Re: Lethal bird flu found in Saudi poultry farm
Re: Lethal bird flu found in Saudi poultry farm
AVIAN INFLUENZA (171): SAUDI ARABIA, UK (ENGLAND)
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A ProMED-mail post
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http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
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http://www.isid.org>
In this update:
[1] Saudi Arabia
[2] UK (England, Suffolk)
[3] UK (England, Suffolk) - wild birds
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[1] Saudi Arabia
Date: Wed 14 Nov 2007
Source: AFP via Alarabiya [edited]
<
http://www.alarabiya.net:80/articles/2007/11/14/41673.html>
The lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected at a poultry
farm in Saudi Arabia, and 50 000 birds have been culled, the
agriculture ministry announced on Wednesday [14 Nov 2007].
It said tests were carried out after 1500 birds died in a farm of the
Al-Kharj region, 150 km (90 miles) south of Riyadh.
All the birds on the farm were subsequently culled and the area
disinfected, with measures taken to ensure other farms in the area
were not affected, the ministry said in a statement carried by the
official SPA news agency.
It said no human case has been found and an investigation was taking
place to determine the origin of the illness.
The kingdom banned all live poultry imports after bird flu was last
detected in Saudi Arabia in March 2007. In April 2007, neighboring
Kuwait culled 1.7 million birds after the strain was found, but there
were no reports of human cases.
The H5N1 strain 1st emerged in Asia in 2003 and has caused some 205
deaths in humans, with Indonesia and Viet Nam among the worst hit
countries, according to World Health Organization figures.
--
Communicated by:
Nati Elkin
<
http://poultrymed.com/Poultry/index.asp>
<
nati@poultrymed.com>
******
[2] UK (England, Suffolk)
Date: Wed 14 Nov 2007
Source: Farmers Guardian [edited]
<
http://www.farmersguardian.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=14320>
All poultry on 4 further premises are to be culled as "dangerous
contacts," due to possible links with the Suffolk farm where the H5N1
strain of avian flu has been found in turkeys.
The infected premise, Redgrave Park Farm near Diss, is part of a
network of farms under the same ownership. The concern is that
workers may have moved between the farms after the infection occurred
but before it was discovered, potentially spreading the virus.
Disease has not been confirmed on any of the 4 premises, which all
lie within the existing Restricted Zone, but Defra said the poultry
were being culled as a precautionary measure. It said the action was
in line with its contingency plans and took into account "the level
of assessed risk at this early stage in the outbreak."
Acting chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg said: "This is a
precautionary measure taken to prevent any potential spread of the
disease. I must stress again that poultry keepers in the area must be
extremely vigilant, practice the highest levels of biosecurity and
report any suspicions of disease to their local Animal Health office."
The H5N1 strain is similar to that found in Germany and the Czech
Republic during the summer [2007]. Mr Landeg said yesterday [13 Nov
2007] that the most likely cause of the outbreak was possible contact
between the turkeys, which were free range, and migrating birds,
which may have visited a nearby lake. A full epidemiological
investigation into the source of the outbreak is underway.
Some general licenses to address immediate welfare issues in the area
covered by the zones were being issued on Wednesday [14 Nov 2007],
Defra said.
Movement restrictions apply in the Protection, Surveillance and
Restricted Zones. But it has been decided today [14 Nov 2007] to
allow some low-risk movements under general license, including the
movement of poultry to slaughter from outside the Surveillance Zone
to inside and the movement of table eggs to designated packing
centres for distribution.
In addition, the movement of day-old chicks out of the Surveillance
Zone may be permitted under specific license from Animal Health.
The national ban on bird gatherings remains in place.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall
******
[3] UK (England, Suffolk) - wild birds
Date: Tue 13 Nov 2007
Source: New Scientist [edited]
<
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12915-uk-bird-flu-outbreak-confirmed-as-h
5n1.html>
The outbreak of bird flu killing turkeys at a UK farm has been
confirmed to be the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus that has been moving
across Eurasia and has so far killed 206 people, mainly in Asia. It
is only the 2nd outbreak of the virus in poultry in the UK.
Staff at Redgrave Park farm, near the town of Diss in Suffolk, found
on Sunday [11 Nov 2007] morning that 60 turkeys out of a flock of
1000 had died overnight.
Turkeys are exceptionally sensitive to H5N1, and the UK's Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) confirmed the
outbreak as H5N1 on Tuesday [13 Nov 2007] afternoon. All 5000 birds
on the farm have now been destroyed.
The UK's 1st outbreak of H5N1 in poultry, in Norfolk in February
2007, is thought to have come from Hungary in imported turkey meat.
But Redgrave Park is said to have received no deliveries that could
have brought in infected poultry for 4 weeks. Scientists point out
that enough H5N1 to infect turkeys could be brought into a barn by
someone who has walked in infected bird droppings.
The source of the virus might be clearer when its genetic sequence is
determined, as this will show which other viruses it is most closely
related to. "The initial sequence data suggest that it's closely
related to outbreaks in the Czech Republic and Germany," said the
UK's acting chief veterinary officer, Fred Landeg. This "does suggest
a possible wild bird source," he added.
H5N1 was found this summer [2007] in dead wild birds in Germany,
France and the Czech Republic. This strain matched the viruses found
in poultry outbreaks in Germany.
Redgrave Park farm is located very close to a large ornamental lake
used by wild birds, and is 4 km from a wetlands nature reserve.
The reserve, England's largest remaining river fen, is
internationally protected under the RAMSAR treaty on wetlands and
home to several endangered species. It also harbors several species
of dabbling duck, which would have flown into the area from breeding
grounds in Siberia over the past 2 months.
Autumn is when the ducks, which can carry H5N1 with no symptoms, are
most likely to be carrying bird flu. The UK's 1st outbreak was also
near a wetland reserve. Domestic ducks can also harbor the virus
without showing signs.
However H5N1 got into the area, swans and birds of prey in the
wetlands, which die of the virus, could now be at risk.
[Byline: Debora MacKenzie]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall
[Checking the lake birds for virus would provide useful support to a
wild bird source; the same is true of other backyard birds in the
area. But it is early, and investigations have barely started.
Evidence of infection in other flocks in the area is expected,
especially in those with access to water bodies (ponds, streams,
lakes). It is unlikely to be a single carrier migratory duck shedding
virus.
306 HPAI cases in wild birds have been notified by Member States to
ADNS in 2007 as of 13 Nov 2007: 298 from Germany, 7 from France and
one from the Czech Republic. For their chronology and species
distribution, see
<
http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/adns/adns_wildbirds2007.pdf>.
It will be interesting to obtain data on the steps undertaken in the
UK to monitor H5N1 in wild birds as well as the surveillance
undertaken -- if any -- in domestic water-birds (geese and ducks).
A comprehensive guide to the structure of turkey and geese production
in the UK, published by DEFRA in February 2007, is available at
<
http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/poultry/pdfs/turkey-geese-report.pdf>.
- Mods.MHJ/AS]
[see also:
Avian influenza (72): Saudi Arabia 20070416.1264
Avian influenza (64): Saudi Arabia, OIE 20070403.1127
Avian influenza (58): Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia 20070322.1008
Avian influenza (169): UK (England), turkeys, H5N1... 20071113.3686
Avian influenza (168): UK (England), turkeys, H5 20071112.3674
Avian influenza (90) - UK (Wales): LPAI H7N2, epid... 20070527.1709
Avian influenza (89) - UK (Wales): LPAI H7N2, 2nd ... 20070526.1692
Avian influenza (34): UK (England), Hungary, Indon... 20070215.0572
Avian influenza (33): UK-Hungary virus sequence 20070213.0543
Avian influenza (27): UK (England) 20070207.0477
Avian influenza (24): UK (England), turkeys H5N1 20070203.0432
Avian influenza (22): UK 20070202.0424
Avian influenza (23): UK (England), turkeys H5 20070202.0427
2006
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Avian influenza - Eurasia (39): Saudi Arabia, falcon 20060201.0325]
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</IMG></TD><TD class=B_T style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px" vAlign=top align=left width=310>The H5N1 strain of bird flu has caused some 205 deaths in humans worldwide (File)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE dir=ltr height=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY></TBODY></TABLE>
