Indonesia: Bird flu situation is critical, says UN agency

[Malcolm]

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.1985178036


Indonesia: Bird flu situation is critical, says UN agency



Rome, 18 March (AKI) - The prevalence of avian influenza in Indonesia remains serious despite containment efforts undertaken by national authorities and the international community, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) warned on Tuesday.

?The human mortality rate from bird flu in Indonesia is the highest in the world and there will be more human cases if we do not focus more on containing the disease at source in animals,? said FAO chief veterinary officer Joseph Domenech.

?Furthermore, I am deeply concerned that the high level of virus circulation in birds in the country could create conditions for the virus to mutate and to finally cause a human influenza pandemic,? Domenech warned.

?The avian influenza situation in Indonesia is grave ? all international partners and national authorities need to step up their efforts for halting the spread of the disease in animals and making the fight against the virus a top priority.?

Avian influenza has become deeply entrenched in Indonesia with 31 out of 33 provinces being infected.

The virus is endemic in Java, Sumatra, Bali and southern Sulawesi with sporadic outbreaks reported from other areas.

Since the first outbreaks in 2003 avian influenza has spread rapidly across Java into Bali, Kalimantan and Sumatra. In 2006 the virus spread further east infecting Papua and much of Sulawesi.

About twenty percent of the chicken population of 1.4 billion is scattered in around 30 million backyards, where people raise poultry for food or income.

Despite major control efforts, the country has not succeeded in containing the spread of avian influenza in poultry, Domenech said.

?Indonesia is facing an uphill battle against a virus that is difficult to contain," he said.

"Major human and financial resources, stronger political commitment and strengthened coordination between the central, province and district authorities are required to improve surveillance and control measures.?

A highly decentralized administration, under-resourced national veterinary services, lack of engagement with commercial poultry producers, insufficient international and national financial and human resources for control campaigns and the challenges of implementing a comprehensive communication strategy are the major constraints the country is facing, he noted.

?We have also observed that new H5N1 avian influenza virus strains have recently emerged creating the possibility that vaccines currently in use may not be fully protecting poultry against the disease," said Domenech.

"This issue is being addressed by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture with technical assistance from OFFLU (OIE/FAO Influenza Network of Laboratories) and funding provided by USAID and AusAID. Also required are more investigations and the development of better poultry vaccines,? he said.

?The major challenge is to immediately apply the main components of a successful national avian influenza control strategy, based on effective surveillance, emergency culling and compensation, vaccination, improved biosecurity, effective laboratory and quarantine procedures, and movement controls of poultry and poultry products.?

FAO is supporting the Indonesian authorities in most of these areas. In addition, the agency has helped to train local teams of animal health professionals in participatory disease surveillance and response (PDS/R).

So far, more than 1,350 local government PDS/R officers have been trained and are actively working with village communities to prevent and control avian influenza. Surveillance and response teams are currently working in 193 out of 448 districts in Indonesia.

By June 2008, over 2000 surveillance and response teams will be active in more than 300 districts in disease-endemic areas of the country.

Other FAO activities include the provision of technical and policy advice to the HPAI Campaign Management Unit, support to communication strategies, the implementation of market chain studies and research activities.

Major donors, such as USAID, AusAID, Japan and the Netherlands, together with FAO, have so far invested more than 25 million dollars in supporting national control efforts.

reference assistance
http://www.offlu.net/

 

[gsgs]

Re: Indonesia: Bird flu situation is critical, says UN agency

searching for Domenech-quotes :

Furthermore, I am deeply concerned that the high level of virus circulation in birds in the country could create conditions for the virus to mutate and to finally cause a human influenza pandemic,.Mar.2008

Although H5N1 hasn't reached the Western Hemisphere, could still trigger a human influenza pandemic Feb.2008

In 2004 we said it will be an international crisis if we don‘t stop it in Asia, and this is exactly what is happening two years later We were asking for emergency funds and they never came. We are constantly late –March 6, 2006

are better prepared today to deal with the disease than we were three years ,Jan 2008

where the H5N1 virus was introduced during the past six months, it was rapidly detected and eliminated or controlled,Jun 2007

There is no room for complacency,Jun 2007

There is an urgent need for vigorously stepping up and extending current H5N1 control campaigns in Bangladesh ,May 2007

The picture is not entirely bleak,Feb.2007

Obviously we don't have a crystal ball, but you can say we are not in
the situation of 2006, when bird flu took hold in Africa,Despite the progress,
it would be unrealistic to think that the virus would be eradicated anytime soon.
There is still the risk of a pandemic virus. Monitoring will have to
be maintained for years,And we'll have to live with
this virus as we live with lots of other diseases, even if this one is
a little special.,Mar.2007


----------------------------------------------------------------

Domenech,FAO,19 October 2005, Rome
The detection of bird flu in Romania and Turkey, following outbreaks in Russia, Kazakhstan
and Mongolia, confirms FAO's recent warning that the virus is spreading along the pathways
of migratory birds outside southeast Asia. Wild birds seem to be one of the main avian influenza
carriers, but more research is urgently needed to fully understand their role in spreading the virus.
These countries should be able to contain the virus soon."
One of our major concerns is now the potential spread of avian influenza through migratory birds
to northern and eastern Africa.There is serious risk that this scenario may become a reality.
The Middle East and northern African countries should be able to build up a line of defence against
avian influenza. FAO is more concerned about the situation in eastern Africa, where veterinary
services, due to various constraints, should have more difficulties to run efficient bird flu campaigns
based on slaughtering infected animals and vaccination.The countries concerned and the
international community have to make every effort to ensure that bird flu does not become
endemic in Africa.
If the virus were to become endemic in eastern Africa, it could increase the risk of the virus
to evolve through mutation or reassortment into a strain that could be transmitted to and
between humans.The close proximity between people and animals and insufficient surveillance
and disease control capacities in eastern African countries create an ideal breeding ground
for the virus. The countries urgently need international assistance to build up basic surveillance
and control systems.
The bird flu risk to European countries due to wild birds is relatively low at present
However, there is a significant risk that migratory birds could carry the disease to western and
northern Europe next spring if wild bird populations are infected during their stay in southern regions.
Veterinary services in Europe are very efficient and strong surveillance and disease control measures
are in place to face this risk.
It is crucial to remind that the epicentre of the disease currently remains in southeast Asia where
the virus continues to circulate in several countries and where a pandemic could finally start if the
control of the disease in animals is not successful
-------------------------------------------------------------

Domenech, FAO, 27 June 2007, Rome :
The response to the deadly H5N1 virus in poultry has significantly improved over the past three years, but the virus remains entrenched in several countries and will continue to spread,
This achievement is the most important demonstration of the effects of worldwide efforts
to contain the H5N1 virus.
In the 15 or so countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where the H5N1 virus
was introduced during the past six months, it was rapidly detected and eliminated or controlled.
Most affected countries have been very open about new outbreaks. This shows that countries
are taking the H5N1 threat seriously. They are better prepared today and have improved
their response systems
no reason for complacency.
Recent H5N1 outbreaks in Bangladesh, Ghana, Togo, the Czech Republic and Germany
are a clear reminder that the virus still succeeds in spreading to new or previously already
infected countries
A potential human influenza pandemic can not be ruled out as long as the virus continues
to exist in poultry.
There are still some serious concerns with the global disease situation particularly with regard to Egypt, Indonesia or Nigeria.
“Even if bird flu has disappeared from our TV screens, it doesn’t mean that the risk is over.
Avian influenza is not a one time event -- the international community will have to live with
the disease for several years to come
What makes the battle against avian influenza so difficult are the many high risk poultry
production and marketing practices that still continue in many countries
The socially and economically equitable adjustment of poultry production and marketing
systems for safer product supply is essential to reduce infection risks.
Without forgetting that efficient veterinary services and improved private public partnership
for better surveillance and control activities remain indispensable
The H5N1 virus is not stable and keeps constantly changing. On one occasion in China last
year a new virus strain appeared with different immunologic characteristics which made it
necessary to modify the vaccines used in the region concerned. This emergence of a new
strain may have happened again more recently in Indonesia

 

[mixin]

Re: Indonesia: Bird flu situation is critical, says UN agency

even if this one is
a little special.,Mar.2007

That's a bit of an understatement, isn't it?

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: Indonesia: Bird flu situation is critical, says UN agency

INDONESIA: Firm action needed in confronting bird flu pandemic
27 Mar 2008 15:29:59 GMT - Source: IRIN

[Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.]

JAKARTA, 27 March 2008 (IRIN) - As the Indonesian government moves to stem the spread of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its latest report stated that Indonesia's bird-flu situation remains "critical".

The FAO report's writer, Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech, said: "I am deeply concerned that the high level of virus circulation in birds in the country could create conditions for the virus to mutate and to finally cause a human influenza pandemic."

"The human mortality rate from bird flu in Indonesia is the highest in the world," he added, "and there will be more human cases if we do not focus more on containing the disease at the source, which is animals."

The Indonesian government looks askance at the FAO release, according to Bayu Krishnamurti, the Indonesian executive director of the National Committee for Bird Flu Control and Pandemic Preparedness, saying it has been working closely with FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) on tackling the bird flu situation in the country. The Indonesian government said the criticism should not just be leveled at it alone.​

"What FAO said is basically a confirmation on information we have already known since 2006," said Krishnamurti.

"We also know that the virus has mutated, but no one, I mean no experts, including the Indonesian government, can tell when, or in what form a pandemic in humans might take place."

Awareness campaigns

Avian influenza is deeply entrenched in 31 of the archipelago's 33 provinces, with the virus endemic in Java, Sumatra, Bali and southern Sulawesi, while sporadic outbreaks were reported in other areas, according to FAO.

The government has been mounting public awareness drives and government agriculture and veterinary specialists are regularly surveying farms and markets. Awareness campaigns are also underway.

The latest human death, on 15 February 2008, has brought Indonesia's bird-flu death toll to 105 of 129 diagnosed cases. Both figures are the highest in the world.

Krishnamurti said that although the overall death rate from human avian influenza is increasing, "it has to be acknowledged that within the last two years the mortality rate [of those infected] has declined to 30 per cent".

The most common way to contract the H5N1 virus is through human contact with infected fowl. Particularly prone to infection is the country's chicken population of 1.4-billion, some 20 per cent of which are scattered in and around 30 million backyards where people raise poultry for food or income.

Containing the spread

"We have also observed that new H5N1 avian influenza virus strains have recently emerged, creating the possibility that vaccines currently in use may not be fully protecting poultry against the disease," Domenech warned.

"Inconsistency and a lack of coordination between government agencies are the main obstacles to containing the spread of bird-flu virus," said Try Satya Naipospos, an expert and former deputy of the National Bird-Flu Commission.

The Indonesian government, she told IRIN, "has not been serious and tough enough" in attempting to contain the spread of the virus.

Naipospos said that despite a law that was passed early in 2007 banning backyard poultry farming and regulating the poultry industry, the policy has not been effectively implemented. Another government plan, to place commercial poultry farms and slaughterhouses away from residential areas, has yet to move forward.

"What we can see in the field is that right now in many areas, particularly in the capital Jakarta and its nearby regions, a policy banning fowl in the neighbourhood areas is no longer working," Naispospos said.

"Bird-flu virus will remain within neighbourhood areas - particularly in the capital, Jakarta, and surrounding areas - unless a new breakthrough is taken," said Marthen Malole, a veterinary expert from the state-run Bogor Institute of Agriculture, who has become an outspoken critic of the government's avian influenza policy.

"Unless the government is firm with its policy," she said, "the bird-flu virus will spread further and I am afraid it will become worse."
-
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/cea592f97b4b486fe581cf33e5cf8fc9.htm
------

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Indonesia: Bird flu situation is critical, says UN agency

Here is the press release from March 18th, 2008:

Bird flu situation in Indonesia critical


High load of circulating virus could lead to mutation and a human influenza pandemic



18 March 2008, Rome ? The prevalence of avian influenza in Indonesia remains serious despite containment efforts undertaken by national authorities and the international community, FAO warned today. Indonesia is the country worst hit by avian influenza.

?The human mortality rate from bird flu in Indonesia is the highest in the world and there will be more human cases if we do not focus more on containing the disease at source in animals,? said FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech.

?Furthermore, I am deeply concerned that the high level of virus circulation in birds in the country could create conditions for the virus to mutate and to finally cause a human influenza pandemic,? Domenech warned.

?The avian influenza situation in Indonesia is grave ? all international partners and national authorities need to step up their efforts for halting the spread of the disease in animals and making the fight against the virus a top priority.?

31 provinces affected

Avian influenza has become deeply entrenched in Indonesia with 31 out of 33 provinces being infected. The virus is endemic in Java, Sumatra, Bali and southern Sulawesi with sporadic outbreaks reported from other areas. Since the first outbreaks in 2003 avian influenza has spread rapidly across Java into Bali, Kalimantan and Sumatra. In 2006 the virus spread further east infecting Papua and much of Sulawesi.

About twenty percent of the chicken population of 1.4 billion is scattered in around 30 million backyards, where people raise poultry for food or income.

Despite major control efforts, the country has not succeeded in containing the spread of avian influenza in poultry, Domenech said.

?Indonesia is facing an uphill battle against a virus that is difficult to contain. Major human and financial resources, stronger political commitment and strengthened coordination between the central, province and district authorities are required to improve surveillance and control measures.?

Major constraints

A highly decentralized administration, under-resourced national veterinary services, lack of engagement with commercial poultry producers, insufficient international and national financial and human resources for control campaigns and the challenges of implementing a comprehensive communication strategy are the major constraints the country is facing, he noted.

?We have also observed that new H5N1 avian influenza virus strains have recently emerged creating the possibility that vaccines currently in use may not be fully protecting poultry against the disease. This issue is being addressed by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture with technical assistance from OFFLU (OIE/FAO Influenza Network of Laboratories) and funding provided by USAID and AusAID. Also required are more investigations and the development of better poultry vaccines,? Domenech said.

?The major challenge is to immediately apply the main components of a successful national avian influenza control strategy, based on effective surveillance, emergency culling and compensation, vaccination, improved biosecurity, effective laboratory and quarantine procedures, and movement controls of poultry and poultry products.?

Support

FAO is supporting the Indonesian authorities in most of these areas. In addition, the agency has helped to train local teams of animal health professionals in participatory disease surveillance and response (PDS/R).

So far, more than 1 350 local government PDS/R officers have been trained and are actively working with village communities to prevent and control avian influenza. Surveillance and response teams are currently working in 193 out of 448 districts in Indonesia. By June 2008, over 2 000 surveillance and response teams will be active in more than 300 districts in disease-endemic areas of the country.

Other FAO activities include the provision of technical and policy advice to the HPAI Campaign Management Unit, support to communication strategies, the implementation of market chain studies and research activities.

Major donors, such as USAID, AusAID, Japan and the Netherlands, together with FAO, have so far invested more than $25 million in supporting national control efforts.

http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000813/index.html