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South Korea says human infected with bird flu
11 Jan 2007 05:44:37 GMT
Source: Reuters
SEOUL, Jan 11 (Reuters) - South Korea's health ministry said on Thursday a person was infected with bird flu late last year, but has shown no symptoms.
The person was infected with an outbreak of the H5N1 strain that first hit poultry farms in the country in November.
South Korea says human had bird flu, recovers
11 Jan 2007 06:37:20 GMT
Source: Reuters
SEOUL, Jan 11 (Reuters) - South Korea's health ministry said on Thursday a poultry worker was infected with bird flu late last year, but had not been seriously ill.
The person was infected after an outbreak of the H5N1 strain that first hit poultry farms in the country in November.
"We confirmed the person was positive for antibodies to bird flu," the ministry said in a statement.
The poultry worker was subject to regular testing of farmers and workers involved in a mass cull of about 1.7 million fowl following the discovery of the deadly virus.
The worker did not develop any serious illness and is now healthy.
During an H5N1 outbreak in late 2003 and early 2004, several South Koreans were infected but none developed any major illnesses, South Korean health officials said.
Bird Flu Infects Person in South Korea Without Causing Disease
By Seonjin Cha
Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- South Korea said it found a new case of bird flu in a person who showed no signs of the disease.
The new asymptomatic case of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza was found after analyzing blood taken from a farm worker exposed to diseased fowl during an outbreak last month, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an e-mailed statement today. It didn't give details of the person.
``There were no abnormal symptoms observed in the person, so the person isn't'' infected with disease, the agency said.
Disease trackers are looking for signs that the H5N1 virus is changing to become more adept at infecting humans, not just birds. Millions could die if H5N1 becomes easily transmissible between people, sparking a lethal pandemic.
The H5N1 strain is known to have infected 264 people in 10 countries since 2003, killing three of every five of them, the World Health Organization said yesterday. Almost all human H5N1 cases have been linked to close contact with sick or dead birds, such as children playing with them or adults butchering them or plucking feathers.
The United Nations health agency hasn't confirmed any cases in South Korea.
South Korea had four outbreaks of H5N1 in poultry last year, the country's first in more than two years. The Ministry of Health said in September that it identified five asymptomatic cases in addition to the four it found in February 2006.
The latest case had been given Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu antiviral medicine as a precaution to prevent the disease and was vaccinated against seasonal influenza to help prevent the avian strain combining with the more infectious human form, the Korean health agency said. The person was re-tested for H5N1 10 days after the initial exposure, it said.
The center completed testing on blood samples from 26 of 85 people considered to have been exposed to the virus, it said. The remainder of results may be reported by the end of the month, the center said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Seonjin Cha in Seoul at scha2@bloomberg.net
Suppose this could be expected, happened here in Holland too in the outbreak in 2003 (H7N7). Poultry workers and their family's had anti-bodies, some had symptoms, most did not. In total 1000 people or so had anti-bodies. (From the book of dr Greger)
A vet died, did not take Tamiflu.
snip from ProMed mail:
Since the beginning of the HPAI H7N7 outbreak in chickens in The
Netherlands at the end of February 2003, 82 confirmed cases of human
H7N7 influenza virus infections have been recorded. The majority (79)
of these cases presented with conjunctivitis, of which in 6 cases
influenza-like illness (ILI) were reported as well. One person had
ILI alone but suffered an eye injury, precluding evaluation for the
typical ocular signs of infection. The other 2 individuals presented
with very mild symptoms and could not be classified as conjunctivitis
or ILI.
We have found strong evidence for transmission of H7N7 influenza from
poultry workers to family members on 3 occasions. These contacts
developed conjunctivitis. One of them, a 12-year-old child, had
significant ILI as well and was repeatedly positive for A/H7.
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The state-run South Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Thursday that it has confirmed a human infection of the avian influenza virus.
The KCDC said that it found an infector after conducting tests among 26 residents near four farms in the southwestern region where bird flu outbreak occurred in November and December last year.
According to the KCDC, the people were working at one of the farms then and tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus.
Fifty-nine more people, including farm owners and others who worked around the three poultry farms and a quail farm, are being tested and the final results will be released by the end of January, the KCDC said.
The infected people has shown no symptoms so far, said the KCDC,which is reluctant to call the people as a patient.
It was the third time that human beings were found to be infected with bird flu in the country. There has been no South Korean dead of the disease so far.
South Korea says human had bird flu, recovers Thu Jan 11, 2007 3:56 PM IST
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's health ministry said on Thursday a poultry worker was infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu late last year, but had not been seriously ill.
The person was infected after an outbreak of the deadly strain that first hit poultry farms in the country in November.
"We confirmed the person was positive for antibodies to bird flu," the ministry said in a statement.
The poultry worker was subject to regular testing of farmers and workers involved in a mass cull of about 1.7 million fowl following the discovery of the H5N1 virus at four farms in and around Iksan, about 170 km south of Seoul.
The worker did not develop any serious illness and is now healthy.
The four farms lie on a path for migratory birds that head south from Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
Tests have been completed on 26 of 85 farmers and those carrying out the cull in Iksan. Results on the remaining people should be finished by around the end of this month, the ministry said.
During an H5N1 outbreak in late 2003 and early 2004, several South Koreans were infected but none developed any major illnesses, South Korean health officials said.
The World Health Organisation said from 2003 and as of Jan. 10, there have been 264 confirmed human cases of H5N1 infection, or which 157 people have died. Vietnam, with 42 deaths and Indonesia with 57 deaths, have been the two countries hardest hit.
A farmer was infected with an avian influenza virus at a poultry farm in southwestern Korea but has been completely immunized, posing no threat of transmission officials said.
"The farmer showed signs of a subclinical infection with no symptoms of bird flu and antibodies were already formed. Although he was exposed to the virus, he is not a patient and there is no danger of the virus spreading," the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.
A subclinical infection is an infection with no symptoms that leaves only traces of the virus through antibody formations.
The farmer reported a possible infection to the government after a new outbreak of bird flu was confirmed last month. He was immediately treated with Tamiflu, the bird flu drug, and was taken to the hospital for examination. [Wonder why he reported "a possible infection" if he had no symptoms? Just being extra cautious?]
During the 10 days of the latent period of the influenza, the farmer showed no symptoms and has remained healthy until present, the ministry said.
"Moreover, the virus does not spread from body to body, so there is no need for citizens to be concerned at all."
The highly pathogenic strain of the H5N1 virus crossed the species barrier in Asia to cause many human fatalities and poses an increasing pandemic threat.
On Dec. 12, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry had reported that the latest case of avian influenza was suspected of having killed over a thousand quail at a farm in Gimje, North Jeolla Province - a third discovery of the flu in Korea.
The first case was discovered at a farm in Iksan, 18 kilometers north of Gimje three years ago and the second was also discovered in Iksan in November last year.
As no further patients have been discovered since Dec. 12, there is no possibility that any more people will be found infected with the deadly virus, the ministry emphasized.
The government has currently completed physical examinations on 26 people among 85 possible virus carriers. The examination results of the remainder will be released later this month.
There have been no human casualties from bird flu in Korea. The government has destroyed more than 5 million poultry and spent about 45 billion won ($48 million) since 2003 when the initial case of bird flu was reported.
Moreover, the virus does not spread from body to body, so there is no need for citizens to be concerned at all."
No H2H possible in the S. Korean strain????
.
"The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation
Bird Flu May Have Infected Relatives of H5N1 Patient (Update1)
By Karima Anjani
Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) --
***snipped Indonesia news posted in Indo thread today***
South Korea's new asymptomatic case of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza was found after analyzing blood taken from a farm worker exposed to diseased fowl during an outbreak last month, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an e-mailed statement today. It didn't give details of the person.
``There were no abnormal symptoms observed in the person, so the person isn't'' infected with disease, the agency said.
South Korea had four outbreaks of H5N1 in poultry last year. The Ministry of Health said in September that it identified five asymptomatic cases in addition to the four it found in February 2006.
The latest case had been given Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu antiviral medicine as a precaution to prevent the disease and was vaccinated against seasonal influenza to help prevent the avian strain combining with the more infectious human form, the Korean health agency said. The person was re-tested for H5N1 10 days after the initial exposure, it said.
The center completed testing on blood samples from 26 of 85 people considered to have been exposed to the virus, it said. The remainder of results may be reported by the end of the month, the center said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Karima Anjani in Jakarta at kanjani@bloomberg.net Last Updated: January 11, 2007 06:56 EST
"In the beginning of change, the patriot is a scarce man (or womanhttps://flutrackers.com/forum/core/i...ilies/wink.png), and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for it then costs nothing to be a patriot."- Mark TwainReason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it. -Thomas Paine
AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN (08): SOUTH KOREA
****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
South Korea's Health Ministry said on Thursday [11 Jan 2007] that a
poultry worker was infected with bird flu late in 2006, but had not
been seriously ill. The person was infected after an outbreak of the
H5N1 strain that first hit poultry farms in the country in November
[2006]. "We confirmed the person was positive for antibodies to bird
flu," the Ministry said in a statement. The poultry worker was
subject to regular testing of farmers and workers involved in a mass
cull of about 1.7 million fowl following the discovery of the deadly
virus. The worker did not develop any serious illness and is now healthy.
During an H5N1 outbreak in late 2003 and early 2004, several South
Koreans were infected but none developed any major illnesses, South
Korean health officials said.
South Korea's disease control agency stated on Thursday [11 Jan 2007]
that it has confirmed a human infection with avian influenza virus.
The state-run Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC),
which conducted tests among 26 residents near four farms in the
southwestern region hit by bird flu in November and December in
[2006] said it has discovered a person who tested positive for the
highly pathogenic H5N1 virus. The person was reportedly working at
one of the farms at that time.
South Korean officials said on Thu 11 Jan 2007 that the bird flu
virus had been transmitted to a human during a recent outbreak among
poultry, but the person showed no symptoms of disease. The South's
Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a poultry farm
worker, whom it didn't identify, had been infected with the deadly
H5N1 strain of the virus but developed natural immunity to the
disease and wasn't ill.
The worker took the anti-flu drug Tamiflu following the outbreak,
which "highly likely" prevented the person from getting sick, center
official Kwon Joon-wook said. The person "is neither a patient nor
currently carries the virus," Kwon said, assuring there was no risk
of spreading the virus to other humans.
It was not the first time the bird flu virus had been transmitted to
humans in South Korea. In 2006, South Korea announced 9 people had
been infected with the virus during earlier outbreaks between late
2003 and early 2004. None of them developed the disease and all have
remained healthy.
[Asymptomatic human cases of avian influenza H5N1 virus infection,
accompanying outbreaks of disease in poultry, have been recorded
previously in South Korea (see: Avian influenza, human (146): South
Korea, asymptomatic 20060916.2633). Infection of poultry workers and
poultry cullers, however, has been rare to non-existent elsewhere in
Asia. To what extent this is due to virus strain difference or the
extensive use of the anti-viral Tamiflu in South Korea is unknown at
present. Poultry workers exposed to H7N7 avian influenza virus in an
outbreak in the Netherlands, however. did develop minor symptoms
despite the availability of antineuraminidase.
The virus responsible for the outbreaks in South Korea (and also
Japan) belongs to the V genotype of H5N1 avian influenza virus,
whereas the predominant virus in East Asia belongs to the Z genotype.
These genotypes are reassortants which differ in the origin of their
NA genome subunit. This may be a determining factor in the apparent
lack of virulence of the South Korean virus. - Mod.CP]
AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN (08): SOUTH KOREA
****************************************
The virus responsible for the outbreaks in South Korea (and also
Japan) belongs to the V genotype of H5N1 avian influenza virus,
whereas the predominant virus in East Asia belongs to the Z genotype.
These genotypes are reassortants which differ in the origin of their
NA genome subunit. This may be a determining factor in the apparent
lack of virulence of the South Korean virus. - Mod.CP]
The above commentary is in error. Although the 2003/2004 outbreaks in South Korea and Japan were the V genotype, the current outbreak on South Korea is the Qinghai strain (Z genotype) and Japan will almost certainly be the Qinghai strain also.
H5N1 evolves. ProMed commentaries on H5N1, especially by CP does not. Sequence analysis at ProMed, like the above commentary, is stuck in time (pre-sequence databases).
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