Indonesia Worries Over Latest Bird Flu Samples
June 6, 2007
The H5N1 bird flu in Indonesia may have undergone a mutation that allows it to jump more easily from poultry to humans, the head of the country’s commission on bird flu control said on Wednesday.
Indonesia has recorded 79 human deaths from bird flu, the highest in the world, and the country has been struggling to contain the disease because millions of backyard chickens live in close proximity to humans across the archipelago.
‘In the past it took exposure of high intensity and density to get infected. There are now suspicions, early indications that this has become easier,’ Bayu Krisnamurthi told reporters.
He said, however, that the suspicion had yet to be confirmed.
A microbiologist at the bird flu commission said the suspicions were based on preliminary findings of molecular genetic tests conducted at laboratories in Indonesia.
‘Virus samples from poultry cases have increasingly shown a similarity in their amino acid structure to virus samples extracted from humans,’ Wayan Teguh Wibawan told Reuters.
‘This makes it easier for the virus to attach to human receptors,’ he said, referring to receptor cells lining the human throat and lungs.
For the H5N1 virus to pass easily from bird to human, it would have to be able to readily attach itself to these special cells.
For the moment, because H5N1 is a bird virus, it has evolved to easily attach to these receptors in poultry. Humans have a different type of receptor site, making it harder for people to become infected.
Wayan said he had spotted ‘gradual changes’ in the virus sample he receives every month. He did not give details on these gradual changes.
Lo Wing-lok, an infectious disease expert in Hong Kong, said changes such as these demonstrated how important it was for Jakarta to share virus samples.
Chinese Soldier Dies of Bird Flu, WHO Says
June 5, 2007
A 19-year-old Chinese soldier has died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the country’s 16th reported death from the virus, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
The man, stationed in the southern province of Fujian, died Sunday after being hospitalized May 14 with a fever and cough, said Joanna Brent, a spokeswoman for WHO’s Beijing office.
The Health Ministry, which gave the soldier’s surname as Cheng, informed WHO about the death on Sunday but did not give any details about his case, including how he contracted the disease or exactly where he was posted, Brent said.
“We’re always concerned about cases of bird flu,” she said.
The People’s Liberation Army has put all the man’s close contacts under observation, and “so far there are no clinical abnormalities. We understand it’s an individual case,” Brent said.
Pandemic Inevitable So We Better Prepare
June 5, 2007
Influenza pandemics are inevitable.
That was the message delivered at this week’s pandemic influenza planning workshop. The message came from Phuoc Tran, executive director for the south central district of the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Tran told the audience at the Shrewsbury Fire Co. that influenza pandemics occur at cyclical intervals. They occurred in 1918, 1957 and 1968. The so-called “Spanish Influenza” of 1918 killed 50 million to 100 million people worldwide and was the most destructive pandemic in world history to date.
In the United States, 28 percent of the population was infected and 500,000 to 675,000 Americans died.
In contrast to the infection patterns for the seasonal flu we see every winter, Tran said, most of the victims of Spanish Influenza were healthy, young adults.
The result?
Bracing For A Flu Pandemic
June 5, 2007
It’s not a matter of if, experts say, but when. No one knows which virus will trigger it, but preparation is essential.
“The threat of an influenza pandemic is, at present, one of the most significant public health issues our nation and world faces.” — Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenback, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, April 2007
“We know that a pandemic will eventually occur. We always say it’s not a question of if; it’s a question of when.” — Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, April 2007
A year ago, concerns about pandemic flu were running high, with the threat of an outbreak making newspaper headlines and television newscasts. Now the specter of this threat has largely faded from the public mind as if the risk has passed. But public health experts remain as concerned as ever about the possibility of an outbreak.
Vietnam Reports Fresh Bird Flu Cases
June 5, 2007
Bird flu spread to three duck farms in Vietnam’s central and southern regions last week, killing more than 300 waterfowl, the government said on Monday.
Two duck farms in the southern Mekong delta province of Dong Thap lost 224 ducks last Friday, while 95 ducks died in the central province of Quang Nam on Thursday.
Tests confirmed they had the H5N1 virus, the Animal Health Department said.
The two provinces had reported outbreaks among ducks last month and are in the government’s watch list comprising 14 provinces and Can Tho city where bird flu has re-surfaced among poultry since early May.
On Saturday Vietnam reported its second human case of the virus in less tham a month, after a year and a half with no new human cases. Both victims were in hospital in stable condition, officials said.
