WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

[Sally Furniss]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/23/AR2006062300224.html

WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

By MARGIE MASON
The Associated Press
Friday, June 23, 2006; 5:41 AM

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A World Health Organization investigation showed that the H5N1 virus mutated slightly in an Indonesian family cluster on Sumatra island, but bird flu experts insisted Friday it did not increase the possibility of a human pandemic.

The virus that infected eight members of a family last month _ killing seven of them _ appears to have slightly mutated in a 10-year-old boy, who is then suspected of passing the virus to his father, the report said.

It is the first evidence of possible human-to-human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus, said Tim Uyeki, an epidemiologist from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adding that the virus did not pass outside the cluster and died with the father.

"Then it stopped. It was dead end at that point," he said, stressing that viruses are always slightly changing and there was no reason to raise alarm bells.

"Analysis of the viruses suggest that there is nothing remarkable about these viruses compared to other human H5N1 viruses or animal H5N1 viruses," he said.

The findings appeared in an investigation report obtained by The Associated Press.

[HenryN]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

Coming from Bloomberg


Genetic sequencing of a virus sample taken from a 10-year-
old boy who died from the H5N1 avian influenza strain showed a
minute change that was also found in a virus sample taken from
his father who later died from the virus, said Dick Thompson, a
spokesman for the United Nations health agency in Geneva.
``We have seen a genetic change that confirms in a
laboratory that the virus has moved from one human to another,''
Thompson said in an interview. The change in the virus ``doesn't
seem to have any significance in terms of the pathology of the
disease or how easily it's transmitted,'' he said.

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

....viruses are always slightly changing and there was no reason to raise alarm bells.

That sounds as if they can guarantee it will not change into something we should be alarmed about. I wonder how they do that?

Until I hear precisely how they can guarantee it will NOT change into something highly pathogenic, I continue to hear alarm bells.

.

[HenryN]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

Human Bird Flu Transmission Proven in Indonesia, UN Agency Says June 23 (Bloomberg) -- Human-to-human transmission was confirmed as the cause of bird flu in one of seven members of an Indonesian family infected with the virus last month, a World Health Organization official said.
Genetic sequencing of a virus sample taken from a 10-year- old boy showed a change that was also found in a virus sample taken from his father, said Dick Thompson, a spokesman for the United Nations health agency in Geneva.
``We have seen a genetic change that confirms in a laboratory that the virus has moved from one human to another,'' Thompson said in an interview today. ``It doesn't mean it's more dangerous, that it transmits more easily or anything like that.''


To contact the reporter on this story:Jason Gale in Singapore at j.gale@bloomberg.net</PRE>Last Updated: June 23, 2006 05:49 EDT


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...48o&refer=asia#

[HenryN]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

Commentray at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/06230601/H5N1_H2H_Genetic_Karo.html

[HenryN]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

Human Bird Flu Transmission Is Proven in Indonesia (Update1) June 23 (Bloomberg) -- Bird flu was spread directly between members of an Indonesian family in the first laboratory- confirmed case of human-to-human transmission of the lethal virus, a World Health Organization official said.
Genetic sequencing of a virus sample taken from a 10-year- old boy who died from the H5N1 avian influenza strain showed a minute change that was also found in a virus sample taken from his father, who later died from the virus, said Dick Thompson, a spokesman for the United Nations health agency in Geneva.
``We have seen a genetic change that confirms in a laboratory that the virus has moved from one human to another,'' Thompson said in an interview. The change in the virus ``doesn't seem to have any significance in terms of the pathology of the disease or how easily it's transmitted,'' he said.
Human-to-human transmission had previously been suspected as the cause of infection in seven members of the Indonesian family from the island of Sumatra. The cases attracted international attention because they represent the largest reported instance in which avian flu is likely to have spread among people. They also provide the first evidence of a three- person chain of infection.
At least 130 of the 228 people known to be infected with bird flu since 2003 have died, according to the WHO. World health officials are tracking the spread of the virus in the event it becomes more adept at infecting people.
Clusters
Clusters of human cases in which the virus was transmitted from person to person, including to health workers treating infected patients, may signal the emergence of a pandemic strain capable of killing millions of people.
``This was a more visible and a bigger cluster, but the concept and the mechanism behind it was what we've seen before'' in other cases of limited human-to-human transmission, Tom Grein, a senior WHO epidemiologist involved in the investigation, said in an interview yesterday.
``All H5N1 viruses were anti-genetically and genetically very closely related and similar to H5N1 viruses isolated from poultry and humans in Indonesia,'' Indonesia's Ministry of Health said in a summary of the investigation of the Sumatra patients. The document, produced in conjunction with the WHO, was obtained by Bloomberg News today.
A 37-year-old Sumatran woman suspected of being the first family member to die was buried before samples were taken, so her cause of death can't be determined.
Sumatran Woman
The woman, who sold fruit and vegetables in a local market, owned eight chickens, including three egg-laying hens that were reported to have died about two to seven days before she became ill on April 24, the summary said. She mixed fowl manure with soil with her bare hands to fertilize her garden, it said.
The woman's 10-year-old nephew, 18-month-old niece, 19- year-old son, 18-year-old son and 29-year-old sister became sick between May 2 and 4, and subsequently died, after having close and prolonged contact with the woman during her illness, the summary said. A brother, 25, was also infected and survived.
A seventh patient, the father of the 10-year-old boy, contracted his fatal infection from close and unprotected contact with his son during the boy's hospitalization. The 37- year-old woman is the only one for whom exposure to sick or dead chickens or other animals was ascertained, the summary said.


To contact the reporters on this story:
Jason Gale in Singapore at j.gale@bloomberg.net;
Karima Anjani in Jakarta at kanjani@bloomberg.net
</pre>Last Updated: June 23, 2006 06:45 EDT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=a_g3QljBkLwE&refer=asia#

[HenryN]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

Human Bird Flu Transmission Is Proven in Indonesia (Update2) June 23 (Bloomberg) -- Bird flu was spread directly between members of an Indonesian family in the first laboratory-confirmed case of human-to-human transmission of the lethal virus, a World Health Organization official said.
Genetic sequencing of a virus sample taken from a 10-year- old boy who died from the H5N1 avian influenza strain showed a minute change that was also found in a virus sample taken from his father, who later died from the virus, said Dick Thompson, a spokesman for the United Nations health agency in Geneva.
``We have seen a genetic change that confirms in a laboratory that the virus has moved from one human to another,'' Thompson said in an interview. The change in the virus ``doesn't seem to have any significance in terms of the pathology of the disease or how easily it's transmitted,'' he said.
Human-to-human transmission had previously been suspected as the cause of infection in seven members of the Indonesian family from the island of Sumatra. The cases attracted international attention because they represent the largest reported instance in which avian flu is likely to have spread among people. They also provide the first evidence of a three-person chain of infection.
At least 130 of the 228 people known to be infected with bird flu since 2003 have died, according to the WHO. World health officials are tracking the spread of the virus in the event it becomes more adept at infecting people.
Clusters
Clusters of human cases in which the virus was transmitted from person to person, including to health workers treating infected patients, may signal the emergence of a pandemic strain capable of killing millions of people.
``This was a more visible and a bigger cluster, but the concept and the mechanism behind it was what we've seen before'' in other cases where limited human-to-human transmission was suspected, Tom Grein, a senior WHO epidemiologist involved in the investigation, said in an interview yesterday.
``All H5N1 viruses were anti-genetically and genetically very closely related and similar to H5N1 viruses isolated from poultry and humans in Indonesia,'' Indonesia's Ministry of Health said in a summary of the investigation of the Sumatra patients.
The document, obtained by Bloomberg News today, was prepared in conjunction with the WHO for a meeting this week of Indonesian officials and representatives from the United Nations health and agriculture agencies, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health organizations.
International health experts submitted recommendations to the Indonesian government to further strengthen human disease surveillance and rapid response to outbreaks in poultry.
`Transparency and Openness'
``Detection of human clusters is a priority,'' they said in a joint statement today. A report of the investigation of the Sumatran cases will be made as soon as possible to boost ``transparency and openness.''
A 37-year-old Sumatran woman suspected of being the first family member to die was buried before samples were taken, so her cause of death can't be determined.
The woman, who sold fruit and vegetables in a local market, owned eight chickens, including three egg-laying hens that were reported to have died about two to seven days before she became ill on April 24, the summary said. She mixed fowl manure with soil with her bare hands to fertilize her garden, it said.
The woman's 10-year-old nephew, 18-month-old niece, 19-year- old son, 18-year-old son and 29-year-old sister became sick between May 2 and 4, and subsequently died, after having close and prolonged contact with the woman during her illness, the summary said. A brother, 25, was also infected and survived.
Chain of Infection
A seventh patient, the father of the 10-year-old boy, contracted his fatal infection from close and unprotected contact with his son during the boy's hospitalization. The 37-year-old woman is the only one for whom exposure to sick or dead chickens or other animals was ascertained, the summary said.
Before the Sumatran cases, disease trackers had found strong evidence of direct human-to-human transmission of H5N1 in Thailand in 2004.
In that case, the virus probably spread from an 11-year-old girl to her aunt and mother, killing the mother and daughter, scientists reported in the Jan. 27, 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. People who had casual contact with the girl weren't infected.


To contact the reporters on this story:
Jason Gale in Singapore at j.gale@bloomberg.net;

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=amaF7AQAfU7Q&refer=canada#

Karima Anjani in Jakarta at kanjani@bloomberg.net
</pre>Last Updated: June 23, 2006 08:17 EDT

[hawkeye]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

Didn't the WHO originally say that no "mutation" had occurred?

-hawkeye

[HenryN]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

Didn't the WHO originally say that no "mutation" had occurred?

-hawkeye

No, they said there were no "significant" mutations.

[hawkeye]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

ahhhh...yes, that was it. Thnx!

[Mellie]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

Genetic Evidence of Human Transmission of H5N1 in Indonesia

Recombinomics Commentary
June 23, 2006

Genetic sequencing of a virus sample taken from a 10-year-old boy who died from the H5N1 avian influenza strain showed a minute change that was also found in a virus sample taken from his father who later died from the virus, said Dick Thompson, a spokesman for the United Nations health agency in Geneva.

``We have seen a genetic change that confirms in a laboratory that the virus has moved from one human to another,'' Thompson said in an interview. The change in the virus ``doesn't seem to have any significance in terms of the pathology of the disease or how easily it's transmitted,'' he said.

Human-to-human transmission had previously been suspected as the cause of infection in seven members of the Indonesian family from the island of Sumatra. The cases attracted international attention because they represent the largest reported instance in which avian flu may is likely to have spread among people. They also provide the first evidence of a three-person chain of infection.

The above comments include the first reported genetic link supporting human-to-human transmission of H5N1 bird flu. In the past, the evidence was largely limited to disease onset dates. However, the gaps between the onset date of the index case and other family members has been present in the vast majority of clusters, dating back to the 2003 cluster in the Hong Kong family that had visited Fujian Province.

These data add to the accumulation of evidence for human-to-human transmission within families and between families in Turkey. These clusters have involved several versions of H5N1 including clade 1 and clade 2 and are common.

However, the cases in Karo created the largest and deadliest reported cluster in Indonesia, which highlights minor changes in the H5N1 genes. These changes are not public because the human sequences have been withheld and are sequestered in a private WHO database. Although Indonesia has indicated that the data could be released, only HA and NA sequences from the first confirmed case in Indonesia have been released.

These sequences should be released immediately.

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/06230601/H5N1_H2H_Genetic_Karo.html

[hawkeye]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

In addition to Nimans comments, and putting this news article in context, we can say with confidence that Human-to-Human-to-Human (H2H2H) has occurred.

As a side note. I find it interesting that the mainstream media doesn't only prints fragments of the whole story, its up to the public to put it all together.



Indonesian woman transmitted bird flu: WHO
Last Updated 23/06/2006, 22:57:26

A World Health Organisation (WHO) official says an Indonesian woman transmitted bird flu to several members of her family last month.

However, coordinator of WHO's global influenza program, Keiji Fukuda, says the virus has not significantly mutated to pose a higher threat.

The cluster of seven deaths which occurred in North Sumatra last month had raised concerns among scientists.

They feared that the H5N1 virus may have mutated sufficiently to permit efficient transmission among people, shifting the world closer to the next global human flu pandemic with a potential toll of millions.

Mr Fukuda says a woman in the North Sumatra cluster case had stayed in the same room as several family members while she was sick.

He says there was close contact in a small room over many hours, resulting in a "limited non-sustained transmission [of the virus] person-to-person."

He says the very slight mutation that had occurred was insignificant.

Nearly 130 people have died of bird flu around the world since late 2003, the vast majority of them in Asia.

[Goju]

Re: WHO: Bird Flu Virus Mutated in Indonesia

I put in in perspective this way...

H5N1 has been kicking around since the late 1950's.
It sickened the first humans in 1997 HK.
We have suspected there was very limited h2h for a while now.
We suspect there has been at least one h2h2h2h in Indonesia.
There are 90 people in HK hospitals with undiagnosed Pneumonia who had just returned from BF infected areas in China
There are reports of Pneumonia Pneumonia coming out of South America.
The birds are continuing to migrate and H5N1 is continuing to evolve.
There are MANY blind spots on this planet... some on purpose we think.

The coming pandemic I forecast will be H5N1.

It will be either:
1. Mild
2. Moderate
3. Severe

If it is mild, there will be minor disruptions to the supply chain mostly due to "fear" reaction. Preps will help us cope.
If it is Moderate, we will see shortages across the board, and depending on how everyone on the planet reacts, we will probably get through the other side injured, but alive and society will go on (in some similar condition). Maybe it will force a re-examination of what is "important in one's life. Matbe it will finally result in an advanced way to protect us from future viral pandemics. Preps may save your life.
It it is severe, the distibution chains will most likely completely collapse and life as we know it will change forever. Crank the clock back on modern conveniences. It may be impossible to prep for an event of this magnitude.