Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23 - February 16th

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#f4faff><TD class=heading_txt height=20> Poultry sector to be regulated, at long last</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#efefef></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=small_txt height=20>By Shahina Maqbool
2/3/2008</TD></TR><TR><TD class=small_txt>Islamabad

Attributing the re-emergence of Bird Flu in Pakistan to under ? reporting of its incidence by poultry farmers, the government Saturday announced its decision to proceed with regulation of the poultry sector by making registration an essential pre-requite for the business. A draft law has already been prepared for the purpose.

This was stated by Commissioner Animal Husbandry Rafiqul Hassan Usmani while addressing a press conference here on Saturday. Spokesman of the Ministry of Health Orya Maqbool and executive director of the National Institute of Health General (r) Masood Anwar, were also present on the occasion. The media was told that the problem is not one that relates to scarcity of financial resources, but to under-reporting of incidents of outbreak by the unregulated poultry sector constituting an estimated 26,000 poultry farms across the country.

?We are taking measures to regulate poultry farms. We need to take measures on a war footing,? Rafiq-ul-Hassan said. A draft ordinance for the purpose is said to be in the pipeline. The mushrooming of poultry farms owes itself to the fact that it only requires a No-Objection Certificate from the Ministry of Environment to establish one.

The media was informed that no human case of Avian Influenza has been reported from any part of the country ever since its recent outbreak in Karachi. ?The government, being fully aware of the myriad dimensions of the influenza pandemic, is closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with World Health Organization and has taken appropriate steps to ensure timely containment of any human cases of avian influenza,? Orya said. The spokesman of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL) said that 18 rapid response teams have been formed to provide any assistance during any bird flu outbreak in poultry farms.

Pakistan reported over 79 outbreaks of Bird Flu in 2007 and the first few confirmed human cases of the disease. As many as 56 of the above-mentioned outbreaks involved commercial and backyard poultry while 20 were reported in wild birds, mostly crows. Orya advised people to avoid the practice of backyard poultry. He said hospitals are in a state of complete preparedness to deal with any untoward situation arising as a recent of the most recent outbreak of bird flu among poultry in Karachi. The National Institute of Health has a standard laboratory for checking of blood samples to determine the existence of the deadly H5N1 virus.

Human cases of H5N1 can happen any time, particularly in rural or peri-urban areas where people keep small poultry flocks, pigeons and peacocks which often roam freely, sometimes entering homes or sharing outdoor areas where children play. Such birds must be vaccinated.

As infected birds shed large quantities of virus in their faces, opportunities for exposure to infected droppings or to environments contaminated by the virus are abundant under such conditions. Moreover, because numerous households depend on poultry for income and food, many families sell or slaughter and consume birds when signs of illness appear in a flock, and this practice has proved difficult to change. Exposure is considered most likely during slaughter, de-feathering, butchering and preparation of poultry for cooking.

The only way to protect oneself from Bird Flu is to protect birds. If the birds eat less, lay fewer eggs, and are lethargic and sick, they should immediately be tested. Should they test positive, the entire flock should be culled and properly buried.

There is also a need to overcome existing gaps in the government?s policy of offering compensation to poultry farmers, because unless that is done, they will prefer not to report an outbreak for fear of losses. At present, farmers are paid 75 percent of the cost of production for dead and culled birds, the media was told.

</TD></TR><TR><TD> http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=94465</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#efefef></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#efefef></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

No flu symptoms in poultry workers yet
By Shahzad Shah Jillani

KARACHI: The three workers of the affected poultry farm who were taken Friday to the isolation ward of Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) have shown no symptoms yet, Daily Times learnt Saturday.

Hospital sources confirmed that Allah Dino, S/O Muhammad Hussain, his brother Ghulam Hussain, 25, and Muhammad Aslam, 25, S/O Muhammad Bangul, were all workers at the Dr Hamid Poultry Farm.

?There have been no symptoms that suggest they have been infected by the virus yet,? sources said. Their samples have been sent to the National Reference Lab in Islamabad and the reports will come in a few days, they added.

According to Health Additional Secretary Dr Shakeel Malik, the workers of the affected poultry farm have only been kept under observation. ?It was just a precautionary measure to ensure that the workers with close contact to the site would be available for any query,? Dr Malik added.

Furthermore, Dr Malik said that a survey was conducted at the farms suspected of being affected with bird flu. ?There has been no case so far and things are pretty much under control. We are closely monitoring the situation,? said Dr Malik.

Governor directs to monitor bird flu: Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat Ebad Khan directed all provincial departments concerned to closely monitor the outbreak of bird flu in the outskirts of Karachi, said a press release issued Saturday by the press secretary to the governor.

The governor had issued strict monitoring directives to all the departments, including health, livestock, surveillance and public health, to control the spread of the virus and identify the areas that are likely to be exposed to the bird flu. He also insisted on keeping hospital isolation units and wards on alert.

The governor also directed the monitoring committee to ensure any bird flu cases are reported so that they can be dealt with before it?s too late.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C02%5C03%5Cstory_3-2-2008_pg12_1

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

800 more chickens perish

Sunday, February 03, 2008
By our correspondent

Karachi

Around 800 more chickens died on Saturday in a poultry farm reportedly owned by the Rangers. The farm is located adjacent to the one in which Friday?s laboratory test confirmed the outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu. The discovery compelled officials to put nine people, including four Rangers? personnel under observation, Health officials said.

?The adjacent poultry farm is being monitored, though its laboratory test is expected on Monday,? said Deputy Secretary Health Dr Shakil Mullick.

According to him, teams of doctors have examined over 50 people and no human infection case has so far been detected. Nine poultry workers associated with the adjacent farm are being monitored by doctors twice a day - morning and evening. Three workers of ?Uni Poultry Farm? have been kept at the isolation ward of the Civil Hospital, Karachi.

Doctors visited five more poultry farms on Saturday and examined over 20 workers. However, nothing unusual was found.

Health Officer (Gadap Town) Khalil Ansari said that the death of more birds at the adjacent farm has given rise to the suspicion of the existence of bird flu. Hence, he said, they have started spraying there. According to him, the workers have been given masks, gloves, etc. as precautionary measures. Furthermore, three surveillance teams have been formed, which are visiting the farms, besides which doctors are also examining the family members of the affected poultry workers. Ansari mentioned that they were facing some resistance at various poultry farms but added that the town administration managed to resolve the matter.

He said that, so far, 2,500 chickens, among 5,000, had died at the adjacent farm.

Dr Rasheed Ahmed Bhutto, a member of the three teams of doctors set up by Provincial Coordination on Bird Flu, told The News that they have started ?bio-security? measures to prevent spread of bird flu. They visited around 10 to 12 poultry farms and informed the owners about the bio-security steps, he said, adding that one team of doctors would be regularly visiting the area from Sunday.

Elaborating, he said that the bio-security measures pertain to covering feed and water as well as burying birds and not visiting infected farms. He mentioned that each farm in Dhunba Goth contains around 15,000 to 30,000 chickens.

Provincial Coordinator on Bird Flu, Dr Ali Akbar Soomro, said that they had taken samples from a couple of poultry farms as precautionary measures. According to him, migratory birds, improper management of farms, lack of clean water and polluted feed were the major causes of this outbreak. Safe water could control the outbreak of virus up to 50 per cent and proper nutrients could increase resistance power in birds up to 20-22 per cent, he added.

He, however, dispelled the impression of the existence of bird flu in Hyderabad, Thatta and Badin, adding that reports were sought from the EDOs after hearing the news but all of them rejected the same. ?IA

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=94414

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#f4faff><TD class=small_txt height=20>Bird-brained response?</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#efefef></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=small_txt>Sunday, February 03, 2008
As had been expected now for days, the avian 'flu virus has struck within Karachi. This had been anticipated, given the fact that the disease has caused devastation at poultry farms across India, where tens of thousands of birds have been culled. In this regard, the delayed response of authorities in the country seems rather bird-brained. It would have seemed logical to take precautionary measures and device a clearly thought-out strategy well in advance thus avoiding the kind of panic now being witnessed amongst people. This is particularly true as evidence of the lurking threat had come even in November last year, when two brothers who died in a Peshawar hospital were confirmed as having fallen victim to the dreaded H5N1 virus. Indeed, fears at the time of a mutated virus transmitted from human to human had brought a WHO team rushing into the country. Mercifully, after genetic sequence testing, the team said there was no confirmation of human to human transmission.

While hospitals had late in January been placed on high alert and a training programme for health workers begun with WHO cooperation, the fact is that till now little effort has been made to educate the public and create awareness about it. This is despite the fact that poultry farms are dotted in many places across the country, and the news of the culling of at least 10,000 birds in Karachi, and the television images of masked agricultural department workers taking away birds from Sindh farms, has immediately created a countrywide air of terror. In Lahore, poultry sales were reported Saturday morning to have fallen, and the situation is likely to worsen over the coming dys.

This is a grave situation, given that the poultry industry is now a huge sector in the country. It has already suffered grave losses due to avian flu outbreaks over the past five years, and now faces still greater potential calamity. The point here is that this could, through some extent at least, have been averted by disseminating widespread and accurate information about the risks and how to avoid falling prey to the sickness.

Many experts hold that chicken meat cooked at high temperatures poses no threat. But more information regarding this needs to be circulated. In addition, poultry farm workers need to be educated about the virus and precautionary measures adopted. Masks, gloves and other equipment must indeed be provided, as there seems to be minimal likelihood that poultry-farm owners will themselves make this available to staff. The fact that many poultry farms are tiny, single room operations, located in small towns or villages, means that many owners themselves too are uncertain of what steps to take.

It is unfortunate too that the mass vaccination of birds, which can help fend off virus attacks, has not been carried out so far. Doctors have also been quoted as saying hospitals lack specific medications to treat patients, and will be able to use only existing stocks. These issues now need to be urgently looked into, and a cohesive strategy devised, that can help control a bird 'flu epidemic, keep down panic levels, but, at the same time, protect people against a disease that has already taken over 200 lives around the world.
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=94358

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02030801/Karachi_Observation.html

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Thousands of Birds Culled in Pakistan
Azhar Masood, Arab News</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>ISLAMABAD, 3 February 2008 ? Thousands of chickens were culled in the capital?s Hazara and Chak Shehzad districts and Murree?s poultry farms as bird flu scare spread in Pakistan yesterday.
Several chickens brought to the National Health Laboratory tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the avian flu, health officials said.
At least 2,500 birds were found dead in a poultry farm near Karachi yesterday. The farm is owned and operated by security forces. The dead birds are being tested for bird flu, officials said.
In India?s West Bengal state, a senior official yesterday allayed fears of human infection even as a health worker who fell sick during culling of poultry remained under surveillance.
The massive slaughter of birds under way across the state for days, with a culling target of 2.9 million, ended yesterday. The authorities have culled over 2.7 million birds in 13 affected districts.
?The man who fell sick after returning from culling at Rampurhat (Birbhum district) is under special observation at a hospital. His blood samples have been sent for tests. But so far we have not found anything to suggest he is infected,? health official R.S. Shukla said.
The health worker, Subhas Barui, a resident of Janka village in East Midnapore, was taken ill Jan. 30. He was admitted to the isolation ward at Tomluk Hospital, 125 km from Kolkata.
?There are reports that he had not taken the Tamiflu tablets, which is unlikely to be true. All cullers take the medicine,? Shukla said.
In West Bengal, the H5N1 virus has hit parts of 13 out of 19 districts, the affecting areas housing 1.8 million people.
Shukla described as incorrect reports of human infection. ?No one has been quarantined. There is only routine surveillance of the people engaged in culling operations. Many of them are anyway falling sick due to intense cold.
?We are maintaining records of people falling sick. If there is anything that indicates human infection, we will take all necessary measures. But so far all 18 tests we carried out have proved negative.?
Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahaman said culling was completed in most of the affected districts and the situation was under control.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) chief medical officer Deb Dwaipayan Chattopadhyay said at least a dozen farms had been allowed to sell poultry products in the city. He asked people to consume chicken without worry.
? Additional input from Indo-Asian News Service
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http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=106385&d=3&m=2&y=2008

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01...1_Karachi.html

Commentary

Suspect H5N1 Near Karachi Pakistan

Recombinomics Commentary 15:17
January 31, 2008

Following the large-scale deaths of birds at a local farm, poultry and health officials have suspected that avian influenza (bird flu) has crept into Karachi.

A senior poultry officer of the Sindh government said that he had been informed about an extraordinary number of mortalities of birds in a farm located on the right side of the Super Highway near the Toll Plaza, lending credence to reports that the much-dreaded bird flu had hit Karachi.

Sources in the poultry industry said on Wednesday that birds started dying at a farm in Gadap Town about four days ago. Earlier, the number of deaths was low and it was thought that the deaths were due to cold weather. But the situation became alarming when the birds? mortalities started numbering in the thousands per day.

The above comments raise concerns about H5N1 in southern Pakistan near Karachi (see satellite maps here and here). H5N1 had been confirmed in northern Pakistan at the end of last year, but H5N1 near Karachi would represent a new outbreak. H5N1 has recently been confirmed in Bangladesh, West Bengal, and Tibet. However, there have been excessive poultry deaths in multiple countries and districts bordering West Bengal, as well as multiple locations in northern India.

The above description of a alarming increase in bird fatalities is consistent with recent bird flu outbreaks, which have been virulent and lethal for terrestrial poultry.

Information on test results from these birds would be useful.

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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...hi_Likely.html

Commentary

Likely H5N1 Near Karachi

Recombinomics Commentary 09:11
February 1, 2008

The Sindh government?s Director Poultry, Dr Ali Akbar Soomro, said that some more samples would be taken from birds belonging to private farms in Gadap on Friday. ?It is understood that some virus had crept into the farms in Gadap Town. But its strength (H5, H7 or H9) is yet to be known,? he added. In the case of the farm in question, he said, he had information that 4,000 of a total of 6,000 birds had died due to the unnamed disease, while chances of culling of the remaining birds at the farm also existed, provided the reference lab for avian influenza conveys a positive report.

The above comments indicate bird flu has been detected on the index farm near Karachi, Pakistan, (see satellite maps here and here). and the serotype will likely be H5N1. Most of the birds on the farm have died, and birds at a neighboring farm are also dying at an accelerating rate.

Indirect supporting data includes the delays in test results, which were initially scheduled for Thursday, and then extended for several days, indicating further characterization of the detected avian influenza.

Moreover, neighbors have complained about the farm ?leaking? the news to the press, and farm workers have symptoms, although reports deny detection of influenza in the workers.

H5N1 has been confirmed in humans and poultry in northern Pakistan. There was sustained human to human transmission, which originated with culling operations. Excessive poultry deaths are being reported across India, in addition to the massive outbreak in West Bengal.

More detail on the testing of birds and humans would be useful.


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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...Confirmed.html

Commentary

Karachi H5N1 Confirmed

Recombinomics Commentary 10:23
February 1, 2008

Pakistani authorities on Friday culled thousands of birds to control an outbreak of avian flu at poultry farms in the southern port city of Karachi, an official said. "We have culled 5,500 birds after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of H5N1 virus at a farm in Guddap district," said Ali Akbar, the director of Poultry Research Institute Sindh.

But some media reports recently suggested that the virus had affected several poultry farms. Tens of thousands of birds have died in the last three days and the dead foul are being illegally sold in the city

No human infections have yet been reported in Karachi but health officials were conducting tests of the poultry workers.

The above comments confirm H5N1 near Karachi and suggest the number of dead or dying birds is significantly higher than the 4000 reported earlier. The earlier reports also cited poultry workers with symptoms, although some media reports have printed denials by medical personnel.

The location (see satellite maps here and here), relative to confirmed human cases in northern Pakistan, raises additional concerns about human cases in Pakistan and India, where there are excessive poultry deaths at multiple locations in addition to those in West Bengal.

More detail on excessive poultry deaths and contacts with symptoms would be useful.


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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02..._Pandemic.html

Commentary

H5N1 In India and Pakistan Raise Pandemic Concerns

Recombinomics Commentary 12:54
February 1, 2008

India has put 26 people in isolation with bird flu symptoms and hundreds more people are being monitored,

"The preliminary tests for bird flu are negative, but more tests are being conducted and the list of sick people reviewed every day," R.S. Shukla, a senior health official, told Reuters. To the west in neighbouring Pakistan, authorities said bird flu had been detected at a poultry farm on the outskirts of its biggest city, Karachi. But officials said on Friday there was no likelihood of any human infection.

"We are now monitoring the workers on the farm as well as another one adjacent to it," said an official of the Sindh provincial government.

The above comments on human H5N1 cases in India and Pakistan raise pandemic concerns. Closely related H5N1 has been confirmed in birds in both countries (see satellite map here and here).

Pakistan has confirmed H5N1 in many patients in late 2007. Although WHO was only able to confirm one, due to sample degradation, WHO acknowledged human to human transmission based on clinical and epidemiological evidence. The confirmed case was fatally infected with H5N1 and was a brother of the index case, who also tested positive in local testing after culling poultry in northwestern Pakistan. Another brother also died, although no lab results were available. However, at least four of the brothers, including the two how dies, had suspected or confirmed pneumonia, and disease onset dates indicated H5N1 was transmitted human to human.

The outbreak near Karachi suggests the same H5N1 is still in circulation and poses a significant risk to populations linked to the outbreak. Similarly, the patients in India are also at risk. Several have been reported to have pneumonia or breathing difficulties. However, not all of the patients in Pakistan developed respiratory problems, so H5N1 infections need not cause low respirtaory tract problems. Mild H5N1 in Egypt, in the absence of pneumonia, has also been reported.

Thus, although initial tests have been negative in India, the linkage of patients with fever and influenza symptoms after exposure due to culling or eating infected birds, raise additional concerns that H5N1 infected patients are not being detected or reported.

In 2006 there were highly suspect patients in India that were not H5N1 confirmed, casing serious doubt about the detection assays and methodologies in India. India has also failed to detect H5N1 in any wild birds, even though Bangladesh has reported H5N1 positive crows in areas adjacent to West Bengal.

Similarly, migratory birds from China, Russia, and Mongolia winter in India, yet none of these birds has been reported to be H5N1 positive in India, even when the dead migratory birds are collected within a few miles of H5N1 confirmed poultry and dead resident wild birds including crows, pigeons, hawks, and owls.

Thus, the outbreaks in Pakistan and India raise pandemic concerns because the demonstrated ability of the H5N1 to infect humans, and widespread denials of human infections in India and Pakistan.


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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...Isolation.html

Commentary

Three Suspect H5N1 Patients in Isolation in Karachi

Recombinomics Commentary 05:37
February 2, 2008

three workers of a poultry farm were put under observation at an isolation ward of the Civil Hospital, Karachi.

The above comments describe the isolation of three poultry works linked to the confirmed H5N1 outbreak near Karachi. The hospitalization supports earlier media reports on symptoms in farm workers on the farm where thousands of birds had died (see satellite map here and here).

However, like the confusing reports from Pakistan on the earlier outbreak of human infections in northern Pakistan late last year, recent media reports indicated there were no workers found or no infections found. It is not clear when these workers were tested, relative to the announcement or relative to Tamiflu treatment, which has likely already started on these workers.

In the earlier series, notification of positive test results were withheld for approximately six weeks, and independent confirmation of the positives was impacted by the degradation of the samples. It is likely that the H5N1 in Karachi is similar to the H5N1 reported earlier, so more human infections are likely.

More information on the testing of these quarantined patients would be useful.


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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...tion_More.html

Commentary

More Detail on Patients in Isolation in Karachi

Recombinomics Commentary 06:59
February 2, 2008

the persons, named Mohammad Aslam, Ghulam Mustafa and Allah Dino, had been admitted to the isolation ward of the CHK for observation purposes.

?As per initial examinations, none of the three had shown any symptoms of bird flu infection, but they would be watched for four to five days to avert any danger to them,? he said.

One of the workers, Mohammad Aslam, said he had been working at the farm for about three months and had complaints of pain without flu.

The owner of Uni poultry farm told Dawn in the evening that his premises had been sealed by the government officials after completing the culling operation. He said he had to suffer a loss of about 12,000 birds that existed in two flocks due to the bird flu virus.

The above comments provide more detail on the three patients in isolation. However, it is unclear why they were selected for isolation and observation. The size of the farm indicates more than three people would have been exposed to the dead or dying birds, suggesting that the workers have some symptoms that fall short of ?any symptoms of bird flu?, but it remains unclear as to what symptoms they do have, other than pain without flu for one of the patients.

Since the culling was done on Friday, there may not have been time for symptoms to appear, especially if the patients were also treated with Tamiflu. Media reports also describe examinations of fifty other farm workers in the region, as well as the preparation of additional isolation rooms. Results of tests on dead birds at a second farm are expected today. Media reports describe additional excessive poultry deaths, and human infections late last year in northern Pakistan increase concerns of human infections linked to the current outbreak (see satellite map here and here).

More detail on why these three workers were selected for isolation and observation would be useful.

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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...ion_Wards.html

Commentary

Isolation Wards Readied in Karachi Area

Recombinomics Commentary 17:27
February 2, 2008

The farms have been sealed off and officials began culling around 10,000 chickens, RH Usmani added.

Following confirmation of bird flu virus in Karachi, emergency has been declared and isolation wards have been set up in all government hospitals in Sindh.

Sindh DG Health Dr Abdul Majeed said that a 4-member committee had been made on district level to examine all poultry farms in the province and steps have been taken at all government hospitals to ensure precautionary measures and in time diagnose of bird flu virus. ?Our medical teams have put them under observation,? Abdul Majeed said. ?We may quarantine them if it is necessary,? he added. Health authorities said they were monitoring at least 15 poultry workers from the two farms.

Meanwhile, Hundreds of chickens have died in several poultry farms in Thatha and Badin. The samples taken from the deceased chickens have been sent to Islamabad for medical examine.

The above comments describe the monitoring of 15 poultry workers from two culled farms. It is still unclear why three farm workers have been placed in isolation As noted above, isolation wards have been set up at all government hospitals in Sindh.

Moreover, the poultry deaths in two additional locations (see satellite map here and here) raise concerns that the H5N1 infections in the south have spread.

In the north, many human H5N1 cases, including a sustained transmission chain that was laboratory confirmed in Pakistan, were reported late last year. It is likely that the outbreaks in the south are due to H5N1 that is genetically related.

Not all of the earlier cases in Pakistan developed pneumonia, raising concerns linked to undetected mild cases.


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[Treyfish]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Sunday, February 3, 2008 <TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD>

No bird flu in Punjab yet?

</TD></TR><TR><TD>Livestock DG says 15 teams working in all districts to check the virus | Govt to compensate affected poultry farms
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Asim Javed
</TD></TR><TR><TD>LAHORE: Punjab Livestock Research Director General Dr. Jamil Gill has claimed that the H5N1 bird flu virus does not exist in Punjab, as revealed through the 5000 test samples collected from various parts of the province.

The total production of poultry meat in Pakistan is 514 million of tons while only Punjab produces 331.6 million of tons making its share 64.5 per cent, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2006-07. It is mentionable that the Pakistan poultry industry had been affected by the outbreak of bird flu last year. On the other hand poultry business had to face inflation because the customers had shown apprehension in this regard Dr. Jamil was talking to The Post here on Saturday. He said that to curb influenza virus various precautionary measures had been adopted. He disclosed that 15 Raid Respond Teams were sent to all districts of Punjab.

These teams were working under the aegis of district livestock offices and DCOs. If bird flu symptom was detected in any district or Tehsil by a raid respond team, it would send the sample to the National Veterinary Laboratory, he added.

To a query about bird flu virus as how to monitor it in a far away part of the province, he replied that it would be done under the surveillance and monitoring and collecting the data .He further disclosed if any complaint about that harmful poultry virus was received, the report would be sent to the concerned authorities to cull the poultry farm

Responding to a question, he said the government would compensate affected poultry farms. He further disclosed last year Rs 7 million were distributed among 40 affected poultry farms in Punjab.

He said Bird flu could not survive more than 70 degrees Celsius temperature besides traditional cooking which was normally to be 120 degrees Celsius and dispelled all rumours about human death.

He further said bird flu virus leaves the effect on egg collectors, feed providers and poultry workers and refuted there was a positive report of the H5N1 virus.
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http://www.thepost.com.pk/ShortNews.aspx?shortid=5326&catid=3

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...tan_Alert.html

Commentary

Pakistan Hospitals on High Alert

Recombinomics Commentary 20:01
February 2, 2008

High alert has been declared in the whole country after bird flu confirmation in Karachi.

check-points have been set up at the entry/exit roads of the city, where chickens and poultry products coming from Sindh and Punjab

The above comments indicate all of Pakistan is now on high alert due to H5N1 in the Punjab region in the north, where H5N1 in humans and poultry was confirmed late last year, and recent confirmation of H5N1 in the Karachi (see satellite map here and here) .

In the Karachi area isolation wards have been readied and at least three farm workers have been placed in isolation. Last year, infections of cullers in October led to sustained transmission in humans in November. Reports on subsequent suspect patients have not been forthcoming.

However, the recent confirmation in the south raises concerns that the same strain in the north is now present throughout the country and is also likely in neighboring India, where excessive poultry deaths have been reported in the north, and confirmed in West Bengal.

The high alert reflects concerns that the infections confirmed on farms could spread to adjacent metropolitan areas,


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