07/07/06

Bird flu update: 10 July 2006

A poultry market in Hanoi, Vietnam Copyright: FAO

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Below is a roundup of the key developments on the spread of the bird flu virus (H5N1) and the threat it poses to human health. Each title is a link to the full article.

Click here to see the latest World Health Organization (WHO) figures of confirmed human cases.

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Monday 10 July 2006
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Bird flu still spreading in Africa
While H5N1 has been successfully controlled in Western Europe and much of South-East Asia apart from Indonesia, it is still expanding in Africa and will remain a threat for years to come, says the FAO deputy director-general (Source: FAO).

Human vaccine against H5N1 ready for trials
A British drug company is seeking permission to conduct the first human trials of a vaccine against the avian flu virus (Source: The Guardian).

No bird flu in Zambia or Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has allayed fears of a bird flu outbreak in the town of Victoria Falls following the deaths of wild birds in neighbouring Livingstone, Zambia. Tests showed the birds did not die from H5N1 (Source: Xinhua).


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Friday 7 July 2006
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Spain suffers first bird flu case
Spain has confirmed its first case of the H5N1 strain of avian flu in a wild bird found dead in the northern province of Alava (Source: BBC Online).

Indonesian toddler dies of bird flu — local test
A 3-year-old Indonesian girl from Jakarta who died this week has tested positive for bird flu, a Health Ministry official said, citing a local test (Source: Reuters).


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Thursday 6 July 2006
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Pharmaceutical company tests H5N1 vaccine in people
Baxter has started phase one and two clinical trials of a vaccine against H5N1 in adults in Austria and Singapore (Source: Webbolt).


Poultry death rate from bird flu rises in Indonesia
The poultry death rate from H5N1 in Indonesia is worsening, possibly due to poor vaccination coverage, a senior government official said (Source: Reuters).


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Wednesday 5 July 2006
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Bird flu found at least three ways to enter Nigeria
A genetic analysis of H5N1 bird flu viruses from Nigeria’s first three outbreaks shows that the virus arrived there on at least three separate occasions. (Source: SciDev.Net).

China’s latest bird flu patient recovering well
A 31-year old man from South China’s Guangdong Province is recovering well after 20 days in hospital with bird flu, local health authorities said (Source: Xinhua).

Bird flu controlled in NW China province
The Ministry of Agriculture said that the bird flu epidemic in Hotan county of northwest China had been controlled, with no new cases for 21 days since poultry were culled (Source: Xinhua).

Indonesia producing little bird flu medicine despite no patent
Indonesia is scrambling to build up its stockpile of medicines with only one local manufacturer producing oseltamivir even though the product is not under patent (Source: Intellectual Property Watch).

Europe bans ostrich, emu imports from S. Africa areas
The European Union has banned imports of ostriches, emus and their meat from two districts in South Africa after a strain of bird flu was found on a farm in the southwest of the country (Source: Reuters).


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Tuesday 4 July 2006
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Surveillance campaign against bird flu launched in Mozambique
The health minister launched a surveillance campaign against bird flu and stressed the role of district governments and the public in reporting any outbreaks of the disease (Source: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)).

New OIE centre to tackle bird flu across Africa
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has set up its first regional control centre in Africa with the aim of coordinating measures against bird flu by collating and disseminating veterinary information and producing health guidelines for international trade in animals (Source: IRIN).

Nigerian president denies bird flu is in Taraba state
Nigeria’s president denied that there had been an outbreak of bird flu in Taraba state, saying the deaths of birds could be from any of half a dozen chicken diseases (Source: Daily Champion).


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Monday 3 July 2006
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Bird flu claims 40th human victim in Indonesia
A World Health Organisation laboratory test has confirmed a five-year-old Indonesian boy from East Java Province who died last month was infected with bird flu (Source: Reuters).

South Africa finds benign bird flu strain in ostriches
South Africa has found a benign strain of bird flu — H5N2 — on an ostrich farm in the west of the country (Source: Reuters).

Delaying the international spread of pandemic influenza
A study shows that restrictions on air travel are likely to be of surprisingly little value in delaying the spread of pandemic flu; local interventions to reduce transmission would be more effective, it says (Source: PloS Medicine).