Myanmar- Avian Influenza
29 Dec 2007
Xinhua [edited]
A fresh bird flu case was detected in Myanmar's eastern Shan state and confirmed on Thursday [27 Dec 2007] following an unusual death of domestic chickens in Yankham village in the state's Mongphyat township in the last week-end, according to a statement of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department Saturday [29 Dec 2007]. The unusual death of chickens started from 23 Dec 2007 and after laboratory tests, H5N1 was detected and further confirmed on Thursday, the statement said. The authorities assessed that the H5N1 was spread to the area from the same state's Kengtung township where bird flu broke out on 18 Nov, infecting a 7-year-old girl.
Preventive measures are being taken under the bird flu control program which includes setting up of restricted zones and control zones, culling of poultry in these zones, disinfecting, banning of the marketing of chickens in the township and enhancing of bio-security, the statement said. Human infection of bird flu in Myanmar was first officially reported on 15 Dec 2007 to the public after a bird-flu-infected girl had been discharged from a local hospital in Kengtung on 12 Dec 2007 after treatment. H5N1 virus was detected on some chickens and ducks of local species which died unusually at the village farm in Kengtung on 18 Nov 2007. In its prevention and control measures, the local authorities culled 14 889 chickens, ducks, geese and Muscovy ducks within a week after such unusual deaths were found on the fowls traded in the area.

Bangladesh - Bird flu infects farm, chickens culled
28 Dec 2007
Reuters [edited]
Nearly 2000 chickens have been culled in a village in northern Bangladesh after the H5N1 bird flu virus was detected at a poultry farm, officials said on Friday [28 Dec 2007]. The latest infection was detected in Dinajpur district, 420 km (260 miles) from the capital Dhaka, a senior official of Fisheries and Livestock Ministry said.
Bird flu was first detected near the capital in March 2007 and has since spread mainly to northern districts and forced authorities to cull about 275 000 chickens and destroy nearly 3 million eggs. About 4 million Bangladeshis are directly or indirectly associated with poultry farming, but so far there have been no cases of human infection, government and health officials say.
Updates
31 Dec 2007- Reuters

Indonesia - Avian influenza
25 Dec 2007
Xinhuanet, China view [edited]
A 24-year-old Indonesian woman from West Jakarta has died from avian influenza, putting the total fatalities in the country to 94, the Indonesian Health Ministry said Tuesday [25 Dec 2007]. The woman died on Tuesday morning at Cengkareng Hospital in the capital, and both of her laboratory tests showed that she was positively infected by the H5N1 virus, said Nyoman Kandun, director of the ministry. "She died on Tuesday after midnight; 2 of her laboratory tests indicate that she is positive for bird flu," Kandun told Xinhua. He said that it is not clear whether the woman had historical contact with fowl, as investigation is underway. The woman 1st showed the symptoms of the disease on 14 Dec 2007, and 6 days later, she was treated at the hospital, said Kandun.

Indonesia investigating suspicious bird flu cases
18 Dec 2007
Trend Capital News Agency. Agence France Presse report [edited]
Indonesian bird flu officials said Tuesday [18 Dec 2007] they were investigating several recent avian influenza deaths where the victims were believed not to have come into contact with infected poultry. "In the last 3 to 4 months, we have had 4 cases where the poultry in the victim's neighbourhoods (tested) negative for the virus," said Bayu Krisnamurthi, head of Indonesia's National Avian Influenza Committee. "The number is significant enough for us to intensify our investigations so that we could have a more accurate explanation," he told a press briefing giving an overview of what has happened in Indonesia this year with bird flu. "Some 20 percent of confirmed cases in 2006 were inconclusive, meaning there was no direct contact with poultry. This year (2007) the figure has been raised to 30 percent," he added. The bird flu virus is usually transmitted to humans from infected birds, but scientists fear it could mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans, sparking a global pandemic that could kill millions. Krisnamurthi nevertheless insisted that Indonesia had made progress in tackling bird flu, with the number of reported cases decreasing this year. In 2007, 40 cases were confirmed with 35 fatalities, compared to figures of 55 and 45, respectively, in 2006. But he also conceded that Indonesia needed more effective measures, particularly to combat bird flu in poultry. According to Krisnamurthi, even though the agriculture ministry vaccinated 70 percent of the country's farmed poultry in 2007, "the quality of the vaccine must be improved," he said. Indonesia has recorded a total of 115 confirmed bird flu cases, 93 of which resulted in death

Myanmar - Avian influenza situation
14 Dec 2007
World Health Organisation, CSR, Disease Outbreak News [edited]
The Ministry of Health in Myanmar has confirmed the country's 1st case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case is a 7-year-old female from Kyaing Tone Township, Shan State (East). The case was detected through routine surveillance following an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry in the area in mid-November [2007]. She developed symptoms of fever and headache on 21 Nov 2007 and was hospitalized on 27 Nov 2007. She has now recovered. Samples taken from the case tested positive for H5N1 [virus] at the National Health Laboratory in Yangon, and the National Institute of Health in Thailand. The diagnosis was further confirmed at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, Japan. A team from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries and the WHO Country Office are conducting investigations to confirm the source of her infection. Initial findings indicate poultry die off in the vicinity of the case's home in the week prior to the onset of illness.

Indonesia - Avian influenza
13 Dec 2007
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 47-year-old male from Tangerang City, Banten Province [Indonesia] developed symptoms on 2 Dec 2007 and was hospitalized on 9 Dec 2007. The source of his exposure is currently under investigation.
Related stories
18 Dec 2007 - Indonesia - Avian influenza situation- WHO Update 27
World Health Organisation, CSR, Disease Outbreak News [edited]
As of Tue 18 Dec 2007, the Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced the death of a previously confirmed case of H5N1 infection. The 47-year-old male from Tangerang District in Banten Province died on 13 Dec 2007.Of the 115 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 93 have been fatal.

Indonesia - 92nd bird flu death
12 Dec 2007
Reuters News [edited]
A 28-year-old woman from the outskirts of the Indonesian capital has been confirmed as dying of bird flu, raising the toll in the nation worst affected by H5N1 to 92, the health ministry said Tuesday [11 Dec 2007]. The 2 laboratory tests on the woman, who died on Monday [10 Dec 2007] at a hospital in Jakarta, showed that she was infected with the highly pathogenic virus, a statement from the ministry's bird flu information centre said. A total of 2 positive results of tests on blood and tissue samples from a victim are needed before Indonesian authorities confirm a bird flu infection. [Investigators] said the victim, who had sold ornamental plants, bought plant fertiliser from the neighbour which may have been contaminated by the faeces of infected birds. No birds however had died in the area in the past 6 months and the poultry appeared healthy, he added. The victim lived in the satellite city of Tangerang, just west of Jakarta, where 3 other bird flu deaths have been reported since October [2007].
Related source: 12 Dec 2007 World Health Organisation (WHO), CSR, Disease Outbreak News

Bangladesh, northwest – Avian Influenza
1 Dec 2007
Reuters [edited]
Bird flu has spread to another district in northwestern Bangladesh, forcing health and veterinary workers to cull some 6000 chickens and destroy over 2500 eggs, officials said on Sat 1 Dec 2007. The latest case was reported in a village in Pabna district, 160 km from the capital Dhaka, a senior official of the fisheries and livestock ministry said. Bird flu was 1st detected near the capital in March 2007 and has since spread mostly to northern districts. There have been no cases of human infection. Including Pabna, 20 of Bangladesh's 64 districts have been affected by the virus, which has forced authorities to kill 256 000 chickens and destroy nearly 3 million eggs since its outbreak. About 4 million Bangladeshis are directly or indirectly associated with poultry farming.

Myanmar (Burma)- Avian Influenza
24 Nov 2007
VOA News [edited]
Officials in Burma say a new outbreak of bird flu has been detected among chickens in an eastern district near the Chinese border. The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said Saturday [24 Nov 2007] that the outbreak was found at a farm in Kentung township in eastern Shan state on 18 Nov 2007, after a farmer reported an unusual number of deaths in his chickens. Officials culled an unknown number of birds at the farm. A statement from the Myanmar Livestock and Veterinary Department urged people to prevent the entry of poultry and birds from neighboring countries into Burma.

Thailand - Avian influenza
17 Nov 2007
The Nation (Thailand) [Edited]
With the arrival of winter, the Public Health Ministry is worried about the possible outbreak of bird flu. Some 800,000 health volunteers spread throughout the country have been assigned to monitor sick poultry and people. Permanent Secretary Prat Boonyawongvirot said Saturday he had urged volunteers to inform health officials immediately if any poultry perished. Nakhon Sawan has witnessed suspicious mass deaths of fighting cocks in Nong-pangpuay village of Kaoliew district. Their symptoms were similar to bird flu. Headman Yongyuth Thongchoop said officials are trying to investigate the cause of the mass deaths of chickens in the area and will destroy the carcasses. However, villagers protested against officials who tried to get samples of dead chickens to test in the lab, because they do not wantbtheir prized possessions to be culled, he said. Phin Khanjiek, a villager, said he wants authorities to confirm the virus infection before sacrificing his fighting cock because he had bought it at a high price. Dr Thawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said the Bureau of Epidemiology was monitoring 2,036 patients suffering from general flu and pneumonia admitted to hospitals across country. As of Thursday, no bird-flu cases have been reported in those patients. And the ministry has not received any news of bird-flu infections in humans for the past 14 months, he said. Prat said the ministry had equipped district and provincial hospitals with sterile rooms to treat bird-flu patients.

Bangladesh - Avian influenza
15 Nov 2007
IRIN News [edited]
Avian flu has re-emerged in Bangladesh after 4 months, with 5 reported new outbreaks in poultry farms across the country since October [2007]. The contagious viral disease was 1st detected in Bangladesh in March 2007. Since then there have been 55 outbreaks in 19 of the country's 64 districts. To halt a further spread of the virus, more than 250 000 chickens have been culled since the original outbreak. "But indirect losses to farmers far surpass the direct loss," veterinarian Abul Kalam Azad of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) told IRIN in Dhaka, the capital. Many farms have downsized operations, resulting in significant layoffs and the suspension of business, while producers of poultry feed and farm equipment have also been hard hit. A fresh influx of migratory birds is raising further concerns. Hundreds of thousands of Siberian water fowl arrive in Bangladesh from mid-November, taking refuge in the country's vast rivers, lakes and marshlands. "The winter months are likely to see more outbreaks," ASM Alamgir, a virologist at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research, warned. And though a permanent relationship between migratory birds and bird flu has yet to be proven beyond a doubt, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), "scientists are increasingly convinced that some migratory waterfowl are now carrying the H5N1 virus in its highly pathogenic form, sometimes over long distances, and introducing the virus to poultry flocks in areas that lie along their migratory routes" -- all of which worries health officials in Bangladesh. "At 795 persons per square km, Bangladesh has the highest population density in the world. This close proximity of human beings is a risk element for transmission of any contagious disease like flu," Nazrul Haq, a member of the government's technical working group on avian influenza risk, said, adding that the hot and humid environment helps pathogens spread quickly. Further compounding the problem is the prominent role of poultry farming. Almost all rural households keep chickens as a source of cheap protein, with about 2.4 million rural women depending on backyard chicken farming as their only source of livelihood. As a result, communicating appropriate bio-security practices such as separating domestic flocks from wild ones, hygienic slaughtering and waste disposal, use of masks while cleaning chicken coops, disinfection before and after working in poultry farms, as well as the use of personal protective equipment is already proving difficult.
The government has imposed a 1km [0.62-mile] restricted area around any confirmed infection point and all poultry within the area is culled, while strict controls are imposed on the movement of poultry and poultry products within a 10km [6.2-mile] radius. According to Abdul Motaleb, director of the government's department of livestock, the proper disposal of dead birds and contaminated materials such as eggs and faeces is also now ensured, while surveillance and monitoring have been strengthened.

Indonesia - Avian influenza
10 Nov 2007
Reuters India
An Indonesian man from Riau province on Sumatra island has died of bird flu, taking the country's death toll from the disease to 91, a health ministry official said on Saturday [10 Nov 2007]. It was not clear whether the 31-year-old man who died on Tuesday [6 Nov 2007] had been in contact with sick fowl, the most common way of contracting the disease, a health ministry spokeswoman said by telephone text message.
Related Source: 12 Nov 2007- WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR) Disease Outbreak News

Indonesia – Undiagnosed Deaths in Poultry - East Nusa Tenggara
7 Nov 2007
The Jakarta Post [edited]
The deaths of thousands of chickens in the last 2 weeks have raised public fears of avian influenza virus in Kupang, although local authorities have said the deaths weren't related to the virus. The true cause is still under investigation. The head of the animal health unit of the Husbandry Agency, Maria Geong, said Tuesday [6 Nov 2007] that 7000 chickens had died in Kupang in the last 2 weeks. "Preliminary investigations suggest the chickens died of Newcastle disease or chronic respiratory disease," she added. The office sent specimens of dead poultry to 2 different laboratories, the state-run Veterinary Diseases Investigation Office and Udayana University's Biomedic Laboratory. Both are located in Denpasar, Bali and are capable of detecting the avian influenza virus. Previously, the East Nusa Tenggara Health Office confirmed it had found avian influenza in chicken samples taken from 13 regencies across East Nusa Tenggara..

Indonesia - Indonesian woman dies of suspected bird flu
3 Nov 2007
China View, Xinhua News Agency [edited]
A 30 year old Indonesian woman died of suspected bird flu on Saturday [3 Nov 2007], the country's Health Ministry said here. The woman from Tanggerang town on the outskirts of Jakarta died on Saturday in a designated bird flu hospital of Persahabatan in east Jakarta, said an official of the anti-bird flu center of the Ministry. One of 2 laboratories' tests, which are needed for confirmation, indicated that she was positive for avian influenza, said the official. "One of laboratory tests has showed positive," he told Xinhua.
The woman had history of contact with some of hundreds chickens that suddenly died last month [October 2007] in her residence, he said.
Related stories
Indonesia - Avian influenza situation - WHO update 23
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced a new case of human infection of H5N1 avian influenza. A 30-year-old female from the Tangerang Municipality, Banten Province, developed symptoms on 23 Oct 2007, was hospitalized on 31 Oct 2007, and died in an AI [Avian influenza] referral hospital on 3 Nov 2007. The investigation found that there were poultry deaths in the case's neighborhood in the days prior to her onset of symptoms. Of the 112 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 90 have been fatal

Indonesia - Avian influenza
29 Oct 2007
Reuters Heath
A 3 year old Indonesian boy has tested positive for bird flu, but his life in not in danger, a Health Ministry official said on Monday [29 Oct 2007]. The boy, from Tangerang, west of the capital Jakarta, lives in the same neighborhood as a 5 year old girl who died of bird flu last week, said the Health Ministry's director for communicable disease control. The boy is suffering only minor symptoms of flu and is being treated at Sulianti Saroso hospital, Jakarta's main bird flu treatment centre, Kandun said. Chickens are known to have died in the two children's neighborhood.

Indonesia - Avian influenza situation - WHO update 21
25 Oct 2007
World Health Organization (WHO) Epidemic and Pandemic Alert
and Response (EPR) disease outbreak news [edited]
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced a new case of human infection of H5N1 avian influenza. A 5-year-old female from the Tangerang District, Banten Province, developed symptoms on 14 Oct 2007, was hospitalized on 20 Oct 2007, and died in an AI [avian influenza] referral hospital on 22 Oct 2007. The investigation found that there were poultry deaths in the case's neighborhood in the 2 weeks prior to her onset of symptoms. Of the 110 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 89 have been fatal.

Indonesia - Avian Influenza - 89th death reported
23 Oct 2007
Reuters Foundation AlertNet [edited]
An Indonesian toddler from Tangerang, west of the capital Jakarta, has died of bird flu, bringing the country's death toll from the disease to 89, a Health Ministry official said on Tuesday [23 Oct 2007]. The 4-year-old girl died on Monday [22 Oct 2007] after being admitted to hospital 2 days earlier, health Ministry spokeswoman Lili Sulistyowati said by telephone. The girl, who had been suffering from fever, died after being transferred to Persahabatan hospital in Jakarta. Officials were still investigating the case, but 4 chickens had previously died in the girl's neighborhood, another official at the Ministry's bird flu centre said.

Indonesia - 7 new suspected cases in Riau province
23 Oct 2007
Xinhua News Agency, China View [edited]
Seven children aged between one and 10 years old are suspected of having bird flu in Indonesia's Riau province [on the island of Sumatra], where 4 people have died of the virus in recent months, an official said Tuesday [23 Oct 2007]. The 7 children live in Merampi Hulu village, Siak regency, in the province on Sumatra island.

Myanmar – Avian Influenza (BAGO), OIE
23 Oct 2007
OIE WAHID Disease Information 2007; 20(42) [edited]
Start date: 19 Oct 2007
Date of previous occurrence: 28 Jul 2007
Causal agent: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Serotype: H5N1
Outbreak Location: Bago (Oatsu Quarter)
Epidemiological comments: Thanatpin is considered as a high risk township by international epidemiologists because it is very close to lake Moeyungyi, occupied by wild birds, with a high population of ducks (nearly 800 000) and with a rapidly increasing number of raised quails. The source of infection is probably seropositive ducks, infecting quail or chickens and other fomites.

Indonesia – Avian Influenza -109th case of avian H5N1 influenza confirmed
12 Oct 2007
Bangkok Post online, Breaking News [edited]
A 12 year old Indonesian boy was confirmed on Thursday [11 Oct 2007] to be suffering from bird flu, bringing the country's cases of the H5N1 avian influenza virus [infection] to 109, according to Indonesia's Health Ministry. The boy, from the Tangerang district in Banten province, bordering the capital Jakarta, was admitted to hospital on Monday [8 Oct 2007] with bird flu symptoms. He was transferred to Persahabatan Hospital in Jakarta, which is designated to treat bird flu patients, a day later, a ministry statement said.
See also: World Health Organisation (WHO), CSR, Disease Outbreak News; The Jakarta Post online, Associated Press report

Indonesia - Avian influenza
8 October 2007
WHO - Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR)
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced a new case of human infection of H5N1 avian influenza. A 44-year-old female from Pekanbaru City in Riau Province developed symptoms on 1 October and died on 6 October. A team is currently investigating the case to determine the source of her exposure. All of the contacts are being monitored but all remain healthy.

Indonesia - Avian Influenza: One New Case
2 Oct 2007
World Health Orgaisation (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 21-year-old male from Jakarta Province developed symptoms on 18 Sept 2007, was hospitalized on 25 Sept 2007 and died in hospital on 28 Sept 2007. The investigation found that the case was an egg seller in a traditional market. All of the contacts remain healthy, where they will continue to be monitored for 10 days after their last contact with the case. Of the 107 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 86 have been fatal.

Bangladesh (Rajshahi) - Avian Influenza
27 Sept 2007
The Daily Star [edited]
Over 4500 fowls were culled on Tuesday night [25 Sept 2007] after detection of avian influenza virus at a poultry farm of Lahoripara union in Bogra [Rajshahi Division]. The poultry farm owner told journalists that after the death of 1317 fowls, he took samples to Jaypurhat Veterinary Research Centre for lab test on 22 Sept 2007. After the test, it was confirmed that those were affected by avian influenza (type H5). The District Livestock Resources officer said the farm was sealed off and 1-km (0.6 mi) area around it had been declared affected zone.

Thailand– Avian Influenza(PHICHIT)
27 Sept 2007
ChinaView, Xinhua News Agency report [edited]
The governor of northern Thailand's province of Phichit called an urgent meeting with livestock officials on Thursday [27 Sept 2007] after birds there were found to have died without cause. Preecha is considering whether to declare Phichit the bird flu zone, local newspaper Bangkok Post reported. The chief of Taphan Hin district of the province said that test results of carcasses of chickens raised by a villager were found to have the H5N1 virus. The local authorities have killed 90 chickens within a 1-km (0.6 mi) radius from the location. Transportation of birds is prohibited in the area unless receiving authorization from authorities, who are keeping a close watch on the spread of the virus within 5-km (3 mi) radius.

Indonesia – Avian Influenza - Riau: 2 suspected cases in children
24 Sept 2007
China View, Xinhua News Agency report [edited]
Two Indonesian children were in critical condition at a hospital in Riau Province with doctors strongly suspecting them of having developed bird flu symptoms in the country where 84 [85 according to WHO as of 10 Sept 2007 - Mod.CP] people already died of the virus. The 2 boys, ages one and 3, are being treated in isolated rooms at the Arifin Ahmad Hospital in the provincial capital of Pekanbaru. Laboratory tests by the hospital indicated that the 2 patients had bird flu but further tests in Jakarta are needed for confirmation. Over the last 2 years, bird flu killed 3 people in Riau alone.

Indonesia – Avian Influenza West Java: suspected case
23 Sept 2007
Channel NewsAsia, Agence France-Presse (AFP) report [edited]
An Indonesian woman suspected of being infected with bird flu has died in the West Java city of Bandung, hospital sources there said. The woman, who died on Saturday [22 Sept 2007], was showing symptoms of bird flu infection, such as fever, coughing, breathing difficulties, and low red blood count. If confirmed to be infected with the H5N1 strain of the virus, the woman would be the 86th human fatality in the country; 21 other people have been infected by the deadly H5N1 virus strain that causes bird flu, but have so far survived. H5N1 is endemic in birds across nearly all of Indonesia.

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