Guest guest Posted January 26, 2004 Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 > > >Bird flu outbreak spreads to Indonesia >A six-year-old Thai boy died of the disease late >Sunday, becoming the country's first confirmed >human fatality, as Indonesia became the seventh >country in Asia to confirm an outbreak in >chickens. > >BANGKOK, Thailand - A 6-year-old Thai boy became >Asia's seventh confirmed bird flu fatality, and >the government said Monday it was awaiting lab >results to determine whether the disease killed >four other people in a northern province. > >The World Health Organization said the search >for a vaccine had been set back because the >virus had mutated. A previous strain detected in >Hong Kong in 1997 can no longer be used as the >key to producing a vaccine, so an international >effort has become necessary, WHO said. > >Scientists believe people get the disease >through contact with sick birds. Although there >has been no evidence yet of human-to-human >transmission, health officials are concerned the >disease might mutate further and link with >regular influenza to create a form that could >trigger the next human flu pandemic. > >=This is now spreading too quickly for anybody >to ignore it, " said WHO spokesman Peter >Cordingley in Manila, Philippines. > >Officials in Bangkok said they were >investigating whether the virus might be carried >by migratory birds. > >The Thai boy, Captan Boonmanut, became infected >after he played with chickens in his village in >the central Kanchanaburi province. He died >Sunday night in a Bangkok hospital, becoming >Thailand's first confirmed death from the virus. > > FACT FILE Bird flu basics >The rapid spread of bird flu, which is not >uncommon among chickens and other fowl, has >caught the attention of global health >authorities. Click on the topics to the left to >learn more about the illness and why scientists >are so concerned.There are at least 15 different >types of avian influenza that routinely infect >birds around the world. The current outbreak is >caused by a strain known as H5N1, which is >highly contagious among birds and rapidly fatal. >Unlike many other strains of avian influenza, it >can be transmitted to humans, causing severe >illness and death. > >Bird flu is not the same as SARS (severe acute >respiratory syndrome). Although their symptoms >are similar, SARS is caused by completely >different viruses. Influenza viruses also are >more contagious and cannot be as readily >contained as SARS by isolating people who have >the infection.Influenza viruses are highly >unstable and have the ability to mutate rapidly, >potentially jumping from one animal species to >another. Scientists fear the bird flu virus >could evolve into a form that is easily spread >between people, resulting in an extremely >contagious and lethal disease. This could happen >if someone already infected with the human flu >virus catches the bird flu. The two viruses >could recombine inside the victim's body, >producing a hybrid that could readily spread >from person to person. > >The resulting virus likely would be something >humans have never been exposed to before. With >no immune defenses, the infection could cause >devastating illness, such as occurred in the >1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed an >estimated 40 million to 50 million worldwide.In >rural areas, the H5N1 virus is easily spread >from farm to farm among domestic poultry through >the feces of wild birds. The virus can survive >for up to four days at 71 F (22 C) and more than >30 days at 32 F (0 C). If frozen, it can survive >indefinitely. > >So far in this outbreak, human cases have been >blamed on direct contact with infected chickens >and their droppings. People who catch the virus >from birds can pass it on to other humans, >although the disease is generally milder in >those who caught it from an infected person >rather than from birds. > >If the virus mutates and combines with a human >influenza virus, it could be spread through >person-to-person transmission in the same way >the ordinary human flu virus is spread.The >current outbreak of bird flu is different from >earlier ones in that officials have been unable >to contain its spread. An outbreak in 1997 in >Hong Kong was the first time the virus had >spread to people, but it was much more quickly >contained. A total of 18 people were >hospitalized with six reported deaths. About 1.5 >million chickens were killed in an effort to >remove the source of the virus. > >Unlike the 1997 scare, this outbreak has spread >more rapidly to other countries, increasing its >exposure to people in varied locations and >raising the likelihood that the strain will >combine with a human influenza virus. Bird flu >can cause a range of symptoms in humans. Some >patients report fever, cough, sore throat and >muscle aches. Others suffer from eye infections, >pneumonia, acute respiratory distress and other >severe and life-threatening complications.Flu >drugs exist that may be used both to prevent >people from catching bird flu and to treat those >who have it. The virus appears to be resistant >to two older generic flu drugs, amantadine and >rimantadine. However, the newer flu drugs >Tamiflu and Relenza are expected to work - >though supplies could run out quickly if an >outbreak occurs. > >Currently there is no vaccine, although >scientists are working to develop one. It >probably will take several months to complete >and may not be ready in time to stop a >widespread human outbreak, if one occurs.Rapid >elimination of the H5N1 virus among infected >birds and other animals is essential to >preventing a major outbreak. The World Health >Organization recommends that infected or exposed >flocks of chickens and other birds be killed in >order to help prevent further spread of the >virus and reduce opportunities for human >infection. However, the agency warns that safety >measures must be taken to prevent exposure to >the virus among workers involved in >culling.Sources: AP, CDC & WHO * Printable >version >------------------------- >Four more suspected cases in Thailand >Four other people suspected of having bird flu >died in the northern Sukhothai province, >Thailand's Public Health Ministry said Monday. >Officials also are trying to determine whether >bird flu last week killed a 56-year-old man who >bred fighting cocks. > >Six people have died in neighboring Vietnam. If >all the deaths in Thailand are confirmed as >caused by bird flu, the toll would stand at 12. > >Pakistan on Monday joined the list of countries >affected by the disease that has sparked mass >chicken culls across the region. > >Pakistan said it detected a form of bird flu in >its chicken population that an industry official >said had killed up to 3.5 million birds. The >commissioner for livestock husbandry said it was >not a strain of bird flu that can spread to >humans - something that has happened in other >parts of Asia. > > " We have confirmed this. The strand that jumps >to humans is not in them, " commissioner Rafaqat >Hussain Raja said. > >WHO's Web site said the reported Pakistani >strains differ from the H5N1 strain blamed for >the human fatalities in the current outbreak, >but they have been known to infect humans. > >Frantic slaughter >Laos, meanwhile, fears it might also be hit by >the bird flu and is awaiting test results on the >nature of an illness killing its fowl, the U.N. >Food and Agriculture Organization said. > >Other Asian governments frantically slaughtered >chicken flocks in a desperate bid to contain the >disease, as well as the growing political >fallout from accusations that officials in two >countries - Thailand and Indonesia - initially >covered up outbreaks. > >Dr. Prasert Phongcharoen, a WHO adviser and >viral disease expert, urged caution in the >disposal of the chicken carcasses. If infected >chickens are thrown in rivers, " the virus could >spread to open pig farms and this could result >in transmission from pigs to humans, " he said. > >The virus would pass more easily from pigs to >humans because they are genetically closer, as >shown by the transplanting of pig organs into >humans, he said. > >So far, eight countries have reported some >strain of bird flu - Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, >Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and >Vietnam. > >Allegations of a cover-up >Indonesian officials earlier denied the >disease's presence, but the country's >veterinarian association said independent >investigations revealed that bird flu killed >millions of chickens over recent months. > >The Jakarta Post reported Monday that Indonesian >officials may have covered up the outbreak there >at the behest of politically connected >businessmen who feared it would harm their >interests. > >A team of agricultural experts said in December >they provided the government with test results >positively identifying the disease. A team >virologist, Dr. Marthen Malelo, said a powerful > " businessmen's lobby " prevented officials from >making the disease public. > >Indonesian officials denied the allegations. > > " It's not true. We have zero tolerance for >pressure from businessmen. We are talking about >the lives of people, " Agriculture Department >spokesman Hari Priyono said. > >Officials said the nation would start culling up >to 3.8 million chickens in East Java. Bali >already has slaughtered and burned thousands. > >The Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, >faced similar allegations that he covered up his >country's outbreak, which has been confirmed in >13 of 76 provinces. > >Thaksin said his government suspected " a couple >of weeks " ago that bird flu had struck his >nation but he did not tell the public because he >feared mass panic. > >Thailand has killed some 10 million chickens so far. > >The outbreak has devastated Thailand's chicken >export industry - the world's fourth-largest. >Its two biggest markets - Japan and the European >Union - have banned Thai imports. Thailand >shipped about 500,000 tons of chicken worth $1.3 >billion in 2003. > >Vietnam has slaughtered more than 3 million chickens. >© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights >reserved. This material may not be published, >broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. > -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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