MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE

[Giuseppe]

From World Health Organization Website:
--
Avian influenza ? situation in Myanmar
14 December 2007

The Ministry of Health in Myanmar has confirmed the country's first case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case is a 7-year-old female from Kyaing Tone Township, Shan State (East).

The case was detected through routine surveillance following an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry in the area in mid-November.
She developed symptoms of fever and headache on 21 November 2007 and was hospitalized on 27 November. She has now recovered.
Samples taken from the case tested positive for H5N1 at the National Health Laboratory in Yangon, and the National Institute of Health in Thailand.
The diagnosis was further confirmed at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, Japan.

A team from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries and the WHO Country Office are conducting investigations to confirm the source of her infection.
Initial findings indicate poultry die off in the vicinity of the case's home in the week prior to the onset of illness.
To date, all identified contacts of the case remain healthy and ongoing surveillance activities in the area have not detected any further cases.
--

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_12_14/en/index.html

[HenryN]

Re: ::MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE::

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/12140704/H5N1_Myanmar_Patient.html

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN (164): MYANMAR, FIRST REPORT
************************************************** ********
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Fri 14 Dec 2007
Source: World Health Organisation, CSR, Disease Outbreak News [edited]
<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_12_14/en/index.html>


Myanmar: Avian influenza situation
--------------------------------------------
The Ministry of Health in Myanmar has confirmed the country's 1st
case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case
is a 7-year-old female from Kyaing Tone Township, Shan State (East).

The case was detected through routine surveillance following an
outbreak of H5N1 in poultry in the area in mid-November [2007]. She
developed symptoms of fever and headache on 21 Nov 2007 and was
hospitalized on 27 Nov 2007. She has now recovered. Samples taken from
the case tested positive for H5N1 [virus] at the National Health
Laboratory in Yangon, and the National Institute of Health in
Thailand. The diagnosis was further confirmed at the WHO Collaborating
Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, National Institute of
Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, Japan.

A team from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Livestock and
Fisheries and the WHO Country Office are conducting investigations to
confirm the source of her infection. Initial findings indicate
poultry die off in the vicinity of the case's home in the week prior
to the onset of illness. To date, all identified contacts of the case
remain healthy and ongoing surveillance activities in the area have
not detected any further cases.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Marianne Hopp

[This report following closely on that of 2 fatalities in northern
Pakistan marks a further new extension in the range of human cases of
H5N1 avian influenza virus infections. - Mod.CP]

[It is encouraging to see Myanmar has been conducting routine
surveillance following an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry in the area.
This is the way for countries to quickly identify spread to humans,
and should be adopted by all affected countries. ? Mod.JW]

[see also:
Avian influenza, human (163): Pakistan 1st report 20071213.4008]
..............................cp//jw

[Laidback Al]

Re: ::MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE::

General Location of the first confirmed human case of H5N1 in Myanmar in Kengtung (Keng Tung). Kengtung is name of both a District and Township in Shan State. Kyaing Tone is an alternate name for Kengtung.

[Laidback Al]

Re: ::MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE::

Background information on poultry infections in Kengtung Township. http://www.myanmarforum.net/113007Bird.asp

November 30, 2007

Warning about current bird flu outbreak in border areas
Source: LBVD
Nov 30, 2007

1. Occurrence of bird flu in Kengtung :According to the information that there were some unusual deaths of chickens and ducks of local species at Naungngin Village on Kengtung-Mongla Road in Kengtung Township, Shan State (East) on 18 November 2007, a survey was made at the village. And laboratory tests showed ?H5N1 virus found?. Under the bird flu prevention and control measures, from 20 and 25 November, 14,889 chickens, ducks, geese and Muscovy ducks were culled, bio-security measures were taken and educative talks were given in the affected area and nearby villages.
2. Source of infection :It is learnt that a duck dealer bought 900 four-month-old female ducks in Mongla region on 3 November 2007 and sold them in the villages around Kengtung. Due to the deaths of some ducks, the breeders returned the remaining 870 ducks to him. He then bred the ducks in Naungngin Village. Since 8 November, some chickens and ducks near his farm in the village died. The deaths were considered to be owing to infection of the virus from the ducks he bought from Mongla.
3. The disease under control: Now, there have been no more unusual deaths of fowls in the affected areas. The sooner-than-expected result is deemed largely due to the measures local authorities, the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department, the Department of Health, relevant organizations and the Committee for Prevention and Control of Bird Flu took collaboratively.
4. Warning
(a) To prevent transport and distribution of live fowls and fowl products (including chicks) in border areas,
(b) To take systematic measures in breeding local species chicken and ducks in accordance with the bio-safety programmes,
(c) Not to breed chicken in combination with other animals such as ducks, quails, Muscovy ducks and pigs.
(d) To report to the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department, the Livestock Breeding Federation, and local administrative bodies if there is an abnormal death of chicken, ducks, quails and Muscovy ducks.
(e) To wash hands thoroughly with soap every time after holding chickens, ducks and related materials.
(f) To cook chicken and ducks thoroughly for human consumption.

[Niko]

Re: ::MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE::

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakin...icle_id=107052 <table border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Myanmar reports first human bird flu case--official

</td></tr> <tr><td>Agence France-Presse
</td></tr> <tr><td>Posted date: December 15, 2007
</td></tr> <tr><td>
YANGON -- Military-run Myanmar reported Saturday its first case of a human contracting bird flu, a health official told Agence France-Presse.A seven-year-old girl was discharged from hospital in eastern Shan state this week after receiving treatment for the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, the health official said.
"She is the first human case [of bird flu]," the official from Myanmar's livestock department said.
The World Health Organization confirmed that the unnamed girl was the nation's first case, adding that a team of Myanmar health officials were investigating to try to confirm the source of her infection.
"The case was detected through routine surveillance following an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry in the area in mid-November," the WHO said in a statement.
"She has now recovered," it said.
Myanmar's military rulers normally operate under a thick veil of secrecy, but the regime has won rare plaudits from the United Nations for its openness in combating outbreaks of bird flu among chickens and ducks.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed nearly 210 people worldwide, mostly in Southeast Asia, since late 2003, but Myanmar has not reported any cases of human infection.
The World Bank said last week that international donors had committed more than $400 million to fight bird flu at a conference on the virus in New Delhi aimed at devising ways to tackle the disease.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=107052

</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Niko]

Re: ::MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE::

YANGON, Burma (AP) ? Burma has confirmed the country's first case of a human being infected by bird flu, state media reported Saturday.


The New Light of Burma newspaper said the World Health Organization had confirmed that a 7-year-old girl from Keng Tung in northeastern Burma had been infected with the deadly H5N1 virus.


She was hospitalized on Nov. 27 and released on Dec. 12 after being treated with the drug Tamiflu, it reported.


According to WHO, there have been 340 case of bird flu in humans since 2003, and 208 of them have been fatal.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-12-14-burma-birdflu_N.htm

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: ::MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE::

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/12...r_Patient.html

Commentary

H5N1 Confirmed in Myanmar Patient

Recombinomics Commentary
December 14, 2007

The Ministry of Health in Myanmar has confirmed the country's first case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case is a 7-year-old female from Kyaing Tone Township, Shan State (East).

The case was detected through routine surveillance following an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry in the area in mid-November.
She developed symptoms of fever and headache on 21 November 2007 and was hospitalized on 27 November. She has now recovered.

The above comments from a WHO update confirm H5N1 in a recovered patient in Myanmar (Burma). This is the first confirmed case in Myanmar and is the third country this year to confirm H5N1 in a patient, although confirmation in Pakistan is also expected. Earlier this year, H5N1 was confirmed in patients in Nigeria and Laos for the first time.

The Myanmar case may be the Fujian (clade 2.3) strain since the strain was detected in birds last year in Malaysia and Laos.

However, Myanmar?s proximity to Bangladesh and India raise the possibility that the infection is due to the Qinghai (clade 2.2), which was involved in the case in Nigeria and is almost certainly linked to the outbreak in Pakistan.


.

[Treyfish]

Re: MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE

<TABLE id=article_title cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle height=30>Human bird flu infection under control in Myanmar border area</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE id=article_time cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>Last Updated(Beijing Time):2007-12-17 15:10</TD><!-- DATEFORMAT="yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm"--></TR><TR><TD height=16></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE id=article_body cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" align=left><STYLE id=_Custom_Style_>.h1 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 22pt; MARGIN: 17pt 0cm 16.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 240%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}.h2 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; MARGIN: 13pt 0cm; LINE-HEIGHT: 173%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}.h3 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; MARGIN: 13pt 0cm; LINE-HEIGHT: 173%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}DIV.union { FONT-SIZE: 14px; LINE-HEIGHT: 18px}DIV.union TD { FONT-SIZE: 14px; LINE-HEIGHT: 18px}</STYLE>Human infection of bird flu has been under control in Myanmar's border area of Kengtung in eastern Shan state as a bird-flu-infected girl has been discharged from a local hospital after treatment, state media reported Saturday.
The girl, Ma Nan Kham Tha, 7, was found infected with bird flu virus among four suspected of carrying the virus during the outbreak last month in Kengtung's Naungngin village and she was kept in quarantine and given a dosage of timi flu pills at the People's Hospital in Kengtung since Nov. 27 until her discharge on Dec. 12, said the New Light of Myannmar newspaper.
Specimens of the four suspected were first sent to a lab in Yangon which confirmed on Nov. 26 the girl's infection. The human samples of the four were also sent to a lab in Bangkok as well as a lab of the World Health Organization in Tokyo and those laboratory tests further confirmed the status, the report said.
According to the report, the Myanmar health authorities monitored altogether 689 close contact persons who involved in culling chickens and live near the farms and suspected that four of them were infected with the virus.
The report added that other persons were not so found after monitoring the close contact persons for 10 days.
H5N1 virus was detected on some chickens and ducks of local species which died unusually at the village farm in Kengtung on Nov. 18.
In its prevention and control measures, the local authorities culled 14,889 chickens, ducks, geese and Muscovy ducks within a week after such unusual deaths were found on the fowls traded in the area, the then official statement said.
Other measures of disinfecting of the farm, restriction of transport of chicken and biosecurity were also taken, it added, calling on the people to prevent the entry of poultry and birds from neighboring countries into Myanmar.
Some poultry farms in the country's Mandalay and Sagaing divisions were first struck by an outbreak of HPA1 and H5N1 virus in February and March last year, some in Yangon division in February and March this year, some in Mon state's Thanbyuzayat and western Bago division's Letpadan in July and some in eastern Bago division's Thanatpin in October this year.
Again in October this year, H5 antigen was found at a poultry farm in Yangon division's Hmawby township with no symptom of bird flu detected.
During 2006's first outbreak of bird flu cases in the two divisions of Mandalay and Sagaing, altogether 342,000 chickens, 320,000 quails and 180,000 eggs as well as 1.3 tons of feedstuff were destroyed at 545 poultry farms, official statistics show.
During this year's outbreak of the disease from Feb. 28 to March 31 at seven poultry farms in Yangon's five townships -- Mayangon, Hlaingtharya, North Okkalapa, Mingaladon and Hmawby, nearly 2,000 fowls died of the virus with 65,812 poultry from the affected farms and those nearby culled.
In July this year's occurrence of the H5N1, all chickens of the two farms in Thanbyuzayat and about 4,000 broilers raising at a poultry farm in Letpadan, totaling over 5,000 were culled for risk prevention under then Early Detection and Containment Program. In fight against the disease, Myanmar has been cooperating with experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization and AID. The human-infected case of bird flu was the first which occurred in Myanmar. http://en.ce.cn/Life/health/200712/1...13946043.shtml
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Treyfish]

Re: MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE

<TABLE id=article_title cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle height=30>Myanmar stresses effective prevention of human bird flu infection</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE id=article_time cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>Last Updated(Beijing Time):2007-12-17 15:10</TD><!-- DATEFORMAT="yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm"--></TR><TR><TD height=16></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE id=article_body cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" align=left><STYLE id=_Custom_Style_>.h1 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 22pt; MARGIN: 17pt 0cm 16.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 240%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}.h2 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; MARGIN: 13pt 0cm; LINE-HEIGHT: 173%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}.h3 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; MARGIN: 13pt 0cm; LINE-HEIGHT: 173%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}DIV.union { FONT-SIZE: 14px; LINE-HEIGHT: 18px}DIV.union TD { FONT-SIZE: 14px; LINE-HEIGHT: 18px}</STYLE>A high-ranking Myanmar health official has stressed the urgent need for drawing plan and introducing fresh measures for effective prevention of human infection of bird flu in the country in the wake of first such infection being reported in the country recently, according to Sunday's state media.
"Priority is to be given to the prevention of bird flu virus strain as mortality rate is much higher than that caused by SARS," warned Deputy Health Minister Dr. Mya Oo when he coordinated with senior health officials in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw Saturday on the matter dealing with prevention of current human bird flu infection in the country's border area, said the New Light of Myanmar.
He urged the departments concerned to take effective measures in the fight against the pandemic, drawing lessons from the past when SARS broke out.
He reiterated that the recent child infection of bird flu in the border area of Kengtung in eastern Shan state has been under control with the virus strain being unable to infect others, thanks to the effective fight against the pandemic.
He called for implementing the prevention work in cooperation with the public as a national concern.
Human infection of bird flu was first officially made known to the public on Saturday after a bird-flu-infected girl had been discharged from a local hospital in Kengtung Wednesday after treatment.
The 7-year old girl, Ma Nan Kham Tha, was found infected with bird flu virus among four suspected of carrying the virus during the outbreak last month in Kengtung's Naungngin village and she was kept in quarantine and given a dosage of timiflu pills at the People's Hospital in Kengtung since Nov. 27 until her discharge on Dec. 12.
Specimens of the four suspected were first sent to a lab in Yangon which confirmed on Nov. 26 the girl's infection. The human samples of the four were also sent to a lab in Bangkok as well as a lab of the World Health Organization in Tokyo and those laboratory tests further confirmed the status, the earlier report said.
According to the report, the Myanmar health authorities monitored altogether 689 close contact persons who involved in culling chickens and live near the farms and suspected that four of them were infected with the virus.
The report added that other persons were not so found after monitoring the close contact persons for 10 days.
H5N1 virus was detected on some chickens and ducks of local species which died unusually at the village farm in Kengtung on Nov. 18. In its prevention and control measures, the local authorities culled 14,889 chickens, ducks, geese and Muscovy ducks within a week after such unusual deaths were found on the fowls traded in the area. Other measures taken included disinfection of the farm and restriction of transport of chicken especially the entry of poultry and birds from neighboring countries into Myanmar. http://en.ce.cn/Life/health/200712/1...13946038.shtml
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle height=20><SCRIPT language=javascript src="/include/setPage.js"></SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE

Myanmar reports human case of bird flu
<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = EXSL /><EXSL:STRING xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common">Dec 15, 2007 9:27 AM</EXSL:STRING>
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced Myanmar's first human case of bird flu, the victim a seven-year-old girl who survived the disease.

The girl, from the northeastern Shan state, developed symptoms of fever and headache on November 21 in an area where there had been an outbreak of the H5N1 virus in poultry, and was taken to hospital six days later, the United Nations agency said.

"She has now recovered," it said in a statement quoting the Ministry of Health in Myanmar as having confirmed the case.

The infection had not been previously reported, but WHO said that the ruling junta's authorities had informed it immediately and cooperated with the Geneva-based agency.

"Myanmar brought WHO into the process quite early," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said.

The WHO said that the girl's illness had been detected by national authorities through routine surveillance following the area's poultry outbreak in mid-November.

"Initial findings indicate poultry die-off in the vicinity of the case's home in the week prior to the onset of illness," it said, adding that investigations continued.

So far all of the people known to have been in contact with the girl remain healthy and surveillance activities in the area have not detected any further cases, it said.

"It is obvious that whenever a human being gets infected we are concerned. But as long as the virus continues to be entrenched in the animal population, one would expect to see human cases from time to time," Hartl said.

Samples from the girl were confirmed as having the virus at a WHO collaborating laboratory in Japan, after first testing positive at a laboratory in Yangon, according to the WHO.

Myanmar's case brings to 13 the number of countries which have confirmed human cases of bird flu. Some 340 people are known to have contracted the disease, which has killed 208 of them since 2003, the WHO says.

Indonesia has the heaviest toll, with 115 human cases including 92 deaths, followed by Vietnam with 100 cases and 46 deaths.

Humans rarely contract H5N1, which is mainly an animal disease which has been reported in some 60 countries. But experts fear the strain could spark the next global pandemic and kills millions of people if it mutates.

"The fact that this is a single human case indicates the virus has not changed its behaviour. H5N1 remains a virus that is very difficult to transmit from human to human," Hartl said.

.

[Niko]

Re: MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE

Bird flu contained in Burma: WHO

Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)


December 17, 2007 - Despite detecting a case of human infection of the deadly avian flu, the World Health Organization said it had contained the H5N1 flu, which has reportedly been spreading in eastern Burma 's Shan state since last month.

Dr. Caterina Casalini, the WHO head in Rangoon told Mizzima that with culling of birds and chickens and by providing effective awareness training, the spread of the deadly virus has been contained.

"We have been doing all we can, so basically, the situation is under control. And the patient who was confirmed to be affected by the H5N1 disease has recovered and has been discharged from the hospital," Dr. Casalini said.

WHO said it has collaborated with other organizations including UNICEF and has begun to check on poultry and animal farms. And also conducted awareness training on how to prevent and cure the flu.

"We control the movement of animals and prevent the sick birds from reaching to other areas and on the human side basically we cooperate with UNICEF and other agencies for doing public awareness training and communicate with the people of affected areas. And we are still investigating," Dr. Casalini said.

The WHO Myanmar head praised the Burmese government for cooperating in the culling of birds and containing the disease saying "they [government] have done an excellent job," on the bird flu virus protection mission.

On Saturday, WHO as well as the Burmese government through its state-run media confirmed of a human infection of the deadly bird flu.

Nam Khan Than, a seven year-old girl in Kyaing Tong township in eastern Shan State , was taken to hospital on November 27 after detecting avian flu and developing symptoms of fever.

However, the girl survived as she was quarantined at the hospital and was given timiflu pills. She was discharge from the hospital on December 12.


Contradictory statements

Contradicting the WHO's statement that the disease has been contained, local sources in Shan state said bird flu has been detected in eastern Shan state since last month, and with the authorities concealing the cases, there are possibility of other human infections.

A local resident in Kyaing Tong, who requested not to be named, said there could be other human infection as the disease has been spreading since last month after more than 600 ducks from China was brought in by a local merchant.

"We are worried that there are many people suffering from fever. We cannot be sure that the flu has not infected others," added the local.
With local authorities concealing the case, measures to contain the flu started late after the first case of the death of birds in the region, the local said.

Possible Confusion

However, a Thailand based ethnic Shan reporter, said the locals might be confused between malaria fever and bird flu fever.

Sai Moeng, who followed the bird flu outbreak in Shan State, said while there are reports of local residents suffering fever, the causes could also be Malaria, which is common in the region.

"People suffer from malaria in this season, so it can be that local residents are confusing it with bird flu," Sia Meong said.

However, Sai Meong does not rule out the possibility of more people infected with the flu.

http://www.mizzima.com/MizzimaNews/News/2007/Dec/41,%20Dec,%202007.html

[Sally Furniss]

Re: MYANMAR, 1st WHO CONFIRMED HUMAN CASE

Dec 17, 2007 (DVB)?The Burmese Ministry of Health has confirmed the first case of human infection with bird flu in the country, according to the World Health Organisation.


Tests were carried out on 26 November by the public health laboratory in Rangoon on four people suspected to have contracted the virus, according to Burmese state media.

The tests showed that Ma Nan Kham Than, a seven-year-old girl from Kyaing Tone township in Shan state (East), was infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

This diagnosis was confirmed by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, a WHO partner centre in Japan, on 13 December.

Ma Nan Kham Than was admitted to hospital on 27 November, and has now recovered after treatment.

Officials from the Burmese Ministry of Health and Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries are now working with the WHO country office to establish the source of Ma Nan Kham Than?s infection. Monitoring of the area has not so far revealed any other cases.

Reporting by DVB

http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=776