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Re: South Korea: Suspected H5N1 Human Cases in Seoul
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Re: South Korea: Suspected H5N1 Human Cases in Seoul
[No mention to the pneumonic soldier that was involved in culling operation and tested H5 positive after developing pneumonia, high fever and coma. He was subsequently stated as recovered in full. No WHO confirmation as well to date for this case. IOH]
?No Human AI Infections Confirmed in Korea This Year?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 15:23:29
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has confirmed there have been no human infections of bird flu in Korea this year.
The ministry denied reports a strain of avian influenza that recently surfaced in Korea could spread to humans and even cause death.
It said the new strain is different from a strain blamed for human fatalities elsewhere.
It said that no human infections with the recently found strain have been reported in Korea.
But the ministry added that it sent a DNA sample of the latest strain to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. government agency will confirm whether humans are at risk.
Reported by KBS WORLD Radio
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Re: South Korea: Suspected H5N1 Human Cases in Seoul
South Korea to Increase Funding for Bird Flu Countermeasures
Posted on: Friday, 23 May 2008, 03:00 CDT
Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap
SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -
South Korea will upgrade its countermeasures to deal with potential human bird flu infections and allocate funds to promote research into mad cow disease, the government said Friday.
The national health promotion commission chaired by Vice Health Minister Lee Bong-wha said 658.3 billion won will allocated this year to address general public concerns and critical issues like avian influenza and mad cow disease.
The commission said the goal for this year is to stockpile sufficient Tamiflu drugs to treat at least 2.4 million people in case there is a outbreak involving humans.
South Korean quarantine officials confirmed 42 cases of the virulent H5N1 bird flu strain since April 1, which have resulted in millions of birds being culled and buried.
No confirmed bird flu cases have been reported since early last week
.
This is the third outbreak to hit the country with the first and second cases happening in the winter months of 2003-2004 and 2006-2007.
No Korean national has been afflicted by avian influenza,
which has killed 240 people worldwide.
As part of the country's ability to cope with such an airborne disease, the commission also said it will allocate 5.4 billion won to double the size of special pandemic quarantine facilities.
At present the country can isolate and treat a total of only 100 people.
The government, in addition, will support various research into the cause of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy more commonly called mad cow disease and the neurodegenerative variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob (vCJD) disorder that killed 207 people worldwide so far.
Emphasis of the research is to be centred on the link between genetics and susceptibility to vCJD.
The government has contended that findings showing most Koreans are genetically more susceptible to human mad cow disease than other races are not based on balanced scientific fact.
Such claims have fuelled public concerns about US beef imports and the government's April 18 pact that allows most cow parts to be imported.
If this new sanitary and phytosanitary standard goes into effect it will replace a deal signed in early 2006 that only permitted the import of boneless beef from cattle under 30 months old.
The commission added that to alleviate fears Seoul will set up a specialized autopsy centre to better screen neurodegenerative deaths for vCJD, and improve overall detection of suspected cases.
Such measures are needed because there is widespread mistrust that some people who may have died of vCJD in the past were not properly reported.
Other uses for state funds will be to enhance warnings systems for smoking, increase support for underprivileged babies and young children so they can received nutritional food, and the setting up of two new cardio-cerebrovascular disease centres.
Originally published by Yonhap news agency, Seoul, in English 0547 23 May 08.
(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific
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Re: South Korea: Suspected H5N1 Human Cases in Seoul
Gov't Dismisses Report on Understating AI Risks
Monday, May 26, 2008 07:48:46
The government has dismissed media reports that it hid the dangers of an avian influenza outbreak in 2006.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Monday the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that a strain of bird flu from 2006 was highly pathogenic and could have been contracted by humans.
However, the ministry was quick to add the test results had been disclosed in a white paper on bird flu and Korea has seen no human infections.
The Seoul Shinmun said earlier that the government had failed to inform the people of the risks of the 2006 bird flu outbreak.
The daily made the claim warning the strain of the virus that emerged this year could be fatal for humans.
The Agriculture Ministry said it'll know later this month whether humans are susceptible to the strain of bird flu that broke out this year after it receives test results from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Reported by KBS WORLD Radio
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Re: South Korea: Suspected H5N1 Human Cases in Seoul
All 8 gene segments from Russi are now public and they match all 8 gene segments from Japan. The H5N1 in is FGujian (clade 2.3). The HA is clade 2.3.2 and the other seven gene segemnts are 2.3.4. Human cases in China, Vietnam, and Laos are clade 2.3.4.Originally posted by ironorehopper View Post[No mention to the pneumonic soldier that was involved in culling operation and tested H5 positive after developing pneumonia, high fever and coma. He was subsequently stated as recovered in full. No WHO confirmation as well to date for this case. IOH]
?No Human AI Infections Confirmed in Korea This Year?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 15:23:29
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has confirmed there have been no human infections of bird flu in Korea this year.
The ministry denied reports a strain of avian influenza that recently surfaced in Korea could spread to humans and even cause death.
It said the new strain is different from a strain blamed for human fatalities elsewhere.
It said that no human infections with the recently found strain have been reported in Korea.
But the ministry added that it sent a DNA sample of the latest strain to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. government agency will confirm whether humans are at risk.
Reported by KBS WORLD Radio
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