Pakistan: Suspected Human Cases December 10 - December 17, 2007

[Farmer]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Five cases of bird flu confirmed

By Baqir Sajjad Syed

ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: The Health Ministry on Friday confirmed that five people had been affected by bird flu, but challenged the veracity of two reported deaths linked to the H5N1 infection.

Confirming the bird flu cases, federal health secretary Khushnood Lashri said the infected patients had been quarantined and precautionary steps were being taken in cooperation with the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock to check further spread of the disease.

Three of the patients are in a hospital in Mansehra and the other two cases have been reported from Peshawar. One of the patients had been discharged from the hospital after recovery, health authorities said.

The last confirmed case had been reported on Dec 5 and there had been no fresh case, a senior health official said.

Stocks of Tamiflu, an antiviral drug used for influenza virus, have been rushed to the affected districts to meet any eventuality.

The two brothers, who were reported to have died of bird flu, were poultry workers and related to two other patients. However, the authorities were still trying to determine if the recent cases involved human-to-human transmission.

Most human cases of H5N1 are linked to contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus might mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, potentially sparking a pandemic that could kill a large number of people.

Human-to-human transmissions are extremely rare, with only three previous cases in Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Mr Lashari said there was not enough evidence that the two casualties in Peshawar were victims of bird flu.

?Two brothers died from pneumonia-like symptoms, but were buried by family members before health officials could take blood samples to test for the virus.?

The World Health Organisation, he said, had been taken on board about the situation.

Symptoms of bird flu in humans have ranged from typical human influenza-like symptoms ? fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases and other life-threatening complications.

So far this year Pakistan has reported 79 outbreaks of bird flu, the latest on Nov 29 in Murree. Of these, 53 outbreaks involved commercial and backyard poultry.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/15/top14.htm

[Commonground]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Does anyone know what culling operation was involved and the dates of that culling, for the 3 cases in Mansehra?

I'm confused on the culling on Oct. 30th, and the culling involved for the 3rd cluster.

The incident and culling of the 1st cluster is not being discussed now? But 4 were tested positive, from that particular incident....

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

One dead, six infected with bird flu in Pakistan

Sat Dec 15, 2007 5:32pm IST

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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has recorded its first human death from bird flu and six other people have been infected with the deadly H5N1 virus over the last two months, a senior Health Ministry official said on Saturday.
"Seven in total. One died and six other people were infected with the H5N1 virus," Federal Health Secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari told Reuters. "It was confirmed by blood tests."
The cases were reported in the North West Frontier Province, Lashari said.
Two people have recovered and four are in quarantine.
While Pakistan has registered cases of bird flu in poultry this is the first time it has been reported in humans, Lashari said. The first poultry case appeared in early 2006.
Lashari said no more poultry or human cases had been detected in the last two weeks. A World Health Organisation (WHO) team will arrive in Pakistan in the next few days.
Some 340 people worldwide are known to have contracted the disease which has killed more than 200 since 2003, WHO says.
Indonesia has the heaviest toll, with 115 human cases including 92 deaths, followed by Vietnam with 100 cases and 46 deaths.
Humans rarely contract H5N1 which is mainly an animal disease and has been reported in some 60 countries. Experts fear the strain could spark the next global pandemic and kill millions of people if it mutates.

http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsiaNews/idINIndia-31001620071215

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

6 Pakistanis infected, one fatally, with H5N1 bird flu, government says


2007-12-15 13:57:35 -

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Six people in northern Pakistan were infected with H5N1 bird flu last month and at least one person has died of the disease, the government said Saturday.
It was not immediately clear if the World Health Organization also had identified the bird flu virus as the deadly H5N1 strain.
Of the six people who tested positive, ?Five of them have fully recovered. One of the confirmed cases died in hospital, while his brother who could not be tested has also died,? the Health Ministry said in a statement.
<!--APIMG-->

http://www.pr-inside.com/pakistanis-infected-one-fatally-with-r349809.htm

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

One dead, six infected with bird flu in Pakistan

Sat Dec 15, 2007 6:58am EST
(Adds comment)

ISLAMABAD, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Pakistan has recorded its first human death from bird flu and six other people have been infected with the deadly H5N1 virus over the last two months, a senior Health Ministry official said on Saturday.

"Seven in total. One died and six other people were infected with the H5N1 virus," Federal Health Secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari told Reuters. "It was confirmed by blood tests."

The cases were reported in the North West Frontier Province, Lashari said.

Two people have recovered and four are in quarantine.

While Pakistan has registered cases of bird flu in poultry this is the first time it has been reported in humans, Lashari said. The first poultry case appeared in early 2006.

Lashari said no more poultry or human cases had been detected in the last two weeks. A World Health Organisation (WHO) team will arrive in Pakistan in the next few days.

Some 340 people worldwide are known to have contracted the disease which has killed more than 200 since 2003, WHO says.

Indonesia has the heaviest toll, with 115 human cases including 92 deaths, followed by Vietnam with 100 cases and 46 deaths.

Humans rarely contract H5N1 which is mainly an animal disease and has been reported in some 60 countries. Experts fear the strain could spark the next global pandemic and kill millions of people if it mutates. (Reporting by Alistair Scrutton; Editing by Robert Birsel and Robert Woodward)

http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USL15305867

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

<TABLE class=lan18 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=hei22 vAlign=bottom height=25>2 Pakistanis die of bird flu
</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff height=4></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="50%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="48%">www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-15 20:41:04</TD><TD class=hui12 align=middle width="26%"> </TD><TD class=hui12 align=middle width="12%"> Print</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="80%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=20></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=lt14 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=lt14>



ISLAMABAD, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani National Institute of Health on Saturday confirmed that two people died of bird flu in northwestern Pakistan.
The two cases were registered in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), local TV channel DAWN NEWS reported. The administration of Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) on Thursday said that two brothers Mohammad Ilyas and Tariq, who were brought to the hospital from Mansehra in NWFP on suspicion of carrying H5N1 virus, died of bird flu at last, according to local newspaper The News. "The two brothers have been confirmed as bird flu victims and are the first human sufferers of the disease in our country," Dr Siddiqur Rahman, Acting Chief Executive of the KTH, was quoted by The News as saying.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/15/content_7256463.htm

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[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Pakistan confirms first bird flu death
Posted: 15 December 2007 2059 hrs
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ISLAMABAD : Pakistan on Saturday confirmed that a man who worked on a poultry farm with infected birds has become the country's first death from the bird flu virus.

One of the man's brothers also died but he was not tested for the virus, the health ministry said in a statement.

It did not say why the second man was not tested.

Six people were confirmed to have been infected with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, all of them in North West Frontier Province, which borders Afghanistan, the ministry said.

"Five of them have fully recovered. One of the confirmed cases died in hospital while his brother, who could not be tested, has also died," the statement said.

A spokesman told AFP that the confirmed victim, Muhammad Tariq, had been involved in a cull of birds at an infected poultry farm in late October.

Three of his brothers were also admitted to hospital and one, named Mohammad Illyas, also died.

"We are not certain how Illyas died because we could not conduct his testing," the spokesman said.

Hospital officials in the provincial capital of Peshawar told AFP that Tariq died late last month, a few days before his brother, who was admitted with similar symptoms but was not tested for the virus.

The virus is usually transmitted to humans from infected birds but scientists fear it could mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans, sparking a global pandemic that could kill millions. - CNA/ch

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/317593/1/.html

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Bird flu kills man in Pakistan

13 minutes ago
Six people in northern Pakistan were infected with H5N1 bird flu last month and at least one person has died of the disease, the government said.
It was not immediately clear if the World Health Organisation also had identified the bird flu virus as the deadly H5N1 strain.
Of the six people who tested positive, "Five of them have fully recovered. One of the confirmed cases died in hospital, while his brother who could not be tested has also died," the Health Ministry said in a statement.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j4PzFI2gVU43AO2L6VmgbhDeEWkg

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Last Modified: 15 Dec 2007
Source: PA News


<!-- End Introduction -->Six people in northern Pakistan were infected with H5N1 bird flu last month and at least one person has died of the disease, the government said.
<!--c:if test='${realParaCount eq 1 and article.hasMPU}'--><!--googleoff: index--><!--p class="mpujump">article continues below...</p>

</a--><!--googleon: index--><!--/c:if-->It was not immediately clear if the World Health Organisation also had identified the bird flu virus as the deadly H5N1 strain.
<!--c:if test='${realParaCount eq 1 and article.hasMPU}'--><!--googleoff: index--><!--p class="mpujump"><a href="#fold">article continues below...</p>

</a--><!--googleon: index--><!--/c:if-->Of the six people who tested positive, "Five of them have fully recovered. One of the confirmed cases died in hospital, while his brother who could not be tested has also died," the Health Ministry said in a statement.

<A href="http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/bird+flu+kills+man+in+pakistan/1188852">http://www.channel4.com/news/article...kistan/1188852
<!--c:if test='${realParaCount eq 1 and article.hasMPU}'--><!--googleoff: index--><!--p class="mpujump">article continues below...</p>

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[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

6 Pakistanis infected, one fatally, with H5N1 bird flu, government says



2007-12-15 14:30:38 -


ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Six people caught H5N1 bird flu in northern Pakistan last month and at least one person with the disease has died, the government said Saturday.
The World Health Organization confirmed the H5N1 strain was found in the six cases, but said a second round of tests were being carried out to make sure.
If confirmed, the infections would be the first in humans in Pakistan.
The Health Ministry said it had tested several patients and others they had been in contact with in late October. The results for six people from the Abbottabad and Mansehra districts of North West Frontier Province were positive, it said in a statement.
?Five of them have fully recovered. One of the confirmed cases died in hospital, while his brother who could not be tested has also died,? the Health Ministry said in a statement.
<!--APPIC-->To prevent the disease spreading, the ministry said it was treating people who had been in contact with those infected, setting up isolation wards in hospitals and procuring drugs for treatment and protective clothing for health workers.
Khalif Bile, the WHO representative in Pakistan, said preliminary tests had been carried out. He said the WHO was encouraging the government to carry out confirmation tests and the results should be available by Tuesday. <!-- COM9_20071215132652936.txt -->

http://www.pr-inside.com/print349834.htm

[Commonground]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Dr. Niman, after reading all these posts, I am thinking that Muhammad Tariq was the Index Case. He was involved in a cull in late October. Worked on a poultry farm. Died late last month. A few days before his brother Illyas was admitted.

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/12150702/H5N1_Pakistan_Confirmed_H2H2H.html

[yielddude]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Pakistan Reports One Death From Bird Flu Virus; Six Infected

By Khaleeq Ahmed

Dec. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan reported its first death from the lethal H5N1 strain of avian influenza, with three others quarantined after showing symptoms of the disease.

``One man died from bird flu on Nov. 25 in the northwestern city of Peshawar, three recovered and were sent home and another three are in quarantine and being looked after,'' Federal Health Secretary Khushnood Lashari said in a phone interview from the capital, Islamabad, today.

The health ministry can't confirm whether two brothers who died last week had also been infected with the lethal H5N1 strain because they were buried before specimens were collected, Lashari said.

The new cases show the H5N1 flu strain is continuing to spread, putting people at risk of the disease and creating opportunities for the virus to become adept at infecting humans. The World Health Organization says millions could die if the virus becomes as contagious as seasonal flu and touches of a global pandemic.

At least 340 people in 13 countries have contracted the virus since 2003. Three of every five cases were fatal and most were caused by contact with infected poultry, such as children playing with them or adults butchering them or plucking feathers, according to the Geneva-based WHO.

Including the five most recent cases, nine people are reported to have been infected with H5N1 so far this month, the most since June. There were five recorded cases in December 2006.

Four cases of infection were recorded in Indonesia, China and Myanmar this month.

Poultry Outbreaks

Pakistan has reported 44 H5N1 outbreaks in poultry to the World Organization for Animal Health since early 2006. The most recent occurred on Nov. 27 and 28 in the states of Punjab and North-West Frontier Province, killing almost 20,000 chickens.

Suspected H5N1 fatalities in Pakistan were reported by the News yesterday. Two brothers died Dec. 10 at Khyber Teaching Hospital in Peshawar after contracting the virus, possibly at the poultry farm on which they worked in Mansehra, the daily national newspaper reported, citing Siddiqur Rahman, the hospital's acting chief executive. Mansehra is in North-West Frontier Province, which borders Afghanistan.

Of those who have tested positive for the virus, three have been hospitalized in Mansehra, said Lashari at the health ministry. The most recent infection was diagnosed Dec. 5, he said. The other cases are in the provincial capital, Peshawar, one of whom has recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

Those still infected have been quarantined and authorities from the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock are checking whether the disease has spread further among poultry flocks. Supplies of Roche Holding AG's antiviral medicine, Tamiflu, have been dispatched to affected districts.

Myanmar Case

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, confirmed its first human H5N1 infection in a 7-year-old girl from the township of Kyaing Tone in eastern Shan state, WHO said in a statement yesterday. The case was detected through routine surveillance following an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry in the area in mid-November, the agency said.

The girl developed fever and a headache on Nov. 21 and was hospitalized six days later. She has now recovered, WHO said. The National Health Laboratory in Yangon and the National Institute of Health in Thailand made the initial diagnosis, which was confirmed at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Tokyo, the agency said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Khaleeq Ahmed in Islamabad on paknews@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: December 15, 2007 09:10 EST

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=a1ENfQg82MGE&refer=india

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Dr. Niman, after reading all these posts, I am thinking that Muhammad Tariq was the Index Case. He was involved in a cull in late October. Worked on a poultry farm. Died late last month. A few days before his brother Illyas was admitted.

The vet was the index case. This is H2H2H or H2H2H2H, depending on when the fourth brother developed symptoms.

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

One dead, six infected with bird flu in Pakistan

Sat Dec 15, 2007 7:55pm IST

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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has recorded its first human death from bird flu and six other people have been infected with the deadly H5N1 virus over the last two months, a senior Health Ministry official said on Saturday.
"Seven in total. One died and six other people were infected with the H5N1 virus," Federal Health Secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari told Reuters. "It was confirmed by blood tests."
The cases were reported in the North West Frontier Province, Lashari said.
Two people have recovered and four are in quarantine.
While Pakistan has registered cases of bird flu in poultry this is the first time it has been reported in humans, Lashari said. The first poultry case appeared in early 2006.
Lashari said no more poultry or human cases had been detected in the last two weeks. A World Health Organisation (WHO) team will arrive in Pakistan in the next few days.
It has so far appeared difficult for humans to contract H5N1, which is mainly an animal disease. But experts fear the strain could spark a global pandemic and kill millions if it mutates to spread more easily.
WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said that as many as eight people were suspected to have contracted the virus in the North West Frontier Province, though investigations were continuing.
The first known human infection was in a man who had worked as a poultry culler, who died.
Two of that man's brothers had also fallen ill, one of whom also subsequently died. It has not been confirmed whether the second death occurred as a result of the man caring for his brother or from exposure to infected birds kept in their home, Hartl said.
"The details are not 100 percent clear ... The virus has not been characterised yet," Hartl said, referring to analysis on whether the bird flu strain had mutated. "There are several cases within one family. We don't know how the family members contracted the virus."
The WHO is expected to give more details later on Saturday.
The Pakistani cases would bring to nearly 350 the number of people worldwide who are known to have contracted the H5N1 virus, which has killed more than 200 people since 2003.
Indonesia has had the heaviest toll, with 115 human cases including 92 deaths, followed by Vietnam with 100 cases and 46 deaths, according to WHO figures.

http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-31002820071215?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true