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Has the killer virus arrived?
Pak Tribune
Tuesday March 07, 2006 (1949 PST)
By Zafar Iqbal & Abid Rahi
Bird flu virus has been reported to have reached the border areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir from India, as thousands of chickens were found dead in Dhadiyal and Mirpur, but the government denies there is any such situation.
However, the government has sent an investigation team to the "affected" areas under the supervision of poultry coordinator Dr Khalid Naeem, who is also accompanied by the director-general and assistant director livestock.
In the past, Pakistan faced a strain of the flu found in the southern port of Karachi, and had to cull 3.5 million birds in 2004, causing a Rs13 billion loss to the poultry sector.
According to officials, not a single case of bird flue virus has been detected in any part of the country as yet.
Laboratories have been established at the federal and provincial level to check bird flu, sources said.
The officials observed that Pakistan had the bird flu diagnostic capacity through its 12 laboratories located in different parts of the country. A central lab is working at the National Agriculture Research Council (NARC), Islamabad, to deal with avian influenza cases, if any. This lab has been declared as the national focal laboratory for Saarc countries by the Food and Agriculture Organization WHO.
Besides, as many as 12 surveillance teams are already working in the country.
The government has also directed the provincial and district governments to reactivate local livestock and wildlife departments for effective monitoring and close surveillance through interaction with poultry farmers to prevent bird flu.
Over 3000 veterinarians have been tasked across the country in this regard. The Ministry of Health has also requested the WHO to provide additional Temiflu doses for treatment of bird flu from its regional stock at Cairo.
Meanwhile, Federal Secretary for Health Syed Anwar Mehmood said no case of bird flu had so far been detected in Pakistan.
To prevent the spread of bird flu in the country, the government has prepared an action plan worth $6.8 million. Another project worth Rs39.85 million has also been approved to control avian influenza in the country.
The government has also banned import of poultry products and birds from 22 countries including India and Iran.
The ban on the import of birds has been updated from time to time including ban imposed on the import of poultry products from Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Greece and Romania on December 21, 2005. Croatia was included in the list on December 14, 2005.
The government has trained scientists from all the Saarc countries as well as from Afghanistan to diagnose avian influenza.
A network of 12 satellite labs had been established to diagnose avian influenza at Karachi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Gilgit and Muzaffarabad.
"Laboratory surveillance has so far contained more than 12,000 blood samples, 7,000 tissue samples and 9,000 cloacal swabs, but bird flu strain H5N1 has not been detected in the country so far," an official noted.
Rapid response teams have been established to handle the situation, and recently their number has been increased from 6 to 24. These teams will work at Gilgit, Rawalpindi, Muzaffarabad, Quetta, Karachi and Abbottabad. The number of sero-surveillance teams has been increased from 12 to 22.
Avian influenza had been reported in bordering countries including India, Iran and China in addition to South East Asia, and border trade could bring infection in the country, experts said.
The government should create awareness of the disease among the masses. People ought to know that the disease is not transmitted through cooked chicken and eggs. Infection occurs when meat is still raw or frozen. Even upon contact with the infected bird, washing one`s hands with soap and water kills the virus, the experts said.
The earlier the infection is detected, the more amenable it is to treatment. Local medical experts have said neither preventive nor curative medicines are available to fight against bird flu virus and the available vaccination is highly expensive.
In collaboration with the WHO, Pakistan needs to equip itself against a breakout. The H5N1 strain of avian influenza spreads so fast among poultry that there is no alternative but to curb the disease at source.
Culling of poultry is imminent, though it would be a great setback for the Rs100 billion poultry industry, the experts said.
The H5N1 bird flu virus has killed tens of millions of birds since 2003, and there have been at least 169 confirmed cases of the strain spreading to humans, causing about 91 deaths, mostly in Southeast Asia.
The virus has spread from Asia to Eastern Europe and Nigeria, Africa`s first known outbreak of the deadly strain of the disease.
H5N1 virus was first shown to have passed from birds to humans in 1997, during an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry workers in Hong Kong. The virus caused severe respiratory illness in 18 people, six of whom died.
Many scientists believe migrating wild fowl are responsible for carrying the virus from Asia and Siberia to Romania and Turkey, although some argue there is not enough evidence yet for firm conclusions.
"Scientists are increasingly getting convinced that at least some migratory waterfowl are now carrying the H5N1 virus in its highly pathogenic form, sometimes over long distances, and introducing the virus to poultry flocks in areas that lie along their migratory routes," the World Health Organization said in its report.
Scientists have found that viruses from the most recently-affected countries, all of which lie along migratory routes, were almost identical to viruses found in dead migratory birds at Qinghai Lake in China. The viruses from Turkey`s first human case were also virtually identical to the "Qinghai Lake strain".
In Romania, the outbreak was first detected in and around the remote Danube Delta, Europe`s largest wetlands that also happen to lie on a major migratory route for wild birds.
"We do know that avian influenza viruses are carried by migratory birds all over the world. But not all of them are highly pathogenic or H5N1," Juan Lubroth, the senior officer for infectious diseases with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told reporters.
"I think that wild birds may introduce the virus, but it is through man and man`s marketing systems (the poultry trade) that the disease spreads. It is also possible that poultry can transmit the virus to wildlife when they share the same ecosystem," Lubroth said.
More questions than answers: The H5N1 virus has killed at least 91 people since late 2003, mostly in Asia. Victims contract the virus through close contact with sick birds, but there are fears that it could transform into a form that can pass easily from person to person making the question of how it is spread across regions so important.
"Should this new role of migratory birds be scientifically confirmed, it will mark a change in a long-standing stable relationship between the H5N1 virus and its natural wild-bird reservoir," WHO says.
Confirmed cases of migratory or domestic fowl infected with the often-lethal H5N1 strain have turned up in at least four European Union countries in recent days, and in more than half-a-dozen nations since late last year.
With extremely cold winter weather being blamed for pushing migratory birds further south than usual, Italy announced that a sixth wild swan tested positive for the H5N1 virus, according to press reports.
In Bulgaria, veterinary authorities said they had detected a fourth case of the H5 bird flu virus -- of which H5N1 is a highly pathogenic variant -- in a wild swan found in the wetlands near Burgas in the eastern part of the country.
The infected swans were found in the Puglia and Calabria regions and on the island of Sicily. To date, there have been avian outbreaks of the H5N1 strain in Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Ukraine.
The same virus killed 22 people in Thailand and Vietnam earlier this year when more than 100 million birds died or were culled in at least nine countries across Southern and Eastern Asia.
WHO re-emphasized the need to protect individuals involved in culling infected poultry by giving them proper equipment, including protective clothing, masks and goggles, since there is a high risk of exposure during the slaughtering process.
It also recommended that all those involved in mass culling, transportation and burial should be vaccinated with the WHO-recommended influenza vaccine to avoid the co-infection of avian and human influenza, which could lead to the emergence of a pandemic influenza virus.
Other recommendations include close monitoring of all those exposed to infected poultry or to farms under suspicion, and antiviral treatment for suspected human cases.
Meanwhile, the FAO urged against culling wild birds in the present outbreak. "Killing wild birds will not help prevent or control avian influenza outbreaks," Juan Lubroth of the FAO Animal Health Service says.
The major factors contributing to the spread of the virus are poor hygienic practices related to the production, processing and marketing of poultry, contaminated products, gaps in biosecurity and individuals not following recommended control measures, the FAO said.
Human cases of bird flu have caused infections and death across the globe as scientists struggle to identify the dangerous strains and prevent a fatal pandemic.
Pak Tribune
Tuesday March 07, 2006 (1949 PST)
By Zafar Iqbal & Abid Rahi
Bird flu virus has been reported to have reached the border areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir from India, as thousands of chickens were found dead in Dhadiyal and Mirpur, but the government denies there is any such situation.
However, the government has sent an investigation team to the "affected" areas under the supervision of poultry coordinator Dr Khalid Naeem, who is also accompanied by the director-general and assistant director livestock.
In the past, Pakistan faced a strain of the flu found in the southern port of Karachi, and had to cull 3.5 million birds in 2004, causing a Rs13 billion loss to the poultry sector.
According to officials, not a single case of bird flue virus has been detected in any part of the country as yet.
Laboratories have been established at the federal and provincial level to check bird flu, sources said.
The officials observed that Pakistan had the bird flu diagnostic capacity through its 12 laboratories located in different parts of the country. A central lab is working at the National Agriculture Research Council (NARC), Islamabad, to deal with avian influenza cases, if any. This lab has been declared as the national focal laboratory for Saarc countries by the Food and Agriculture Organization WHO.
Besides, as many as 12 surveillance teams are already working in the country.
The government has also directed the provincial and district governments to reactivate local livestock and wildlife departments for effective monitoring and close surveillance through interaction with poultry farmers to prevent bird flu.
Over 3000 veterinarians have been tasked across the country in this regard. The Ministry of Health has also requested the WHO to provide additional Temiflu doses for treatment of bird flu from its regional stock at Cairo.
Meanwhile, Federal Secretary for Health Syed Anwar Mehmood said no case of bird flu had so far been detected in Pakistan.
To prevent the spread of bird flu in the country, the government has prepared an action plan worth $6.8 million. Another project worth Rs39.85 million has also been approved to control avian influenza in the country.
The government has also banned import of poultry products and birds from 22 countries including India and Iran.
The ban on the import of birds has been updated from time to time including ban imposed on the import of poultry products from Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Greece and Romania on December 21, 2005. Croatia was included in the list on December 14, 2005.
The government has trained scientists from all the Saarc countries as well as from Afghanistan to diagnose avian influenza.
A network of 12 satellite labs had been established to diagnose avian influenza at Karachi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Gilgit and Muzaffarabad.
"Laboratory surveillance has so far contained more than 12,000 blood samples, 7,000 tissue samples and 9,000 cloacal swabs, but bird flu strain H5N1 has not been detected in the country so far," an official noted.
Rapid response teams have been established to handle the situation, and recently their number has been increased from 6 to 24. These teams will work at Gilgit, Rawalpindi, Muzaffarabad, Quetta, Karachi and Abbottabad. The number of sero-surveillance teams has been increased from 12 to 22.
Avian influenza had been reported in bordering countries including India, Iran and China in addition to South East Asia, and border trade could bring infection in the country, experts said.
The government should create awareness of the disease among the masses. People ought to know that the disease is not transmitted through cooked chicken and eggs. Infection occurs when meat is still raw or frozen. Even upon contact with the infected bird, washing one`s hands with soap and water kills the virus, the experts said.
The earlier the infection is detected, the more amenable it is to treatment. Local medical experts have said neither preventive nor curative medicines are available to fight against bird flu virus and the available vaccination is highly expensive.
In collaboration with the WHO, Pakistan needs to equip itself against a breakout. The H5N1 strain of avian influenza spreads so fast among poultry that there is no alternative but to curb the disease at source.
Culling of poultry is imminent, though it would be a great setback for the Rs100 billion poultry industry, the experts said.
The H5N1 bird flu virus has killed tens of millions of birds since 2003, and there have been at least 169 confirmed cases of the strain spreading to humans, causing about 91 deaths, mostly in Southeast Asia.
The virus has spread from Asia to Eastern Europe and Nigeria, Africa`s first known outbreak of the deadly strain of the disease.
H5N1 virus was first shown to have passed from birds to humans in 1997, during an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry workers in Hong Kong. The virus caused severe respiratory illness in 18 people, six of whom died.
Many scientists believe migrating wild fowl are responsible for carrying the virus from Asia and Siberia to Romania and Turkey, although some argue there is not enough evidence yet for firm conclusions.
"Scientists are increasingly getting convinced that at least some migratory waterfowl are now carrying the H5N1 virus in its highly pathogenic form, sometimes over long distances, and introducing the virus to poultry flocks in areas that lie along their migratory routes," the World Health Organization said in its report.
Scientists have found that viruses from the most recently-affected countries, all of which lie along migratory routes, were almost identical to viruses found in dead migratory birds at Qinghai Lake in China. The viruses from Turkey`s first human case were also virtually identical to the "Qinghai Lake strain".
In Romania, the outbreak was first detected in and around the remote Danube Delta, Europe`s largest wetlands that also happen to lie on a major migratory route for wild birds.
"We do know that avian influenza viruses are carried by migratory birds all over the world. But not all of them are highly pathogenic or H5N1," Juan Lubroth, the senior officer for infectious diseases with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told reporters.
"I think that wild birds may introduce the virus, but it is through man and man`s marketing systems (the poultry trade) that the disease spreads. It is also possible that poultry can transmit the virus to wildlife when they share the same ecosystem," Lubroth said.
More questions than answers: The H5N1 virus has killed at least 91 people since late 2003, mostly in Asia. Victims contract the virus through close contact with sick birds, but there are fears that it could transform into a form that can pass easily from person to person making the question of how it is spread across regions so important.
"Should this new role of migratory birds be scientifically confirmed, it will mark a change in a long-standing stable relationship between the H5N1 virus and its natural wild-bird reservoir," WHO says.
Confirmed cases of migratory or domestic fowl infected with the often-lethal H5N1 strain have turned up in at least four European Union countries in recent days, and in more than half-a-dozen nations since late last year.
With extremely cold winter weather being blamed for pushing migratory birds further south than usual, Italy announced that a sixth wild swan tested positive for the H5N1 virus, according to press reports.
In Bulgaria, veterinary authorities said they had detected a fourth case of the H5 bird flu virus -- of which H5N1 is a highly pathogenic variant -- in a wild swan found in the wetlands near Burgas in the eastern part of the country.
The infected swans were found in the Puglia and Calabria regions and on the island of Sicily. To date, there have been avian outbreaks of the H5N1 strain in Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Ukraine.
The same virus killed 22 people in Thailand and Vietnam earlier this year when more than 100 million birds died or were culled in at least nine countries across Southern and Eastern Asia.
WHO re-emphasized the need to protect individuals involved in culling infected poultry by giving them proper equipment, including protective clothing, masks and goggles, since there is a high risk of exposure during the slaughtering process.
It also recommended that all those involved in mass culling, transportation and burial should be vaccinated with the WHO-recommended influenza vaccine to avoid the co-infection of avian and human influenza, which could lead to the emergence of a pandemic influenza virus.
Other recommendations include close monitoring of all those exposed to infected poultry or to farms under suspicion, and antiviral treatment for suspected human cases.
Meanwhile, the FAO urged against culling wild birds in the present outbreak. "Killing wild birds will not help prevent or control avian influenza outbreaks," Juan Lubroth of the FAO Animal Health Service says.
The major factors contributing to the spread of the virus are poor hygienic practices related to the production, processing and marketing of poultry, contaminated products, gaps in biosecurity and individuals not following recommended control measures, the FAO said.
Human cases of bird flu have caused infections and death across the globe as scientists struggle to identify the dangerous strains and prevent a fatal pandemic.