Hungary- H5 avian flu virus in poultry ?

[Mingus]

Archive Number 20060610.1616
Published Date 10-JUN-2006
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (134) - Hungary

AVIAN INFLUENZA (134) - HUNGARY
********************************
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, 9 Jun 2006
From: Mary Marshall <tropical.forestry@btinternet.com>
Source: Reuters alertnet, 9 Jun 2006 [edited]
<http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09598372.htm>


Hungary's health authorities have found what they believe to be a
highly pathogenic H5 avian flu virus in poultry, but are unclear
whether it is the deadly H5N1 strain, the farm ministry said on
Friday [9 Jun 2005].

"It has been found to be a highly pathogenic type," Deputy Chief Vet
Lajos Bognar told a news conference.

"Since the N1 type has been spreading in the region, it is highly
likely to be that, but it could equally be N7 or any other strain,"
he said, adding that further tests would be conducted in the UK.

The ministry ordered the slaughter of 300 000 birds, mainly ducks and
geese, in Bacs-Kiskun country in southeast Hungary, where the
outbreak of the virus was found at a farm with more than 3000 geese
[see comment].

The H5N1 virus killed over 60 wild birds in Hungary in February and
March, but there have not been any cases in domestic poultry and the
government lifted all safety zones in late April as there had been no
cases for a month.

Neighbouring Romania has reported a series of bird flu outbreaks on
farms across the country, leading to the culling of hundreds of
thousands of fowl.

Neither country has had a case in humans.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[H5 virus was initially confirmed in Hungary in mute swans on 15 Feb
2006, apparently in the vicinity of the current outbreak. As a
writing on the wall, posting 20060217.0519 included the following
statement: "Bacs-Kiskun is an important poultry-producing region in
Hungary's agricultural heartland, and there is a farm housing 3000
ducks near the villages."

Hungary is a major goose-liver producer/exporter. The mute swan
infection was duly reported to the OIE; see Hungary's OIE
notification at <http://www.oie.int/eng/info/hebdo/AIS_29.HTM#Sec20>.
According to EU's Animal Disease Notification System (ADNS), 12 wild
birds have been reported so far as infected in Hungary, with the last
date of confirmation being 13 Mar 2006. So far, 4 of the ADNS
countries -- Denmark, France, Germany and Sweden -- have reported
HPAI in domestic fowl subsequent to the discovery of infection in wild birds.

A WHO map, showing the region in southern Hungary where wild birds
were affected, is accessible at
<http://gamapserver.who.int/mapLibrary/Files/Maps/Global_SubNat_H5N1inAnimalConfirmedSince2006_20060 407.png>.
- Mod.AS]

[see also:
Avian influenza - worldwide (21): Europe, Africa 20060217.0519
Avian influenza - worldwide (17): Hungary 20060215.0495]
..................arn/pg/mpp

[Theresa42]

Re: Hungary - H5 avian flu virus in poultry?

via Florida 1 -- original Spanish version here:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?p=16420

babelfished from Spanish:

A bud of influenza of making haste in Hungary forces to sacrifice 2,300 gansos [geese]

BRUSSELS, the 9 (EUROPE PRESS)

Hungarian authorities informed today to the European Commission of a confirmed bud of bird influenza in a farm of gansos in the locality of B?cs-Kiskun, in the South of the country. The analyses made until now have detected the presence of the most pathogenic stock of the virus, H5, but it is to determine if it treats or not of the H5N1. It has forced to sacrifice the 2,300 animals of the farm.

The samples of the animals are going away to send to the European laboratory of reference in Weybridge (United Kingdom) to be put under new analyses. The farm is located in a region where already cases of bird influenza in wild birds at the beginning of year had been detected. Although the applied measures had risen to do the influenza in front of, stayed a high level of monitoring in the zone, which has allowed the fast identification of the new center in the operation of gansos.

According to the European Commission informs, the Hungarian authorities are applying the measures contemplated in the Director on Bird Influenza, and the Permanent Committee of the Nourishing Chain and Health Animal has also confirmed during a meeting of veterinary experts who Hungary has adopted the control measures.

Thus, already the 2,300 suspicious gansos have been sacrificed to have the virus and all the chickens, ducks and gansos of farms located in a kilometer to the round one of the center of the bud. In addition, rigorous controls and pursuits in the facilities of the near areas are being carried out. Similarly, one has defininido an area of high risk with a zone of protection of three kilometers and another one of monitoring of 10 kilometers.

All the regions of B?cs-Kiskun and Csongr?d will consider zones of intermediate risk, to separate the affected zone of the rest of the country. With the establishment of these different areas it is tried to prevent any propagation with the virus and to guarantee the consumers, to the bird-raising and commercial sector that the sold products are safe.

In the zone of protection, the birds must remain inside the facilities and the displacements are prohibited safe to go directly to the slaughter house; the sale of meat outside the zone also is prohibited, unless the products have passed the controls contemplated in the communitarian legislation. As much in the zone of protection as in the one of monitoring the bioseguridad measures are due to carry far, the hunting is prohibited and it will be due to inform to the farmers and his families.

To confirm itself that it is a H5N1 bud, the detected one in Hungary would be fifth of this type in birds of farm registered in the European Union, after the found ones in France, Sweden, Germany and Denmark. The cases of bird influenza of type H5N1 in wild birds have detected in thirteen States members.

http://es.news.yahoo.com/09062006/4/ue-brote-gripe-aviar-hungria-obliga-sacrificar-2-300-gansos.html

[Mingus]

Re: Hungary - H5 avian flu virus in poultry?

http://www.budapestsun.com/full_story.asp?ArticleId={D91BB2E86FB8430AB4951C4D 9E9A6143}&From=News

June 15, 2006 - Volume XIV, Issue 24

First case of bird flu in domestic fowl discovered

HUNGARY became the latest in a growing list of countries to discover bird flu in domestic fowl after it was discovered that 600 ducks and geese had died of an H5 variant of the virus on a farm near Kiskunmajsa-Bodogl&#225;r (140km south of Budapest). There have been numerous discoveries of bird flu in Hungary since October of last year, but in wild fowl only.

As a result of the find, some 300,000 chickens, ducks and geese were slaughtered in B&#225;cs-Kiskun county, and tests are now being conducted in the Community Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza in Weybridge, England, to determine whether the variant is the H5N1 strain, which poses a risk to humans. National state health officer L&#225;szl&#243; Bujdos&#243; said humans are not in any danger, MTI reported.

The European Commission said "The flock was situated in a county where cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza occurred in wild birds earlier this year," adding that "although the measures applied in response to the wild bird cases had been lifted, a high level of surveillance was maintained in the area, which enabled the rapid detection of the outbreak in the domestic geese."

THE Commission added that the Hungarian authorities are applying the necessary disease control measures laid down in the Avian Influenza Directive for domestic poultry; and that the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has "adopted a decision confirming the eradication and control measures being taken by the Hungarians, in the margins of a meeting of the Chief Veterinary Officers (CVO)."

Agriculture Minister J&#243;zsef Gr&#225;f said that all losses incurred by the 100 poultry farmers affected will be covered by the state, Magyar Nemzet reported.

He added that it was possible the virus had been transmitted from wild fowl, but stressed that inspected poultry on sale in stores was safe for consumption. A high risk area has been established around the outbreak with a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone, and the whole of B&#225;cs-Kiskun and Csongr&#225;d counties will become a restricted buffer area, to separate the outbreak from the non-affected part of the country.

In a press release issued by the EC, it said that, in the protection zone, poultry must be kept indoors, movement of poultry is banned (except direct to a slaughterhouse), and the dispatch of meat outside the zone is forbidden, except where products have undergone the controls provided for in EU food controls legislation (ie meat sourced from healthy animals in registered farms, subject to ante and post mortem checks by vets in the slaughterhouse).

"If confirmed as an outbreak of H5N1, this would constitute the fifth outbreak of high pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in domestic poultry in a member state of the European Union," the EC statement said.

Previous outbreaks occurred in domestic poultry in France, Sweden, Germany and Denmark and, to date, cases of H5N1 have occurred in wild birds in 13 EU member states.

Last week's discovery comes on the back of international criticism of Hungary's much lauded bird flu vaccine, the validity of its results having come into question from the World Health Organization and international media (Fresh doubts over flu vacine, June 8).