The situation with this killer disease has gotten worse in the last few months, spreading further in Vietnam and now showing up in N Korea. It is feared that it will spread in all of Asia... then make it across the oceans. I'm surprised that there has not been more of an international effort to fight this spreading disease. Would it possibly be the plan to let such an epidemic take hold of Asia and weaken it in that manner?
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L07665700.htm
Deadly bird flu could spread beyond Asia
07 Apr 2005 18:49:18 GMT
Source: Reuters
By David Evans
PARIS, April 7 (Reuters) - The bird flu outbreak that has recently killed 50 people in Asia and cost the region billions of dollars could spread to other parts of the world, the global animal health body OIE said on Thursday.
"The potential for the disease to spread to other continents is real and the international scientific community cannot remain insensitive to the challenge of preventing this happening," OIE Director-General Bernard Vallat told a conference in Paris.
The H5N1 influenza virus, which has killed people in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia since it hit Asia in 2003, has also devastated trade and led to the destruction of tens of millions of chickens and other birds across the region.
A strain of the disease has recently surfaced in North Korea, causing a cull of hundreds of thousands of chickens.
Experts fear that if the H5N1 virus mutated into a more contagious form, it might unleash a global flu pandemic that could kill millions of people.
Full Version: N Korea now affected
Common Ground Common Sense > Issues that Affect Our Lives > Health Care > Health Care Issues Archive
Ducks may be a resevoir for the H5N1 virus (avian influenza). The virus has been shown to mutate in ducks. Since 2002 the virus has evolved in such a way that the ducks are now shedding virus for longer periods of time than pre-2002. Chickens excrete virus in feces, whereas ducks shed virus through respiratory droplets. The virus apparently doesn't cause disease in ducks but can be spread to chickens from ducks and will cause disease in chickens.
QUOTE
Ducks are 'a big' bird flu threat
The team studied mallard ducks
Domestic ducks may pose a major threat of spreading avian flu to animals and humans, scientists believe.
Not only do they harbour the virus with few signs, making it hard to spot, the virus mutates in them, meaning they could cause a large human outbreak.
The International team, including experts from China, Indonesia, Thailand, the US and Vietnam, tested ducks in the lab.
Their findings appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Millions of chicken and other fowl have died or been destroyed in bird flu outbreaks in several East Asian nations since 2003.
The deadliest strain - H5N1 - has killed 38 people in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand and four in Cambodia since late 2003.
Humans catch the disease through close contact with live infected birds.
Birds excrete the virus in their faeces, which dries and becomes pulverised, and is then inhaled.
To date, the main focus has been on infected chickens. However, more recently cases have been reported in domestic ducks.
Trojan horse
Now Dr Robert Webster, from St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, the US, and colleagues believe these animals have become the "Trojan horse" of the virus - a silent reservoir of infection.
They infected two four-week-old mallard ducks with various strains of the virus isolated in 1997-2004 from humans or poultry throughout South Asia, including H5N1.
Four hours later they placed these in the same cage as two other non-infected ducks.
The researchers observed what happened to the birds over the next 21 days.
A primary concern remains the possibility of the virus evolving so that it can transfer readily from human to human
A spokeswoman from the Health Protection Agency
Both of the infected ducks shed the virus, mainly through the upper respiratory tract rather than in their droppings.
Both of the other two ducks caught the virus, and one completely cleared it by day seven.
The team found that viral characteristics had changed since 2002.
Ducks infected with H5N1 from 2003 or 2004 shed the virus for 11-17 days, a longer transmission time than pre-2002 strains.
Although the virus no longer caused disease in healthy ducks exposed to it, it was still able to cause disease in chickens.
Dr Webster and colleagues told PNAS: "Here we show that these H5N1 viruses are reverting to nonpathogenicity in ducks.
"Since this newer strain is still potentially harmful to humans, ducks may play a role in spreading further outbreaks."
The real danger is that a mutation will arise that will mean the virus can spread directly between humans.
Species jump
A spokeswoman from the Health Protection Agency said: "The research offers some interesting new information relating to disease in ducks.
"However, the relationship of this work or implications for human health or human transmission remain speculative, but clearly work in this area is of great interest and reported results are welcomed.
"A primary concern remains the possibility of the virus evolving so that it can transfer readily from human to human, however this is not an issue that this research addresses."
A spokeswoman from the World Health Organization said: "The spread of avian influenza viruses in animals needs to be monitored, as these are viruses that have proven their ability to jump the species barrier."
Dr Juan Lubroth, an expert in avian flu from the Food and Agriculture Organization, said the lab work supported what they were seeing in their field work in Asia.
He said it was important to look at ways of controlling the infection, such as vaccinating healthy animals, culling infected ones and encouraging better farming practices.
For example, ensuring farmers are financially compensated for any animals lost to culling could encourage them to alert authorities to cases of infection, he said.
The team studied mallard ducks
Domestic ducks may pose a major threat of spreading avian flu to animals and humans, scientists believe.
Not only do they harbour the virus with few signs, making it hard to spot, the virus mutates in them, meaning they could cause a large human outbreak.
The International team, including experts from China, Indonesia, Thailand, the US and Vietnam, tested ducks in the lab.
Their findings appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Millions of chicken and other fowl have died or been destroyed in bird flu outbreaks in several East Asian nations since 2003.
The deadliest strain - H5N1 - has killed 38 people in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand and four in Cambodia since late 2003.
Humans catch the disease through close contact with live infected birds.
Birds excrete the virus in their faeces, which dries and becomes pulverised, and is then inhaled.
To date, the main focus has been on infected chickens. However, more recently cases have been reported in domestic ducks.
Trojan horse
Now Dr Robert Webster, from St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, the US, and colleagues believe these animals have become the "Trojan horse" of the virus - a silent reservoir of infection.
They infected two four-week-old mallard ducks with various strains of the virus isolated in 1997-2004 from humans or poultry throughout South Asia, including H5N1.
Four hours later they placed these in the same cage as two other non-infected ducks.
The researchers observed what happened to the birds over the next 21 days.
A primary concern remains the possibility of the virus evolving so that it can transfer readily from human to human
A spokeswoman from the Health Protection Agency
Both of the infected ducks shed the virus, mainly through the upper respiratory tract rather than in their droppings.
Both of the other two ducks caught the virus, and one completely cleared it by day seven.
The team found that viral characteristics had changed since 2002.
Ducks infected with H5N1 from 2003 or 2004 shed the virus for 11-17 days, a longer transmission time than pre-2002 strains.
Although the virus no longer caused disease in healthy ducks exposed to it, it was still able to cause disease in chickens.
Dr Webster and colleagues told PNAS: "Here we show that these H5N1 viruses are reverting to nonpathogenicity in ducks.
"Since this newer strain is still potentially harmful to humans, ducks may play a role in spreading further outbreaks."
The real danger is that a mutation will arise that will mean the virus can spread directly between humans.
Species jump
A spokeswoman from the Health Protection Agency said: "The research offers some interesting new information relating to disease in ducks.
"However, the relationship of this work or implications for human health or human transmission remain speculative, but clearly work in this area is of great interest and reported results are welcomed.
"A primary concern remains the possibility of the virus evolving so that it can transfer readily from human to human, however this is not an issue that this research addresses."
A spokeswoman from the World Health Organization said: "The spread of avian influenza viruses in animals needs to be monitored, as these are viruses that have proven their ability to jump the species barrier."
Dr Juan Lubroth, an expert in avian flu from the Food and Agriculture Organization, said the lab work supported what they were seeing in their field work in Asia.
He said it was important to look at ways of controlling the infection, such as vaccinating healthy animals, culling infected ones and encouraging better farming practices.
For example, ensuring farmers are financially compensated for any animals lost to culling could encourage them to alert authorities to cases of infection, he said.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.