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December
Bangladesh - More avian flu found in poultry 23 Dec 2008
CIDRAP News [edited] [Promed]
Agriculture officials in Bangladesh said today [23 Dec 2008] that they have detected another H5N1 avian influenza outbreak on a farm, the country's 5th one since the virus reemerged in poultry flocks in October 2008. The livestock department spokesman, said the outbreak occurred on a farm in Kurigram in the northern part of the country and that 100 birds were culled to control it, according to a report today from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Indonesia - Suspected birdflu patient dies
17 Dec 2008
Antara News [edited] [Promed]
According to this story, a suspected birdflu patient of Bintaro, Tangerang, Banten, known by her initials as Su (24) died on Tuesday [16 Dec 2008]. Su's aunt said before she died her niece was intensively treated at Sari Asih hospital in Ciledug, Tangerang. She said Su initially had breathing problems, cough and a high fever and as her condition worsened her family then took her to the nearest hospital. The head of the Tangerang health service said his office could not as yet confirm if the cause of Su's death was birdflu virus.
India, Assam - Bird flu spreads its wings, affects 9 Assam districts
11 Dec 2008
ZeeNews [edited] [Promed]
According to this story, with the avian influenza spreading to fresh areas, 9 Assam districts are now bird flu affected and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday [11 Dec 2008] warned that it could become a major human disaster. The affected districts were Kamrup (Rural), Kamrup (Metro), Barpeta, Nalbari, Chirang, Baksa, Dibrugarh, Goalpara and Bongaigaon, official sources said.It is reported that sale of poultry and eggs, either cooked or raw, has been banned in Guwahati and Kamrup (Metro) district which comprises Guwahati and adjoining areas.Culling of poultry, ducks and other birds has been continuing in the affected districts with over 1.5 lakh [150,000] birds killed so far, the sources said. The disease, starting from Hajo revenue circle in Kamrup (Rural) district about 20 km [12.4 miles] from here [Guwahati] on 2 Dec 2008 and spread to Guwahati in Kamrup (Metro) district, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Baksa, Bongaigaon and Goalpara districts in Lower Assam spreading to Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam. Taking in view that the bird flu is spreading to new areas in neighbouring Assam, Meghalaya banned the entry of poultry and poultry products from Assam and Bangladesh.The Deputy commissioner of Ri Bhoi district that borders Khanapara in Assam's Kamrup (Rural) district is on a visit to the bordering areas along with a team of veterinary officials to take stock of the situation. The government has set up control rooms in all districts to facilitate information to the poultry farms. Veterinary officials have been regularly adopting measures to prevent spread of the disease into the state and deputy commissioners of all the districts have been alerted, sources said. Meghalaya already has in place 150 rapid response teams along with 2170 personnel protective equipment that were constituted last year [2007] after the outbreak of avian flu in West Bengal.
Related stories
14 Dec 2008 – OIE follow-up report
OIE WAHID (World Animal Health Information Database) weekly disease information 2008; 21(50) [edited] [Promed]
Summary
Report type: follow-up report No. 1
Start date: 21 Nov 2008
Date of first confirmation of the event: 27 Nov 2008
Reason for notification: reoccurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence: November 2008
Causal agent: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus [HPAI]
Serotype: H5N1
Nature of diagnosis: laboratory (basic), laboratory (advanced)
This event pertains to a defined zone within the country
Related reports: immediate notification (28 Nov 2008); follow-up
report No. 1 (11 Dec 2008)
New outbreaks
Outbreak 1: Patgaon, Rani, Kamrup, Assam
Date of start of the outbreak: 28 Nov 2008
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: village
Species: birds
Susceptible: 7884
Cases: 682
Deaths: 682
Destroyed: 7202
Slaughtered: --
Affected population: backyard poultry mainly in a small village.
Outbreak 2: Sarpara, Rampur, Kamrup, Assam
Date of start of the outbreak: 30 Nov 2008
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: village
Species: birds
Susceptible: 168,054
Cases: 30
Deaths: 30
Destroyed: 168 024
Slaughtered: --
Affected population: backyard poultry mainly in a small village.
Outbreak 3: Katajhar, Gobardhana, Barpeta, Assam
Date of start of the outbreak: 30 Nov 2008
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: village
Species: birds
Susceptible: 10,715
Cases: 18
Deaths: 18
Destroyed: 10,697
Slaughtered: --
Affected population: backyard poultry mainly in a small village.
Outbreak 4: Katla, Pachim Nalbari, Nalbari, Assam
Date of start of the outbreak: 30 Nov 2008
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: village
Species: birds
Susceptible: 8406
Cases: 75
Deaths: 75
Destroyed: 8331
Slaughtered: --
Affected population: backyard poultry mainly in a small village.
Outbreak 5: Khanapara, Guwahati, Kamrup, Assam
Date of start of the outbreak: 5 Dec 2008
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: farm
Species: birds
Susceptible: 1231
Cases: 112
Deaths: 112
Destroyed: --
Slaughtered: --
Affected population: a chick-rearing farm
Outbreak 6: Nilibari, Sidli Chirang, Chirang, Assam
Date of start of the outbreak: 5 Dec 2008
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: village
Species: birds
Susceptible: 1500
Cases: 399
Deaths: 399
Destroyed: --
Slaughtered: --
Affected population: backyard poultry mainly in a small village.
Outbreak 7: Jalah, Bezera, Kamrup, Assam
Date of start of the outbreak: 6 Dec 2008
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: village
Species: birds
Susceptible: 2500
Cases: 500
Deaths: 500
Destroyed: --
Slaughtered: --
Affected population: backyard poultry mainly in a small village.
Outbreak 8: Ward No. 6, East Revenue Circle, Dibrugarh, Dibrugarh, Assam
Date of start of the outbreak: 7 Dec 2008
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: village
Species: birds
Susceptible: 120
Cases: 120
Deaths: 120
Destroyed: --
Slaughtered: --
Affected population: backyard poultry mainly in a small village.
Epidemiology
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection: unknown or inconclusive
Epidemiological comments: epidemiological investigation is ongoing. Stamping out of all domestic poultry is being applied in an approximately 3-km [2 mi] radius zone around the outbreaks followed by compensation of the owners. An intensive surveillance campaign has been launched in a 10-km [6 mi] radius zone including:
- closure of poultry markets and prohibition on sale and transportation of poultry products in the infected zone;
- disinfection of premises after culling and sealing of premises where appropriate.
Restocking will be applied in accordance with a specific protocol.
Control measures
Measures applied
- stamping out
- quarantine
- movement control inside the country
- screening
- no vaccination
- no treatment of affected animals.
Measures to be applied
- disinfection of infected premises/establishment(s)
- dipping/spraying
Future reporting
The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will be submitted.
15 Dec 2008 – Tests prove new bird flu cases in east India state
Reuters India [edited] [Promed]
According to this story, laboratory tests on dead birds have proven a new outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, a state government official said on Monday [15 Dec 2008]. It is reported that the virus had been found in 3 dead birds tested in a laboratory in the central Indian city of Bhopal. Indian authorities are already culling hundreds of thousands of birds in the northeastern state of Assam, where health authorities are also monitoring about 100 people who had shown signs of the virus. The story goes on by explaining that West Bengal officials said several hundred birds could have been found dead but disputed local media reports that as many as 5000 birds were dead. Culling operations, which began in Guwahati in Assam last month [November 2008] had been expanded to nearby Meghalaya state as a precaution, authorities said on Sunday [14 Dec 2008].
15 Dec 2008 - More chickens die, flu panic spreads in Malda
The Times of India [edited] [Promed]
According to this story, fresh poultry deaths were reported from the Englishbazar area of Malda, sparking fears that it was a bird flu attack. But the district animal resources department (ARD) refused to confirm the deaths. It is reported that at least 200 chickens reportedly died over the past 24 hours at Budhia village in the Englishbazar block. The villagers were seen burying dead birds, while remains of dead birds were scattered here and there. ARD experts said that a place that had witnessed a bird flu outbreak had a high chance of seeing another viral attack in a year. Earlier this year [2008], about 23,500 birds were culled in Englishbazar after a bird flu outbreak, while about 87,000 were culled in Chanchol subdivision.
17 Dec 2008 –Bird flu grips new areas in Malda
The Statesman, India [edited] [Promed]
According to this story, amid slow-going culling efforts, bird Flu is spreading in Malda. It is reported that hundreds of chickens have died in the Ratua block, about 10 km [6.2 miles] from Satgharia where the virus was first detected. The Malda district magistrate has asked the animal resources development department to collect blood samples of the dead and ailing birds in the block. Meanwhile, culling operations were being hampered due to stray incidents of resistance from villagers. Though the district administration has targeted to cull at least 16,500 birds in the affected villages, the progress is slow due to the villagers' resistance. Rapid response team members have been able to cull about 3000 birds so far. Yesterday, 18 culling teams had been able to cull only 155 birds till late evening. Today, the district administration has added 4 more culling teams to complete the operation quickly. The district magistrate said that at least 12 more teams would join the exercise tomorrow [18 Dec 2008].The CMOH, Malda said isolation wards have been set up in the district but till evening no avian flu affected human case was reported. In Kolkata, state ARD secretary, denied that there was any resistance from villagers to the culling operations. He said the problems yesterday had occurred as the administration could not arrange for funds to pay the villagers for their birds.The West Bengal Poultry Forum meanwhile claimed that it is not bird flu, but a common disease which is afflicting chickens in the state.
30 Dec 2008 – Avian Influenza in Assam
Pandemic Information News [edited] [Promed]
The Assam government has made it clear that avian influenza has spread to new areas of the state. Sources in the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department said that the deadly bird flu virus was confirmed in about 15 more villages. The health authorities have been asked to cull nearly 70,000 birds in these areas. The latest report added that culling was in progress in the new areas, including Manahkuchi of Hajo, Chayani Barduar block in Kamrup (Rural), Tihu-Barama of Baksa, Chachaligaon Burachowk in Nagaon, Rangamati and Aurpakmoniari Tiniali in Kamrup (Metro). The official said the source of the deadly virus was difficult to ascertain as it was air-borne. The Assam government has already banned sale and movement of poultry products from bird flu affected areas.
Indonesia - Avian influenza situation
9 Dec 2008
World Health Organization (WHO), EPR, Disease Outbreak News [edited] [Promed]
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced 2 new confirmed cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. A 9 year old girl from Riau Province developed symptoms on 7 Nov 2008 and was hospitalized on 12 Nov 2008. She recovered and was discharged from hospital on 27 Nov 2008. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Investigations into the source of her infection indicate poultry deaths at her home on 2 Nov 2008. The second case, a 2 year old girl from East Jakarta, developed symptoms on 18 Nov 2008, was hospitalized on 26 Nov 2008, and died on 29 Nov 2008. Laboratory tests have confirmed infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Initial investigations into the source of her infection suggest exposure at a live bird market. Of the 139 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 113 have been fatal.
November
India – Bird flu scare in Assam, 300 poultry dead
27 Nov 2008
The Hindu, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) report [edited] [Promed]
More than 300 poultry birds have died in the past 5 days in some villages in Assam, fueling fears of bird flu, officials said [in Guwahati] Wednesday [26 Nov 2008], adding that a general alert was sounded in the area. A veterinary department official said up to 300 chicken and ducks died an unnatural death in some villages around Hajo, about 35 km west of Assam's main city of Guwahati. "We have sent samples for laboratory tests to Pune and Bangalore for confirmation. We don't know for sure if the poultry deaths were due to bird flu," a veterinary department official said requesting not to be named. Authorities Wednesday [26 Nov 2008] imposed a ban on sale of poultry and have sounded a general alert in about 40 villages in a radius of 5 km from the area where the deaths were reported. "By Thursday [27 Nov 2008] we shall be getting the laboratory test reports and maybe we have to start the culling process as there has been large-scale reports of deaths coming in from nearby areas," Kamrup district magistrate RC Jain said. "We have imposed a ban on sale and purchase of poultry and have asked people in the area not to consume chicken or duck as a precautionary measure." A general health alert was also sounded in the area. Teams of experts are now camping in the area and were contemplating culling birds as a precautionary measure. Residents of the area said a large number of birds were falling sick. "We saw normal birds dying almost instantly without any symptoms. Now we find some of the poultry in the area a little sick," said Biswa Das, a villager.
Related stories
28 Nov 2008 – Bird Flu confirmed
The Telegraph, Calcutta [edited] [Promed]
The Kamrup district administration tonight [27 Nov 2008] ordered culling of poultry in Rajapara village near Hajo [district of Assam] after tests for bird flu proved positive.
Deputy Commissioner RC Jain said he was informed of the test results this evening [27 Nov 2008] and accordingly sent out orders to cull the birds. "We have been ready since yesterday [26 Nov 2008]. But now the culling will start tomorrow," Jain said.
The administration had sent samples of the dead birds to the High Security Laboratory in Bhopal on Monday [24 Nov 2008] after 324 poultry died last week [week of 17 Nov 2008].
Jain said Thakuriapara in Rajapara under Hajo police station had 59 families, of which 24 rear poultry in their backyard on a commercial scale.
The deputy commissioner said 20 teams had been formed to carry out the culling operations and all the associated paraphernalia were in place.
The movement of birds had earlier been restricted to a radius of 5 km of Thakuriapara to prevent the disease from spreading, though until this evening veterinarians only suspected it to be bird flu.
A senior veterinary official from Delhi, AB Negi, arrived in Hajo yesterday [26 Nov 2008] for observation and supervision of the operations if the need arose.
Jain said nearly 30,000 birds would be culled. "The entire operation is likely to take about three days," he said.
The official said there was no need to ban the sale of poultry elsewhere in the state because of bird flu in one village.
Hajo, which is about 40 km (25 mi) from [Guwahati, Assam state capital], provides a significant part of Guwahati's poultry demands.
28 Nov 2008 - Highly pathogenic avian influenza, India
OIE WAHID (World Animal Health Information Database) Disease Information 2008; 21(49) [edited] [Promed]
Start date 21 Nov 2008
Date of first confirmation of the event 27 Nov 2008
Reason for notification: Reoccurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence : November 2008
Causal agent: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Serotype H5N1
Nature of diagnosis: Laboratory (basic), Laboratory (advanced)
This event pertains to a defined zone within the country
New outbreaks
Summary of outbreaks Total outbreaks: 1
Outbreak Location : ASSAM (Hajo, Rajabazar, Kamrup)
Affected population : backyard poultry mainly in a small village
Species Birds
Susceptible 391
Cases 324
Deaths 324
Epidemiology: Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection - Unknown or inconclusive
Epidemiological comments : Epidemiological investigation is ongoing.
Stamping out of all domestic poultry is being applied in an approximately 5-km-radius zone around the outbreaks followed by compensation of the owners. An intensive surveillance campaign has been launched in a 10-km-radius zone including: closure of poultry markets and prohibition on sale and transportation of poultry products in the infected zone; disinfection of premises after culling and sealing of premises where appropriate. Restocking will be applied in accordance with a specific protocol.
Future Reporting
The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will be submitted.
October
Bangladesh – Avian Influenza in poultry , northern Naogaon
19 Oct 2008
AFP via Straits Times [edited] [Promed]
It is reported that Bangladesh authorities have detected fresh bird flu at a poultry farm 4 months after the deadly virus was last reported in the country. The livestock department spokesman said at least 300 birds were destroyed in a farm in the northern Naogaon district last week after the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza was detected. The outbreak was the 1st in 4 months, with the virus becoming dormant at the onset of the summer but now coming back ahead of the cold season.
September
Indonesia – New report of Avian Influenza – 112 th death
11 Sep 2008
Reuters Health News [edited] [Promed]
According to this story, an Indonesian man from Tangerang, a satellite town near the capital Jakarta, has died of bird flu, bringing the country's death toll from the disease to 112, a Health Ministry official said on Thursday [11 Sep 2008]. The official, who declined to be named, said the 37-year-old man had worked as a driver for a cargo company at Sukarno-Hatta airport, Jakarta's main airport for domestic and international flights. It is also reported in this story that the man, who had had no contact with sick fowl, died in early July [2008], after being treated at 3 different hospitals, the official said, and that the tests had showed he was infected with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.
[ Comment from Promed :
This statement describes either a new case not previously reported, in which case it would rank as the 113th fatality (not the 112th), or more probably it refers to the 111th fatality already described in the ProMED-mail posts archived as: Avian influenza, human (68): Indonesia, WHO 20080910.2831, and Avian influenza, human (67): Indonesia 20080909.2818. The practice of retrospective reporting of cases by the Indonesian Ministry of Health is unsatisfactory and causing confusion. Until the matter is resolved, it would be prudent to conclude that the number of fatalities remains 112. - Mod.CP]
Indonesia Reports first Avian Flu Cases Since June
9 Sep 2008
Bloomberg News Agenct bloomberg.com [edited] [Promed]
Bird flu killed 2 men on Indonesia's Java island in July [2008], the health ministry said, in its first report of cases in almost 3 months. Both fatalities occurred in Tangerang city in Banten province, according to the Ministry of Health. Indonesia's most recent avian flu case occurred in a 20-year-old man who died on 31 Jul 2008, according to today's statement. The health ministry said in a statement yesterday [8 Sep 2008] that a 38-year-old truck driver from Banten province became ill on 4 Jul 2008, was hospitalized in Tangerang 5 days later and died the next day. Tests confirmed on 11 Jul 2008 that he had the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.
Related stories
10 Sep 2008 – Indonesia's bird flu death toll rises to 112
zeenews.com
10 Sep 2008 – Influenza situation - WHO update 44
World Health Organisation (WHO), EPR, Disease Outbreak News
August
Indonesia – Bird flu suspects detected in Malang
30 Aug 2008
Antara News online [edited] [Promed]
A total of five bird flu suspects were detected, and one of them was confirmed positively infected with the type-A avian influenza virus, in Malang district, East Java, in the January-August period of 2008, a local health official said. The bird flu infected patient was aged 47, a resident of Bululawang, the Malang Health Service chief said on Saturday [30 Aug 2008]. According to this story, Malang health authorities had recorded 10 bird flu related cases and 13 happenings in August 2008 when a number of poultry had died. "Most of the areas infected by the bird flu virus were poultry farms where the environment was not clean," the head of Malang Animal Husbandry Service said. A total of 1189 poultry died during the period January-August 2008, he said. Most of the bird flu cases occurred in 9 sub-districts, namely Pagak, Wonosari, Tumpang, Sumberpucung, Kepanjen Pakis, Bululawang, Gondanglegi, and Pagelaran.
Indonesia - Bird flu fatality rate dropping
12 Aug 2008
MCOT Public, Antara News Agency report [edited] [Promed]
The bird flu [human] fatality rate in Indonesia this year has dropped from its level last year [2007], according to the executive chairman of the National Commission of Bird Flu Control and Alertness (FBPI). "The [case] fatality rate in 2007 was 88.1 percent, and in the first semester of 2008 it was recorded at 84.2 percent," he said [in Jakarta] on Monday [11 Aug 2008]. "The decrease has not made us relax but at least it is a positive sign," he said. Over the past three years, the bird flu [case] fatality rate had decreased, he said. In 2006, 43 people were confirmed to have been infected with the virus, and 34 of them died. In 2007, 27 people were infected, and 23 died. During the first semester this year [2008], FBPI had recorded 19 bird flu cases and in 16 of them the sufferers died. Around 42 percent of the patients had direct contact with infected poultry
Indonesia – Avian Influenza in poultry
7 Aug 2008
The Jakarta Post [edited] [Promed]
The number of poultry, mostly chickens, that died of bird flu in Purbalingga regency in the first half of 2008 has surpassed the 2007 total, the head of the local development planning agency said Wednesday [6 Aug 2008]. "Some 58 000 poultry died of bird flu in 2007, while more than 60 000 died during the 1st 6 month of this year [2008]," he said. "The poultry were confirmed to have died of bird flu." Heni added people in the region had limited information about preventive health measures and how to handle bird flu cases. "Therefore, we are calling related institutes to pay attention to this problem," he said.
India – Avian Influenza suspected (West Bengal)
3 Aug 2008
NaturalNews.com [edited] [Promed]
The eastern [Indian] state of West Bengal is currently undergoing its third outbreak of bird flu since 2006, and more than 100,000 birds have already died from the disease. In an attempt to contain the outbreak, the government has ordered 2 million ducks and chickens killed. According to the animal resources minister for West Bengal, the state is "determined to cull all poultry in the districts in 3 or 4 days, otherwise the state will face a disaster." Moreover, according to this story, five people experiencing clinical symptoms of bird flu, including cough, fever, muscle ache and sore throat, have been quarantined and are undergoing tests. Health officials are also analyzing blood samples from another 150 people who reported fever symptoms. It is reported that authorities' efforts to cull poultry in West Bengal have been hampered by a lack of local cooperation, with villagers smuggling birds out of cull zones and selling them. The sudden glut of smuggled birds on the market has caused the price of chicken to fall from 60 rupees [USD 1.50] per kilogram to 20 [USD 0.50]. Experts in neighboring Bangladesh warned that their government is suppressing news of the current outbreak.
Indonesia – Avian Influenza – 112 th death
2 Aug 2008
Yahoo News [edited] [Promed]
An Indonesian factory worker died of bird flu, bringing the death toll in the country worst hit by the virus to 112, a top health official said Sunday [3 Aug 2008]. The 19-year-old died last week in a hospital just west of the capital, Jakarta, the director general of communicable disease control at the Health Ministry, said by text message. He gave no additional information.
July
Indonesia – Another H5N1 death reported in Indonesia
18 Jul 2008
CIDRAP News [edited] [Promed]
A 38 year old Indonesian man from a town near Jakarta recently died of H5N1 avian influenza, according to an Associated Press (AP) report citing his family and health workers. Indonesia has said it will no longer immediately report new H5N1 cases and will instead provide periodic updates. However, details about the man's death were reported yesterday by the AP, which cited the man's brother-in-law and anonymous health workers as its sources.The man was said to have died on 10 Jul 2008 after experiencing a high fever, coughing, and breathing difficulties. The 38 year old man was from Belendung, a village 24 miles west of Jakarta, the AP reported. Residents of the area said ducks and chickens roam the streets freely, but none were reported sick or dead. A relative told the AP that officials obtained blood samples from the man's relatives and neighbors and that they have not culled any birds. A health ministry spokeswoman, told the AP she couldn't confirm the man's death. "But we'll let the public know when we release our report at the end of the month," she said.
June
Indonesia – Avian Influenza
19 Jun 2008
Reuters Health Health [edited] [Promed]
The Indonesian health ministry has reported two deaths from bird flu in recent weeks, easing concerns about whether Jakarta would share information about the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday [19 Jun 2008]. The latest infections are the first since the Health Minister said two weeks ago that Jakarta had changed its policy on reporting human cases and would only announce the death toll every 6 months. According to this story, Indonesia has maintained its decision not to share bird flu samples with WHO laboratories, saying it wants guarantees from richer nations and drug makers that poor countries would get access to affordable vaccines developed from their samples.
Related stories
19 Jun 2008 – Indonesia: Avian influenza situation - WHO update 43
The World Health Organisation (WHO), EPR, Disease Outbreak News [edited] [Promed]
As of 19 Jun 2008, The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced 2 new cases of human H5N1 avian influenza infection. The cases are not linked epidemiologically. The first is a 16-year-old female from South Jakarta, DKI Jakarta Province. She developed symptoms on 7 May 2008, was hospitalized on 12 May 2008 and died on 14 May 2008. Investigations into the source of her infection indicate exposure to sick and dead poultry. The 2nd case is a 34-year-old female from Tangerang District, Banten Province. She developed symptoms on 26 May 2008, and was hospitalized on 2 Jun 2008 and died on 3 Jun 2008. Investigations into the source of her infection are ongoing. Of the 135 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 110 have been fatal.
Indonesia – New Policy regarding Avian Influenza - Indonesia quits offering prompt notice of H5N1 cases
5 June 2008
CIDRAP News [abbreviated and edited] [Promed]
According to this story, Indonesia's health minister said today [5 Jun 2008] the government has stopped the practice of promptly notifying global health officials each time it confirms a human H5N1 avian influenza case or death, a move some say will likely hamper efforts to monitor the world's pandemic risk level. The Health Minister today confirmed that a 15-year-old girl from Jakarta tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza on 13 May 2008 and died the next day. Indonesia's National Committee for Avian Influenza Control and Pandemic Influenza had previously listed the case as confirmed on its Web site, but the information is apparently no longer listed. The WHO, which typically confirms cases when it receives notifications from health ministries or test results from its collaborating laboratories, has not yet confirmed Indonesia's most recent case and has not commented on Indonesia's decision to stop sending out H5N1 case notifications. The WHO last confirmed, on 30 Apr 2008, an Indonesian H5N1 case, in a 3-year-old boy who died on 23 Apr 2008. It is reported that the country's refusal to share timely reports of human H5N1 cases is the latest in a series of controversies that began when Indonesia stopped sharing its H5N1 isolates in early 2007 to protest what it views as a lack of access to affordable H5N1 therapies and vaccines. The WHO has held several meetings to resolve the virus sharing issues, but so far no agreements have been reached.
May
Bangladesh – Avian Influenza
22 May 2008
The Times of India [edited] [Promed]
According to this story, Bangladesh reported its first confirmed case of human bird flu on Thursday [22 May 2008], saying a 16-month-old boy has been diagnosed with the deadly virus. A health ministry official told that the boy from a slum in the capital Dhaka has survived and that he has been quarantined and his condition has improved. Although there is no farm in the neighbourhood, the official added that it is suspected that the boy got the illness after his family bought chickens from a farm. Tests by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the H5N1 strain of the virus on Wednesday [21 May 2008], the official said. It is also reported that the health ministry has set up isolation units at all public hospitals across the country to deal with any human cases of bird flu.
Related stories
23 May 2008 – WHO confirms first bird flu case in Bangladesh
Reuters News India [edited]
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday [23 May 2008] confirmed the 1st human case of bird flu in Bangladesh, a baby boy who has recovered, bringing the number of countries which have recorded human infections to 15.
28 May 2008 – The World Health Organisation (WHO), EPR, Disease Outbreak News
Indonesia – Avian Influenza (Sumatra)
21 May 2008
The Jakarta Post [edited] [Promed]
According to this story, the highest bird flu alert status has been declared in Rimbo Mulyobvillage in Rimbo Bujang district, Tebo regency, Jambi province during the past three days after the sudden deaths of thousands of domestic birds in the area. It is reported that the regency health office has set up a special task force to anticipate the possible transfer of the bird flu virus to humans by conducting door-to-door health checks.
Indonesia – 2 siblings die of suspected bird flu in Jakarta
14 May 2008
China view, Xinhua News Agency [edited]
According to local press, 2 teenagers from the same family have died within 10 days because of suspected bird flu in Jakarta, prompting health officials to take blood test of the other members of the family. A 16 year old girl died 4 days after being admitted to the Persahabatan Hospital in the Indonesian capital on May 8 with laboratory test later confirming she had the avian flu virus.
India - Bird flu resurfaces in India's West Bengal state
9 May 2008
Reuters alertnet [edited]
It is reported that veterinary workers were getting ready to cull thousands of backyard poultry to contain an outbreak of bird flu in India's eastern state of West Bengal which has struggled to control the virus since January 2008. According to this story, on Friday [9 May 2008], officials said the virus has spread to the tea-growing Darjeeling district, the 15th to be hit by bird flu this year.
Related stories
12 May 2008 - India (Darjeeling, West Bengal )
Sahara samay (India, Rajasthan) [edited]
It is reported that amidst a slow culling operation in avian flu-affected Darjeeling district due to non-cooperation by owners of fowl, a fresh report of bird deaths worsened the situation. The outbreak of avian influenza at Bagdogra, Matigara, Naxalbari in Siliguri and Sukna in Kurseong sub-division was confirmed by High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal. The administration has banned trading on chicken and poultry products in the affected areas.
April
India begins culling chickens in bird flu-hit Tripura
8 Apr 2008
Reuters India [edited]
India began culling thousands of chickens on Tuesday [8 Apr 2008] and checking people for fever in remote northeastern villages on the border with Bangladesh after tests on dead poultry confirmed bird flu infections.
Related stories
22 Apr 2008 - India - Bird flu resurfaces in northeast India
Reuters Health [edited]
According to this story, authorities in a remote northeastern state of India prepared to cull thousands of chickens after a fresh outbreak of bird flu in poultry was detected on Tuesday [22 Apr 2008], officials said. More than 25 000 chickens and ducks have already been slaughtered in Tripura state this month [April 2008] after 8 villages were hit by the H5N1 strain. On Tuesday [22 Apr 2008], officials said bird flu has been confirmed for the 2nd time in Tripura.
Indonesia - 108th death suspected
6 Apr 2008
Channel NewsAsia, Agence France-Presse report [edited]
A 16 year old Indonesian girl has died of suspected bird flu, a doctor said today [6 Apr 2008]. The girl died on Saturday afternoon, 3 days after being admitted for treatment at the Sulianti Saroso bird flu referral hospital in the Indonesian capital, a hospital spokesman told AFP (Agence France-Presse). A health minister spokesperson confirmed officials were still awaiting the results before confirming the case as a bird flu death. Two positive results are needed before Indonesian authorities confirm a human infection of bird flu.
Indonesia – Avian Influenza
2 Apr 2008
World Health Organization (WHO), EPR, Outbreak News [edited]
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced 3 new cases of human H5N1 avian influenza infection. The cases are not linked epidemiologically. The 1st is a 15 year old male student from Subang District, West Java Province who developed symptoms on 19 Mar 2008, was hospitalized on 22 Mar 2008, and died on 26 Mar 2008.
The 2nd case is an 11 year old female student from Bekasi City, West Java Province who developed symptoms on 19 Mar 2008, was hospitalized on 23 Mar 2008, and died on 28 Mar 2008.
The 3rd case is a 21 month old female from Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra Province who developed symptoms on 17 Mar 2008 and was hospitalized on 22 Mar 2008. She is presently recovering in hospital.
The source of infection for all 3 cases is still under investigation.
March
Bangladesh - situation update - Poultry industry losses mount as bird flu spreads
11 Mar 2008
IRIN [edited]
Despite stepped up biosecurity at farms and markets, as well as an awareness-raising campaign on TV, radio and in the newspapers, bird flu continues to spread in Bangladesh. A total of 47 of the country's 64 districts are now affected. In the past 10 days the number of affected sub-districts and farms has increased from 107 to 124 and 196 to 220 respectively. Avian influenza has caused an estimated USD 746 million in losses to the country's poultry sector. Monthly consumption of poultry meat has declined from 26 600 metric tonnes (mt) in October 2007 to 12 000 mt in March 2008 -- a fall of nearly 55 per cent in 4 months, said the [spokesperson for the poultry trade association].
In fact, many people have removed chicken and eggs from their menus altogether. According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, there are about 150 000 poultry farms in Bangladesh which produce 320 000 mt of meat and over 5 [billion] eggs annually. Investment in the sector is estimated at close to USD 2 billion, while 89 per cent of people living in rural areas rear chickens at home. According to the government, more than one million birds have been culled at 426 farms -- 384 commercial and 42 backyard farms -- so far. The H5N1 virus has been confirmed in 201 poultry farms -- 159 commercial and 42 backyard farms.
India- Route of infection
11 Mar 2008
The Times of India [edited]
Smuggling of poultry for trade, from bird flu free districts of West Bengal into the affected districts, may have caused the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus to resurface in West Bengal. According to the avian influenza control and containment protocol, no "repopulation" of poultry is allowed in an infected district at least 3 months from the time culling teams complete disinfection operations.. Animal husbandry commissioner said, "We don't know whether this is a fresh outbreak or whether the virus was being carried there all along by ducks. However, surveillance teams had informed the state government that repopulation and trade was occurring in districts like Birbhum, Murshidabad, and Burdwan."
Meanwhile, the state government started fresh culling operations in a radius of 5 km (3 mi) around the 2 new areas of infection. While 22 440 birds are to be culled in Raghunathganj-II, the culling target in Jiaganj is 27 000. Twenty rapid response teams (RRTs) have been deployed in each of the 2 blocks. Since the outbreak of bird flu in Bengal was notified on 15 Jan 2008, over [4 million] birds have been culled and [1.4 million] eggs destroyed.
Bangladesh (Brahmanbaria) – Avian Influenza spreading
9 Mar 2008
Reuters India [edited]
Bird flu has spread to another district in Bangladesh despite massive culling by authorities to control the outbreak, officials said on Sunday [9 Mar 2008], bringing the number of affected districts to 47 out of 64.
The new case of the avian influenza was found in Brahmanbaria, in the east of the capital Dhaka, livestock officials said. Nearly 1.25 million birds have been culled since the virus was first detected in March 2007, threatening the impoverished country's growing poultry sector. Experts fear the H5N1 strain could mutate or combine with the highly contagious seasonal influenza virus and spark a pandemic, especially in countries such as Bangladesh where people live in close proximity to backyard poultry.
India – Avian Influenza
8 Mar 2008
Telegraphindia.com [edited]
Fresh cases of bird flu have been detected in 2 Murshidabad villages, weeks after the Bengal government said culling operations were over and lifted the state-wide ban on selling chickens and ducks. The state government had ordered culling operations from mid-January 2008 after 16 of Bengal's 19 districts were found to have been affected by the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza. Nearly 40 lakh [4 000 000] chickens and ducks were culled up to 5 Feb 2008. The administration lifted the ban on sales of chickens and ducks 7 days later, though mop-up operations are still on in pockets. On 22 Feb 2008, the government resumed culling in Murshidabad and Birbhum after a central government report said the job was incomplete in parts of the 2 districts.
Related Sources
9 Mar 2008 - Sify News
February
Indonesia - Bird Flu Kills another Indonesian Boy - 105th death
16 Feb 2008
Forbes [edited]
A 3-year-old Indonesian boy has died of bird flu, a health official said Saturday [16 Feb 2008], announcing the country's 2nd death from the illness in one day. The 2 cases, which were apparently unrelated, brought Indonesia's bird flu death toll to 105.
Related Sources:
21 Feb 2008 - World Health Organization (WHO) , EPR, Disease Outbreak News
Indonesia - Indonesian boy dies from bird flu - 104th death
16 Feb 2008
China View, Xinhua News Agency [edited]
A 16-year-old Indonesian boy from Central Java province has died from avian influenza, putting the total fatalities to 104 out of 128 contracted people in the hardest-hit country, the Indonesian Health Ministry said on Saturday [16 Feb 2008]. The boy died on 10 Feb 2008 at a hospital in the province and the result of examination on his blood samples came out on Friday [15 Feb 2008], showing that he had contracted the H5N1 virus, said the ministry spokesperson. The boy had historical contact with fowl at his residence, as scores of chickens belonging to him and his neighbors were sick and some of them suddenly died before he first showed initial symptoms of the disease on 3 Feb 2008, said the spokesperson. "The boy slaughtered the rest of sick chickens," she said. Indonesia has been at the front row in fighting to combat the spreading of highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses, which have slowly and persistently spread in humans.
Bangladesh - Bird flu strikes another Bangladesh district (Khulna)
13 Feb 2008
Reuters [edited]
Bird flu has spread to another district in Bangladesh despite efforts by authorities to control it, officials said on Wednesday [13 Feb 2008], bringing the number of affected districts to 41 out of 64. Health workers culled nearly 1100 fowl after tests confirmed some chickens had died from the avian influenza virus in western Meherpur [Khulna], livestock officials said. The H5N1 virus, first detected in Bangladesh in March last year [2007], was quickly brought under control through aggressive measures, including culling. But it reappeared a few months ago apparently because of lax follow-up monitoring, experts say. So far no human infections have been reported in Bangladesh, a densely populated nation with millions of backyard poultry and thousands of chicken farms. The government has raised compensation for poultry farmers to encourage them to report and kill sick birds as part of efforts to stamp out the outbreak. Nearly 600 000 birds have been culled across the country against the virus since March 2007, but it continues to spread and now covers nearly two-thirds of the country of more than 140 million people.
Related Sources:
18 Feb 2008 - AFP
Indonesia - Bird flu spreads in southern part of Indonesia (Sumatra)
13 Feb 2008
Viet Nam News Agency [edited]
Bird flu is on the rise in East Lampung, Indonesia, prompting local authorities to order backyard farmers to keep their chickens inside their coops, local media reported on 13 Feb 2008. The avian influenza virus had spread through 8 sub districts in East Lampung District, Antara news agency quoted the head of the Participatory Disease Surveillance (PDS) team as saying. East Lampung District, Central Lampung District, and Bandarlampung city of the province have seen several bird flu outbreaks over the past few years.
India - Resistance to preventive culling (Orissa)
13 Feb 2008
Statesman New Service [edited]
In a significant development that will affect the government's proposal of culling of birds within 5-km (3-mi) radius of Orissa-West Bengal border to prevent bird flu in the state, the Orissa Veterinary Association (OVA) decided not to participate in the killing.
Indonesia - Avian influenza situation - WHO Update 39
12 Feb 2008
World Health Organisation (WHO), EPR, Disease Outbreak News [edited]
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced a new case of human infection of H5N1 avian influenza. A 15-year-old female from West Jakarta, Jakarta Province, developed symptoms on 2 Feb 2008, was hospitalized on 8 Feb 2008, and is currently in hospital in a critical condition. The patient is the daughter of a previously confirmed case, the 38-year-old female from West Jakarta, Jakarta Province, who developed symptoms on 23 Jan 2008. Investigations into the source of her infection are ongoing. However, she was exposed to her sick mother on 27-28 Jan 2008 and spent time in a neighborhood where chickens and other birds were found. Samples from these birds have been taken and are undergoing tests to determine whether they may have been the source of infection. Of the 127 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 103 have been fatal.
Indonesia – Avian Influenza
4 Feb 2008
Reuters News [edited]
A 29-year old Indonesian woman has died of bird flu, bringing the death toll from the virus in the southeast Asian country to 103, the health ministry said on Monday [4 Feb 2008]. The woman, from Tangerang, west of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, died on Saturday [2 Feb 2008] after being treated at the city's Persahabatan hospital for about a week, ministry spokeswoman said in a statement. The woman is the 8th person to die of bird flu in Indonesia this year [2008]. Some experts say the flare-up is caused by a number factors such as damp weather and poor sanitation during the rainy season. The ministry also said that a 38-year-old woman from western Jakarta had tested positive for bird flu. She was being treated at Persahabatan and had been put on a ventilator, the statement said. Her case brought the number of bird flu cases in the country to 126. Of these, 103 people have died, making Indonesia the country with the highest death toll from the disease. Contact with sick fowl is the most common way of contracting bird flu, endemic in bird populations in most of Indonesia.
India – Avian Influenza – Precautions (Manipur)
3 Feb 2008
Kangla Online, The Imphal Free Press report [edited]
With a ban imposed on the import of poultry and poultry products from outside [Manipur] state in view of the bird flu outbreak in West Bengal, the Patsoi police today [3 Feb 2008] seized altogether 6120 chicks, which were being brought in from Assam along NH-53 this afternoon. The chicks, packed in 120 baskets, were brought in from Assam, via Jiribam on a Tata truck [which] was caught by the Patsoi police at around 12:35 pm this afternoon [3 Feb 2008] at Keithelmanbi, on NH-53. The entire load of chicks, along with the vehicle was later handed over by the police to the veterinary department.
Bangladesh – Avian Influenza
3 Feb 2008
Reuters [edited]
Bird flu has spread to 3 more districts of Bangladesh, the livestock department said on Sunday [3 Feb 2007], taking the number of affected areas to more than half of the country's 64 districts. The latest outbreaks were reported in southwestern Gopalganj, northeastern Sylhet and northern Mymensingh district, officials said. The port city of Chittagong was put on high alert after some dead crows tested positive for the H5N1 virus, local officials said. Despite a government drive to burn or buy [bury] the dead birds, many farmers and backyard poultry breeders continue to ignore warnings, officials said. So far, no human infection has been reported in Bangladesh, though some 4 million people are involved in poultry farming across the country. The neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal has put 26 people in isolation with bird flu symptoms after the most serious outbreak of the disease in poultry.
Related Sources
6 Feb 2008 - Reuters
6 Feb 2008 - Xinhuanet
Indonesia - WHO confirmation of 102nd death
1 Feb 2008
World Health Organization (WHO), CSSR, Disease Outbreak News [edited]
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced the death of a previously confirmed case of H5N1 infection. The 31 year old woman from East Jakarta, Jakarta Province, died on 31 Jan 2007. Of the 124 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 102 have been fatal.
January
Indonesia - Mortality analysis
31 Jan 2008
Xinhua, China view [edited]
Poor management of live poultry markets and inappropriate medical treatment were the 2 main reasons why bird flu disease caused high fatalities in Indonesia, an Indonesian bird flu expert told Xinhua on Thursday [31 Jan 2008]. Of 124 patients infected with bird flu disease in Indonesia since 2003, 101 have died so far. High fatality rates in Indonesia, according to Professor Widya Asmara, a member of experts panel for a committee to prevent bird flu pandemic, was not caused by the resistance of the H5N1 virus against medicine, but rather because most of the patients were late in getting appropriate medical treatment. To prevent the prevalence of the bird flu disease, Asmara said, "the chicken farm must be restructured and the live bird market must be controlled. The markets should stop operating at least for one day, to be disinfected so as to cut the life cycles of the virus."
Indonesia - 101st death
30 Jan 2008
Reuters Foundation AlertNet [edited]
A 32 year old Indonesian man who had tested positive for bird flu has died, a health ministry official said on Wednesday [30 Jan 2008], adding the authorities are still investigating the source of infection. The man, from Tangerang west of Jakarta, died on Tue 29 Jan 2008 at Jakarta's Persahabatan hospital, said Toto Haryanto from the ministry's bird flu centre. His death takes the country's toll from the H5N1 bird flu virus to 101. Initially, the authorities suspected the man had contracted the virus from pet doves kept in his neighbourhood, but subsequent tests revealed the birds and other fowl in the neighbourhood were H5N1-free. "It's a big mystery that has yet to be solved," said [a spokesperson] from the agricultural ministry's bird flu control unit tasked with investigating the source of infection. "There are 3 out of 4 people who died of bird flu this week whose virus source remains unknown." Emil Agustiono, a top national bird flu committee official, said the recent surge in cases was caused by a combination of several factors, including poor sanitation and wet weather. Contact with sick birds is the most common way of contracting the virus, which is endemic in poultry populations in most of Indonesia. Not including the latest death, bird flu has killed 223 people in a dozen [14 - Mod.CP] countries since the virus reappeared in Asia in late 2003, according to World Health Organization data.
Indonesia bird flu death toll hits 100
28 Jan 2008
Yahoo News, Reuters report [edited]
A 23 year old Indonesian woman from East Jakarta has died from bird flu, taking the country's death toll to 100, according to a report from Indonesia's bird flu information centre on Monday [28 Jan 2008]. The woman died on Sunday [27 Jan 2008] and 2 separate laboratory tests confirmed she had contracted H5N1, the report said.
Earlier on Monday [28 Jan 2008], a 9 year old Indonesian boy who had tested positive for bird flu died, the health ministry said in a statement. The boy from the outskirts of Jakarta died at the Sulianto Saroso hospital on Sunday [27 Jan 2008] after being treated in different hospitals for 2 weeks, said Joko Suyono, an official at the ministry's bird flu information centre. It was not known how the boy contracted the disease. A 31 year old woman and 32 year old man hospitalized at Persahabatan hospital for fever and respiratory problems also tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus on Monday [28 Jan 2008], the ministry said. According to the statement, the woman lived in East Jakarta near a poultry slaughterhouse that kept many fowl believed to be the source of her H5N1 infection (The man from Tangerang, west of Jakarta, is believed to have contracted H5N1 from his neighbor's pet doves, the ministry said).
Thailand – Avian Influenza (Phichit)
26 Jan 2008
Bangkok Post [edited]
The re-emergence of avian flu was confirmed in Phichit, a day after Nakhon Sawan province was declared a bird flu outbreak zone on Thursday [24 Jan 2008], according to Livestock Development Department chief Sakchai Sriboonsue yesterday [Fri 25 Jan 2008]. Phichit is the 2nd outbreak location this year [2008] after Nakhon Sawan. [A total of 70 chickens were being raised in the farm.] Of them, 30 began falling sick from 8 Jan 2008. On 22 Jan 2008, [the farm owner] told livestock officials to inspect and collect some carcass samples for lab tests. The H5 strain of bird flu was later confirmed. All chickens at [this] farm and at 3 nearby [farms] totalling 217 were culled. The livestock officials also collected fowl samples from within a radius of 5 km (3 mi) and barred the movements of all poultry within a radius of 10 km (6 mi) from the infected farm.
The Public Health Ministry has ordered the stockpiling of 2.4 million anti-virus pills and for them to be sent to hospitals across the country, said the ministry source. Consumers could buy avian flu-free poultry products at outlets guaranteed by the Livestock Department or labelled ''Q-Mark'' by the ministry.
Indonesia - Mortality analysis
24 Jan 2008
Reuters Foundation AlertNet [edited]
Medical experts are worried about how death rates for H5N1 bird flu have shot up in places like Indonesia, and studies are being carried out to see if victims require higher dosages of drugs. Although the H5N1 has only infected 352 people since 2003, it has killed 219 of them, with mortality rates rising to more than 80 percent in places like Indonesia in the past 2 years. "It could be they are treated later, or the virus is different, more virulent. There are many maybes, including differences in susceptibility of [to?] the virus," Menno de Jong, a doctor who has treated bird flu victims in Viet Nam, told Reuters on the sidelines of a bird flu conference in Bangkok. He said a major concern was the H5N1 variant in Indonesia appeared to be less susceptible to oseltamivir, the antiviral used to combat the disease. "It's not a (drug) resistant virus, it's just that a bit more drug (may be) needed to inhibit these (H5N1) clade 2 viruses," he said, referring to the sub-category that Indonesia's H5N1 virus has been classified under. Studies are being conducted in Thailand, Viet Nam and Indonesia to see if H5N1 patients need to be given higher dosages of oseltamivir. Indonesia is the worst hit of the 14 countries where H5N1 has infected people since 2003. Although bird flu remains an animal disease, experts fear the virus could mutate into a form easily passed from human to human and kill millions. But details emerged on Thursday [24 Jan 2008] on how the virus had been passed from mother to fetus in the case of a pregnant 24-year-old Chinese woman who died of the disease in 2005. Jiang Gu, a leading scientist at Beijing University, said the virus was detected in most organs of the foetus, including the brain. "It is capable of penetrating the placental barrier and infecting the foetus. [This is the] 1st evidence of such human-to-human transmission," Gu said.
Indonesia - 120th case confirmed
23 Jan 2008
World Health Organisation (WHO), CSE, Disease Outbreak News [edited]
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced a new case of human infection of H5N1 avian influenza. A 30 year old man from Tangerang District, Banten Province, developed symptoms on 13 Jan 2008, was hospitalized on 19 Jan 2008, and is currently in hospital. Investigations into the source of his infection are ongoing.
Related Source:
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced the death of a previously confirmed case of H5N1 infection. The 30-year-old male from Tangerang District, Banten Province, died on Thu 24 Jan 2008. Of the 120 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 98 have been fatal.
Bangladesh: (Barisal) – Avian Influenza
16 Jan 2008
Reuters [edited]
Bird flu has spread to another district in Bangladesh, forcing authorities to cull more than 1500 birds, officials said on Wednesday [16 Jan 2008]. The H5N1 bird flu virus was reported in backyard poultry in the southern coastal district Barishal [Barisal], a livestock department official said. "After the confirmation of bird flu, authorities culled more than 1531 chickens, ducks and birds in a 1 km area around the affected backyard poultry," the official said. Suspected outbreaks were also reported at a farm in northwestern Rajshahi district and another farm in northern Rangpur district, where the virus has been confirmed in fowl previously. "The preliminary tests showed some birds at the farm have died from bird flu, but we still don't know whether it is the deadly H5N1 strain," the official told Reuters, referring to the farm in Rajshahi. The H5N1 avian flu virus was first reported near the capital in March last year [2007] and has since spread mainly to northern districts, forcing authorities to kill more than 300 000 chickens. With the latest outbreak, 72 farms in 23 of Bangladesh's 64 districts have been infected with the deadly virus.
Other sources
28 Jan 2008
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, IRIN (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks) News
Indonesia – Avian Influenza
15 Jan 2008
China Daily, Xinhua News Agency report [edited]
A 16-year-old Indonesian girl died of bird flu on Tuesday [8 Jan 2008], putting the total fatalities to 96 out of 118 cases in the hardest-hit country, the health ministry said Friday [11 Jan 2008]. The girl from Bekasi, an outskirt city of Jakarta, has been treated at the bird flu-designed hospital of Persahabatan in East Jakarta since Wednesday [ 9 Jan 2008] after she had been treated at a hospital in Bekasi since 4 Jan [2008], an official of bird flu center of the ministry Ahmad Priatna said. All her laboratory tests had indicated that she [had] positively contracted the H5N1 virus, he said. The girl consumed 3 half-boiled chickens eggs 2 weeks ago after scores of chicken died suddenly in her residence in the last 2 months, said Priatna. The girl first showed the symptoms of the disease with high fever and throat problems on 30 Dec 2007. Then she went to doctors on 31 Dec 2007 and 2 Jan 2008, said the official.
India - Government confirms bird flu in West Bengal
15 Jan 2008
Hindustani Times [edited]
The Centre on Tuesday [15 Jan 2008] confirmed an outbreak of bird flu in 2 districts of West Bengal, a day after the state government declared an alert in the area. "Samples have been tested positive," a government official said. The samples of the dead birds had been sent to High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal to find out whether the death of poultry was due to Avian Influenza, commonly known as Bird Flu. The Centre as a precautionary measure had restricted trade and movement of poultry birds in these 2 districts. Meanwhile in West Bengal, the Birbhum district administration has dispatched 50 special teams to help people dispose of dead chickens in Rampurhat sub-division where a bird alert has been sounded. An isolation ward had been opened in the Rampurhat district hospital to treat any possible cases of human bird flu.
Other sources
15 Jan 2008 - Yahoo.com News
21 Jan 2008 - India – Avian Influenza – West Bengal
NDTV.com
The Bongaon Market, barely 9 km (5.6 mi) from the Bangladesh border is home to Jessore district, where bird flu was detected last year [2007]. This has always been a porous boundary that sees a lot of unofficial free trade. This trade includes poultry, a trade that may easily have brought with it the dreaded flu into Indian Territory. Even now, reports say, the supply from across the border has just declined and not completely stopped. The BSF (Border Security Force) has been now roped in order to stop any poultry from entering India. In recognition of the porous and difficult-to-patrol borders in South Asia, the UN's food agency is working on a bird-flu joint surveillance between India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, all of which share common borders.
23 Jan 2008 - The Indian Express
25 Jan 2008 - Maps of India
25 Jan 2008 - The Times of India (TOI)
Indonesia - Avian influenza
14 Jan 2008
Reuters Foundation AlertNet [edited]
An Indonesian woman from an area just west of the capital Jakarta has died of bird flu, taking the country's confirmed human death toll from the virus to 95, a health ministry official said on Monday [14 Jan 2008]. Two tests at 2 different laboratories confirmed the H5N1 virus. On Christmas day [25 Dec 2007], a 24-year-old woman from Jakarta also died from the virus after buying a live chicken from a market. Last week, a teenager suffering from bird flu was admitted to a hospital in Jakarta. An official at the hospital said that the teenager was stable but was still on a respirator to help her breathe.
Other sources
15 Jan 2008 - World Health Organisation (WHO), CSR, Disease Outbreak News
Indonesia - Avian influenza situation - WHO Update 29
11 Jan 2008
World Health Organisation (WHO), CSR. Disease Outbreak News [edited]
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced a new case of human infection of H5N1 avian influenza. A 16-year-old female from West Java Province developed symptoms on 30 Dec 2007, was hospitalized on 4 Jan 2008 and is currently in the hospital. Investigations found a history of deaths in chickens in the case's neighborhood in the 2 weeks preceding her onset of symptoms. Of the 117 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 94 have been fatal.
Indonesia – Avian Influenza
9 Jan 2008
ChinaView, Xinhua News Agency report [edited]
A 12-year-old boy was hospitalized in Indonesia for developing bird flu symptoms and [on the basis of] earlier contacts with a dead chicken, local press said Wednesday [9 Jan 2008]. He was admitted to the Hasan Sadikin Hospital in the West Java capital of Bandung on Tuesday [8 Jan 2008] with high fever, cough, and respiratory problems. A relative said [the boy had] picked up a dead chicken in front of the house with bare hands and threw it to a nearby river. The following day, he became ill, reported major national newspaper Tempo's website.
Bangladesh – Avian Influenza
4 Jan 2008 -
Reuters [edited]
Bird flu has spread to another district in Bangladesh, forcing health and veterinary workers to cull around 1500 birds, officials said on Friday [4 Jan 2008]. The latest H5N1 infection was reported in Kurigram, 380 km (240 miles) north from the capital, said Salehuddin Khan, director of the government's livestock department.
Bird flu was first reported near the capital in March last year [2007] and has since spread mainly to northern districts, forcing authorities to kill more than 300 000 chickens. With the latest outbreak, 21 of Bangladesh's 64 districts have been affected by the deadly virus.
Bangladesh – Avian Influenza
2 Jan 2008
Reuters Alertnet [edited]
The H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected in another poultry farm in northern Bangladesh, forcing authorities to cull nearly 300 chickens, officials said on Wednesday [2 Jan 2008]. The latest infection was at Dinajpur town, 410 km (250 miles) from the capital, said Salehuddin Khan, director of the government's livestock department.
Bird flu was 1st reported near the capital in March last year [2007] and has since spread mainly to northern districts, forcing authorities to kill more than 300 000 chickens. Since March 2007, 69 farms in 20 districts have been infected with the H5N1 virus. There are around 150 000 poultry farms in Bangladesh, with an annual turnover of USD 750 million, officials said. About 4 million Bangladeshis are directly or indirectly associated with poultry farming, but so far, there have been no cases of human infection in the densely populated country, government and health officials say.
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