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Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

H

HenryN

Retired
Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany


From correspondents in Brussels
June 24, 2007 11:35pm

<!-- Lead Content Panel -->THE highly pathogenic bird flu virus H5N1 has been found in two dead swans in Germany, the European Commission said today.
The European Union executive said German authorities had informed Brussels that laboratory tests carried out at a regional laboratory in Bavaria had confirmed the deadly strain in the birds.
Precautionary measures were now being taken, the Commission said in a statement.

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,21961765-5012784,00.html

PREVIOUS THREAD HERE: Germany - H5N1 confirmed in 5 swans, 1 duck, 1 goose
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

<TABLE width=500 align=center summary="" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle bgColor=#c0c0c0 height=24>Three cases of H5N1 bird flu confirmed in Germany </TD></TR><TR><TD>
Three wild birds in Germany have died of the feared H5N1 strain of bird flu, a health official in Nuremberg in southern Germany said on Sunday. </TD></TR><TR><TD>
Katja Guenther told AFP tests carried out by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute confirmed that two swans and a duck suffered from the H5N1 strain of the virus.

She said tests were being conducted on another seven birds who died of bird flue to see whether they too had been carriers of H5N1, which is potentially lethal for humans.

The dead wild birds who were infected with the virus were found near Nuremberg in the past week.

Local authorities said at the weekend that they planned to cordon off areas to prevent the disease spreading.

http://www.physorg.com/printnews.php?newsid=101895953

H5N1 was found on a poultry farm in the Czech Republic last week, prompting the slaughter of some 6,000 turkeys.

Germany battled a bird flu epidemic in 2005. It broke out on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen and spread to six of the country's 16 states.

The disease spread to mammals, killing a cat and a stone marten, but did not affect humans.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

News | 24.06.2007 | 13:00 UTC

Bird flu found in southern Germany

German authorities have posted caution signs and cordoned off two Bavarian lakes after seven dead birds tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus, the first cases reported in Germany this year.

Nürnberg city authorities warned people to stay away from waterfowl after five swans, one duck and one goose all tested positive for bird flu.

The results of further tests were expected within a few days.

Bird flu was reported earlier this month in the Czech Republic and also surfaced elsewhere in the European Union earlier this year.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_2621077,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

niman said:
<TABLE width=500 align=center summary="" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle bgColor=#c0c0c0 height=24>Three cases of H5N1 bird flu confirmed in Germany </TD></TR><TR><TD>
Three wild birds in Germany have died of the feared H5N1 strain of bird flu, a health official in Nuremberg in southern Germany said on Sunday.
</TD></TR><TR><TD>
Katja Guenther told AFP tests carried out by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute confirmed that two swans and a duck suffered from the H5N1 strain of the virus.

She said tests were being conducted on another seven birds who died of bird flue to see whether they too had been carriers of H5N1, which is potentially lethal for humans.

The dead wild birds who were infected with the virus were found near Nuremberg in the past week.

Local authorities said at the weekend that they planned to cordon off areas to prevent the disease spreading.

http://www.physorg.com/printnews.php?newsid=101895953

H5N1 was found on a poultry farm in the Czech Republic last week, prompting the slaughter of some 6,000 turkeys.

Germany battled a bird flu epidemic in 2005. It broke out on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen and spread to six of the country's 16 states.

The disease spread to mammals, killing a cat and a stone marten, but did not affect humans.


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Click to expand...
The above comments suggest that 10 dead wild birds have now tested positive for avian influenza (i.e. all 10 are positive for Qinghai Clade 2.2 H5N1).
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Bird flu cases in southern Germany show highly pathogenic H5N1 variant

The Associated Press
Sunday, June 24, 2007

BERLIN: At least some of the cases of bird flu discovered this weekend near the southern city of Nuremberg involve a highly pathogenic variety of the H5N1 strain, Germany's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection said Sunday.
All seven of the birds ? five swans, one duck and one goose found dead on Friday and Saturday ? had the H5N1 strain, and further tests were still ongoing to determine if they were infected with the highly pathogenic variety. It is the first bird flu discovered in Germany this year, and the first report of wild birds infected this year within the European Union.
The H5N1 strain has, however, been found in poultry farms in three other EU countries this year: Hungary, Britain and the Czech Republic, the European Commission said.
Thirteen EU nations were hit by bird flu last year ? Austria, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Greece, Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary and France.
Bird flu is believed to spread along bird migration routes.
The H5N1 strain has decimated poultry stocks since 2003 and killed at least 191 people worldwide, most of them directly infected by sick birds in Asia. Experts fear, however, that the virus could mutate into a form easily transmitted between people.

http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?id=6300990
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

H5N1 bird-flu
New bird flu fears in southern Germany
Sunday 24 June 2007 13:41
Scientists were Sunday examining the remains of eight birds feared to have contracted avian influenza in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg.
Officials set up a four-kilometres exclusion zone around two lakes where the wild swans, geese and ducks were found over the past few days, local health officials said.

Veterinary experts at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute on the island of Riems were examining the animals to see if they had contracted the H5N1 bird-flu strain, known to be deadly to humans.

In the meantime, officials ordered that all poultry farmers in the exclusion zone keep their animals indoors. Pet owners were warned not to let their dogs or cats roam free in the affected area.

Nuremberg is located 120 kilometres from the border with the Czech Republic, where an outbreak of bird flu at a poultry farm was confirmed on Thursday.



The disease was discovered after nearly one-third of the 6,000 turkeys perished at the farm in the village of Tisova in the country's east. The rest of the flock was culled.


The last outbreak of bird flu in Bavaria occurred in April 2006.


Pharmaceutical companies in the United States and Europe have been contributing to a global stockpile of vaccine for the H5N1 strain.


<!-- -->
Some 190 people around the world have died of bird flu since 2003, mainly through coming into close contact with infected poultry, according to the World Health Organization.


Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans, which could touch off a global pandemic that would kill millions. dpa ms ds

http://jurnalo.com/jurnalo/storyPage.do?story_id=43819
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Published: June 24, 2007 at 11:06 AM
Bird flu found in Germany
NUREMBERG, Germany, June 24 (UPI) -- Seven dead birds found near two lakes in southern Germany tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus, it was reported Sunday.
The find marked the first cases of bird flu in Germany this year, said authorities who cordoned off the two Bavarian lakes where the birds were found.
Authorities in Nuremberg warned people to stay away from waterfowl after the five swans, one duck and one goose all tested positive for the H5N1 virus, Deutsche Welle said. Bird flu was reported earlier this month in the Czech Republic and was found elsewhere in Europe earlier this year.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/06/24/bird_flu_found_in_germany/7429/
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Cases of H5N1 bird flu confirmed in Germany


AFP

Published: Sunday, June 24, 2007
BERLIN, Germany - Three wild birds have died of the feared H5N1 strain of bird flu, a health official in Nuremberg in southern Germany said on Sunday.
Katja Guenther told AFP tests carried out by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute confirmed that two swans and a wild goose had suffered from the H5N1 strain of the virus.
She said tests were being conducted on another seven birds, mostly swans, who died of bird flue to see whether they too had been carriers of H5N1, which is potentially lethal for humans.
The dead wild birds who were infected with the virus were found at two lakes near Nuremberg in the past week.
Guenther said local authorities had cordoned off an area with a four-km radius from where the sick birds were found.
Nobody will be allowed to bring birds into the area or take them from there for the next three weeks, and poultry in the area must be kept indoors for the same period.
The Friedrich Loeffler Institute was reported as saying the new German cases of H5N1 avian flu could be related to an outbreak of the virus in the Czech Republic.
H5N1 was found on a poultry farm in the central Czech Republic last week, prompting the slaughter of some 6,000 turkeys.
Germany battled a bird flu epidemic last year. It broke out on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen and spread to six of the country's 16 states, including Bavaria.
The disease spread to mammals, infecting three cats and a stone marten, but did not affect humans.
The last reported case in Germany of the highly pathogenic strain of bird flu was reported in Dresden in August last year. It killed a swan in the eastern city's zoo.
According to the World Health Organization, bird flu has claimed more than 130 lives worldwide since 2003, mostly in southeast Asia.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=78c7e109-450e-41b8-b212-0bf83144e232&k=51077
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

AVIAN INFLUENZA (109): GERMANY (BAVARIA), WILD BIRDS
****************************************************
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: Sun 24 Jun 2007
Source: AFX News Limited via Forbes [edited]
<http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2007/06/24/afx3851758.html>


3 wild birds in Germany have died of the feared H5N1 strain of
bird flu, a health official in Nuremberg in southern Germany said.

Katja Guenther said tests carried out by the Friedrich Loeffler
Institute confirmed that 2 swans and a duck suffered from the H5N1
strain of the virus.

She said tests were being conducted on another 7 birds that died of
bird flu to see whether they too had been carriers of H5N1, which is
potentially lethal for humans.

The dead wild birds that were infected with the virus were found near
Nuremberg in the past week.

Local authorities said at the weekend that they planned to cordon off
areas to prevent the disease from spreading.

H5N1 was found on a poultry farm in the Czech Republic last week,
prompting the slaughter of some 6000 turkeys.

Germany battled a bird flu epidemic in 2005. It broke out on the
Baltic Sea island of Ruegen and spread to 6 of the country's 16
states.

The disease spread to mammals, killing a cat and a stone marten
[weasel-like small carnivore. - Mod.JW], but did not affect humans.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[Germany's last outbreak of HPAI H5N1 was notified to the OIE on 7 Apr
2006; it referred to a turkey farm in the state of Sachsen. Contact
with wild birds was reportedly suspected; see
<http://www.oie.int/eng/info/hebdo/AIS_23.HTM#Sec1>.
The outbreak was eradicated by stamping out, and on 28 Jul 2006,
Germany officially announced its regained freedom of HPAI as from 28
Jul 2006, in accordance with Chapter 2.7.12 of OIE's Terrestrial
Animal Health Code.

The confirmation of the new cases in wild birds has been carried out
by the OIE's Reference Laboratory for highly pathogenic and low
pathogenic avian influenza at the Federal Research Centre for Virus
Diseases of Animals (BFAV), Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Insel
(island) Riems, northern Germany. This is one of OIE's 7 avian
influenza reference laboratories worldwide.

During 2006, H5N1 was detected in wild birds in several European
countries, including Germany; see EU's Animal Disease Notification
System (ADNS) map at
<http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/adns/map/20060802/europe.htm>
and graphs showing the results of the surveillance undertaken in wild
birds, including the number of cases per week, per species and per
country, at
<http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/adns/adns_wildbirds2006.pdf>.

The last positive bird was detected on 2 Aug 2006.

The ADNS surveillance has been continued throughout 2006 and 2007,
with negative results. The 2007 graph, updated 21 Jun 2007, is
available at
<http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/adns/adns_wildbirds2007.pdf>.
Unfortunately, it includes only the number of positives (which, since
2 Aug 2006, has been -- throughout -- zero), but not the denominators,
namely the number of wild birds investigated.

Statements from proponents and opponents of the role wild birds might
play in the epidemiology of H5N1, are expected:

- Do these German cases reflect a self-sustained infection evolving
within wild bird populations, or have they been infected from
commercial poultry?

- Is the Nuremberg event related, directly or indirectly, to the
recent outbreak in a commercial turkey flock in the Czech Republic?

- Was the source of infection there contact with wild birds or the
other way around (namely, initial Czech infection originating from
infected commercial poultry elsewhere, subsequently infecting wild
birds)?

It will be surprising if the results of molecular studies of the
various viruses isolated will convince either group [proponents or
opponents] to accept unwelcome conclusions.

New results of the ADNS surveillance in wild birds in Europe will be
interesting to follow as they become available. - Mod.AS]

[see also:
Avian influenza (108) - Germany (Bavaria), wild birds 20070624.2040
2006
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

niman said:
AVIAN INFLUENZA (109): GERMANY (BAVARIA), WILD BIRDS
****************************************************
Statements from proponents and opponents of the role wild birds might
play in the epidemiology of H5N1, are expected:

- Do these German cases reflect a self-sustained infection evolving
within wild bird populations, or have they been infected from
commercial poultry?

- Is the Nuremberg event related, directly or indirectly, to the
recent outbreak in a commercial turkey flock in the Czech Republic?

- Was the source of infection there contact with wild birds or the
other way around (namely, initial Czech infection originating from
infected commercial poultry elsewhere, subsequently infecting wild
birds)?

It will be surprising if the results of molecular studies of the
various viruses isolated will convince either group [proponents or
opponents] to accept unwelcome conclusions.

New results of the ADNS surveillance in wild birds in Europe will be
interesting to follow as they become available. - Mod.AS]

[see also:
Avian influenza (108) - Germany (Bavaria), wild birds 20070624.2040
2006
Click to expand...
ProMed trying to take a neutral stance, but the position of the domestic poultry in the Czech Republic infecting the multiple species of wild birds in Germany is simply absurd (maybe the dead and dying domestic poultry used carrier pigeons to fly the H5N1 infections to the west and infect the multiple wild bird species!).
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Title[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Six cases of H5N1 bird flu confirmed in Germany [/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Date[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]25 June 2007 0044 hrs (SST) [/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]URL[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/284236/1/.html[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE borderColor=#cccccc cellSpacing=5 borderColorDark=#cccccc cellPadding=3 width=600 align=center borderColorLight=#cccccc border=1><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BERLIN : Six wild birds in Germany have died of the feared H5N1 strain of bird flu, a German institute said on Sunday.

Six out of a total of 14 birds tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the virus, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute institute said.

A health official, Katja Guenther, said earlier that tests carried out by the same institute confirmed that two swans and a wild goose had been infected with H5N1.

Tests were still being conducted on another five birds which had died of bird flu to see whether they too had been carriers of H5N1, which is potentially lethal for humans.

The dead wild birds infected with the virus were found at two lakes near Nuremberg in the past week.

Guenther said local authorities had cordoned off an area with a four-kilometre radius from where the diseased birds were found.

Nobody will be allowed to bring birds into the area or take them out from there for the next three weeks, and poultry in the area must be kept indoors for the same period.

The Friedrich Loeffler Institute was reported as saying the new German cases of H5N1 avian flu could be related to an outbreak of the virus in the Czech Republic.

H5N1 was found on a poultry farm in the central Czech Republic last week, prompting the slaughter of some 6,000 turkeys.

Germany battled a bird flu epidemic last year. It broke out on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen and spread to six of the country's 16 states, including Bavaria.

The disease spread to mammals, infecting three cats and a stone marten, but did not affect humans.

The last reported case in Germany of the highly pathogenic strain of bird flu was reported in Dresden in August last year. It killed a swan in the eastern city's zoo.

According to the World Health Organisation, bird flu has claimed more than 130 lives worldwide since 2003, mostly in Southeast Asia. - AFP/de
[/FONT]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

<TABLE class=lan18 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="95%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=lan18 vAlign=bottom align=middle height=30>Bird flu discovered in Germany
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BERLIN, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Seven dead birds discovered near two lakes in southern Germany tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus, media reported Sunday.
The dead birds were found in two Bavarian lakes, which were cordoned off after the find, the first cases in the country this year.
People were asked to stay away from waterfowl after the five swans, one duck and one goose all tested positive for the H5N1 virus, German media said.
Bird flu was found last year in northern Germany.
Earlier this month it was reported in the Czech Republic and found elsewhere in Europe at the beginning of this year. 　

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-06/25/content_6285584.htm

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Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Germany Finds H5N1 Bird Flu in Three Wild Birds (Update1)

By Patrick Donahue



June 24 (Bloomberg) -- German authorities found the H5N1 bird-flu virus in three wild birds in the southern state of Bavaria, the first trace of the highly contagious disease to be found in wild birds in the European Union this year.
The city of Nuremberg in northern Bavaria, where two dead swans and a dead goose were found with the H5N1 virus, established a restricted zone and the federal government will send in an epidemiology team, according to a statement from the city government today. The European Commission has been notified.
``These measures are aimed at preventing the spread of avian influenza from wild birds to poultry or other captive birds, as well as the contamination of products,'' the Brussels-based commission said in an e-mailed statement today.
The disease has been found in geese and turkeys in a total of four farms in Hungary, the U.K. and the Czech Republic this year, though not yet in wild birds, according to the commission. In 2006, it was detected in more than 700 wild birds in the EU.
Three days ago, authorities in the Czech Republic confirmed an outbreak of the virus at a turkey farm some 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Prague near the town of Usti.
Avian influenza was first detected in Germany on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen in February of 2006, with the first case detected in domestic poultry six months later.
While bird flu has killed millions of poultry in about 60 countries, it is known to have infected only 313 people in a dozen countries since 2003, according to the World Health Organization. Millions could die if H5N1 develops the characteristics of seasonal flu and begins spreading easily between people, touching off a global outbreak.
To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: June 24, 2007 12:00 EDT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601202&sid=a6jfmWY_36Kw&refer=healthcare
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

H5N1 VIRUS

Deadly strain of bird flu resurfaces in Germany

06/25/2007
The country's top veterinary laboratory confirmed that three wild birds -- two swans and a goose -- found in two lakes near Nuremberg had tested positive for the worst strain of the H5N1 virus.

The deadly strain of the bird flu virus has resurfaced in Germany in the bodies of at least three dead birds found in the state of Bavaria, Germany's first confirmed cases this year, officials said on Sunday.
The corpses of several more birds found in the southern state are being analysed to see if they also contain the deadliest strain of the H5N1 virus, a spokeswoman for the Bavarian city of Nuremberg said.
The country's top veterinary laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, confirmed that three wild birds -- two swans and a goose -- found in two lakes near Nuremberg had tested positive for the worst strain of the H5N1 virus.
"Over the next few days the city of Nuremberg will be supported by a federal epidemiological team which will scientifically investigate the causes and background of the infection cases," the city of Nuremberg said in a statement.
It said that poultry farmers in the region were required to confine all poultry birds to closed stalls. It added that as of Saturday a 21-day ban had been imposed on bringing poultry birds or products in or out of the area, now a quarantine zone.
City officials also warned cat and dog owners not to allow their pets to roam freely in the quarantine zone. Germany quickly passed this information on to the European Commission. "Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 was detected in more than 700 wild birds in the EU in 2006," the Commission said in a statement. It added that the infected swans in Bavaria were the European Union's first cases reported in wild birds in 2007.
Dead birds
Five other dead birds found near Nuremberg tested positive for the H5N1 virus but it remains unclear whether they have the deadly Asian strain, German officials said. In addition to the dead swans and goose, the body of at least one wild duck has been confirmed to have some form of the H5N1 virus, Nuremberg city said. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute is carrying out tests on the animals to determine which H5N1 strain they carried.
Last year, some 13 European Union member states had confirmed cases of bird flu -- Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Britain, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, France and Hungary. Czech veterinarians started culling several thousand turkeys on a farm last week after tests confirmed the country's first outbreak of a deadly form of bird flu in poultry.
Bird flu has been spreading across southeast Asia, killing two people in Vietnam this month, the first deaths there since 2005. Globally, the H5N1 virus has killed nearly 200 people out of over 300 known cases, according to the World Health Organisation. None of the victims were from Europe. Hundreds of millions of birds have died or been slaughtered.

http://www.eitb24.com/new/en/B24_54...dly-strain-of-bird-flu-resurfaces-in-Germany/http://www.spiritindia.com/health-care-news-articles-10878.html
 
Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

niman said:
Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/06240702/H5N1_Germany_Failure.html
Click to expand...
Commentary

Qinghai H5N1 Surveillance Failure in Western Europe
Recombinomics Commentary
June 24, 2007

Three wild birds in Germany have died of the feared H5N1 strain of bird flu, a health official in Nuremberg in southern Germany said on Sunday.

Katja Guenther told AFP tests carried out by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute confirmed that two swans and a duck suffered from the H5N1 strain of the virus.

She said tests were being conducted on another seven birds who died of bird flue to see whether they too had been carriers of H5N1, which is potentially lethal for humans.

The dead wild birds who were infected with the virus were found near Nuremberg in the past week.

The above comments confirm positive H5N1 tests on three dead wild birds in Nuremberg, and strongly suggest that the seven additional fatal bird flu infections will also be confirmed as H5N1. These data raise serious concerns about the H5N1 surveillance in Western Europe.

To date, no EU member country has reported H5N1 in live wild birds, although H5N1 has been reported in dead wild birds in most EU countries. The largest number of reported cases has been in Germany and most reported cases were in the northern Germany outbreak in February, 2006. However, sequence analysis of the wild bird isolates defines three sub-clades (2.2.2.1, 2.2.2.2, and 2.2.2.3). The 2.2.2.2 sub-clade has also been reported in Italy, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Ukraine. All prior reports have been in wild birds in early 2006. However, the recent outbreak on a turkey farm in the Czech Republic may also be 2.2.2.2 based on detection patterns in 2006. However, Germany has a heavy concentration of H5N1, and detection failures limited analysis of the H5N1 evolution in western Europe in the past year.

The detection failures are cause for concern. This week Ian Brown from Weybridge gave a talk at the Options for the Control of Influenza VI conference on H5N1 in Europe. He noted that there were only two confirmed outbreaks in Western Europe (Hungary and the UK), and the two outbreaks may have been related, based on the close genetic similarity between H5N1 isolates from both countries. He acknowledged that the detection of H5N1 in 2006 in wild birds was limited to dead birds and also noted that most positives were in mute swans in Germany. Austria was second in the number of positives reported in Western Europe.

Ilaria Capua went a step further. She noted the thousands of negatives in test of wild birds in Europe and Africa, and used the negative data to claim that H5N1 in wild birds in Europe was largely limited to 2006 outbreaks.

Similarly, yesterday’s ProMed report on H5N1 on the turkey farm in the Czech Republic cited “sporadic” H5N1 outbreaks: "Worldwide, the H5N1 virus continued to be reported sporadically across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa during 2007." The FAO indicated that H5N1 in western Europe was significantly lower this season, although at the beginning of the season the group cited concerns over report failures.

Finding H5N1 in at least three wild bird species in Germany in the summer, signal major detection failures. All H5N1 detected in wild birds and poultry west of China has been Clade 2.2 (Qinghai strain), which was first reported at Qinghai Lake in May, 2005. Initially, some thought that the H5N1 in long range migratory birds at Qinghai Lake might burn itself out. However, outbreaks in the summer of 2005 in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia were also caused by the Qinghai strain, which left little doubt about the transport and spread by migratory birds, such as the healthy crested grebe that was positive for the H5N1 Qinghai strain.

The outbreaks in these three countries, which reported HPAI H5N1 for the first time in the summer of 2005, signal migration of H5N1 into Europe and the Middle East in the fall. Qinghai H5N1 was subsequently detected in the fall of 2005 in the Volga Delta, the Danube Delta, and western Turkey. However, in spited of the confirmed move of H5N1 into the region, no country in the EU reported H5N1 in 2005. H5N1 was also isolated from a healthy teal in the Nile Delta in December, 2005. The sequence of the healthy teal in Egypt was closely related to H5N1 subsequently isolated in Austria in early 2006.

The detection of H5N1 in early 2006 was widespread in the EU. However, all wild bird isolates were in dead or dying birds. To date there have been no reports of H5N1 in live wild birds in the EU.

However, the current outbreak in southern Germany signals endemic H5N1 in wild birds in the center of the EU. This H5N1 in wild birds in Western Europe has largely gone undetected since the spring of 2006.

The time to upgrade the abysmal H5N1 surveillance worldwide, including Western Europe, has long since passed. H5N1 continues to evolve and spread under the radar, and such poor surveillance continues to be hazardous to the world’s health.


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Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

niman said:
Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/06240704/H5N1_Czech_WB.html
Click to expand...
Commentary

Qinghai H5N1 in Wild Birds in the Czech Republic?
Recombinomics Commentary
June 24, 2007

According to the latest news, another four wild birds, which were suspicious of bird flu, were found near Litomysl in east of the Czech republic.

The above comments strongly suggest that wild birds in the Czech Republic are also H5N1 positive. Litomysl is just east of Tisova, the location of the turkey farm infected with H5N1. After 1800 turkeys died, the remaining 4200 turkeys were culled. Infections of wild birds in the Czech Republic would not be a surprise.

This weekend H5N1 infections in six wild birds were confirmed in Bavaria. Another five dead birds are being tested. The positives include a duck and several swans. Detection of H5N1 in wild bird populations in June highlights the surveillance shortfalls in Western Europe. In Germany, the last report of H5N1 was in birds in the Dresden zoo, a year ago. In addition to the zoo, dead or dying wild birds throughout Germany tested positive for H5N1 in February, 2006. The sequences from these birds fell into three sub-clades. Clade 2.2.2.2 included isolates from Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia, and the Ukraine. A larger group of isolates from Bavaria fell into sub-clade 2.2.2.3.

It is likely that the isolates in the Czech Republic and Bavaria this year will include isolates in clade 2.2.2.2 and/or 2.2.2.3 because H5N1 has become endemic in wild bird populations in Western Europe, including Bavaria and the Czech Republic.


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Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Deadly bird flu kills six wild birds, Germany says

HAMBURG, June 25 (Reuters) - Six dead wild birds have tested positive in Germany for a lethal strain of bird flu, authorities said on Monday.

On Sunday, three wild birds found dead in Nuremberg in the southern state of Bavaria tested positive for the dangerous H5N1 strain of the disease.

The number cases has since risen to six, with five swans and one goose infected, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, a veterinary institution, said.

Authorities continued to investigate the outbreak, the first in Germany this year, which was discovered as part of a national testing programme for dead birds.

Poultry farmers in the Nuremberg region have been ordered to confine all poultry to closed stalls. As of Saturday, a 21-day ban was imposed on bringing poultry or poultry products in or out of the area, which is now a quarantine zone.

City officials also warned cat and dog owners not to allow their pets to roam freely in the quarantine zone.

Last year, some 13 European Union member states had confirmed cases of bird flu -- Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Britain, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, France and Hungary.

Bird flu has been spreading across southeast Asia, killing two people in Vietnam this month, the first deaths there since 2005.

Globally, the H5N1 virus has killed nearly 200 people out of over 300 known cases, according to the World Health Organisation. None of the victims were from Europe.

http://wap.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L25473521.htm
 
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