Archive for January, 2008
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as A(H5N1) or simply H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species.[1] A bird-adapted strain of H5N1, called HPAI A(H5N1) for “highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of type A of subtype H5N1″, is the causative agent of H5N1 flu, commonly known as “avian influenza” or “bird flu”. It is endemic in many bird populations, especially in Southeast Asia. One strain of HPAI A(H5N1) is spreading globally after first appearing in Asia. It is epizootic (an epidemic in nonhumans) and panzootic (affecting animals of many species, especially over a wide area), killing tens of millions of birds and spurring the culling of hundreds of millions of others to stem its spread. Most references to “bird flu” and H5N1 in the popular media refer to this strain.[2]
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Indonesia will not share bird flu virus samples unless there is a guarantee developing nations will have control over their use and have access to cheap vaccines, a health ministry spokeswoman said on Monday.
Indonesia has held back its virus samples since August and wants guarantees from richer nations and drug-makers that poor countries get access to affordable vaccines derived from their samples.
Health officials from around the world failed to reach an agreement on a new virus sharing system at talks hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva last week.
Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari insisted on “equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of viruses” at the meeting, but not everyone agreed.
Indonesia, the country hardest hit by avian flu with 91 human deaths, wants a “material transfer agreement” (MTA) for each virus sample sent to foreign labs, that specifies the sample is used only for diagnostic purposes and not for commercial gain.
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Sixty-eight thousand birds were recently culled in a Suffolk farm in England. This is part of the UK’s Department of Environment, Food, and Agriculture’s control measures on the most recent bird flu case in the area.
Among the culled birds were 56,000 ducks, 9,000 turkeys and 3,000 geese.
Earlier, DEFRA has culled 28,600 birds in the same area. But new information about other farms being exposed to the bird flu virus led to the latest culling. DEFRA confirmed that the farm involved is owned by the same company which operates Redgrave Park Farm, where the virus was first detected in early November.
Farmers and poultry keepers are enjoined to be vigilant in observing safety measures, and to immediately report any signs of bird flu.
From BBC News
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The recently concluded Intergovernmental Meeting on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (IGM-PIP), which tackled the sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines, came to a deadlock-end.
Health officials failed to reach agreement on a new system to ensure developing countries benefit more from sharing bird flu virus samples used to develop vaccines, the World Health Organization said.
Sharing virus samples among countries is important in virus strain surveillance, as well as in vaccine development. These issues were discussed during the 3-day meeting held from November 20-23, 2007 at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
“We must have equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of viruses through a fair, transparent and equitable mechanism. It is the moral thing to do,” Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari of Indonesia said. Indonesia has the highest death toll - 91 people - from bird flu.
Indonesia proposed that commercial use of a virus sample would require consent from the country providing it, and that the country should be given affordable access to vaccine stockpiles.
However, John Lange, U.S. special representative for avian and pandemic influenza, said that research and development of vaccines was “very risky, time-consuming and extremely expensive” and it was critical to protect patents to ensure their continued development.
News from Reuters
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DEFRA?s first epidemiological report into the recent H5N1 avian flu outbreak in Suffolk indicates the outbreak has been confined to one index case, but fails to “categorically identify the source of the outbreak?.
The report cites ?poor biosecurity? and the location of the free range poultry unit ? just meters away from an ornamental lake which was inhabited by wild birds - as significant findings, and does not rule out wild birds as the source of infection.
Only one of the five dangerous contact (DC) premises, culled by DEFRA as a result of birds being tended by the same stockmen who employed poor biosecurity measures on the first premises, have so far tested positive for the H5N1 virus.
According to the investigation, workers traveled between units without changing overalls, foot wear and, in some cases, without even washing their hands.
Extensive surveillance of both wild and domestic birds in the area continues, however preliminary findings suggest the infection failed to spread beyond the initial infected premises.
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