China - H5N1 outbreak in wild birds reported in Naqu City, Tibet Autonomous Region - July 28, 2023

[Miyamoto Masakazu]

Good morning Sharon-san!

Almost half a day ago, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced an outbreak of H5N1 in Tibet.
Fololowings are the original Chinese doc. and Mechanical Translation with my comment on the

西藏自治区那曲市发生野禽H5N1亚型高致病性禽流感疫情
7月28日，农业农村部接到中国动物疫病预防控制中心报告，西藏自治区那曲市发生一起野禽H5N1亚型高致 病性禽流感疫情，发病死亡野生棕头鸥等野禽5182只，疫点3公里内无养殖家禽户。疫情发生后，当地立即按 照应急实施方案规定开展应急处置，对全部病死野禽进行无害化处理，并对周边环境开展排查、封锁和消杀，严禁 人员及家畜禽进入疫情管控区。

Translation by google:
A H5N1 HPAIV outbreak in wild birds reported in Naqu city of Xizang Autonomous Region

On July 28, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs received a report from the China Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, that an outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds occurred in Naqu City, Tibet Autonomous Region. 5,182 wild brown-headed gulls and other wild birds were infected and died. There were no poultry farmers within 3 kilometers of the epidemic site. After the outbreak, the local area immediately carried out emergency response in accordance with the provisions of the emergency implementation plan, carried out harmless treatment of all sick and dead wild birds, and carried out investigation, blockade and elimination of the surrounding environment, and strictly prohibited personnel, livestock and poultry from entering the epidemic control area.

My comment on the last report by HK gov:
The outbreak of H5N1 among birds on the mainland has been reported almost a year after it was first announced on July 22, 2022 in Gangsu County and Republican County, Qinghai Province.​

​URL of MOA:

• http://www.xmsyj.moa.gov.cn/yqfb/202307/t20230728_6433096.htm

​

 

[Michael Coston]

China MOA: Rare Reporting Of An Outbreak Of H5N1 On The Mainland

China MOA: Rare Reporting Of An Outbreak Of H5N1 On The Mainland

#17,583

If you only went by the officially reported outbreaks of avian flu (as depicted on the FAO map above), you'd probably conclude that HPAI H5 was almost exclusively an American and European problem. Most of Africa and the Middle East are devoid of reports, as is the bulk South America.

Similarly, Russia and China are nearly blank slates as well.​

But the truth is, HPAI H5 has spread globally, sparing (for the time being) only Australia/NZ, parts of Oceania, and Antarctica. The above map doesn't represent so much where H5N1 is, rather it represents which countries are willing (or able) to report it.

For South America and Africa, much of this dearth in reporting is likely due to the remote nature of their interiors, and a lack of surveillance, testing, and reporting capabilities. But in other places - particularly the Middle East, Russia, and China - the silence is intentional.

It wasn't always so.​

Prior to the Arab Spring revolution of 2011 and the subsequent political turmoil, we had pretty good access to outbreak information from the Middle East. But since then, the flow of real-time information has nearly stopped (see Revisiting Egypt’s Murky H5N1 Battle).

Similarly, while not exactly a poster child for openness, before their invasion of Ukraine and the COVID pandemic, we had fairly decent access to outbreak information from Russia (see Rosselkhoznadzor Warns On HPAI Reported In Wild Birds - Chelyabinsk region).

And even China - which has a long history of holding `bad news' close to the vest - was unusually open during the first two years of their H7N9 epidemic (2013-2017), but closed ranks again in 2015. China's Ministry of Agriculture Outbreak page (see below) hasn't been updated since November of 2021.




This wall of silence has only grown stronger since the emergence of COVID, and reached new heights last December (see China: NHC Will No Longer Release Daily COVID Figures). We still hear about occasional human infections with H5N6, H9N2, and H3N8, but often only months after the fact, and with minimal details offered.

All of which makes it a bit unusual that China's MOA published a brief statement yesterday on an outbreak of H5N1 among wild birds in Naqu City, Tibet.

H5N1 Subtype Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak in Wild Birds in Naqu City, Tibet Autonomous Region

Date: 2023-07-28
On July 28, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs received a report from the Chinese Center for Animal Disease Prevention and Control that an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza of the H5N1 subtype of wild poultry occurred in Nagqu City, Tibet Autonomous Region, with 5,182 wild birds including wild brown-headed gulls and other wild birds dying, and no poultry households within 3 kilometers of the epidemic site.

After the outbreak of the epidemic, the local area immediately carried out emergency treatment in accordance with the provisions of the emergency implementation plan, carried out harmless treatment of all sick and dead wild birds, and carried out investigation, blockade and sanitize of the surrounding environment, and strictly prohibited personnel and livestock and poultry from entering the epidemic control area.​

Although Chinese State media (and their MOA) carries frequent reports on H5Nx, they are invariably about outbreaks in other countries, only rarely about domestic events.

Still, we know from many published studies (see a sampling below) by Chinese researchers that avian flu viruses are abundant in China's bird population.

One Health: H10Nx Avian Influenza Viruses Detected in Wild Birds in China Pose Potential Threat to Mammals​

Characterization of an Emergent Chicken H3N8 Influenza Virus in Southern China: a Potential Threat to Public Health​

EID Journal: Evolution of Avian Influenza Virus (H3) with Spillover into Humans, China​

Study: Global Dissemination of Avian H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4b Viruses and Biologic Analysis Of Chinese Variants​

I've no idea why the MOA decided to report on the Tibet outbreak, but it is probably too much to hope that China is easing up on their policy of `radio silence' about avian flu.

If anything, this tactic of official silence - or slow-rolling the release of information - seems to be growing around the globe. (see Flying Blind In The Viral Storm).​

Despite long-standing international agreements requiring immediate notification of zoonotic disease threats, most countries are either still unable - or simply unwilling - to comply (see Lancet Preprint: National Surveillance for Novel Diseases - A Systematic Analysis of 195 Countries).

Policies that leave the world unnecessarily vulnerable to the next global health crisis.

https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2023/07/china-moa-rare-reporting-of-outbreak-of.html

​

 

[sharon sanders]

Please see:

H9N2 Avian Flu: FluTrackers Global Cumulative Partial Case List 1998 - Current​

H5N6 Avian Flu: FluTrackers Global Case List​

H5N1 Avian Flu: FluTrackers 2016 - Current Global Case List

China - Media: Hunan Provincial Health Dept issued a bird flu prevention guideline - July 20, 2023​​

China - 4,000 chickens died from heat after farm had electrical circuit failure, Suizhou, Hubei province - July 11, 2023​

China - Pediatric respiratory outpatient visits has increased significantly at several hospitals in Shiyan, Hubei province - July 10, 2023​

China - Yuquan District Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Hohhot conducted emergency drills for human infection of highly pathogenic avian influenza, Inner Mongolia - July 8, 2023​

China - Guigang city Animal Prevention & Control purchased 3 million milliliters of avian flu vaccines & vaccinated poultry in 3 districts & 2 counties/cities, Guangxi province- July 6, 2023​

China - Mycoplasma pneumonia has occurred frequently in southern Fujian province since beginning of summer. Hard to find a pediatric bed. - June 30, 2023​

China - Gongqingcheng city held an avian flu operation training meeting, Jiangxi province on March 25, 2023​

China - Government sanctioned media: So far in 2023 "only sporadic" outbreaks of H5N1 avian flu in poultry in some places in China - March 13, 2023​

China - Media report that WHO reported a human case of H5N1 bird flu - Confirmed by WHO - Jiangsu province March 2, 2023​

 

[Pathfinder]

China (People's Rep. of) - Influenza A viruses of high pathogenicity (Inf. with) (non-poultry including wild birds) (2017-) - Immediate notification [FINAL]

GENERAL INFORMATION
COUNTRY/TERRITORY OR ZONE
ZONE

ANIMAL TYPE
TERRESTRIAL

DISEASE CATEGORY
Listed disease

EVENT ID
5156

DISEASE
Influenza A viruses of high pathogenicity (Inf. with) (non-poultry including wild birds) (2017-)

CAUSAL AGENT
Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus

GENOTYPE / SEROTYPE / SUBTYPE
H5N1

START DATE
2023/07/04

REASON FOR NOTIFICATION
Recurrence of an eradicated disease

DATE OF LAST OCCURRENCE
2021/07/21

CONFIRMATION DATE
2023/07/08

EVENT STATUS
Resolved

END DATE
2023/07/28

SELF-DECLARATION
NO

REPORT INFORMATION
REPORT NUMBER
Immediate notification

REPORT ID
IN_162049

REPORT REFERENCE
-

REPORT DATE
2023/08/03

REPORT STATUS
Validated

NO EVOLUTION REPORT
-

EPIDEMIOLOGY
SOURCE OF EVENT OR ORIGIN OF INFECTION
Contact with wild species
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL COMMENTS
No epidemiological comment
...

NEW OUTBREAKS

OB_122672 - NAGQU CITY, XIZANG PROVINCE

OUTBREAK REFERENCE
-

START DATE
2023/07/04

END DATE
2023/07/28

DETAILED CHARACTERISATION
-

FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
Xizang

SECOND ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
Nagchu

THIRD ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
Nagchu

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL UNIT
Natural park

LOCATION
Nagqu City, Xizang Province

Latitude, Longitude
31.5023 , 92.0477

OUTBREAKS IN CLUSTER
-

MEASURING UNIT
Animal

AFFECTED POPULATION DESCRIPTION
-

SpeciesSusceptibleCasesDeathsKilled and Disposed ofSlaughtered/ Killed for commercial useVaccinated
Wildlife (species unspecified) (WILD)
Wild
NEW - 5182 5182 - - -
TOTAL - 5182 5182 - - -
...
https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/5156​