Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

(CIDRAP News) – An avian influenza outbreak on a commercial poultry farm in eastern Maryland was confirmed over the weekend by the US Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, jump-starting quarantines, culling, and widespread testing.

(CIDRAP News) – More birds have died or been sacrificed in the current avian influenza outbreaks in Asia than in the five largest previous outbreaks of avian flu, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday.

(CIDRAP News) – Animal disease outbreaks and concerns, including avian influenza and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), are currently reducing global meat and animal exports by about one third, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.

(CIDRAP News) – United Nations officials at a conference in Bangkok predicted it will take a year or more and cost at least $500 million to eradicate H5N1 avian influenza and rebuild the poultry industry in Asia, according to news service reports.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) today reported Thailand's 10th confirmed human case of H5N1 avian influenza, marking the first new case confirmation anywhere since Feb 23.

The case involved a 47-year-old woman who has already recovered, the WHO said. She became ill Feb 3 after exposure to diseased and dead chickens at her home and was discharged from a hospital Feb 25, the agency said.

(CIDRAP News) – A detailed report on 10 Vietnamese patients who had H5N1 avian influenza, including eight who died, suggests that no currently available drugs are very effective against the disease.

(CIDRAP News) – Genetic analysis has shown that an avian influenza outbreak at a poultry farm in Texas involves a highly pathogenic H5N2 virus, but it poses little risk to humans, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today.

(CIDRAP News) – The H5N1 avian influenza virus has killed two house cats in Thailand, but the event probably does not signal an increased threat to human health, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

(CIDRAP News) – Two more human deaths caused by H5N1 avian influenza were reported today, while United Nations health officials again warned that it will take intense efforts to contain the disease.

Officials in Thailand confirmed a fatal case of H5N1 infection in a 4-year-old boy, who died Feb 3, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. Thailand has had nine human cases, including seven deaths.

(CIDRAP News) – A second outbreak of avian influenza was reported in Japan today, while a United Nations (UN) animal health official suggested it may not be possible to eradicate the disease in Asia.