H5N1 :: Avian Flu Hits Romanian Danube Delta :: Bird Refuge

Romania Discovers First European Bird Flu Cases in Domestic Ducks
Financial Times by Christopher Condon in Budapest
Published: October 8 2005 03:00 |

Romania yesterday reported the first cases of bird flu in Europe, confirming fears that the deadly virus is spreading rapidly along bird migratory routes from Asia.

Gheorghe Flutur, Romanian agriculture minister, said three ducks tested positive for the disease in the village of Ceamurlia de Jos in Tulcea county, just south of the Danube delta. The birds that tested positive were domestic ducks, meaning they probably contracted the disease from other birds that had migrated to the area.

  «« click on pic to enlarge
In the forest of reeds along the river and in the Danube delta, the great white heron and many other species of bird make their nests, while the rugged mountains are home to bears and wolves.

No human cases have been reported in Romania.

The World Health Organisation has confirmed 116 human cases of bird flu, all in Asia, and 63 deaths since the latest outbreak began in December 2003. So far, those cases have been blamed on H5N1, a strain of the virus that is difficult for humans to contract.

REPORT: 2,000 birds in Turkey dead of bird flu
ANKARA, Turkey – The birds belonged to a turkey farmer in a village near Balikesir in western Turkey, and the announcement was made by a provincial deputy governor who said that the transportation of animals into and out of the village was now forbidden, CNN-Turk reported.

Health officials have warned of the danger of a global pandemic, should the virus combine with another human borne virus to form a new strain, easily passed from human to human.

This week, scientists writing in the journals Nature and Science reported that the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed an estimated 40m people, was caused by a strain of avian flu similar to the one spreading across Asia now.

In Romania, officials had been on alert all year because the Danube delta, one of Europe’s largest wetlands, is a traditional wintering ground for millions of Siberian birds and thus represents a potential entry-point for the virus into Europe. More than 6,000 dead birds have been tested since January.

Two hours after discovering the virus, Romania suspended all hunting in the area, shutting down a lucrative business for many locals who serve as guides to foreign hunters.

Romania has done little to prepare for human cases of the disease. According to the Ministry of Health, the country does not produce, nor has it yet ordered, the H5N1 vaccine that many countries are now scrambling to manufacture.

Neighbouring Hungary is in the testing phase with its first batch of H5N1 vaccine and plans to begin producing 500,000 doses a week within the next two months.

Announcing The Flu Wiki – Please Read – Come Visit
by DemFromCT
Mon Jun 27th, 2005 at 01:13:57 PM PST

[promoted by BooMan]
Just a Bump in the Beltway, The Next Hurrah and Effect Measure blogs announce the launch of a new experiment in collaborative problem solving in public health, The Flu Wiki at http://www.fluwikie.com/.  

  «« click on pic for Iran article
An Indonesian worker vaccinates a chick on a farm to protect thousands of healthy chickens from bird flu virus in Banten town of West Java province. Iran is bracing for a probable bird flu outbreak, although no birds have so far been found contaminated with the H5N1 strain that is dangerous to humans.   Firman Saputra/Reuters

H5N1 :: Three Die in Indonesia -2-
by Oui ● Sat Aug 13th, 2005 at 07:14:30 AM PDT

Bird Flu In The News
by DemFromCT ● Thu Jul 21st, 2005 at 09:41:28 AM PST

Bird Flu: the Interim Strategy
by Dvx ● Thu Jun 2nd, 2005 at 06:24:27 AM PST

WHO: World one step closer to pandemic flu
by by foot ● Sun May 22nd, 2005 at 08:02:52 AM PST

CDC ● Europe WHO ● UN News – Flu Czar Warns

China’s Use Antiviral Drug Amantadine

Chinese farmers, acting with the approval and encouragement of government officials, have tried to suppress major bird flu outbreaks among chickens with an antiviral drug meant for humans, animal health experts said.

International researchers now conclude that this is why the drug will no longer protect people in case of a worldwide bird flu epidemic.

China’s use of the drug amantadine, which violated international livestock guidelines, was widespread years before China acknowledged any infection of its poultry, according to pharmaceutical company executives and veterinarians.

… Now, the only alternative is oseltamivir and closely related zanamivir, which stop the flu virus from leaving infected cells and attacking new ones. Oseltamivir is easier to use and has far greater sales.

“Amantadine is the cheapest drug against flu,” said Malik Peiris, an influenza expert at the University of Hong Kong. “It is much more affordable for many countries of the region. Now, it is clearly no longer an option.”

UN News Agency – Avian Flu Pandemic Could be Catastrophic Unless World Prepares

27 September 2005 – There will be another influenza pandemic and failure to prepare for it appropriately will have “catastrophic consequences,” the head of the United Nations health agency warned today, calling for national control plans worldwide and massive international collaboration to prevent the potential deaths of millions of people.

“There is a storm brewing that will test us all. We must anticipate it and prepare to the very best of our combined ability,” World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Lee Jong-wook told ministers of health from throughout the Americas, noting that the next pandemic will likely spring from the current Asian bird flu outbreak.

Dr. Lee Jong-wook

Addressing the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) 46th Directing Council meeting in Washington, he called on the ministers to support the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza launched recently by United States President George W. Bush at the United Nations General Assembly.

Ethics of Stockpiling Anti-viral Flu Drugs for Doctors’ Relatives Questioned