Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

[cartski]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

Interesting graphic on the Wales Pandemic site.....

http://www2.nphs.wales.nhs.uk/flu/page.cfm?pid=390

A bit dated elsewhere, though.

J.

[Treyfish]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

Couple tested after 'low risk' bird flu kills their chickens

by SEAN POULTER and LIZ HULL Last updated at 21:24pm on 24th May 2007
Comments
A couple who run a small farm are being tested for bird flu after an outbreak of the virus killed more than ten of their chickens.


Tony and Barbara Williams have shown flu-like symptoms which may signal that they caught the infection from handling the birds.
The hens on their farm in North Wales had the H7N2 strain of bird flu, which is less contagious and dangerous than the better-known H5N1 strain which hit a Bernard Matthews turkey plant in January. Scroll down for more...
Scientists test for bird flu near Corwen in North Wales


More....

• Bird flu: How it spread across the globe

If passed to humans, the symptoms, which can include conjunctivitis, are generally mild and simple to treat.
However, there is a danger that the virus can mutate into a strain which can be more harmful to humans unless it is quickly stamped out.
A 1km restriction zone has been placed around Tyn Llwyn farm in Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, Clwyd. This bans the movement of farm birds in or out of the zone.
It is thought that the infection arrived at the farm when Mr and Mrs Williams bought 15 young Rhode Island Red hens at a market in nearby Corwen two weeks ago, bringing their total number of birds to 45 chickens and two geese.
Ten birds died over the last two weeks.
Scroll down for more...
The farm under investigation



Neighbour Medwyn Roberts said Mr Williams kept chickens as a hobby but had recently trebled his number of hens.
"Tony keeps hens for eggs for himself and his neighbours," he said.
"I know that he took delivery of around 15 new birds a few weeks ago.
"He told me that one of the birds was already dead when they arrived. He will be gutted by what's happened."
Inspectors dressed in white forensic-type suits and masks examined the white stone cottage and the handful of small chicken sheds in its back garden.
They arranged for the slaughter of all the remaining birds on the property.
The chief veterinary officer for Wales, Dr Christianne Glossop, said: "We would remind poultry keepers throughout Wales to look for signs of disease.
"As the jigsaw puzzle becomes clearer we may put restraints on holdings in other parts of Britain."
Senior medical officer for Wales, Dr Mike Simmons, said supplies of the anti-flu drug Tamiflu have been delivered to the area to protect the human population.
He said, however: "There is no ongoing risk to the public."
The Food Standards Agency said there would be no risk of contracting the virus from eating eggs from the farm.
A spokesman said: "The virus does not get into meat and eggs, but consumers should always ensure that poultry products are thoroughly cooked."
Dr Colin Butter of the Institute For Animal Health said: "While we must take this outbreak seriously, there is no reason for the public to panic. "There was a similar outbreak in Norfolk in 2006 that was well contained with no risk to the public." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1774

[Treyfish]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

Mild avian flu hits Welsh farm

May 24, 2007 (CIDRAP News) ? Veterinary officials in Wales confirmed a low pathogenic H7N2 avian influenza outbreak today at a farm near the northern town of Denbighshire, a day after Nigeria reported its first H5N1 avian flu outbreak since late January.
The outbreak in Wales involves Rhode Island Red chickens that the farmers bought 2 weeks ago, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported today. The birds began dying the day after they arrived at the farm, and by May 17, 10 of 15 had died.
The British Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in a statement said the remaining 30 birds on the farm were being culled today, and authorities have placed a 1-km restriction zone around the farm. The source of the outbreak is under investigation, and farm workers and others who may have had contact with the birds were being tested, DEFRA said.
The BBC report said two adults who were on the farm have symptoms of influenza and are receiving precautionary treatment.
Some countries, including the United States, destroy birds infected with any H5 or H7 influenza virus, because mild strains of these subtypes can mutate into highly pathogenic forms.
Christianne Glossop, chief veterinary officer for Wales, told the BBC that authorities don't believe the disease is spreading rapidly. "While we are taking this very seriously, this is a low pathogenic avian flu," she added.
In February, England experienced its first H5N1 avian flu outbreak at a turkey farm in Suffolk, which led to the culling of about 152,000 birds. In April 2006 a low-pathogenic form of H7N3 avian influenza struck three English farms, leading to the culling of 50,000 poultry.
A handful of H7N2 outbreaks in poultry were reported in the United States in 2004, involving farms in Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey.
Though H7N2 is not considered a human health threat, one of the few known human cases of avian flu in the United States involved an H7N2 virus. In November 2003 a Caribbean immigrant from Yonkers, N.Y., was hospitalized with influenza, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) later identified as H7N2. Health authorities were puzzled by the case because the man had had no known contact with birds. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/con...2407wales.html

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

i thought low path h7 wasnt a killer of birds.........?.

Low path can adapt to high path in 6-9 months by US standards and 6-12 months by UK standards.

.

[HenryN]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

Low path can adapt to high path in 6-9 months by US standards and 6-12 months by UK standards.

.

It was a few weeks in the H7N3 outbreak in British Columbia in 2005.

[vinny]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

my concern is where did these birds originate from.........?,the person who delivered them to the farm and there birds i hope they are being checked.

[Anne]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

British authorities identify 4 human cases of bird flu

<!-- /kicker & headline --><!-- subhead --><!-- /subhead --><!-- byline -->
The Associated Press
Published: May 25, 2007


<!-- /article tools - narrow (used with span photos) --><!-- copy -->LONDON: Four people have tested positive for a mild strain of bird flu, British authorities said Friday.
The cases ? which are not the feared H5N1 strain, but the less dangerous H7N2 subtype ? were reported after poultry died at a small farm in north Wales. Tests were performed on nine people associated with the farm, and the Health Protection Agency said in a news release that four people had tested positive for the H7N2 strain of the virus.
Three of the nine were hospitalized, but have since been discharged, the agency said.
The H7 subtype of bird flu is believed to be less virulent than H5, but it has in the past caused human cases, and was responsible for a large outbreak in the Netherlands. In that outbreak in 2003, there were 89 mild cases of H7N7, and one person died.
Most of the cases in the Netherlands were conjunctivitis, a mild eye infection.

<!-- sidebar --><!-- today in links -->Today in Europe <!-- /170 x 60 ad -->
<!-- /sidebar -->"The mortality rate of H7 viruses is not on the order of H5N1," said Dr. Michael Perdue, a World Health Organization bird flu expert. Experts estimate that nearly half or more of all people who contract H5N1 die.
While H7 viruses tend to cause milder illnesses in humans, they still have the potential to ignite a global flu outbreak and should be watched.
"A low pathogenic H7 virus might not be picked up as easily as a highly pathogenic virus," said Perdue, explaining that the mild symptoms of a H7 case might be mistaken for ordinary flu, causing experts to lose valuable time tracking an emerging pandemic.
Like all flu viruses, H7 evolves constantly. Other bird flu subtypes have also caused illnesses in humans. Surveillance in Europe for all bird flu viruses has greatly increased in recent years.
While global health experts have been focused on H5N1 as the strain most likely to cause the next flu pandemic, it is also possible that another subtype, such as H7, could ultimately be responsible. "I'd hate to predict anything with bird flu," said Perdue.
The farm came to the attention of British authorities after a number of chickens died.
Dr. Christianne Glossop, the chief veterinary officer for Wales, said in a statement that they had tested positive for H7N2.
A one-kilometer (1.6-mile) exclusion zone was put in place around the farm, and the remaining chickens have been slaughtered.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/...n-Bird-Flu.php

[HenryN]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

I'm taking bets that the H7N2 in England has M230I. I will give 2-1 odds.

[vinny]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

just a couple of questions if this was low path how come all the birds died,does low path kill every bird it infects.

what significance does m2301 have in the virus.





and could this virus mix with H5N1,and become a pandemic strain........?

[HenryN]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

just a couple of questions if this was low path how come all the birds died,does low path kill every bird it infects.

what significance does m2301 have in the virus.





and could this virus mix with H5N1,and become a pandemic strain........?

M230I is in all three versions of human influenza (H3N2, H1N1, Influenza B). Human influenza is efficiently transmitted H2H. All H5N1 patients in Egypt with M230I died, including the three members of the Gharbiya cluster (as in efficient transmission).

M230I is also in H3N8, which is efficiently transmitted dog to dog. Dogs are mammals.

[Mamabird]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

I'm taking bets that the H7N2 in England has M230I. I will give 2-1 odds.

Why only 2 to 1 Dr. Niman? Most of the H7 isolates in GenBank have Isoleucine at position 230 of the HA segment. The Netherlands H7N7 had it, the H7N2 all through the Northeast of the US had it, and the H7N3 had it. It is a very human characteristic as well.

But, that does not mean that this mutation causes high mortality, as the above examples of human cases clearly indicate. It likely does mean, however, that the virus has a bit easier time in infecting humans through alteration of the RBD.

[HenryN]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

Why only 2 to 1 Dr. Niman? Most of the H7 isolates in GenBank have Isoleucine at position 230 of the HA segment. The Netherlands H7N7 had it, the H7N2 all through the Northeast of the US had it, and the H7N3 had it. It is a very human characteristic as well.

But, that does not mean that this mutation causes high mortality, as the above examples of human cases clearly indicate. It likely does mean, however, that the virus has a bit easier time in infecting humans through alteration of the RBD.

I generally make bets to win. I agree that the odds of M230I being in the H7N2 in England is high.

As noted, M230I is in all three human serotypes, so clearly it does not cause high mortality in that setting. However, its case fatality rate in Qinghai H5N1 remains at 100&#37;.

Also as noted, M230I appeared in two forms in Qinghai H5N1 in Egypt this season. One version matched the H5N1 infected eagle owl in Northern Germany, while the other matched H7N3 in England.

Birds have wings and migrate to the Nile Delta. Dual infections generate recombinants, and H7 flying around Europe is not a good situation, because Qinghai H5N1 is co-circulting, missing OIE reports not withstanding.

[HenryN]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/05260701/H7N2_Surveillance.html

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Bird flu outbreak in North Wales: H7N2

Bird flu poultry bought at market

Officials trying to trace the source of an outbreak of mild bird flu say 15 chickens found to have the virus were bought at a Cheshire market.

A H7N2 strain was found in the Rhode Island Red birds at the farm near Cerrigydrudion, Conwy.

On Friday, health officials announced nine people had been tested for the virus, with four positive.

Wales's chief vet said Chelford Market near Macclesfield - some 70 miles (112km) away - was one line of inquiry.

The owners of the smallholding at Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, Tony Williams and Barbara Cowling, have tested negative for the virus.



The couple called in a vet after the chickens, which they bought at the market about two weeks ago, started to die.

Samples from the birds were sent for testing, and the virus was confirmed on Thursday.

Health officials have stressed that the disease found was the H7N2 strain of bird flu, not the more virulent H5N1.

Chief veterinary officer Christianne Glossop said: "An important part of disease control is finding the source of infection. It has to be a very thorough process with a number of lines of inquiry to follow."

Vigilance

She said anyone who purchased from or supplied to the market on Monday, 7 May and had not already been contacted by animal health officials should contact their local office.

Similarly, any poultry keeper who visited the market on that day and whose birds have subsequently become ill should do so, Dr Glossop said.

"In the meantime, all bird keepers throughout Wales should continue their efforts to maintain high levels of biosecurity and maintain vigilance by continuing to monitor their birds for signs of disease," she continued.

"If you are concerned about the health of your birds you should seek the advice of your veterinary surgeon, if you suspect that your birds have avian influenza you should report it to your local animal health office."

Three of the nine people tested for the virus were taken to hospital, but have now been discharged.

Symptoms

Chief medical officer for Wales Tony Jewell said on Friday: "I would like to reassure the general public that the risk to their health from this outbreak is very low.

"This particular strain is not highly pathogenic and is normally only contracted following close contact with infected birds. In addition the symptoms are generally mild."

Two of the four people who have tested positive were from Wales and the other two were from north-west England.

The five people who tested negative are being treated as having had the virus as a precaution.


The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) wants to hear from anyone - who has not already been contacted - who purchased from or supplied to Chelford Market, Cheshire on Monday, 7 May, or any poultry keeper who visited the market on that day whose birds have subsequently become ill.

They are asked to contact their local animal health office or the Defra helpline 08459 335577. Lines are open between 0900 BST - 1700 BST seven days a week.


Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/wales/6694611.stm

Published: 2007/05/26 12:20:28 GMT

[sharon sanders]

Fears Of Second Bird Flu Outbreak In Wales

<table id="common_center_content" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100&#37;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px;" align="left">Fears Of Second Bird Flu Outbreak In Wales </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; font-size: 9pt;" align="left">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="story_date_label" style="padding-top: 5px;">Last Edited: Saturday, 26 May 2007, 12:00 PM EDT</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="story_date_label">Created: Saturday, 26 May 2007, 11:30 AM EDT</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 5px;"> <!-- Begin Image displayed --> <!-- Begin sidebar displayed --> <!-- End sidebar displayed --> <!-- Text Story Detail --> <!-- Had to use this funcky scriplet to have breaks where ever there is \n bean:write does not differentiate "\n" new line characters. Perhaps use of jstl <c:out value="${bean.property}"/> or just enabling jstl so that we can just write ${bean.property} and jsp takes care of the new lines. --> 05/26/2007 -- Authorities in Wales are investigating reports of a second outbreak of bird flu.
It comes after nine people developed bird flu-like symptoms after coming into contact with birds on a chicken farm in Corwen, north Wales - although only four are said to have contracted the virus.
The new investigation centres on a possible outbreak at a farm in the Llyn Peninsula.
Health officials have stressed that the type of flu found at the first farm is not the potentially deadly H5N1 strain.
The outbreak was on a smallholding in Corwen where 15 chickens died. A further 30 birds were slaughtered.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) carried out tests on specimens from nine people associated with the incident - seven from Wales and two from north west England.
Of the four positive results, two were from Wales and two were from northwest England.
The National Public Health Service for Wales (NPHS) said virologists had advised that the five people who had not tested positive should also be considered to have had the H7 influenza virus.
It said 23 people have been identified who have been in contact with the chickens on the smallholding in the last seven days or with people who have been ill.
Dr Christianne Glossop, Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, previously said it was not the most dangerous H5N1 strain but H7N2 low pathogenic avian influenza.
Dr Marion Lyons, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control at the NPHS for Wales, said: "The source of the outbreak of illness is clearly identified as the chickens on the smallholding.
"These have all been culled so the original source has been destroyed.
"Although the number of people involved is very small, we could be dealing with some spread of the H7 flu virus within the household setting. We are treating this possibility very seriously."

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=3319829&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.4.1

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