DoD ebook

[gsgs]

Committee for the Assessment of DoD-GEIS Influenza Surveillance and Response Programs

ebook, 226 pages:

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11974#toc

[mixin]

Re: DoD ebook

Great link, Gs An excellent review of our research units.

I knew the NAMRU's performed testing but I had no idea of the extent of their activities. I was surprised to find they (at least the ones I've read so far) are very involved in the wild bird surveillance programs. Namru 3:

Animal Surveillance
NAMRU-3 supports avian influenza surveillance in migratory birds in Ukraine, Egypt, and Kenya. NAMRU-3?s location in Egypt provides a unique opportunity to collect specimens and identify isolates from migratory birds traveling from Europe through the Egyptian flyways to sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, NAMRU-3 acts as a reference laboratory in the EMRO region for other suspected H5N1 animal cases.

In Egypt, NAMRU-3?s migratory bird surveillance is conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment throughout the Nile Delta region, as this is a major location for stopover of migratory birds during their transit. Current environmental ministry collection sites are Port Said (Rasheed), El-Sharkeya, El-Manzala, Port Fouad, El-Fayoum, El-Arish, Sharm El-Sheik, Aswan, El-Minya, Alexandria, and Domietta. NAMRU-3 and the MoE have provided active surveillance of wild migratory birds since October 2003 in an effort to detect circulating influenza viruses. Specimens are collected using the appropriate personal protective equipment. Specimens such as tracheal swabs, cloacal swabs, tissue, serum, and so on are collected based on the method performed. As a result of these activities in Egypt, NAMRU-3 received and processed 490 wild bird samples in January 2007. Of these 48 (9.8 percent) tested positive for influenza A, 2 (0.3 percent) tested positive for H5, and none were found to be positive for H5N1 (NAMRU-3, 2007c).

NAMRU-3 has established similar surveillance activities in Kenya and Ukraine. As a result of NAMRU-3?s ongoing migratory bird surveillance activities in Ukraine, it was able to confirm an H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak among migratory birds in February 2006.

Through its animal H5 reference testing, NAMRU-3 was the first laboratory to diagnose and confirm influenza H5N1 infections in poultry in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Kazakhstan. Between July 2006 and January 2007, NAMRU-3 received 51 animal samples for H5 reference testing. Of the 46 which were processed by NAMRU-3, nine samples, most of which came from chickens and doves found dead, were found positive for influenza H5N1.