EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

[Giuseppe]

EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany

Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:03pm EDT
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -

Germany has informed the European Commission of an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, the EU's first case of the lethal strain of the contagious disease in poultry this year.


The outbreak "was found in a wild duck shot during a hunt near the town of Starnberg in the German state of Bavaria," the European Union's executive arm said in a statement.

"However, on basis of the favorable result of a risk assessment, Germany may refrain from the establishment of a control area and a surrounding monitoring area around a positive finding. This derogation has been used taking into account that the hunt had already taken place in January," the statement said.

The last wild-bird case of bird flu in the 27-nation bloc was found in a Canadian goose in Britain in February last year, while the last outbreak in poultry of H5N1 in the EU was detected last October in the German state of Saxony.

(Reporting by Darren Ennis; editing by James Jukwey)
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<cite cite="http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5295IP20090310">EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany | International | Reuters</cite>

[Giuseppe]

Re: EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

[WARNING: Google Raw Machine Translation from German to English. Original text at: http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/telegra...t=7634288.html - IOH]

Tuesday, 10 March 2009, 18:59 clock

Avian flu in Bavaria

In a wild duck in Bavaria is the highly contagious bird flu virus H5N1 has been detected.

As the EU Commission on Tuesday, was the duck hunting at a near Starnberg shot.

The German authorities had to Brussels.

It is an EU-wide in the first case this year in which this type of bird flu in a wild animal up.
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[GERMAN]

Dienstag, 10. M?rz 2009, 18:59 Uhr
Vogelgrippe in Bayern

Bei einer Wildente in Bayern ist der hoch ansteckende Vogelgrippe-Virus H5N1 entdeckt worden. Wie die EU-Kommission am Dienstag mitteilte, wurde die Ente bei einer Jagd in der N?he von Starnberg erlegt. Das h?tten die deutschen Beh?rden nach Br?ssel gemeldet. Es sei EU-weit der erste Fall in diesem Jahr, bei dem dieser Typ der Vogelgrippe an einem Wildtier auftauche.
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[Giuseppe]

Re: EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

[WARNING: Google Raw Machine Translation from German to English. Original text at: http://www.merkur-online.de/nachrich...cht-99979.html - IOH]

Bird flu virus in wild duck in Possenhofen appeared

110.03.09 | Bayern


The highly contagious bird flu has returned to Germany. The dangerous H5N1 virus was reported by the EU Commission on Tuesday when a wild duck on Lake Starnberg in Possenhofen discovered.

The duck was shot during a hunt, as the German authorities in Brussels reported. It is an EU-wide in the first case this year in which this type of bird flu in a wild animal up.

Hunting on Lake Starnberg, where the infected wild duck was killed, according to the Commission is already a few weeks back: The hunters were in January to the game in question is gone.

For routine checks then we have samples from 35 ducks and four Canada geese were examined. When a duck had found the virus.

Normally, writes to EU law certain safety measures in order to spread the disease to be avoided.

Above all, should prevent poultry or captive birds infected and poultry products are contaminated.

Of these measures could be after a risk assessment in certain cases be added to the Commission.

In the current case do you use from this exception, because the game was long back.

To date the last time was H5N1 in wild birds on 29 February 2008 has been observed. At that time, eleven Canadian geese in Britain tested positive.

The last outbreak of avian influenza H5N1 in poultry dated the Commission indicated that in October 2008 in the district G?rlitz in Saxony.

dpa
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[GERMAN]

Vogelgrippe-Virus bei Wildente in Possenhofen aufgetaucht

110.03.09|BayernRSS-Feed aus diesem Bereich
Artikel drucken|Artikel empfehlen|Schrift a / A

Die hoch ansteckende Vogelgrippe ist nach Deutschland zur?ckgekehrt. Der gef?hrliche Virus H5N1 wurde nach Angaben der EU-Kommission vom Dienstag bei einer Wildente am Starnberger See in Possenhofen entdeckt.

Die Ente sei bei einer Jagd erlegt worden, wie die deutschen Beh?rden nach Br?ssel meldeten. Es sei EU-weit der erste Fall in diesem Jahr, bei dem dieser Typ der Vogelgrippe bei einem Wildtier auftauche.

Die Jagd am Starnberger See, bei der die infizierte Wildente get?tet wurde, liegt laut Kommission schon einige Wochen zur?ck: Die J?ger seien im Januar auf die fragliche Pirsch gegangen. F?r Routinekontrollen habe man dann Proben von 35 Enten und vier Kanadag?nsen untersucht. Bei einer Ente habe man den Virus gefunden.

Normalerweise schreibt das EU-Recht bestimmte Sicherheitsma?nahmen vor, um eine Ausbreitung der Seuche zu vermeiden. Vor allem soll verhindert werden, dass sich Gefl?gel oder gefangene V?gel anstecken und Gefl?gelprodukte verseucht werden. Von diesen Ma?nahmen k?nne nach einer Risikoabw?gung in bestimmten F?llen abgesehen werden, erg?nzte die Kommission. Im aktuellen Fall mache man von dieser Ausnahme Gebrauch, weil die Jagd schon l?nger zur?ckliege.

Zum bisher letzten Mal war H5N1 bei wilden V?geln am 29. Februar 2008 festgestellt worden. Damals wurden elf kanadische G?nse in Gro?britannien positiv getestet. Der letzte Ausbruch der Vogelgrippe H5N1 bei Nutzgefl?gel datiert den Kommissionsangaben zufolge vom Oktober 2008 im Landkreis G?rlitz in Sachsen.

dpa
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[Giuseppe]

Re: EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany - Infectious diseases- msnbc.com

Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

updated 2:17 p.m. ET
March 10, 2009
BRUSSELS -

The European Commission says a wild duck shot in the German state of Bavaria has tested positive for the lethal H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.


Bird flu is difficult for people to catch but the H5N1 strain has killed at least 250 people worldwide.

The EU executive says it is the first wild bird case in the 27 nation bloc this year and was reported by German authorities.

The last wild bird case of the virus was reported in Britain, when 11 birds tested positive in Feb. 2008.

The EU said Tuesday that German authorities have taken measures to ensure the virus has not spread.

Bird flu has ravaged poultry stocks in Asia, and scientists believe it spread to both Europe and Africa via migratory wild birds.
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<cite cite="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29618715/">Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany - Infectious diseases- msnbc.com</cite>

[Giuseppe]

Re: EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

Reuters AlertNet - EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany

EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany

10 Mar 2009 19:03:08 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Recasts with details from German local government)
BERLIN/BRUSSELS, March 10 (Reuters) -

Germany has informed the European Commission of an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, the EU's first case of the lethal strain of the contagious disease in poultry this year.


The outbreak "was found in a wild duck shot during a hunt near the town of Starnberg in the German state of Bavaria," the European Union's executive arm said in a statement.

The district office in Starnberg, just southwest of Munich, said in a statement the duck was shot on Jan. 10 and tested as part of an EU-wide monitoring programme. None of the 39 birds shot on the hunt showed signs of illness.

Experts said the positive test was not surprising as wild birds are a natural 'virus reservoir', the Starnberg district office added.

"Individual positive findings in the framework of the monitoring of wild birds are, furthermore, to be expected," the office said.

"There are no indications that during the last eight weeks a highly pathogenic virus has, directly or indirectly via a wild bird, been introduced into a poultry stock, or carried on from there," the district office added.

"There are so far no indications of the virus spreading in the wild bird population," the office said.

The Starnberg authorities had not made any area off-limits or set up a monitoring area following the positive test.

"On basis of the favourable result of a risk assessment, Germany may refrain from the establishment of a control area and a surrounding monitoring area around a positive finding," the European Commission said in its statement.

The last wild-bird case of bird flu in the 27-nation bloc was found in a Canadian goose in Britain in February last year, while the last outbreak in poultry of H5N1 in the EU was detected last October in the German state of Saxony.

(Reporting by Darren Ennis in Brussels and Christoph Dreyer in Berlin; editing by James Jukwey)
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<cite cite="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LA952510.htm">Reuters AlertNet - EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany</cite>

[gsgs]

Re: EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

same virus as in 2007 or 2006 or neu eingeflogen aus
Sibirien,Black Sea , that is here the question

[HenryN]

Re: EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

same virus as in 2007 or 2006 or neu eingeflogen aus
Sibirien,Black Sea , that is here the question

Do you have a link showing that the the recent isolate matched the 2006 isolate (other than being Qinghai clade 2,2, which s true for ALL H5N1 west of China since Qinghai Lake).

[Giuseppe]

Re: EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Germany (3/11/2009) [WAHID Interface - OIE]

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Germany

Information received on 11/03/2009 from Prof. Dr. Werner Zwingmann, Ministerialdirigent, Head of dep. animal health and food hygiene, Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection(BMELV) , Bonn, Germany

-- Summary
Report type Immediate notification (Final report)
Start date 10/01/2009
Date of first confirmation of the event 06/03/2009
Report date 10/03/2009
Date submitted to OIE 11/03/2009
Date event resolved 06/03/2009
Reason for notification Reoccurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence 04/10/2008
Manifestation of disease Sub-clinical infection
Causal agent Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus Serotype H5N1
Nature of diagnosis Laboratory (basic), Laboratory (advanced)
This event pertains to the whole country

-- New outbreaks

- Outbreak 1 (09188A090005) - Possenhofen (near Starnberg), P?cking, Starnberg, BAYERN
Date of start of the outbreak 10/01/2009
Outbreak status Resolved (06/03/2009)
Epidemiological unit Not applicable
Affected animals: Species - Susceptible - Cases - Deaths - Destroyed - Slaughtered
- Wild species - 39 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0
Affected population: Four Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and 35 mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were shot on 10 January 2009.
One mallard was positive for HPAI H5N1, the other 38 wild birds were negative for influenza A.

-- Summary of outbreaks
Total outbreaks: 1
Outbreak statistics: Species - Apparent morbidity rate - Apparent mortality rate - Apparent case fatality rate - Proportion susceptible animals lost*
- Wild species - 2.56% - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00%
* Removed from the susceptible population through death, destruction and/or slaughter

-- Epidemiology
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection
* Unknown or inconclusive

-- Epidemiological comments
The place where the birds were killed is inside a risk zone, thus free-range holding of poultry is forbidden.
There are no poultry holdings in the neighbourhood.

-- Control measures
Measures applied
* Control of wildlife reservoirs
* Screening
* Vaccination prohibited
* No treatment of affected animals
Measures to be applied
* No other measures

-- Diagnostic test results
Laboratory name and type Friedrich-Loeffler Institute (National laboratory)
Tests and results: Species - Test - Test date - Result
- Wild species - polymerase chain reaction (PCR) - 06/03/2009 - Positive

-- Future Reporting
The event is resolved. No more reports will be submitted.
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<cite cite="http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=7874" >WAHID Interface - OIE World Animal Health Information Database</cite>

[Giuseppe]

Re: EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

Germany sees no raised threat after bird flu case | Reuters

Germany sees no raised threat after bird flu case

Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:56am EDT
HAMBURG, March 11 (Reuters) -

Germany's animal health authority said on Wednesday it sees no increased threat from bird flu following the discovery of a case in a wild bird.


The European Union on Wednesday said H5N1 bird flu, the EU's first case of the lethal strain of the contagious disease this year, was found in a wild duck shot on Jan 10 during a hunt near the town of Starnberg in the south German state of Bavaria. [ID:nLA952510]

"This was an individual discovery among wild birds which must be reckoned with occasionally," said a spokeswoman for the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, the German government's national animal diseases agency.

The institute, which advises the government on threat levels, still regarded the overall threat of bird flu level from wild birds as low, she said.

The duck was shot as part of an EU monitoring programme of bird flu among wild birds, not as spor, she said.

The bird involved had only a small level of the virus and this was found after it was tested by the Friedrich Loeffler institute as part of the national screening programme on March 5. The bird had no outward signs of sickness.

"We continue to believe that this virus is present in wild birds at a relatively low level," she said. "This is often not actively visible as the animals do not necessarily become ill."

"This (case) is nothing exceptional and does not change our overall risk assessment."

The last outbreak in poultry of H5N1 in the EU was detected in October 2008 in the east German state of Saxony.

The town council of Starnberg said it was not setting up a quarantine zone around the area where the bird was shot as there were no signs of further infection in the last eight weeks.

The EU had agreed to this, the council said in a statement.

The council appealed to members of the public to report any dead water birds.

(Reporting by Michael Hogan; Editing by William Hardy)
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<cite cite="http://www.reuters.com/article/americasCrisis/idUSLB931862">Germany sees no raised threat after bird flu case | Reuters</cite>

[Giuseppe]

Re: EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

Bird Flu Virus Found in Duck in Southern Germany, Officials Say - Bloomberg.com

Bird Flu Virus Found in Duck in Southern Germany, Officials Say

By Eva von Schaper
March 11 (Bloomberg) --

German officials found a duck in southern Germany that carried the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus that causes serious illness.


Hunters killed the bird about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) outside of the Bavarian capital of Munich, the German county of Starnberg said in a statement yesterday on its Web site.

All 39 birds shot in the hunt were tested for the virus as part of a routine EU surveillance program, the statement said.

?This isn?t out of the ordinary,? Elke Reinking, spokeswoman for the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, said in an interview today. ?We?ve always assumed that there are still small amounts of the virus in wild fowl.?

The virus, which has been tracked by the World Health Organization since 2003, has infected 410 people in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, according to the WHO.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Eva von Schaper in Munich at evonschaper@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: March 11, 2009 06:21 EDT
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<cite cite="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=a4p0XjKPnS0I&refer=germany">Bird Flu Virus Found in Duck in Southern Germany, Officials Say - Bloomberg.com</cite>

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: EU's first 2009 bird flu case found in Germany - Reuters

Presentation regarding the previous report at:

http://ec.europa.eu/food/committees/regulatory/scfcah/animal_health/presentations/ai_0102042009_de.pdf