Pakistan-BF Suspected Human Cases Feb 02, 2008 +

[Treyfish]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

Commentary

Likely H5N1 Patient in Peshawar Pakistan

Recombinomics Commentary 22:03
February 3, 2008

Reportedly, a woman, wife of Meenat Khan from Bara Khyber Agency, suffered from influenza six days back. She was referred to Khyber Teaching Hospital by a local doctor two days back. The KTH doctors were of the view that the symptoms of her disease were the same as those found in the patients of bird flu.

They disclosed that the symptoms of the woman's disease and those of the two boys who died of bird flu last year were identical.

The above comments provide more detail on the suspect case at the Kyber Teaching Hospital. This hospital also treated the earlier cluster from Pakistan late last year, and the two boys cited above are the two brothers who died from H5N1. This additional detail increases the likelihood that the suspect case has been infected with H5N1.

Media reports also describe a cluster of two from Abbottabad. Two were H5N1 confirmed and one died. This cluster does not match earlier clusters in Pakistan (one was larger and had two fatalities, which another had two members but no fatalities). If this media report is accurate then there are multiple cases in northwestern Pakistan. The report also cited 16 districts at risk for future outbreaks (see satellite maps here and here).

This report has not been confirmed, but Pakistan has issued a high alert for the entire country, and these additional reports provide evidence to justify the alerts.

More information on the above case(s) would be useful.
http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...ar_Likely.html

[Treyfish]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

No flu symptoms in poultry workers yet
By Shahzad Shah Jillani

KARACHI: The three workers of the affected poultry farm who were taken Friday to the isolation ward of Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) have shown no symptoms yet, Daily Times learnt Saturday.

Hospital sources confirmed that Allah Dino, S/O Muhammad Hussain, his brother Ghulam Hussain, 25, and Muhammad Aslam, 25, S/O Muhammad Bangul, were all workers at the Dr Hamid Poultry Farm.

“There have been no symptoms that suggest they have been infected by the virus yet,” sources said. Their samples have been sent to the National Reference Lab in Islamabad and the reports will come in a few days, they added.

According to Health Additional Secretary Dr Shakeel Malik, the workers of the affected poultry farm have only been kept under observation. “It was just a precautionary measure to ensure that the workers with close contact to the site would be available for any query,” Dr Malik added.

Furthermore, Dr Malik said that a survey was conducted at the farms suspected of being affected with bird flu. “There has been no case so far and things are pretty much under control. We are closely monitoring the situation,” said Dr Malik.

Governor directs to monitor bird flu: Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat Ebad Khan directed all provincial departments concerned to closely monitor the outbreak of bird flu in the outskirts of Karachi, said a press release issued Saturday by the press secretary to the governor.

The governor had issued strict monitoring directives to all the departments, including health, livestock, surveillance and public health, to control the spread of the virus and identify the areas that are likely to be exposed to the bird flu. He also insisted on keeping hospital isolation units and wards on alert.

The governor also directed the monitoring committee to ensure any bird flu cases are reported so that they can be dealt with before it’s too late. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-2-2008_pg12_1

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?cid=15252&lang=eng

<TABLE height="100&#37;" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=1005 align=center border=0 valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD height=50><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0 valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></TD><TD><B><BIG>RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service</BIG></B>
Budapest, Hungary
</TD><TD align=right>Back to WWA</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3> </TD></TR><!--<tr><td colspan="3">Your security level: - </td></tr>--><TR><TD colSpan=3> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Summary
Event Description
Situation Update
Google Map
Additional Information
About Country
Population
Risk Analysis
Photos
Satellite Image
<TABLE cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=3 width=996 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=center colSpan=4>Epidemic Hazard - Asia

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=loc_hdr colSpan=4>Event summary</TD></TR><TR><TD>GLIDE Number</TD><TD>EH-20080204-15252-PAK</TD><TD> </TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=line_hilite><TD>Event type</TD><TD>Epidemic Hazard</TD><TD>Date / time [UTC]</TD><TD>04/02/2008 - 05:01:29</TD></TR><TR><TD>Country</TD><TD>Pakistan</TD><TD>Area</TD><TD>Reading Hospital, hyber Teaching Hospital</TD></TR><TR class=line_hilite><TD>County / State</TD><TD>State of North-West Frontier</TD><TD>City</TD><TD>Peshawar</TD></TR><TR><TD>Cause of event</TD><TD>Unknown</TD><TD>Log date [UTC]</TD><TD>04/02/2008 - 05:01:29</TD></TR><TR class=line_hilite><TD>Damage level</TD><TD>Large </TD><TD>Time left</TD><TD>- </TD></TR><TR><TD>Latitude:</TD><TD>N 34&#176; 0.467</TD><TD>Longitude:</TD><TD>E 71&#176; 34.400</TD></TR><TR class=line_hilite><TD>Number of deads:</TD><TD>Not or Not data</TD><TD>Number of injured persons:</TD><TD>Not or Not data</TD></TR><TR><TD>Number of missing persons:</TD><TD>Not or Not data</TD><TD>Number of infected persons</TD><TD>132</TD></TR><TR><TD>Number of evacuated persons:</TD><TD>Not or Not data</TD><TD>Population</TD><TD>No data!</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02040807/Pakistan_Poultry.html

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=small_txt height=20>By By our correspondent
2/5/2008</TD></TR><TR><TD class=small_txt>Karachi

Laboratory tests on Monday confirmed the existence of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the poultry farm owned by the Rangers. Hundreds of fowl had been culled in anticipation prior to the official report confirming the presence of bird flu on the farm.

The farm is adjacent to an infected private farm in Gadap Town where the first bird flu case was found a few days ago, Provincial Coordinator on Bird Flu, Dr Ali Akbar Soomro, said.

Soomro, who visited the affected area on Monday, said that seven of their teams were working there and had given a ?satisfactory? report about the bio-security steps taken so far to prevent the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, a team comprising representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) arrived in the city to assess the measures taken by hospitals for treatment of infectious diseases, in particular bird flu.

?The team brought some protective equipment and medicines against bird flu,? said Special Secretary Health, Dr Capt. Abdul Majid.

He added that they also shared some information about the virus with local officials. They visited Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), where three workers of the infected poultry farm had been kept under observation, as well as the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where an isolation ward was being set up, the official said.

Later, they visited different areas and assessed the situation prevailing therein.

Deputy Secretary Health, Dr Shakil Mullick, who accompanied the team, said that they expressed their ?satisfaction? over the provincial government?s efforts to control the virus.

The Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) and poultry research officials held a meeting here to chalk out a plan to spread awareness against bird flu, said Dr Aslam Jalali, a poultry expert.

He said that a series of seminars/workshops would be held to inform the poultry farm owners about precautionary measures and bio-security steps needed to contain and eliminate the latest threat of avian influenza (bird flu).

A city government official said that CDGK officials had visited the affected Rangers? farm after receiving a report about the existence of bird flu there. ?Honestly speaking, we did nothing except take a glance of the farm as the Rangers themselves culled 4,000 chickens on Sunday,? the official said.

He said that they also saw a ditch where birds were buried after being culled.

Doctors belonging to the Poultry Research Institute (PRI) visited around 12 poultry farms and did not find any new case of possible bird flu, said Dr Rasheed Ahmed Bhutto.

He said as the virus could spread up to three kilometres, they continued to spray the affected area to ensure that it is contained and does not affect any of the surrounding poulty farms.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=94706

[vinny]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

Dr niman if BF cant make the final transition into a pandemic virus in either pakistan or india with the amount of people that live there and the poor education,will it never be able to make that final change it needs........?

[Treyfish]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

Karachi poultry farm employees quarantined

Staff Reporter

Karachi?Sindh Health Department has advised the employees working at the law enforcing agency (LEA)?s affected poultry farm not to come out of the vicinity of the farm, while the affected chickens? blood samples report was expected tomorrow.
Sindh Health Department sources told that the department has advised the LEA officers that the workers of this farm numbering about 9 should not be allowed to go out of the farm so that the possible virus spreading could be prevented.
Sources told that all the employees of the LEA farm were healthy and their temperature is being checked every morning and the evening, none of them were found affected, however, they have advised not to go out of the farm as precautionary measure. This poultry farm is located adjacent to the bird flu hit farm, where nearly 2500 chickens died during the last few days.
Sources told that the report on the blood samples of the affected chickens was expected tomorrow from Islamabad, while the poultry farm employees admitted into the Karachi Civil Hospital were also healthy. http://www.pakobserver.net/news/topstories10.asp

[Treyfish]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

http://paktribune.com/news/cartoons.php?id=17749

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...n_Poultry.html

Commentary

Poultry Deaths in Northern and Southern Pakistan

Recombinomics Commentary 23:45
February 4, 2008

more than two thousand chickens brought from Hyderabad died in Mangora, Swat. The Tehsil Municipal Authority Mangora, on the public complaint, while taking quick action took into custody the owner of chickens Sher Ali and sent specimen of the dead chickens to laboratory to check for bird flu.

In Punjab five thousand chickens perished due to bird flu virus in village Moor Charwan in Hujra Shah Moqeem at the poultry form of Pir Aftab Shah.

The above comments describe more poultry deaths in Pakistan. Some of the deaths are in the south, near confirmed cases in suburban Karachi (see satellite maps here and here), while the other is in the north, in the general area of earlier outbreaks and near the hospital with the suspect patient.

The situation in Pakistan is far from clear. Media reports describe more poultry deaths and one report cites 132 hospitalized patients in Peshawar (although it should indicate there are 132 beds available at the hospitals in Peshawar).

There were significant delays in the reporting of the earlier human cases in the northwest and media reports did not appear until the second patient died. WHO became aware of the situation via internet posts, so the current conflicting reports are not surprising.

The situation in India is also far from clear. H5N1 spread has exploded in Bangladesh, while India maintains the situation in West Bengal is stabilizing. Testing of wild birds and patients is minimal, and the track record for detecting H5N1 in either group remains abysmal, with zero reports of positives.


.

[sharon sanders]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

Bird flu spreads as Rangers? farm infected





* Authorities arrest chicken merchant for ?selling bird flu-infected poultry?

KARACHI/SWAT: Government officials confirmed on Monday an outbreak of the deadly bird flu virus at a second farm in Karachi and said 12 people had been placed in an isolation ward, AFP reported.

The virus was discovered at a poultry farm run by security forces, three days after it was found at another farm in the port city, Agriculture and Livestock Ministry official Rafiq-ul-Hassan Usmani said.

?We have found H5N1 virus in the second farm too this morning,? Usmani told AFP, adding that both farms have been sealed off and officials have culled around 10,000 chickens.

A spokesman for the paramilitary Rangers force, which owns the farm, said they had alerted authorities and destroyed infected poultry and feedbags after hundreds of chickens were found dead.

?We have shifted nine of our workers to a hospital and doctors are monitoring them in an isolation ward,? said the spokesman, Major Asad Ali.

Another three poultry handlers from the other farm where the virus was discovered last week have also been placed in an isolation ward at a local hospital, medical officials said.

?Our doctors are observing all the farm workers and have so far found no signs of transmission of the dangerous virus in any of them,? Sindh Health Secretary Abdul Majid said.

Pakistan recorded its first death from bird flu in December when a man died in the NWFP. The victim?s brother also died before being tested for the virus.

Dead chickens: The Tehsil Municipal Authority (TMA) of Mingora arrested a chicken dealer for selling sick birds and seized around 2,000 bird-flu infected chickens, according to a Daily Times staff report.

According to sources, Sher Ali allegedly bought around 4,000 flu-infected birds from Hyderabad and was selling them in Mingora city. However, around 2,000 fowls died of the deadly disease.

The authorities confirmed the death of 200 birds at the dealer?s shop. However, sources said 2,000 birds died of the disease. The health authorities have sent samples of dead and alive birds to a laboratory in Islamabad for bird-flu test. staff report /afp

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\02\05\story_5-2-2008_pg1_3

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

Dr niman if BF cant make the final transition into a pandemic virus in either pakistan or india with the amount of people that live there and the poor education,will it never be able to make that final change it needs........?

The pandemic strain can take a series of small steps, and to see the steps, proper testing is required (which is not as common as most realize).

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

KARACHI: Fresh samples taken for bird flu tests



<CENTER>By Our Staff Reporter</CENTER>
KARACHI, Feb 4: A joint team of national and international health agencies has taken some more samples from three suspected patients, who were shifted from the bird flu-infected poultry farm in Gadap to the Civil Hospital Karachi on Friday.

Sindh Deputy Secretary Health Dr Shakeel Mullick, who is also the focal person on bird flu in humans, on Monday night said that throat, nasal and blood samples were taken in the presence of a committee comprising representatives of the World Health Organisation, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, and the federal and provincial health ministries. They had been sent to the NIH laboratory in Islamabad and the result was expected after 72 hours, he added.

CHK Medical Superintendent Dr Kaleem Butt said that the team took fresh samples as those taken earlier were not helpful for the NIH laboratory tests.

Dr Mullick, Dr Abdul Wahid Bhurt, Dr Najeeb Khan Durrani and Dr Zulfiqar, members of the committee on monitoring of avian influenza in humans, later discussed arrangements related to the disease with the hospital?s medical superintendent and expressed their satisfaction over the measures taken so far.

The team also discussed technical aspects about hospital infection control guidelines and standard operating procedure regarding epidemiological response to avian influenza and proper clinical management of suspected patients. The experts suggested that pneumonia surveillance and fever clinics be set up at the hospital to detect the people contracted with bird flu virus at the earliest possible stage so that treatment could start after diagnosis, the release added.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/02/05/local6.htm

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#f4faff><TD class=heading_txt height=20>WHO team arrives to assess safety, treatment measures</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#efefef></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=small_txt height=20>By By our correspondent
2/5/2008</TD></TR><TR><TD class=small_txt>Karachi

Laboratory tests on Monday confirmed the existence of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the poultry farm owned by the Rangers. Hundreds of fowl had been culled in anticipation prior to the official report confirming the presence of bird flu on the farm.

The farm is adjacent to an infected private farm in Gadap Town where the first bird flu case was found a few days ago, Provincial Coordinator on Bird Flu, Dr Ali Akbar Soomro, said.

Soomro, who visited the affected area on Monday, said that seven of their teams were working there and had given a ?satisfactory? report about the bio-security steps taken so far to prevent the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, a team comprising representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) arrived in the city to assess the measures taken by hospitals for treatment of infectious diseases, in particular bird flu.

?The team brought some protective equipment and medicines against bird flu,? said Special Secretary Health, Dr Capt. Abdul Majid.

He added that they also shared some information about the virus with local officials. They visited Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), where three workers of the infected poultry farm had been kept under observation, as well as the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where an isolation ward was being set up, the official said.

Later, they visited different areas and assessed the situation prevailing therein.

Deputy Secretary Health, Dr Shakil Mullick, who accompanied the team, said that they expressed their ?satisfaction? over the provincial government?s efforts to control the virus.

The Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) and poultry research officials held a meeting here to chalk out a plan to spread awareness against bird flu, said Dr Aslam Jalali, a poultry expert.

He said that a series of seminars/workshops would be held to inform the poultry farm owners about precautionary measures and bio-security steps needed to contain and eliminate the latest threat of avian influenza (bird flu).

A city government official said that CDGK officials had visited the affected Rangers? farm after receiving a report about the existence of bird flu there. ?Honestly speaking, we did nothing except take a glance of the farm as the Rangers themselves culled 4,000 chickens on Sunday,? the official said.

He said that they also saw a ditch where birds were buried after being culled.

Doctors belonging to the Poultry Research Institute (PRI) visited around 12 poultry farms and did not find any new case of possible bird flu, said Dr Rasheed Ahmed Bhutto.

He said as the virus could spread up to three kilometres, they continued to spray the affected area to ensure that it is contained and does not affect any of the surrounding poulty farms.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=94706

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02050801/Karachi_WHO.html

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan-BF suspected humans 2/2/08

New bird flu outbreak confirmed




PESHAWAR: A woman reportedly affected by the deadly bird flu has been admitted to the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) here on Monday.
Also, around 3,000 of 4,000 birds, which were taken to Swat from Hyderabad, were found mysteriously dead. The woman hailing from Bara in Khyber Agency was taken to KTH on January 31.
She was first taken to a local health facility in the tribal agency when she developed pneumonia and low oxygen on January 28. The doctor there referred her to the KTH for further treatment and on February 1, she was referred to Pulmonology Department of the hospital where senior chest physician and head of the department, Associate Prof Dr Mukhtiar Zaman Afridi shifted her to the ?isolation ward?, established for bird flu victims. Talking to The News, Dr Mukhtiar Zaman said that blood specimens of the woman had been sent to NIH and the result of the same was still awaited He, however, felt the woman did not seem to be suffering from avian influenza virus (H5N1). ?Symptoms of her disease indicated that she was suffering from flu and simple pneumonia infection and she would soon recover,? he said.

http://paktribune.com/news/print.php?id=197001