Influenza Virus Mashup

Via VietNamNet Bridge: Countries address lasting avian flu threat. Excerpt:

Experts from countries hit hardest with the H5N1 virus have arrived in HCM City to discuss ways to prevent and control avian influenza amid continuing outbreaks.

The three-day conference that opened yesterday is addressing the evolution and geographic spread of new viral strains that are gradually responding less to existing vaccines and control measures. 

Of the 602 human cases to date, nearly 60 per cent of them were fatal, the conference heard. 

Over the past 10 years, more than 300 million poultry have been culled globally due to H5N1. 

The technical and policy discussion for prevention and control of H5N1 HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) is hosted by the government of Viet Nam with support from the US Agency for International Development. 

It gathers senior officials from five highly affected countries, including Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Indonesia and Viet Nam, along with representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand that have also been affected by H5N1. 

In the past few years, a newer variant of the H5N1 virus, referred to as clade (an organism from the same family) 2.3.2.1, has emerged and expanded its geographic range from Southeast Asia to Europe, East Asia, and South Asia. 

Some variants of the clade are different enough from other H5N1 HPAI clades so that poultry vaccinations are becoming ineffective in some countries. 

Speakers at the conference were told that nearly all H5N1 human infections were the result of the transmission of the virus from poultry to people. 

The H5N1 virus is still considered a serious pandemic threat because of its continued presence in poultry in numerous countries, its tendency to quickly mutate and change, its ability to infect humans and its continuing high mortality rate. 

Experts estimated the average fatality rate for people who contract the disease at about 60 per cent. 

Since a new variant of H5N1 HPAI virus first emerged in East Asia in 1996, more than 17,000 poultry outbreaks and over 600 human infections have been reported from 62 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. 

Through the course of this sustained avian pandemic, millions of chickens, ducks and other poultry have been culled at considerable cost. 

Given the public health, animal health and economic risks, it has become clear that in some countries, simply monitoring and controlling outbreaks in poultry is not enough. 

According to the World Health Organisation, during the November 2010-October 2011 avian influenza season, 64 cases of humans infected with avian flu were reported with an average fatality rate of 52 per cent within developing countries. 

The H5N1 virus continues to reside primarily in the poultry populations in up to 10 countries.

Via Nature News & Comment, Declan Butler writes: Mutant-flu researcher backs down on plan to publish without permission. Click through for the full story and links. Excerpt.

Ron Fouchier, a researcher at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, whose work on the H5N1 avian flu virus has been embroiled in controversy, told Nature this afternoon that he has now agreed to apply for an export permit to submit his work to the journal Science. 

Fouchier's paper is one of two reporting the creation of forms of the H5N1 virus capable of spreading between mammals. The other, by Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the University of Tokyo, and his colleagues, has already been submitted to Nature. Some researchers fear that if such viruses were to escape from a laboratory, they would pose a threat to human health. 

Fouchier had told Nature last week that he intended to defy the government and submit the work to Science without seeking the export permit that the Dutch government says is required (see 'Mutant-flu researcher plans to publish even without permission'). 

Fouchier said that the decision was backed by all of the paper's co-authors and the board of directors of their institutions, and that he had considered submitting the paper as soon as this evening. A government official had told Nature that such an action could incur penalties including up to six years' imprisonment. 

"We have been informed we still need an export permit. We have decided to apply for an export permit, but will do so while disputing the obligation to comply with it," says Fouchier. 

"This is a formal procedure by which we indicate that we do not agree with the Dutch government's interpretation of EC 428/2009,” he says, referring to European Union (EU) legislation on export controls.

Via The Daily Star in Dhaka: Indian eggs threaten Bangladesh poultry. The two countries have a long tradition of trading insults and blaming one another for their troubles with H5N1. Excerpt:

Egg imports from India, a bird flu-infected country, could destroy Bangladesh's entire poultry industry, sector people warned yesterday. 

In November 2011, the commerce ministry allowed Dhaka-based Faria Enterprise Ltd to import one crore [10 million] pieces of hatching eggs from India. 

In October 2010, the ministry allowed the same company to import one crore pieces of day-old chicks from India and other countries. The firm was told to complete the import by June last year. The minister later extended the deadline to June 30 this year. 

The entry of eggs from the neighbouring country has created worries among experts, who said such imports from a country not free from bird flu widen the risk of spread of avian influenza locally. 

"Being a bird flu affected country we cannot export our poultry products. On the other hand, we are importing poultry products from another bird flu-affected country," said Moshiur Rahman, convener of Bangladesh Poultry Industries Coordination Committee. 

He said the livestock ministry is the main authority to deal with the poultry sector, which has directly employed around 70 lakh [7 million] people, mostly in rural areas, and another 30 lakh [3 million] people indirectly. 

"We understand that the commerce ministry gives permission for imports, but it should have discussed with the livestock ministry on the issue," he told The Daily Star. 

He alleged that apart from the official channel, hundreds of thousands of eggs are smuggled into Bangladesh. 

Industry people said there is no way to know whether the eggs would be used for sale or hatching. 

India is now frantically looking for markets for its eggs and other poultry products, after the Middle Eastern countries shut their door for the Indian eggs due to the outbreak of bird flu in the country, with the latest ban coming from Oman. 

The oil-rich country, which accounts for one-third of Indian poultry products, banned the import of eggs from India on March 27.

Via The Daily Star: Poultry stares death. Excerpt:

The government's negligence in tackling bird flu has driven the poultry industry to the brink of ruin as two-thirds of 150,000 farms went out of production in the last five years, sector leaders said yesterday. 

The shutdown of thousands of farms cut into the production of chicken and eggs. The industry leaders now worry that Bangladesh that attained self-sufficiency in meeting domestic demand for protein such as chicken and eggs might again become import-dependent, without proper policy support. 

Reduced compensation for culling bird flu-infected chickens and delayed disbursement of compensation funds forced many farmers to sell infected birds in the market, they said. 

And livestock officials' reluctance to record infected chickens, and poor monitoring and surveillance by government agencies have fuelled the spread of avian influenza virus, they added. 

Industry leaders shared these views at a roundtable on the poultry sector organised by The Daily Star at its office yesterday. 

The surveillance of DLS (Department of Livestock) has been zero in recent period in stamping out affected birds as per government policy. They have failed because of their negligence, said Md Rafiqul Haque, secretary of World Poultry Science Association-Bangladesh Branch. 

Dr MM Khan, secretary general of Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association, also blamed livestock officials. 

He said when farmers go to local livestock offices with avian influenza-infected chickens, officials decline to accept those as bird flu-affected. "They rather say the birds are infected by other disease," said MM Khan. 

Livestock officials show reluctance to record the farms concerned as bird flu-affected because of fund constraint, he mentioned. 

"This tendency of hiding is dangerous for the whole sector. The countries that hide the outbreak suffered a lot for bird flu," he said, citing the cases of Thailand, Vietnam and China.

(Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:03:00 +0000)

Photo Credit – FAO

# 6297

There are several variations of this news report floating across the wires this morning, but in the end, it may turn out that there is less to this story than at first appears.

The gist of the story is that three poultry workers and/or animal quarantine officers who worked at a farm where the H5N2 virus was recently discovered have tested positive for antibodies to the H5N2 virus.

H5N2, while an avian influenza virus, is currently considered a far less dangerous pathogen than its infamous cousin, H5N1.

But all H5 viruses (along with H7s) are reportable to the OIE because of their potential to evolve into more dangerous viruses, particularly when they are allowed to proliferate in large flocks of poultry.

First a link to the Taiwan story, then I’ll return with more:

3 poultry workers, quarantine officers show antibodies for H5N2

2012/04/22 21:05:42

Taipei, April 22 (CNA) The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed Sunday that three poultry workers and officials working in animal quarantine have tested positive for antibodies for the H5N2 strain of avian influenza.

However, all three people are healthy and none have developed any flu symptoms, CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw said, adding that there is no public health risk of human-to-human transmission.

(Continue . . .)

While antibodies to the H5N2 virus have been detected a few times in humans in the past, the virus has never been shown to cause illness in human hosts. 

A couple of studies in the past include:

J Epidemiol. 2008;18(4):160-6. Epub 2008 Jul 7.

Human H5N2 avian influenza infection in Japan and the factors associated with high H5N2-neutralizing antibody titer.

Ogata T, Yamazaki Y, Okabe N, Nakamura Y, Tashiro M, Nagata N, Itamura S, Yasui Y, Nakashima K, Doi M, Izumi Y, Fujieda T, Yamato S, Kawada Y.

Arch Virol. 2009;154(3):421-7. Epub 2009 Feb 3.

 

Serological survey of avian H5N2-subtype influenza virus infections in human populations.

Yamazaki Y, Doy M, Okabe N, Yasui Y, Nakashima K, Fujieda T, Yamato S, Kawata Y, Ogata T.

While suggestive of prior H5N2 infection, there is precious little evidence to link any significant or serious human illness to the H5N2 virus.

Complicating the story out of Taiwan is the fact that, starting in 2010, Taiwan began offering soon-to-expire H5N1 vaccine to high risk members of their population, including poultry workers and animal quarantine officers. 

See Focus Taiwan article from Sept 1st, 2010 titled CDC begins national bird flu vaccination program for details.

So while it is possible that these three workers acquired H5N2 antibodies from direct exposure to infected poultry, it may simply be that their tests are showing cross-reactivity to H5N1 antibodies created by the bird flu vaccine they received.

It has also been suggested that a history of seasonal influenza vaccinations could produce H5N2-neutralizing antibody positivity as well.

Which leaves us with an intriguing story, but one with a lot of possible holes in it.

For more on the H5N2 virus in Taiwan, you may wish to revisit:

WHO: Human Risk From H5N2 Is Low

Taiwan: H5N2 At Poultry Farm

Via Channel NewsAsia: 3 test positive for avian flu in Taiwan. Excerpt:

Three poultry farm workers have been tested positive for the H5N2 avian influenza strain but none have displayed flu symptoms, Taiwan's disease control authorities said. 

They were among 141 people working at five poultry farms where the avian flu was discovered. 

Tens of thousands of chickens in the farms have been culled since the outbreak of H5N2 in the past few months. 

Medical experts believe the test results may well be a cross-reactivity since all the three persons had flu jabs last year, Xinhua news agency reported. 

Cases of humans who tested positive for H5N2 while showing no health disorders were previously reported in South Africa and Japan between 1993 to 1995.

(Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:37:00 +0000)

# 6295

April of 2011 saw the largest number of tornadoes for a single month on record, with 758 twisters that claimed 364 lives.  The following May, there were 326 tornadoes that killed an additional 178 people around the nation.

In fact, 2011 saw a record breaking 14 Billion-dollar-plus weather related disasters (see Weathering Heights: A Year For The Record Books) across the United States. 

 

And that, despite relatively few hurricane strikes.

Weather-related disasters are on the rise around the world, partially due to climate change, and partially due to the fact that as our populations increase there are more of us sprawled out  in harm’s way.

While many states have promoted a severe weather awareness week for years (and NOAA promotes their Hurricane Preparedness Week in May of each year), this year will mark the first national Severe Weather Preparedness Week.

Credit FEMA NWS 

Admittedly, I may be more keenly aware of the weather than most, having spent the bulk of my 58 years under the red splotch (see above map) over Florida that indicates the greatest number of thunderstorm days in the United States.

And 15 of those years were spent afloat, aboard sailboats with large lightning rods (we called them masts), pointed skyward.

While they may see fewer days with thunderstorms, people who live in the Midwestern and Southern states are actually at greater risk of seeing severe hail and large tornadoes.

Lightning (something Florida is also famous for) claims another 30 to 50 lives each year.

Add in floods, heat waves (one in the early 1980s claimed thousands of lives), droughts, hurricanes, blizzards and ice storms, and a variety of weather-related accidents – and the yearly toll from severe or adverse weather grows even larger.

Of all of the potential disasters you and your family are apt to face during your lifetime, the most likely are due to severe weather.

NOAA’s National Weather Service has put together a new web presence called Weather Ready Nation, which provides abundant information on preparing for severe weather, and a number of toolkits for spreading the word.

You can also connect with Weather Ready Nation and the National Weather Service via a number of social media outlets:

WRN Social Media

NOAA Youtube
NOAA’s Facebook
NOAA Twitter Feed

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NWS Facebook
NWS Youtube
NWS Twitter Feed

Essentially NOAA and FEMA are urging everyone:

 

To “be a force of nature,” NOAA and FEMA encourage citizens to prepare for extreme weather by following these guidelines:

• Know your risk: The first step to becoming weather-ready is to understand the type of hazardous weather that can affect where you live and work, and how the weather could impact you and your family. Check the weather forecast regularly and sign up for alerts from your local emergency management officials. Severe weather comes in many forms and your shelter plan should include all types of local hazards.

• Take action: Pledge to develop an emergency plan based on your local weather hazards and practice how and where to take shelter. Create or refresh an emergency kit for needed food, supplies and medication. Post your plan where visitors can see it. Learn what you can do to strengthen your home or business against severe weather. Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio. Download FEMA’s mobile app so you can access important safety tips on what to do before and during severe weather. Understand the weather warning system and become a certified storm spotter through the National Weather Service.

• Be a force of nature: Once you have taken action, tell your family, friends, school staff and co-workers about how they can prepare. Share the resources and alert systems you discovered with your social media network. Studies show individuals need to receive messages a number of ways before acting – and you can be one of those sources. When you go to shelter during a warning, send a text, tweet or post a status update so your friends and family know. You might just save their lives, too. For more information on how you can participate, visit www.ready.gov/severe-weather

 

While many people today seem to be obsessing about some unlikely 2012 doomsday event, the real day-to-day threat to your family’s safety come from more localized and likely disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, and severe weather.

And finally,  a few of my preparedness blogs you might wish to revisit include:

When 72 Hours Isn’t Enough

In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?

An Appropriate Level Of Preparedness

The Gift Of Preparedness 2011

(Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:10:00 +0000)

BSL-4 Lab Worker - Photo Credit –USAMRIID

# 6296

Although the United States has officially withdrawn its objections to the publication of Ron Fouchier’s H5N1 ferret research study (see The Biosecurity Debate On H5N1 Research for background on this issue), there remains another bureaucratic obstacle to publication in the form of an export license from the Dutch government.

According to a Radio Netherlands report, the debate will be taken up tomorrow, and there remains considerable opposition to the publication. 

A hat tip to Pathfinder on FluTrackers for this link.

Publication ban on virus research: security or censorship?

Published on : 21 April 2012 - 6:41pm | By Willemien Groot

On Monday, Dutch experts will debate whether or not Dr Ron Fouchier should be allowed to publish the results of his research, which has created a potentially dangerous strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus. The United States biosecurity watchdog has withdrawn its objections to publication. Dutch Deputy Minister for Innovation Henk Bleker, on the other hand, still fears the research could be used by terrorists. Fouchier rejects any ban on publication of his work. A row is in the making.

(Continue . . . )

Fouchier has reportedly not applied for an export license, and has stated that he intends to publish his research with – or without – the sanctioning of his government.

According to a report by CIDRAP NEWS last week (see Fouchier plans to flout Dutch export law, publish H5N1 study),  Fouchier could conceivably find himself facing criminal charges if he attempts to publish his data without government permission.

While the U.S. has withdrawn its objections to the publication of Fouchier’s research (and Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka’s in Wisconsin), and has recently issued new regulations regarding oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern (see U.S. Issues New DURC Oversight Rules), there remain many unresolved bio-security issues surrounding the life sciences and bioengineering fields.

Among them:

• How are we to handle this brave new world of life sciences, where new viruses and other life forms can be created in the laboratory?
• Who is to decide on what is appropriate, or safe research?
• Who decides what should be published, and who should have access to redacted information?
• What laboratory protocols and protections are necessary for working the the H5N1 virus, and other virulent pathogens?

Regardless of what the Dutch government decides in the near term on the publication of Fouchier’s research, the problem of what to do about future DURC research projects are not going away.

These are serious biosecurity concerns that must be faced, debated, and agreed upon internationally, not just by individual countries.

And better sooner, rather than later. 

Via the Hong Kong government website: Boy critical with flu. Excerpt:

The Centre for Health Protection has confirmed a case of severe paediatric influenza-A infection, involving a seven-year-old boy. He is in critical condition.   

He fell ill on April 16 and was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital on April 19.   

He tested positive for influenza-A.   

He has no recent travel history and his home contacts have no symptoms.

(Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:18:52 GMT)

Reminder: Please do not post whole articles, just snippets and links, and do not post articles from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Thanks!

India

• Andhra Pradesh: Swine flu screening centres to come up in Vizag Agency (Link)

• Maharashtra: 4-month-old tests positive for positive for H1N1 in Mumbai (Link)

• Maharashtra: Couple tested positive for swine (Link)

• Tamil Nadu: Swine flu Shots on their way (Link)

General

• CIDRAP: WHO reports progress on H1N1 pandemic mortality estimates (Link)

• Summary of WHO Technical Consultation: H1N1pdm Mortality Estimates (Link)

• H (Link)

News for April 21, 2012 is here.

Thanks to all of the newshounds! Special thanks to the newshound volunteers who translate international stories - thanks for keeping us all informed!

Other useful links:

WHO A(H1N1) Site

WHO H5N1 human case totals, last updated April 12, 2012
Charts and Graphs on H5N1 from WHO
Google Flu Trends
CDC Weekly Influenza Summary
Map of seasonal influenza in the U.S.
CIDPC (Canada) Weekly FluWatch
UK RCGP Weekly Data on Communicable and Respiratory Diseases
Flu Wiki Main Page