Outbreak in Kazakhstan

[Susie]

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle...89c3b766a.html

Kazakhstan Confirms Bird-Flu Case


(RFE/RL)
ASTANA, March 20, 2006 -- Kazakhstan's Health Minister says a dead swan found on the country's Caspian Sea coast had bird flu.


Health Minister Yerbolat Dosayev said the swan was found in western Mangystau Province and that tests confirmed the presence of bird flu.

He did not say whether the swan has the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease. H5N1 can be lethal to humans who are in close contact with sick birds.

Several areas in northern Kazakhstan were quarantined last year during an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu there.

(Interfax, Reuters)

[DB]

Re: Outbreak in Kazakhstan?

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_4324407.htm

ALMA ATA, March 20 (Xinhuanetnet) -- A dead wild swan found in western Kazakhstan has tested positive for the H5N1 strain of birdflu virus, an official from the country's Agriculture Ministry said on Monday. <!--ADV_CONTENT-->

The bird was found on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Confirmation of the virus was made by Asylbek Kozhmuratov, head ofthe ministry's veterinary department.
It is the first case to be registered in Kazakhstan since thousands of poultry were culled when bird flu hit the country last July.
With bird flu being reported this year in neighboring countries,including Russia and Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan has prepared itself for a possible outbreak of the disease ahead of the seasonal migration of wild birds. In a bid to protect the country's poultrystock, around 8 million domestic fowl have been vaccinated.
Last month, Kazakhstan staged a two-day drill for bird flu prevention and control, in which all relevant departments were mobilized to help them become familiar with emergency action needed to handle an outbreak.
The deadly virus has claimed some 100 lives worldwide since late 2003, mostly in Asia. There are fears that the virus could develop into a form that passes easily from person to person. However, to date no evidence has emerged showing that the disease can be transmitted between people. Enditem

[Snowy Owl]

Kazakhstan

KAZAKHSTAN: Avian flu detected in wild birds in west


ANKARA, 22 Mar 2006 (IRIN) - The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been discovered in western Kazakhstan, officials said on Wednesday.

?Cases of highly pathological bird flu [H5N1] have been confirmed by laboratory tests in a dead wild bird from the Caspian shore [Mangistau province],? an official at the Kazakh agriculture ministry said on Wednesday.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), avian influenza is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. Avian influenza viruses are highly species specific, but in some cases infect humans, with the causative agent, the H5N1 virus, being particularly deadly both for animals and humans.

Despite the destruction of an estimated 150 million birds, the virus is now considered endemic in many parts of Indonesia and Vietnam and in some parts of Cambodia, China and Thailand. The deadly strain has killed almost 100 people worldwide, mainly in Asia, where it was first registered in late 2003, according to the WHO.

No cases of humans contracting bird flu have been reported in Kazakhstan, which saw a previous outbreak of the disease in animals in the north of the country in August 2005.

In an effort to stave off outbreaks in domestic birds, preventive measures are already under way in western Kazakhstan, including mass vaccination of domestic birds, particularly backyard poultry. ?As of Wednesday, 32,800 domestic fowl have been vaccinated against the highly pathogenic avian influenza in the area,? the agriculture ministry official maintained.

Asylbek Kozhimuratov, head of the Kazakh agriculture ministry, said that all domestic poultry had been vaccinated in Mangistau province. Vaccination is under way in another western province, Atyrau, which is believed to be vulnerable to the virus. Some 40,000 doses of vaccine have been provided for that purpose, according to the ministry.

Kazakh authorities have not yet resorted to mass culling of poultry in the area. ?There has not been any culling of domestic birds because avian flu has been registered only in wild birds? so far,? ministry officials said.

But officials have called for people to take care to prevent transmission of the virus. ?People should follow hygiene norms and avoid contact with wild birds, especially they should prevent their children from such contact,? Kozhimuratov added.

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=52381&SelectRegion=Asia&SelectCountry=KAZAKHSTAN