Sri Lanka: Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N2 - Chickens culled

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/02/01/news12.asp

Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Puzzling death of chicken
Waruna Padmasiri

The Department of Livestock and Animal Husbandry has investigated the death of a large number of chickens at a farm in the Bingiriya area in the Kurunegala district. It has been found that one of the dead chickens had bird flu symptoms. However it was not confirmed that the death was caused by bird flu...

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Sri Lanka: Poultry deaths from unidentifed cause

Suspected avian flu case in Sri Lanka

Wed, Feb 1, 2012, 12:44 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.


Feb 01, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health has issued a warning that there may be a threat of avian (bird) flu after a large number of fowl had died of an apparent infection at a farm in Bingiriya, Kurunegala in the North Western Province.

The Ministry has alerted that one of the dead birds had the symptoms of avian flu.

The Additional Director General of the Department of Animal Production and Health Dr. A.D.N.Chandrasiri has confirmed that the fowl deaths were due to Avian Influenza caused by a strain less lethal than the potentially deadly H5N1 strain, News First reported.

Following a meeting with the officials of Livestock and Animal Production Department yesterday, the Additional Secretary to the Health Ministry Dr. Palitha Mahipala has said that the Ministry has already taken steps to raise awareness among staffs of hospitals in Kurunegala, Bingiriya and Chilaw about the avian flu.

The virus that infect the birds van mutate to infect humans and people handling poultry are at increased risk of contracting the disease.

ColomboPage

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Sri Lanka: Poultry deaths from unidentifed cause

Sri Lanka culls chickens after bird flu scare

Posted: 01 February 2012

COLOMBO : Sri Lanka on Wednesday ordered the culling of thousands of chickens amid fears that a flu strain discovered at a farm could mutate into the more virulent bird flu virus.

The Department of Animal Production and Health deployed 30 officers to isolate the poultry farm in Bingiriya, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the capital Colombo and destroy its animals, director general Kumar de Silva said.

A total of 6,000 birds were destroyed, local officials said.

"We have carried out extensive tests and confirmed that a few birds had H5N2 strain of flu which is not the virulent H5N1 bird flu," de Silva told AFP. "We decided to destroy the animals as a precautionary measure."

He said local scientists feared that the milder form of the virus could mutate.

There have been no cases of H5N1 detected in Sri Lanka, de Silva said.

Channelnewsasia

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Sri Lanka: High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 - Chickens culled

According to FAO-Empres website the outbreak is High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 .

.

[sharon sanders]

Re: Sri Lanka: High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 - Chickens culled

That FAO report is gone.

[sharon sanders]

Re: Sri Lanka: High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 - Chickens culled

According to FAO-Empres website the outbreak is High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 .

.

A friend of FluTrackers sent us a screenshot.

[Treyfish]

Re: Sri Lanka: High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 - Chickens culled

Suspected bird flu case in Bingiriya
Wednesday, 01 February 2012 09:28


The Health Ministry this morning called for a full investigation on the Bingiriya chicken farm which had a suspected case of bird flu after 1,000 chickens were found dead including one which showed symptoms of the flu, ministry officials said.

Ministry officials said two groups of experts from the Health Ministry as well as the Livestock and Animal Production Department of the Agricultural ministry had carried out tests to determine the cause of the deaths and symptoms showed by the rooster with suspected bird flu symptoms.

?Based on the results of the tests carried out the researchers will decide what would be done to remedy the problem to ensure that no more chickens are affected,? ministry officials said.

Meanwhile the All-Island Poultry Association said that the chickens in the Bingiriya farm had been affected by a virus since November last year. He said that since then about three birds had been dying each day and that out of some 5,000 chickens, 30% had already died. However he said the virus was not bird flu.

?Whatever it is, it is not infectious and it does not affect human beings. It should not raise alarm as if it was bird flu it would spread like wild fire. This is not the case. Sri Lanka is 100% free of bird flu,? the association?s Chairman D.D. Wanasinghe said.

He said it should not affect the industry as the virus would not affect people and that there has been no change in the demand for chicken so far. Meanwhile it had been reported that the sale of eggs and chicken at the Bingiriya farm had been temporarily suspended. (Olindhi Jayasundere)
http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/16459...ingiriya-.html

[Treyfish]

Re: Sri Lanka: High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 - Chickens culled

Bird Flu confirmed: Health Minister orders probe

• <!-- Item Author -->
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• Wednesday, 01 February 2012 13:19<!-- Font Resizer -->

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<!-- Item fulltext -->The Health Ministry has ordered a full investigation into the sudden deaths of a large number of fowls at a Bingiriya poultry farm with symptoms of Bird Flu, Health sources disclosed. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Livestock has reported one of the dead hens had symptoms of Bird Flu virus that had hit some nations in Asia. Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena has ordered an immediate probe into the Bingiriya Farm fowl deaths and have directed health officials to visit hospitals around the area to conduct investigations on patients admitted with flu.http://www.nation.lk/edition/latest-...r-orders-probe

[Treyfish]

Re: Sri Lanka: High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 - Chickens culled

It has been reported that the Bingiriya farm incident was not related to bird flu.
Wednesday, 01 February 2012 20:45

The Director of the Health Department Dr. Kumara De Silva said that the bird flu reported from a farm in Bingiriya yesterday was not really bird flu but taken place due to the virus attack.
He said that detailed scientific research is being carried out in this connection. Dr. Kumara said there should be no hesitation for consuming eggs and chicken due to this matter.
This is only an incident that had taken place in one of the farms in Bingiriya. He said that 20 senior health officers also inspected the farms in the surrounding areas as well. Meanwhile health ministry has taken precautionary measures to successfully face the problem in case of spreading and type of epidemic. http://www.slbc.lk/index.php/compone...ed-to-bird-flu-

[Giuseppe]

Re: Sri Lanka: High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 - Chickens culled

[Source: DetikNews, full text: (LINK). Automatic translation from Bahasan to English, edited.]

Bird flu alert, Destroy Thousands of Sri Lankan Poultry



Novi Christiastuti Adiputri ? detikNews - Wednesday, 01/02/2012 19:47 pm


Colombo - Amid fears of the spread of bird flu virus, authorities culled thousands of birds of Sri Lanka. This is done after the discovery of the virus of bird flu on a farm that is feared could mutate into a more virulent.

Department of Animal Health and Production of Sri Lanka fielded 30 officers to isolate a number of poultry farms in Bingiriya, about 80 km from Colombo. A total of 6000 birds have been destroyed.

"We have thoroughly tested and confirmed that a number of birds infected with H5N2 virus, instead of the deadly H5N1 virus," said Director-General Dpartemen Animal Health and Production, Kumar de Silva told news agency AFP on Wednesday ( 02.01.2012).

"We also decided to exterminate these animals as a precautionary measure," he added.

Kumar added that local scientists are worried that a lighter type of virus it could mutate into a more virulent.

So far I have found no cases of bird flu H5N1 was detected in the territory of Sri Lanka. However they were enough to make the government to be vigilant.

The bird flu virus is known to have killed more than 330 people worldwide. Scientists worry if the virus mutates and can spread from human to human. If that happens, it will cause a larger number of deaths. (NVC / ita)

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[tetano]

No Bird Flu Threat In Sri Lanka

COLOMBO ? The Department of Animal Production and Health on Thursday confirmed that Sri Lanka is not affected with bird flu despite earler warning after a number of fowl died of a similiar infection.

Director W.K.D. Silva said that the infection chicken in a farm in Bingiriya in the North Western Province was not due to deadly H5N1 strain following several extensive tests and investigations.

?This is not H5N1 infection. If it was H5N1, all the fowls would have died within three days,? China?s Xinhua news agency quoted him on Thursday.

On Wednesday following the death a number of fowl in a poultry farm in a village, 80 kilometers north of the capital Colombo, Sri Lanka?s Ministry of Health issued warning that there may be a threat of bird flu in the country. ? BERNAMA

http://mynewshub.my/eng/2012/02/no-bird-flu-threat-in-sri-lanka/

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Sri Lanka: High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N2 - Chickens culled

Chicken deaths: bird flu not suspected



Waruna PADMASIRI and Nihal JAYAWARDENE

Investigations have confirmed that bird flu was not the cause of the large number of chicken deaths reported from the Bingiriya area on Tuesday, Animal Production and Health Department Director General, Kumar de Silva told Daily News.

Two teams of specialists comprising of doctors from the Contagious Diseases Research Division, Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation conducted an awareness programme for the medical staff of the Bingiriya area yesterday.

Steps were taken to provide secure medical equipment to the Chilaw and Bingiriya hospitals as a precautionary step.

The Medical Research Institute will be on standby to conduct secure testing of samples if the need arises. The Health Ministry informs that the quarantine process activated will remain in place for a few more days, regardless of the confirmation that the Bird Flue virus was not found in Bingiriya.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/02/02/news03.asp

[Giuseppe]

Re: Sri Lanka: High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N2 - Chickens culled

[Source: OIE, full PDF document: (LINK). Edited.]


Low pathogenic avian influenza (poultry), Sri Lanka


Information received on 03/02/2012 from Dr Weligodage Kumarawansa De Silva, Director General, Department of Animal Production & Health, Department of Animal Production & Health, PERADENIYA, Sri Lanka

• Summary
  • Report type Immediate notification
  • Start date 20/01/2012
  • Date of first confirmation of the event 02/02/2012
  • Report date 02/02/2012
  • Date submitted to OIE 03/02/2012
  • Reason for notification First occurrence of a listed disease
  • Manifestation of disease Clinical disease
  • Causal agent Low pathogenic avian influenza virus
  • Serotype H5N2
  • Nature of diagnosis Laboratory (advanced)
  • This event pertains to the whole country
• New outbreaks
  • Summary of outbreaks
    • Total outbreaks: 1
      • Location(s) KURUNEGALA (Panawewa, Bingiriya, Kurunegala)
        • Total animals affected: Species ? Susceptible ? Cases ? Deaths ? Destroyed ? Slaughtered
          • Birds ? 14600 ? 100 ? 100 ? 0 ? 0
      • Outbreak statistics: Species - Apparent morbidity rate - Apparent mortality rate - Apparent case fatality rate - Proportion susceptible animals lost*
        • Birds - 0.68% - 0.68% - 100.00% - 0.68%
        • * Removed from the susceptible population through death, destruction and/or slaughter
• Epidemiology
  • Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection
    • Unknown or inconclusive
• Epidemiological comments
  • Two layer farms in nearby location owned by the same farmer have been affected.
  • Samples have been dispatched to the OIE Reference Laboratory for avian influenza in Weybridge (United Kingdom) for further laboratory confirmation.
  • Note by the OIE Animal Health Information Department: H5 and H7 avian influenza in its low pathogenic form in poultry is a notifiable disease as per Chapter 10.4. on avian influenza of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2011).
• Control measures
  • Measures applied
    • Quarantine
    • Movement control inside the country
    • Screening
    • Vaccination prohibited
    • No treatment of affected animals
  • Measures to be applied
    • Stamping out
    • Disinfection of infected premises/establishment(s)
• Diagnostic test results
  • Laboratory name and type Central Veterinary Investigation Centre (National laboratory)
    • Tests and results: Species ? Test - Test date ? Result
      • Birds - gene sequencing - 02/02/2012 ? Positive
• Future Reporting
  • The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will be submitted.

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[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Sri Lanka: Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N2 - Chickens culled

Poultry farms under watch, 12,500 birds culled

More than 12,500 chicken have been culled following an outbreak of bird flu in Bingiriya and all farms in the area have been brought under close watch while health authorities assured that the situation poses no threat to people.

Following the outbreak of the disease in two farms in Bingiriya, all farms in the area were brought under close watch yesterday with some of them being guarded by police to prevent owners from selling chicken.

...

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/120205/News/nws_05.html