestic goose. Previously, a considerable number of wild birds had been killed by the same highly pathogenic virus.

Meanwhile, in France the Agriculture Ministry announced that three wild birds had been found dead in the department of Moselle. Subsequent research revealed that the birds had been infected with the avian flu virus. France has seen the first case of the disease last February, where the virus was found in an area in the east of the country. 11,000 farms had to cull or vaccinated all their birds as a result.

A number of wild birds have been found dead in the region around Nuremberg in Germany and subsequent testing have proven that they were infected with a lethal strain of the bird flu virus. However, authorities stated today that they don’t expect the disease to spread outside the area where the birds were discovered over the course of last weekend. The outbreak is still under investigation, as Germany has just started a national testing programme designed to detect such cases early on.

Russian authorities have confirmed yet another case of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus in the area around the country’s capital city, Moscow. Officials claim that the virus originated from the Sadovod pet market, which is now scheduled to be shut down. It is the sixth location in the region where bird flu has been found, while three other cases are being researched. 43 people that have been in contact with infected birds are now kept under medical observation, but there is no confirmed case of an infection to humans.

Strict measures have been taken in the cases of several poultry farms in the Moscow region. A highly pathogenic form of the bird flu virus was identified at two farmsteads and now access to poultry farms is limited, while the local personnel is kept under permanent medical surveillance. One other measure taken is that any wild bird that appears in the vicinity of the poultry farms will be shot down. The exact virus strain is not known yet, but tests are being carried out to identify the virus correctly.

Wednesday saw the confirmation that Hungary is the first EU country to report an outbreak of bird flu this year. The dead geese that had been found in Csongrad County earlier this week were confirmed to be carrying the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. All of the remaining flock of approximately 3,000 birds were culled by Hungarian authorities. The country’s response to the situation was characterized as “very satisfying” by a spokesperson for the European Commission. A buffer zone of 3 km was also set up around the area, as well as a surveillance area 10 km wide. Serbia has already announced that poultry imports from Hungary have been banned.

A massive exercise will be organized next month, preparing the nation for the danger of a possible bird flu outbreak. This will include parts of the country being sealed off and patrolled by the police. The operation bears the name “Winter Willow” and all emergency services are expected to actively take part in it, as well as town hall officials and government ministers. Emergency centres will be set up in certain areas and people will be prevented from entering the exclusion zones. The plan has been set up among growing concern that the disease could be mutated into a form easily passed on from person to person. Estimates say that up to 7 million Britons could fall victims to such a pandemic.

A group of British scientists and health specialists warn that the stockpile of antiviral drugs that the UK holds at the moment is worrying, as it might leave the country vulnerable to a global avian influenza pandemic. They say that the government is not fully utilizing the advice it receives. In a report published by the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Department of Health is advised to urgently revisit its decision about stockpiling a single antiviral drug, Tamiflu, as recent discoveries about the highly pathogenic strain of the virus suggest that it is able to develop immunity to the drug.

Swiss authorities have announced that the country’s flu drugs provisions should be sufficient in the event of a pandemic. The government has placed an order of 8 million doses of a pre-pandemic vaccine produced by the Anglo-American company GlaxoSmithKline. The cost of the operation is estimated to be around 142 million USD. Stockpiling will commence in January of next year. The vaccination will be voluntary, but the amount of doses is expected to be enough for the immunization of the whole population of 7.4 million.

Measures to counteract the highly pathogenic bird flu virus have been stepped up in Eastern Russia, with the fall migration of waterfowl creating the risk of another outbreak of the virus in new areas. Health workers are collecting 1,100 blood samples from migratory and domestic birds from the Primorye Territory in a program that was started in July this year. No avian influenza case has been reported yet, as domestic birds were vaccinated against the disease in the spring. Five Siberian and 11 southern regions of Russia were affected by the disease this year, with 1.5 million birds dying or falling ill because of this. However, the outbreaks were eradicated and all quarantine restrictions were lifted in August. Siberia is in the vicinity of Asian countries that have been heavily affected by the disease. Local administration has opened a center to fight the disease and allocated funds to buy medicines for a large scale vaccination campaign, as well as setting up mobile veterinary teams.

Reports from Serbia are saying that the local government is preparing to adopt a national plan for the fight against avian influenza, some time next week. The regulations concerning the disease have brought to the standard set by the European Union and this plan has so far been approved by all relevant and necessary ministries, waiting only for a confirmation by the Serbian government. The plan includes, among others, preventive and offensive measures against the disease, as Dejan Krnjajic, the director of the Veterinary Administration, declared. An team of experts will be formed to make use of the most advanced technological equipment in three laboratories, in order to make an accurate and rapid diagnosis in any suspicious case of avian influenza.

Mallorca’s health authorities are putting the island on guard against a possible arrival of the bird flu virus on their soil during the following months. The onset of autumn will most likely mean that millions of birds will be migrating across the region, thus increasing the chance of the virus claiming victims on the island. Authorities are preparing by stocking up vaccines for an eventual outbreak of the disease and getting ready to issue guidelines in the case of an epidemic. The World Health Organization has just recently warned on the possibility that bird flu causes a pandemic soon, as it remains the world’s number on threat to public health. All countries have been asked to make the necessary preparations for such an outcome.

Britain officials announced a new plan meant to monitor and carry out testing in different areas around the country where the deadly H5N1 virus strain is likely to appear. Also, a number of species will be tested for the disease, with particular attention paid to ducks, geese, swans, gulls and waders, the most likely to carry and transmit a deadly avian influenza strain in the United Kingdom. DEFRA (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) will be focusing its surveillance activity and testing on samples taken from wild birds in those areas that have a high number of migrating waterfowl and larger poultry populations. A single case of the H5N1 virus was found so far in the country, in a dead swan found in Scotland back in April.

Romania is the first European country to have reported bird flu outbreaks in poultry, in September last year and has also had to deal with a massive epidemic just months ago, when hundreds of outbreaks were reported from the Danube Delta to Bucharest and other parts of the country. However, those were eventually contained and the country has received words of praise from the European Union, an organization which Romania aspires to join at the beginning of next year. Now the country is preparing itself for a possible new wave of the disease in the following months. As autumn closes in, a wave of migratory birds is expected, which could spread the H5N1 caused illness again. Romania is crossed  by some major migratory paths for wild birds, that make the country one of the first possible points of entry of the virus into Europe. The country has not reported any human cases of bird flu so far, but with many predictions estimating a flu pandemic is just around the corner, health officials are taking every prevention measure possible. The country is to receive a 30 million euro loan to aid in avian influenza preparation efforts and authorities have just started a nationwide campaign of testing poultry for any bird flu traces. This is to ensure that the disease will be tracked as soon as possible if it arrives in the country again.

While there is no current outbreaks of the disease in either wild or domestic birds in any European Union country, the European Commission has officially approved two veterinary vaccines that are to be used against the virus by the Eu member states. The vaccines are Nobilis Influenza H5N2, which is to be used in chickens, and Poulvac FluFend H5N3 RG, effective with both chickens and Pekin ducks (the most common species of duck raised for meat). Both vaccines are also proven to be effective against the most dangerous strain of the virus, the H5N1 strain, which is responsible for decimating poultry stocks in Asia. The vaccines in question are administered by injection and are proven to reduce the death rate of poultry exposed to the disease.

A British producer and distributor of a wide range of skin health care products has confirmed that one of its new products, a hand gel, has tested positive for killing the highly pathogenic avian virus withing 30 seconds after a single application. Dermasalve Sciences PLC claims these findings have received independent confirmatory test documentation from a European contract Virology research company for this product, which was developed along with Drug Delivery Solutions Limited. The tests have given a result of 99.99% effectiveness in killing the virus within a 30 second time period. The gel seems to remain active for at least 30 minutes after the application. Production of the substance will begin in October this year.

The first occurrence of the H5N1 strain of bird flu virus has been confirmed in the Netherlands. Two young owls were recently found dead in a zoo in Rotterdam and subsequent testing of samples from the birds revealed they were infected with the deadly disease. A routine test done by the Wild Life Health Center first found early traces of the virus. Later a specialized laboratory confirmed the result. The zoo has not been closed and will remain open, but with restrictions set in place to protect, visitors, staff, as well as other animals kept there. The source of the virus is unknown, but it is reported that staff members have been given prophylactic medication by health authorities.

ollowing the discovery of bird flu traces on a Dutch farm last week, several countries have chosen to ban imports of poultry from the country. The virus found was a low pathogenic strain of avian influenza and authorities now say no new cases have been discovered in the last days. Therefore measures have been eased and activity is now again allowed at the farm, but in a safe perimeter set up in its vicinity. The countries that imposed partial of complete bans are Russia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Last week 25,000 chickens were culled at the farm, to contain the virus, while other 130 farms were sealed for further testing. The European country is one of the world’s top poultry producing and exporting countries. The virus detected now is nowhere near as dangerous as the one the Dutch faced in 2003, but measures still needed to be taken to prevent it from mutating into a more aggressive form.

Confirming preliminary tests, the European Union’s reference avian influenza laboratory in Weybridge, UK, says that the virus found in dead poultry from the Bulgarian village of Slanchogled has proved innocuous to humans. It seems the birds had been infected with a combination of mild avian influenza and Newcastle disease. It is none of the deadly strains, like H5N1 or H7N1, as British scientists declare. Samples taken from the diseased birds in Bulgaria have been implanted in chicken embryos and research will continue until a correct identification of the virus strain. The outbreak from the village of Slanchogled, in southern Bulgaria, led to the culling of more than 1,000 fowl.

Italian authorities are preparing for a possible wave of bird flu outbreaks in their country in the following months. Late summer will bring new flocks of migratory birds on a path from Asia and eastern Europe into the South of the continent and then Africa. Fowl carrying the virus is thought to begin arriving in Europe on August 20th and apparently the highest risk will be in the months of September and October, as a high ranking health official from the Italian government declared. Birds that have previously been in infected areas such as Siberia and the Danube Delta are thought to carry the highest risk of bringing the virus to the country. Back in February, 19 wild birds arriving from the Balkans were found to be infected with the most deadly avian influenza strain H5N1. The area was put on surveillance and poultry movement was restricted at the time. As no reports of infected domestic poultry or human cases were subsequently found in Italy, the measures proved effective. However, as the disease has killed at least 134 people worldwide, authorities are trying to make sure no cases will appear on Italian soil. An aid of 45 million euros will be given to the local poultry industry by the Italian government and the European Union, as sales have dropped by 80% following the spread of the disease worldwide.

A low pathogenic form of bird flu virus has been found on a poultry farm in the Dutch region of Gelderse Vallei, as the agriculture ministry reported on Tuesday. Although the strain is believed to be much less dangerous than the one which caused the 2003 outbreak, the farm has been closed and  health authorities are monitoring the area. The Netherlands is one of the world’s biggest poultry exporters and Europe’s second biggest producer, behind France. Authorities say the virus is not an H5 variant, but have not disclosed any other details. In 2003 the Netherlands was hit by an H7N7 avian influenza epidemic. 30 million birds were culled as a result (about a third of the Dutch poultry population). 90 people were also infected, and a veterinarian even died. Migratory birds are believed to be at the heart of this outbreak, as was the case with the 2003 disease.

Additional funds have been allocated for measures to prevent the spread of bird flu in Bulgaria. After containing the virus outbreak in Slunchogled village, as veterinarians culled the entire poultry stock in the region, government officials say prevention measures must be continued and the effort updated to ensure further outbreaks are dealt with rapidly and efficiently. The extra 50,000 leva will be used for protective clothing and disinfectants, as the Bulgarian National Radio reported. Some 15,000 leva will be given to local poultry owners from the region, as compensation for the destroyed birds. The first tests from the area revealed that the virus causing the infection was not H5N1, the most dangerous strain of bird flu known yet. Flu medicines such as Tamiflu have been provided to hospitals in Sofia and Varna.

Following the discovery of a bird flu outbreak in the village of Slunchogled, in the south of the country, Bulgaria fears EU will impose further limitations which could affect its poultry industry. Authorities have already placed a ban on the sale of live birds and the transportation of animals in the region has been forbidden. On Sunday, local veterinarians said that the outbreak was under control, following the culling of all the birds in the area. A ban on poultry and specific products exports would hit the industry even harder, but reports say the European Commission might show lenience and ban only the affected regions of Bulgaria from exporting those products. The bird flu threat has already diminished demand for poultry meat in the country since the beginning of the year. However, experts say that thorough cooking of the meat destroys the virus, thus making it safe to consume.

The bird flu outbreak spotted in the village of Slanchogled, in southern Bulgaria, is being kept under control. A quarantine of 21 days on the village will permanently eliminate the virus and prevent its spreading, officials said. It seems that preliminary tests deny the possibility of the virus being the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. Instead, experts believe the fowl was most probably infected with a combination of bird flu and Newcastle disease. Strict prevention methods have been taken, as all supplies to the village are regular and the perimeter around the village is closely supervised. Authorities say the pace of life in the village is slowly returning back to normal and the culling of all the birds has been finished. A ban on trade with live poultry and such products has been placed on the entire region.

The bird flu strain discovered in the Kardzhali region in south Bulgaria is unlikely to be the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, as announced by the Bulgarian National Radio yesterday. The preliminary tests taking place in a Bulgarian laboratory will be confirmed or denied by the final results which are to come from the United Kingdom within 14 days. About 1,500 fowl have been killed in the village of Slanchogled and compensations to the poultry owners will be given starting from Monday. A 3 kilometers perimeter around the settlement remains under observation, as the European Commission will decide on Monday if a ban on bird products from Bulgaria will be put in place.

Thursday was the day that Bulgarian authorities reported the first case of domestic fowl being infected with the bird flu virus. The case was spotted in the village of Slanchogled, near Kurdzhali. Massive poultry deaths alerted local veterinaries, who performed tests on local fowl and detected the disease. The Agriculture Ministry held a special press conference to announce the case, but it is now yet know whether the virus is the most dangerous H5N1 strain. All fowl and turkeys from three farms were culled, while a massive disinfection is being performed and passing trucks and vehicles are being thoroughly controlled. Two people who had had close contact with the infected birds are udner close surveillance. The farmers who had to suffer from the culling of the birds will be offered financial compensation.

A demonstration attended by some 100 Hungarian poultry farmers took place in front of the Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday, demanding more compensation for the losses inflicted by the bird flu containing measures. A petition was addressed to Jozsef Graf, the Agriculture Minister, asking that a government commissioner is authorized to prepare a comprehensive a ssessment of the effects of the bird flu epidemic hitting Hungary’s poultry industry. Measures to resuscitate the ailing industry were also demanded. Around half a million birds have been culled on farms in the south of the country, where the deadly H5N1 virus was first discovered in June. Culling the birds is the recommended protective action used by most countries to stop the spread of the virus. Estimates given my the farmers say that the industry has suffered losses of severs tens of billions of forints so far. Compensation offered by Hungarian authorities and the European Union only reach 2.5 billion forints.