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Bird flu mutates to remain serious risk
2006/11/1
HONG KONG, AFP
Experts have renewed their warnings of a bird flu pandemic after a new resistant strain of the H5N1 virus deadly to humans and poultry was found to have spread through Asia.
Scientists in Hong Kong and the United States believe the new virus -- dubbed the "Fujian-like" strain -- may have mutated in response to vaccination programs designed to halt the disease in farm flocks.
"The development of highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza viruses in poultry in Eurasia, accompanied with the increase in human infections in 2006, suggests the virus has not been effectively contained and that the pandemic threat persists," said a report in the American academic publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
It said that vaccination jabs given to millions of poultry birds in Asia may have helped guide its mutation into a form that has allowed it to thrive and spread.
"Studies suggest that H5N1 seroconversion (development of antibodies in blood serum as a result of infection or immunization) in market poultry is low and that vaccination may have facilitated the selection of the Fujian-like sublineage," it added.
The report -- co-written by Hong Kong University's microbiology supremo Yi Guan, who has led worldwide study into the disease -- said the strain had emerged in 2005, and had already spread throughout mainland China, as well as to Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos and Malaysia.
The Fujian-like strain was now the primary variant of the fast-changing virus throughout Asia, and was quickly replacing strains that had emerged in Hong Kong and Vietnam, it said.
"Analyses revealed the emergence and predominance of a previously uncharacterized H5N1 virus sublineage (Fujian-like) in poultry since late 2005," it said.
"The predominance of this virus over a large geographical region within a short period directly challenges current disease control measures," the report added.
The World Health Organization says it is looking into the study's findings but said it was not surprised by the results.
"This is pretty much as we expected of such an unstable virus," Dr. Julie Hall, the WHO's co-ordinator of epidemic alert and response in China, told AFP.
"It's also sadly not surprising that there is still a problem with the virus in poultry in China, despite vaccination programs and other efforts to clear it."
Hall said that the study highlighted problems with information-sharing in China, which is considered the birthplace of the virus and where the government has a record of silence over the virus.
"This is certainly the sort of information we'd like to discuss with the Ministry of Agriculture to see if they are doing similar studies and surveillance," she said. "We urge the ministry to let us know everything they have learned."
She said the potency of a prototype human vaccine developed recently by the WHO was unlikely to be affected by the new strain.
The H5N1 variant of bird flu was first reported to have evolved into a form lethal to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, when six people died of the then mysterious disease.
A renewed outbreak in 2003 among poultry flocks in Asia triggered a wave of infections that has left more than 150 people dead throughout the world.
The WHO has expressed fears a bird flu pandemic was almost certain in the near future, and in a worst case scenario could kill millions worldwide.
2006/11/1
HONG KONG, AFP
Experts have renewed their warnings of a bird flu pandemic after a new resistant strain of the H5N1 virus deadly to humans and poultry was found to have spread through Asia.
Scientists in Hong Kong and the United States believe the new virus -- dubbed the "Fujian-like" strain -- may have mutated in response to vaccination programs designed to halt the disease in farm flocks.
"The development of highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza viruses in poultry in Eurasia, accompanied with the increase in human infections in 2006, suggests the virus has not been effectively contained and that the pandemic threat persists," said a report in the American academic publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
It said that vaccination jabs given to millions of poultry birds in Asia may have helped guide its mutation into a form that has allowed it to thrive and spread.
"Studies suggest that H5N1 seroconversion (development of antibodies in blood serum as a result of infection or immunization) in market poultry is low and that vaccination may have facilitated the selection of the Fujian-like sublineage," it added.
The report -- co-written by Hong Kong University's microbiology supremo Yi Guan, who has led worldwide study into the disease -- said the strain had emerged in 2005, and had already spread throughout mainland China, as well as to Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos and Malaysia.
The Fujian-like strain was now the primary variant of the fast-changing virus throughout Asia, and was quickly replacing strains that had emerged in Hong Kong and Vietnam, it said.
"Analyses revealed the emergence and predominance of a previously uncharacterized H5N1 virus sublineage (Fujian-like) in poultry since late 2005," it said.
"The predominance of this virus over a large geographical region within a short period directly challenges current disease control measures," the report added.
The World Health Organization says it is looking into the study's findings but said it was not surprised by the results.
"This is pretty much as we expected of such an unstable virus," Dr. Julie Hall, the WHO's co-ordinator of epidemic alert and response in China, told AFP.
"It's also sadly not surprising that there is still a problem with the virus in poultry in China, despite vaccination programs and other efforts to clear it."
Hall said that the study highlighted problems with information-sharing in China, which is considered the birthplace of the virus and where the government has a record of silence over the virus.
"This is certainly the sort of information we'd like to discuss with the Ministry of Agriculture to see if they are doing similar studies and surveillance," she said. "We urge the ministry to let us know everything they have learned."
She said the potency of a prototype human vaccine developed recently by the WHO was unlikely to be affected by the new strain.
The H5N1 variant of bird flu was first reported to have evolved into a form lethal to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, when six people died of the then mysterious disease.
A renewed outbreak in 2003 among poultry flocks in Asia triggered a wave of infections that has left more than 150 people dead throughout the world.
The WHO has expressed fears a bird flu pandemic was almost certain in the near future, and in a worst case scenario could kill millions worldwide.