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Netherlands - BF news blog from the Netherlands

Re: Netherlands - BF news blog from the Netherlands

Dutch rule out bird flu as killer of owls at zoo
Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:13 PM BST

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch Agriculture Ministry on Friday ruled out highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu as the cause of the death of two owls at Rotterdam zoo after receiving final test results.

Officials have said that the detected H7N7 strain is less dangerous than the one that hit the Netherlands in 2003 and was not a threat to human health but measures were still needed as it might mutate into a more aggressive form."
(excerpt)

http://tinyurl.com/nuquu



H7N7


"H7N7 is a subtype of the species Influenza A virus (sometimes called bird flu virus). Both highly pathogenic strains (HPAI) and low pathogenic strains (LPAI) exist. H7N7 can infect humans, birds, pigs, seals, and horses in the wild; and have infected mice in laboratory studies. This unusual zoonotic potential represents a pandemic threat.

In 2003 in the Netherlands 89 people were confirmed to have the H7N7 influenza virus infection following an outbreak in poultry on several farms. One death was recorded. Antibodies were found in over half of 500 persons tested according to the final official report by the Dutch government:

As at least 50% of the people exposed to infected poultry had H7 antibodies detectable with the modified assay, it was estimated that avian influenza A/H7N7 virus infection occurred in at least 1000, and perhaps as many as 2000 people.

The seroprevalence of H7 antibodies in people without contact with infected poultry, but with close household contact to an infected poultry worker, was 59%.

This suggests that the population at risk for avian influenza was not limited to those with direct contact to infected poultry, and that person to person transmission may have occurred on a large scale. Final analysis of Dutch avian influenza outbreaks reveals much higher levels of transmission to humans than previously thought ." (excerpt)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H7N7


Human Cases of H7N7 Infection in The Netherlands

As of April 25, 2003, the National Influenza Center in The Netherlands reported that 83 confirmed cases of human H7N7 influenza virus infections had occurred among poultry workers and their families since the H7N7 outbreak began in chickens at the end of February 2003. The vast majority (79) of these people had conjunctivitis, and 6 of those with conjunctivitis also reported influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, muscle aches).

One person had ILI only (no conjunctivitis) and 2 persons had mild illness that could not be classified as ILI or conjunctivitis. In addition, one individual, a 57-year-old veterinarian who visited one of the affected farms in early April, died on April 17 of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and related complications from H7N7 infection.

Dutch authorities have reported evidence of possible transmission of H7N7 influenza from 2 poultry workers to 3 family members. All 3 family members had conjunctivitis and one also had ILI.? (excerpt)

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/h7n7-netherlands.htm
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