Tehran confirms cases of bird flu

[ukcz]

Iran detects first cases of H5N1 bird flu
18 minutes ago

TEHRAN (Reuters) -
Iran's veterinary organization on Tuesday said the first cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu had been detected in wild swans in the Islamic Republic.

"International laboratory results confirm that wild swans died from bird flu," a statement from the organization said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060214/...dflu_iran_dc_2

[ukcz]

Iran detects first cases of H5N1 bird flu
18 minutes ago

TEHRAN (Reuters) -
Iran's veterinary organization on Tuesday said the first cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu had been detected in wild swans in the Islamic Republic.

"International laboratory results confirm that wild swans died from bird flu," a statement from the organization said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060214/...dflu_iran_dc_2

[Goju]

And so the dominos begin to fall

[HenryN]

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...H5N1_Iran.html

[Sally Furniss]

TEHRAN: Iran became the latest country to confirm cases of H5N1 bird flu yesterday after wild swans tested positive for the deadly virus that had already hit neighbouring countries and killed 91 people worldwide.
Experts had said it was only a matter of time before H5N1 broke out in Iran, a wintering place for wild fowl who may be carriers. Its neighbours Iraq, Azerbaijan and Turkey had already reported outbreaks.
"International laboratory results confirm that some wild swans died from bird flu," a statement from Iran's veterinary organisation said.
Tested samples came from some wild swans in a flock of 135 found dead in wetlands near the Caspian Sea port of Bandar-e Anzali on Iran's northern coast. The Azeri outbreak reported last week was in birds in the Caspian Sea.
The virus has killed at least 91 people in Asia and the Middle East, according to the World Health Organisation. The figure includes four deaths in Turkey and one in Iraq.
Experts fear H5N1 may mutate into a form that can spread between people and cause a pandemic that could kill millions.
They are trying to warn people of the dangers of the virus that is contracted through direct contact with infected birds, but are struggling in countries such as Nigeria where people think nothing of touching dead poultry with their bare hands.
Groups of international experts were in Nigeria, the first African country to confirm an H5N1 outbreak, to ensure that authorities there were ready to detect human cases of bird flu. No human cases have been found there yet.
As the virus spread further in Nigeria, experts showed authorities what types of preventive measures to take including closing live-poultry markets and restricting poultry movements.
"Above all it is an animal disease and if one wants to avoid there being any human cases, the virus must really be stamped out in the bird population," World Health Organisation spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told reporters in Geneva.

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Dis...6021545253.xml

[Mellie]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L14334360.htm

Iran detects first cases of H5N1 bird flu
14 Feb 2006 12:41:52 GMT

Source: Reuters

TEHRAN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Iran's veterinary organisation said on Tuesday the first cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu had been detected in wild swans in the Islamic Republic.

"International laboratory results confirm that some wild swans died from bird flu," a statement from the organisation said.

An official from the veterinary organisation, who declined to be named, confirmed the birds had died from the H5N1 strain of the disease, which is dangerous to humans.

The dead swans came from wetlands near the Caspian Sea port of Bandar-e Anzali on Iran's northern coast, a wintering spot for many wildfowl from Russia.

Globally, the overall human death toll from the virus confirmed by the World Health Organisation since 2003 stands at 91.

[Mellie]

Cugnus cygnus: 3000 susceptible, 153 deaths

http://www.oie.int/downld/AVIAN%20IN...14_02_2006.pdf

On 02/02/06 in our NAI in Place Passive Surveillance Plan on wild Birds in Gilan Province there was a report describing a few mortality among Swan population situated in two sites (SELKEH &WSPAND) of Anzali wetland, immediately all equipped activities were implemented according to OIE guidelines and recommendations, an epidemiological investigation were done as a qualitative risk assessment in the area which dead and sick swan were found , Protection and surveillance zones were already established . Swan samples (tissue &Sera) already were collected and sent to OIE/FAO and National Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sper.le delle Venezie, Italy. All of the poultry holding(native, industrial) around the wetland were already identified, appropriate on-farm biosecurity measures have been implemented ,control of movement of products from poultry is undercontrole,chech point station are in place for control of illegal movement ,disease awareness among owners is were already increased ,assembly of live birds at markets and other gathering is prohibited and under control, hunting of birds have been prohibited in the country since six month ago and if reinforcement , transport ,dispatch and movement of risk material is prohibited According to our National Contingency Plan on NAI all of the Native birds in 6 villages as epidemiological unit at risk were destroyed and Compensated by IVO in a Two kilometer Protection Zone around each outbreak site , 8th statement were distributed by IVO to update the media on the current bird flu .

Positive for H5 & H9.

[SoonPark]

Iran announces first bird flu outbreak

February 16, 2006, 20:45
http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa...121845,00.html

By Wagdy Sawahel

Iran has confirmed its first outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus. The outbreak was detected on February 2 when 153 dead whooper swans were found in the Anzali wetlands near the Caspian Sea port of Bandar-e Anzali.
Last year, whooper swans died in bird flu outbreaks in China, Mongolia and Romania. So far this month, the virus has been detected in wild birds - including swans - in the first H5N1 outbreaks in Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece and Italy. Tests for H5N1 on swans that died in Hungary and Slovenia are also underway.

Iranian officials culled wild birds in a 2kms radius of the outbreak and have set up checkpoints to control the movement of poultry.

Although the outbreak is Iran's first to be confirmed, an unknown disease killed thousands of wild ducks in the north-west of the country in October, 2005.

The H5N1 virus has killed 91 people since 2003. - SciDev.Net

[SoonPark]

Iran announces first bird flu outbreak

February 16, 2006, 20:45
http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa...121845,00.html

By Wagdy Sawahel

Iran has confirmed its first outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus. The outbreak was detected on February 2 when 153 dead whooper swans were found in the Anzali wetlands near the Caspian Sea port of Bandar-e Anzali.

Last year, whooper swans died in bird flu outbreaks in China, Mongolia and Romania. So far this month, the virus has been detected in wild birds - including swans - in the first H5N1 outbreaks in Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece and Italy. Tests for H5N1 on swans that died in Hungary and Slovenia are also underway.

Iranian officials culled wild birds in a 2kms radius of the outbreak and have set up checkpoints to control the movement of poultry.

Although the outbreak is Iran's first to be confirmed, an unknown disease killed thousands of wild ducks in the north-west of the country in October, 2005.

The H5N1 virus has killed 91 people since 2003. - SciDev.Net

[Sally Furniss]

More bird flu cases registered in Iran
(DPA)

17 February 2006
TEHERAN — More bird flu cases were registered in the Kurdistan province in northwest Iran which also borders Iraq, the news agency Fars reported yesterday.


The local veterinarian organisation in the provincial capital Sanandaj said that 40,000 birds in 183 villages have been killed after being positively diagnosed with the H5N1 virus.


The first sign of bird flu has been registered in two parts of the marshlands in the northern Caspian Sea city of Bandar Anzali where the veterinarian organisation announced that the remains of 135 swans were positively diagnosed with the bird flu.


The Iranian health ministry had been worried about cases in the north-western part of the country following the outbreak of bird flu in Turkish towns bordering Iran.


http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayA...iddleeast&col=