Nepal-5 bf suspects hospitalised

[Treyfish]

01/23/2009 14:54
NEPAL
Bird flu comes to the “roof of the world”, 40,000 birds culled
by Kalpit Parajuli
First cases reported in Jhapa district. The government bans chicken and duck imports from India, thought to be the source of the outbreak. An emergency team has already been dispatched to the affected area. Soon all animals at risk for the infection will be culled in the capital.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews) – The bird flu has come to Nepal. No one has died yet, but five people suspected of having been infected by the virus have been hospitalised in critical conditions. Outbreaks were reported in the eastern part of the country, in particular in Jhapa district, with the virus coming probably from India.
The first case was reported last Sunday. Soon after, the government deployed an emergency control team to the area. It includes a doctor, a poultry farmers’ representative and security staff under the command of Jhapa’s Chief District Officer Laxman Hamal.
Lab tests indicated that dozens of chickens and ducks died from the bird flu. Many children and poultry farmers are also thought to have contracted the infection.
Nepali authorities ordered the border with India closed to all animals that might carry the virus, and ordered its border officials to tighten controls.
The government also ordered the culling of more than 40,000 chickens and ducks in the affected area.
Ramkrishna Khatiwada, head of Central Animal Quarantine and coordinator of the Bird Flu Control team, said the operation will be extended to other areas.
“The second phase operation will involve the major cities, including Kathmandu where chickens and ducks are consumed to a larger extent. The team will cull all birds and ducks to prevent infection,” he explained.
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=14293&size=A

[Treyfish]

a small snip from a larger page of different news stories

As if there weren't enough crises to deal with, Nepal discovered its first outbreak of bird flu this week. A lab test has confirmed a case of H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus and the cabinet meeting on Friday declared a 3km radius of Mechinagar Municipality of Jhapa as an emergency area. But the method of culling was primitive: policement without protective gear and masks were seen bludgeoning poultry to death or throwing live birds into the fire. http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/2009/01/23/152

[Commonground]

Outrage in Jhapa over slow response

[Note the Date]
Kantipur Report
BIRTAMOD, Jan 18 - People living in parts of Jhapa district bordering India blocked vehicular movement on Saturday to protest what they called "lack of seriousness" on the part of the government to control the outbreak of bird flu.

They got infuriated as government officials did not show up at the affected area soon after the outbreak.

Dilli Ghimire, a local, said, "Twenty-four hours have passed since the government declared parts of Jhapa bird flu-infected area, but the administration has not sent officials to the affected area to control the outbreak. This is ridiculous".

Just two technicians are spraying Vircon, a disinfectant, in and around the infected area, he said. Locals fear the delay on the part of the government to control the outbreak will result in a number of casualties, he said. On Friday, the government had declared emergency in areas that lie within a radius of three kilometres from the quarantine office in Kakkarbhitta, the gateway to eastern Nepal. The emergency-hit area straddles the Mechi River in the east, Mechi Municipality in the west, Nakalbanda in the north and Satighatta in the south.

Manas Banerjee, coordinator-director at the Avian Influenza Control Project under the Ministry of Health, said on Friday that the government had sent a medical team along with 65 supervisors to cull the infected birds. He added that the medial experts and supervisors would cull around 13,000 birds in five days.

Banerjee said on Saturday, "The team has been conducting surveillance in the affected area. All the 65 supervisors have been given antiviral medicine called Tamiflu to keep infection at bay." "In a bid to contain the outbreak, the government has banned the transportation of poultry products to and from Jhapa and barred locals from the affected area," he said.

Meanwhile, a team comprising officials from the Department of Animal Husbandry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives arrived here on Saturday.
Ram Krishna Khatiwada, chief of the Central Quarantine Office and the team leader, said a rapid response team would be mobilised in the affected area from Sunday.

Meanwhile, a report from Ilam states that District Administration Office (DAO) has sounded alert after bird flu was detected in Kakarbhitta of Jhapa. The DAO has directed checkposts to prohibit the import of poultry and poultry products in Ilam. According to Sudharshan Dhakal, Chief District Officer of Ilam, "All departments under the DFO have been told to ban the import of poultry products."

On Saturday, the DFO destroyed 800 chicken eggs at Chabbise of Shri Antu in the district.

Meanwhile, poultry farmers based in Biratnagar said the compensation offered by the government was too little. On Friday, the government had promised to compensate the farmers, whose birds would be culled, as per the law.

Representatives from the District Poultry and Traders Association on Saturday said the government was not providing compensation as per the market price of chickens. Poultry farmers will not cooperate with the government's exercise if their concerns are not addressed, the association said.

[HenryN]

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01...1_Nepal_5.html

[Michael Coston]

3 people watched or in isolation. Receiving `treatment'. No positive tests. Of course, no word of `negative' tests, either.






http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ful...eDate=20090124



Bird flu comes to nepal:So far, so good for humans

Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, January 23:

Though the outbreak of bird flu has been reported in Jhapa district, not a single case of the disease in human has been recorded till date, according to the Department of Health Services.

“Not even a single case of bird flu in humans has been recorded so far. But we have kept three suspected people under watch for a week,” Dr Manas Banerjee, coordinator of Avian Influenza Control Project, said.

“Even if the case is diagnosed in humans, we have full mechanism to treat the patients in isolation. We will treat the patients in incubation for a week. We will discharge them only after full treatment,” he added. He said they were fully prepared to containthe disease.

“Health personnel, who are in direct contact with the patients, are the most vulnerable to the disease,” he said. He also emphasised the need to inform people about the disease.

Baikuntha Parajuli, director general of Department of Livestock Services, said they had culled 23,830 chickens, 373 ducks and 292 pigeons and had destroyed 4,848 eggs so far.

“So far, only 15 chickens have died of bird flu,” he said, adding,”We had to cull all domesticated birds, eggs and diet within the 3-km radius of the infected area as per the existing provisions to combat the outbreak.”

“We have put our teams on high alert to take necessary steps to contain the spread of the disease,” Govinda Prasad Ojha, director general of Department of Health Services, said. He also said the department was providing free medial services to people in risk of catching the disease.

[HenryN]

Originally Posted by FLA_MEDIC

3 people in isolation. Receiving `treatment'. No positive tests. Of course, no word of `negative' tests, either.

The report just says no positives recorded. A rapid test takes 30 min. They have been hospitalized for a week.

[AlaskaDenise]

Originally Posted by niman

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01...1_Nepal_5.html

Commentary


Five Critical Suspect H5N1 Cases in Nepal
Recombinomics Commentary 20:15
January 23, 2009


five people suspected of having been infected by the virus have been hospitalised in critical conditions

The above comments from Nepal (see updated map) are cause for concern. Although India has reported cases with upper respiratory illness, none were reported as being seriously ill, although test results were not reported because the patients were said to not have contact with poultry, even though they were within a 3 km cull zone of confirmed cases.

Five critical cases in Nepal are a significantly more serious development.

Information on the exposure of these patients, and results of rapid tests would be useful.

.

[sharon sanders]

Originally Posted by niman

The report just says no positives recorded. A rapid test takes 30 min. They have been hospitalized for a week.

A rapid test only indicates A/H, or not.

[HenryN]

Originally Posted by Florida1

A rapid test only indicates A/H, or not.

Influenza A positive and a week in the hospital for 3-5 (cullers?) says a lot.

[Dutchy]

People under medical supervision in bird flu area discharged

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, JAN 25: Three people held under medical supervision after their symptoms matched those of bird flu are now considered to be out of the infection, a concerned official confirmed.

"All three, that include two members of a culling team and a woman of Dhulabari, near to Mechinagar – 10, government-declared bird flu crisis zone, have been discharged from hospital," said Manas Kumar Banarjee, coordinator of the Avian Influenza Control Project, under the Ministry of Health and Population. "They were not infected with the bird flu."

Two members of the chicken culling team, an animal health worker suffering diarrhea and a veterinary doctor suffering cough, throat pain and fever, were admitted to the Mechi Zonal Hospital. Similarly, a woman of Dhulabari suffering fever, cough and throat pain was also admitted to the hospital.

The hospital discharged the animal health worker after confirmation his health problem was not due to avian flu.

Similarly, the veterinary doctor was diagnosed with kidney problems, while the woman´s symptoms were found to be attributed to a medical abortion. She was discharged yesterday, Dr Banarjee said.

On January 22, the Ministry began active surveillance on those living around the crisis zone. Symptoms of bird flu are siimilar to the symptoms of general flu among human, such as cough, fever and throat infection.


Published on 2009-01-25

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/in...s&news_id=1414