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[Jai Dee]

Patient found with avian influenza symptoms in Rayong
  
BANGKOK, Nov 11 (TNA) - A 30-year-old man in Thailand's eastern province of Rayong is suspected of having contracted bird flu and is under close surveillance in hospital there, according to provincial health authorities.

He was diagnosed with flu-like symptoms on November 7.

Although he has no direct contact with live chickens or with chicken carcases, he ate a soft boiled egg, became ill, and when he went to hospital his blood sample was sent to a laboratory for testing.

Meanwhile, laboratory test results of a nine-year-old girl in Ranod district of the southern Songkhla Province show no indication of the H5N1 avian flu virus.

There was fear earlier that the child was infected with the H5N1 virus because she had been in direct contact with a chicken which died of an unknown cause.

As Ranod district is the biggest producer of duck eggs in the country's southern region, public health officials have conducted random checks at 90 duck farms to ensure there is no outbreak of bird flu in the area.

(TNA)--E004

[Jai Dee]

DR. THAWAT SUNTARAJARN: A 77-YEAR-OLD LADY IN PICHIT NOT INFECTED WITH BIRD FLU VIRUS

The Department of Disease Control has confirmed that a 77-year-old lady in Pijit (พิจิตร) suspected with contracting bird flu, did not contract the deadly H5N1 virus.

Director-general of the Department of Disease control Dr. Thawat Suntarajarn (ธวัช สุนทราจารย์) has reported that the first lab test result showed that the 77-year-old lady in Pijit was not infected with bird flu virus, but with bacteria that caused problems in her lungs. He said that she is being treated and is recovering from the disease.

Dr. Thawat said that the department will conduct the second lab test on her, with results expected tomorrow afternoon. He added that the people have been more enthusiastic about the disease, as the department’s bird flu control center has received more calls asking about the bird flu symptoms in animals and the situation of the disease in animals.

Director of the Pijit Hospital Dr. Sunee Teeragarunwong (สุนีย์ ธีระการุณวงษ์) said that the physicians have decided to move the patient from an emergency unit to an ordinary room, as her condition is improving steadily.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 14 November 2005

[Jai Dee]

PUBLIC HEALTH MINISTER HAS ASSIGNED LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN EVERY PROVINCE TO SET UP PLANS TO PREVENT THE BIRD FLU VIRUS

Public Health Minister PINIJ JARUSOMBAT (พินิจ จารุสมบัติ) has assigned every local public health department to come up with the plans for controlling and preventing the widespread of bird flu virus. He reiterated every province to report the current situation in one’s respective area.

Mr. PINIJ said that every province has been urged to use Mr. BANG-ORN BENPARD’s (บังอร เบ็ญพาด) case as a case study. Mr. BANG-ORN died due to the concealment of information, and he was the first human victim who died from avian influenza this year. The minister said doctors could not examine Mr. BANG-ORN since the patient falsely claimed that he had no contact with infected chicken.

Therefore, suspected patients must remain under close supervision of doctors, while local health authorities will be sent to thoroughly check the patient's house to obtain more information.

He added that there is a need to strictly control such virus to prevent the new outbreak, and that the pandemic of the virus in KLONG SAM WAH (คลองสามวา) can be contained due to the facts reported by local people in the area.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 15 November 2005

[Jai Dee]

NONGBUALAMPOO PROVINCE IS PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE BIRD FLU OUTBREAK AS WINTER IS APPROACHING

Nongbualampoo (หนองบัวลำภู) Province is preparing for possible bird flu outbreak, as winter approaches.

Nongbualampoo Governor Tohpong Ampan (ต่อพงษ์ อำพันธุ์) chaired a meeting of committee on bird flu prevention, and stated that the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry has emphasized to all provinces to seriously control and carry out bird flu preventive measures. He said that so far, there is no outbreak of bird flu in poultry in Nongbualampoo. However, Mr. Tohpong said that 450 ducks in Muang district of Nongbualampoo had died on October 13th. He said that the province has sent samples of the dead ducks for lab tests, but the results have not come out yet. As for the other 150 ducks, he said that they are in healthy condition, adding that disinfectant has been sprayed in the farm areas and its neighborhood.

Livestock Development Department official in Nongbualampoo Chalong Wattanawichein (ฉลอง วัฒนวิเชียร) said that district Livestock Offices will be assigned to cooperate with Public Health offices to begin its mobile unit service in the province. He said that the mobile unit vehicle is the first one in Thailand, with inspection equipment. He added that mobile units will also educate the people on the dangers from the deadly disease and urge them to report to the officials if their poultry die suspiciously.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 November 2005

[Jai Dee]

SUSPECTED BIRD FLU PATIENTS IN SAKON NAKHON PROVINCE REMAIN HOSPITALIZED

Two bird flu-suspected patients in Sakon Nakhon (สกลนคร) Province are still hospitalized, while the provincial administration and the Livestock Development Office have confirmed that their specimens tested negative.

Regarding the 32-year old woman identified as CHANSAMORN WANDEE (จันทร์สมร วันดี) and an 8-year old girl named PANNIPA SOMCHAN (พรรณิภา สมจันทร์) from MUANG (เมือง) District of SAKON NAKHON who were admitted to the provincial hospital after bird flu-like symptoms had been noted, the test results showed that Mrs. CHANSAMORN has ordinary human flu and the child has pneumonia. Nonetheless, both of them are still under close supervision of doctors.

Provincial Livestock Development Officer PREECHA WONGVIJARN (ปรีชา วงศ์วิจารณ์) said that the patients notified him that the fighting cocks near their residences have died suspiciously, and they had direct contact with the cocks’ carcasses. Later, the girl’s father APIRAM SOMCHAN (อภิราม สมจันทร์) caught the human flu and was treated at the provincial hospital and was then discharged.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 17 November 2005

[Boon Mee]

Chinese authorities lock down village after bird flu death

"Chinese authorities had locked down the village in eastern Anhui province where a 24-year-old pregnant woman died of bird flu last week, becoming the nation's first confirmed human fatality from the virus.

Several local officials in red arm bands were posted as sentries at the narrow dirt road entrance to Yantan, a small village of a few thousand residents in Zhoutan township where Zhou Maoya died on November 10."

Link

[Jai Dee]

SATUN PROVINCE TO PUBLICIZE MORE ON BIRD FLU PREVENTION MEASURES

Officials in SATUN (สตูล) Province held a meeting to find solutions for bird flu problems even though no pandemic of such virus has been detected in the area. The province is now speeding up in publicizing preventive measures to the local people.

SATUN Deputy Governor THANWAKHOM KHEMMASIRI (ธันวาคม เขมมะศิริ) revealed that the meeting agreed to focus on publicizing preventive measures to the locals together with spraying disinfectants in poultry raising areas. The preventive measures rohibit the movements of poultries, the openings of cock fighting venues, and the imports of poultries from neighboring countries. However, the operators have to obtain official documents before they commit those proceedings.

He said the area has been scanned and no bird flu outbreak virus has been detected.

Meanwhile, SATUN Provincial Public Health Officer SAMRUAM DANPRACHANKUL (สำรวม ด่านประชันกุล) said the assessment, which was conducted by 3,000 volunteers, showed that the province is free from the virus. Nonetheless, every village has set up volunteer teams to intensively monitor the situation.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 22 November 2005

[Boon Mee]

China says bird flu is a 'serious epidemic;' Japan joins Canadian poultry ban

HONG KONG - China called bird flu a "serious epidemic" and pledged to step up measures to fight the deadly virus Tuesday, while Japan joined Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States in slapping a ban on poultry from a western Canadian province.

China's grim description came a day after the country reported its 17th outbreak since late last month. The massive nation - where billions of poultry are being vaccinated - has reported one human fatality and one suspected death.

Well, so far, so good...

[cdnvic]

Bird flu found on second B.C. farm
Last Updated Tue, 22 Nov 2005 17:38:40 EST
CBC News

Avian influenza has been found on a second B.C. farm, federal officials announced on Tuesday – the same day Japan joined a growing list of countries that have banned all imports of Canadian poultry.

Cornelius Kiley, a veterinarian with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said the entire flock would be culled on a Fraser Valley farm after a duck tested positive for an H5 virus over the weekend.

He said it seemed to be the same strain that was found in Chilliwack, B.C., last week – and not the H5N1 strain that has world health experts worried about a global pandemic after it killed at least 65 people died in Asia since 2003 and led to the culling of millions of birds.

The second farm is operated by the owner of the Chilliwack farm, Kiley told a news conference in Abbotsford, B.C. late Tuesday afternoon.

"The second finding does not indicate worsening situation," he said.

"We are probably dealing with only a low level of infection."

He said agency officials didn't think the virus had come from migrating wild birds but they were conducting surveillance with five kilometres of two infected farms as a precaution.

They've tested about 1,300 birds so far, with negative results.

The findings "strongly" suggest the outbreak is contained to the two facilities, he said.

Japan bans Canadian poultry imports

Japan on Tuesday banned all imports of Canadian poultry, Kiley confirmed earlier in the day.

Confirmation of the case in Chilliwack had already caused the United States, Hong Kong and Taiwan to temporarily ban imports of poultry from the British Columbia mainland Monday.

Exports account for less than 7 per cent of total sales from B.C.'s industry, so the impact of the bans is expected to be relatively small.

The province's poultry industry was devastated in 2004 when the highly infectious H7N3 strain of bird flu spread rapidly from barn to barn, leading to a cull of more than 16 million birds in the Fraser Valley.

    
"The sky's not falling and it's not the same as what we went [through] a year and a half ago," said Ray Nichol, who heads the B.C. Poultry Association.

More than 65,000 birds have been destroyed on the Chilliwack farm, while nearby farms have been placed on alert for signs of a wider outbreak.

Nichol said the latest case is minor in comparison, but still calls for action to make sure there is no risk to either other birds or humans.

On Monday, federal Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell said he's certain the restrictions will be eased once Canada demonstrates it's doing everything possible to prevent any further cases in B.C.

http://www.cbc.ca/st...-flu051122.html

Copyright ©2005 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved

[Jai Dee]

BMA WILL STRICTLY MONITOR SLAUGHTER HOUSES IN THE CITY TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF BIRD FLU.

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will strictly monitor slaughter houses in the city to prevent the spread of bird flu. Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayothin (อภิรักษ์ โกษะโยธิน) said that there are around 50 slaughter houses around Bangkok killing 150,000 birds every day. He said that any movements and slaughtering of birds must be approved by veterinarians first, before they can be carried out. He added that district offices and public health office sin Bangkok have gone out to educate operators and workers in slaughterhouses on the right way to control and prevent bird flu. He added that officials will be sent to inspect the virus at the slaughterhouses periodically.

In addition, officials will be dispatched to randomly inspect chickens raised in houses farms around Bangkok and its outskirts. The owners will be given information on bird flu prevention, and will be told to alert authorities within 12 hours if their birds die suspiciously, so that the officials can inspect the dead chickens and spray disinfectant in the areas.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 23 November 2005

[Jai Dee]

AYUHDHAYA GOVERNOR HAS ORDERED OFFICIALS TO MONITOR BIRD FLU SITUATION CLOSELY, FOLLOWING RETURN OF MIGRATING BIRDS

Ayudhaya governor Somchai Chumrat (สมชาย ชุ่มรัตน์) has ordered officials to monitor the bird flu situation closely after many birds are found to migrate back to many districts in the province. Mr. Somchai said that the birds are feared to be carriers of bird flu virus. He said they have migrated back to Bang Pa-in (บางปะอิน), Bang Sai (บางซ้าย), and Pak Hai (ผักไห่) districts.

He said that officials from the Livestock Development Department and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry have been instructed to watch the situation closely, adding that samples of birds from the 3 districts have been collected to check for bird flu virus.

He said that lab results will come out soon and the provincial administration will announce them publicly.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 23 November 2005

[Jai Dee]

DEPT OF LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT TO EXPLAIN TO ROOSTER RAISERS ABOUT ISSUES RELATED TO BIRD FLU PREVENTION MEASURES

The Department of Livestock Development will hold a conference to explain to rooster raisers across the country about registration of the chickens on Friday, November 25. Director-general of the Livestock Development Department, Yukol Limlamthorng (ยุคล ลิ้มแหลมทอง) said that he has instructed Livestock officials across the country to check for rooster raisers who still receive incorrect information from activist groups pushing for the use of bird flu vaccine in poultry. He said that the department will organize a conference this Friday to explain to chicken raisers about the registration of roosters and bird flu preventive measures.

Mr. Yukol said that Livestock officials, veterinarians, and leaders of chicken raisers will be present at the conference. Issues to be discussed at the meeting include registration of roosters, rooster ID cards, and other preventive measures for bird flu. He said that after the meeting, the participants are hoped to educate other people to have better understandings about why the government decided against using the vaccine in poultry.

He said that the vaccine has not been proven to prevent the disease completely and the chickens can still transmit the disease. Besides, Mr. Yukol said that the vaccines may caused the virus to mutate.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 23 November 2005

[Boon Mee]

China reports second bird flu   death

[Jai Dee]

AGRICULTURE AND COOPERATIVES MINISTER INDICATED THAT THE DESIGNATION OF THE COMMITTEES TO HANDLE BIRD FLU DEPENDS ON PM’S CONSIDERATION

The Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister, KHUNYING SUDARAT KEYURAPHAN (คุณหญิง สุดารัตน์ เกยุราพันธุ์), stated that the designation of the committees to handle avian influenza depends on Prime Minister THAKSIN SHINAWATRA’s consideration.

KHUNYING SUDARAT said that she does not have an authority to designate the committees, while the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Ministers are the people who will consider and designate suitable people to be responsible for the matter. She said that if the committees will be set up in the future, she would invite a representative of the Association of Fighting Cock Raisers as one of the committees.

Moreover, Labor Minister SOMSAK THEPSUTHIN (สมศักดิ์ เทพสุทิน) will help negotiate with the Association of Fighting Cock Raisers at SUPHANBURI (สุพรรณบุรี) Province. He will be a witness between the fighting cock raisers and the government. Meanwhile, he viewed that the government should organize the trial of anti-bird flu vaccine. Nevertheless, the trial must not affect the economy or the poultry exporting sector.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 November 2005

[Jai Dee]

SUPHANBURI, THAILAND (AFP) - Thai fighting cock owners pray during a gathering demanding the use of vaccines in poultry to stop bird flu in Suphanburi province northwest of Thailand.
      
Thai fighting cock owners believe that vaccinating poultry is the only way to stop the spread of the deadly virus.

Source: Manager Online - 24 November 2005 15:56

[Farma]

Mutated strain of bird flu found

From: Agence France-Presse From correspondents in Phnom Penh
November 24, 2005

A MUTATED strain of bird flu had been found in samples taken in Cambodia, but it was not known if the strain was more lethal than that which had killed four people here, health officials said today.

Testing on the samples, which were collected in April, was continuing, said Philippe Buchy, head of the Virology Department at the Pasteur Institute office in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.
"We don't know yet if it has any significance for the transmission from humans to humans, or from birds to humans," Mr Buchy said, adding that mutations of the H5 virus were common.

"I'm really not concerned about this. The strains have been seen by H5 experts from the (World Health Organisation's) networks and they didn't say anything."

Mr Buchy said it was likely the strain found in Cambodia was similar, if not the same as a mutation reported earlier this month in southern Vietnam, where officials sought to ease fears that a deadlier form of bird flu had erupted.

No new cases of bird flu had been reported in either humans or animals in Cambodia since March, Ly Sovann, head of the health ministry's infectious disease department, said.

But he also said the impoverished country did not have the means to test new strains of bird flu, making it more difficult to control future outbreaks.
Cambodia is between Vietnam, where 42 bird flu deaths have occurred, and Thailand, which has had 13 fatalities, according to the World Health Organisation's official figures since late 2003.

Two of the four bird flu victims from Cambodia, whose nationals regularly cross the porous border in the densely populated Mekong delta, died in southern Vietnam after being in a Kien Giang hospital.

Scientists warn that the H5N1 virus, which has killed more than 60 people in Asia since late 2003, could mutate and combine with human flu variants, making it easily transmissible among humans and creating a global pandemic.

http://www.news.com....0-23109,00.html

[Boon Mee]

With now two human deaths, China aims for super-cheap bird flu vaccine..

BEIJING, (AFP) - China moved to ease growing fears over bird flu after the nation's second confirmed human fatality, with media reporting a human vaccine awaiting clinical tests would be sold at rock-bottom prices.

[Jai Dee]

A RESEARCH TEAM HAS CONFIRMED THAT NO HUMAN-TO-HUMAN TRANSMISSION OF BIRD FLU HAS BEEN FOUND IN THAILAND

A research team studying gene patterns of bird flu insists that no human-to-human transmission of the bird flu virus has been found. A member of the research team, Professor Yong Puworawan (ยง ภู่วรวรรณ) said that the Medical Sciences Faculties of Chulalongkorn (จุฬาลงกรณ์) University and Kasetsart (เกษตรศาสตร์) University, in collaboration with other related agencies, have conducted studies on gene patterns of more than 100 viruses.

He said that the team found that the mutation of the H5N1 virus for the past two years is normal. However, he said that the H5N1 virus has to be monitored to prevent immediate mutation. He added that Thailand still has no human-to-human cases of bird flu infection.

Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Dr. Wanla Kulwichit ( วันล่า กุลวิชิต), from Faculty of Medical Sciences of Chulalongkorn University said that bird flu patients and influenza patients develop similar symptoms, therefore, he encouraged those who have history of close contacts with chicken meet doctors immediately. He added that the best preventive measure is to wash hands every time after touching the chickens.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 25 November 2005

[Crushdepth]

Quote

Issues to be discussed at the meeting include registration of roosters, rooster ID cards, and other preventive measures for bird flu.

I just want to know what they are going to do to roosters that fail to carry their ID card?

[Jai Dee]

NAKHON PATHOM TO STRICTLY MONITOR THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS TO PREVENT THE OUTBREAK OF AVIAN INFLUENZA

NAKHON PATHOM (นครปฐม) Provincial Governor PRASART PONGSIWAPAI (ประสาท พงษ์ศิวาภัย) revealed that the current seasonal migration of wild birds has begun, as many of them have been found at the districts of BANG LEN (บางเลน) and KAMPHAENGSAEN (กำแพงแสน).

He has assigned the provincial livestock development office and the natural resource and environment office to strictly monitor on the situation and send the wild birds’ specimens in both districts for further lab test. Nevertheless, the preliminary lab test result indicated that they were not infected by the bird flu virus.

Related officers, however, have been instructed to continually keep a close eye on the matter, while provincial livestock development officers have been assigned to thoroughly spray the disinfectant in the areas, to prevent the possible widespread of the virus.

He added that local residents have been informed about the test result, and they have been asked to inform the officers if their poultries died suspiciously.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 28 November 2005

[Jai Dee]

AGRICULTURE MINISTER WILL DRAFT A NEW LAW GOVERNING COMMERCIAL POULTRY

The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry prepares to add more measures on movement of fowl in the Animal Disease Control Act, to increase efficiency in disease checking and tracing system and raise production standards in the country. Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Khunying Sudarat Keyurapan (๖คุณหญิงสุดารัตน์ เกยุราพันธุ์) revealed that although strict surveillance measures implemented by the government to control the spread of bird flu can contain the virus in some areas, the bird flu situation in other countries have intensified, causing concerns among academic community that the virus could mutate.

She said that the Department of Livestock Development has implemented measures controlling movement and culling of poultry, but the measures do not cover commercial poultry, making data on movement of poultry from slaughterhouses unavailable.

Khunying Sudarat said that the Agriculture Ministry, thus, will draft a law controlling commercial poultry, adding that the law is being deliberated by the Council of State and will be passed soon.

Under the new law, producers and poultry exporters will have to register with the Department of Livestock Development, enabling the Department to inspect and control movement of poultry since importation of chickens to slaughterhouses to retail markets more efficiently.  

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 29 November 2005

[Jai Dee]

AGRICULTURE MINISTRY HAS REMOVED NONTABURI FROM BIRD FLU WATCH LIST

The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry has removed the last area under bird flu surveillance watch list, while aiming to improve poultry farming in Thailand to meet standards within the end of next year.

Agriculture Minister Khunying Sudarat Keyurapan, (คุณหญิงสุดารัตน์ เกยุราพันธุ์) said that the Agriculture Ministry has removed Bang Gruay (บางกรวย) district in Nontaburi from the bird flu surveillance list yesterday, declaring Thailand a bird flu free country. She said that the Ministry will nominate committees at district level across the nation to monitor the bird flu situation and report to the authorities, adding that the ministry will inspect areas at risk of bird flu outbreak proactively from now on. The Agriculture Ministry will also educate people and farmers about how to prevent bird flu, as another preventive measure.

The Agriculture Minister also said that the Ministry will propose a safe poultry farming measure to the cabinet meeting for consideration, adding that the ministry aims to bring 60% of poultry farms in Thailand under the standard farming system by the next rainy season and will improve all poultry farms in Thailand within the end of next year.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 1 December 2005

[Boon Mee]

Jakarta: Avian Flu Virus 'All Over City'

by J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Dec 2, 2005

Fear is spreading. So is the bird flu.
In Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, officials admit that "it's very serious. Based on our research, the virus has spread all over the city."


Link

[Boon Mee]

Thailand Public Health Doc On H5N1

This is what the doctors in Thailand are saying about H5N1:

Dr Charoen Chuchottaworn, a bird-flu expert at the Public
Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Services, said doctors concluded after
reviewing the history of the past two cases that both victims presented very
mild symptoms of avian influenza and neither had any physical contact with
chickens or birds.
...
This left doctors no clues as to where the patients became infected with the H5N1 virus and showed that the avian influenza had moved from causing severe human infection to milder cases.
...
Signs of possible human-to-human transmission were closely observed in Vietnam, where 10 clusters of probable human transmissions were detected in which the victims had no contact with infected poultry, Charoen said.

Thailand and Indonesia had one official cluster, he said, but the Indonesian cluster showed clear-cut evidence because a child contracted H5N1 without going to an infected area, as her father had.

[Jai Dee]

PUBLIC HEALTH MINISTRY TO SPICE UP ITS RAPID RESPONSE TEAMS THIS YEAR

Public Health Ministry will emphasize on increasing the capability of its rapid response teams and arrange for special reserves of drugs and required items this year.

Disease Control Department Director-general Thawat Suntarajarn (ธวัช สุนทราจารย์) spoke on the Public Health Ministry’s 2006 plans for tackling bird flu, and disclosed that it would still proceed in accordance with the 5 measures that have earlier been laid down. The measures called for monitoring, stockpiling of drugs and required items, preparing for emergencies and epidemics, giving knowledge to the public, and a warning system in times of outbreaks.

Dr. Thawat said that 1,030 rapid response teams have been created and stationed throughout the country, and their efficiency will be improved upon in conjunction with increasing the stock of drugs and other items.

In the meantime, Livestock Development Chief Yukon Limlamthorng (ยุคล ลิ้มแหลมทอง) said the more than 3,500 herds of ducks raised in the fields throughout the country would come under closed-farming system by March this year. The Livestock Department will set up a factory in every province to provide the raisers with cheap duck food to accommodate the closed-farming system.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 04 January 2006