Archived news about bird flu (avian influenza) (June 2004

30-06-2004

VIETNAM: Fresh bird flu outbreak kills 5,000 fowls in Vietnam

Bird flu has recurred in Vietnam, killing about 5,000 fowls, an official told Xinhua Wednesday. "Tests conducted in the regional veterinary center in Ho Chi Minh City have confirmed that all the fowls were tested positive for an H5 strain of bird flu," said Nguyen Phuc Tai, director of the veterinary department of Bac Lieu province.

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29-06-2004:

Bird flu is becoming more lethal

By Richard Black
BBC World Service science correspondent

A new study suggests that bird flu is becoming more dangerous each year.

Scientists in China and the US injected mice with samples of avian flu virus which emerged in different years.

They found that the newer forms of the virus kill more rapidly than their predecessors. The fear is that this will increase the risks to humans too.

The researchers, whose work is reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, say more action is needed to try to curb the spread of the virus.

"WHO have not adequately addressed the human/animal interface adequately. "
Professor Robert Webster

Now scientists have found evidence that it is mutating in ways which make it more lethal.

They took 21 different samples of H5N1 isolated over the years since 1997, and injected them into mice.

A strong pattern emerged - the most recent viruses kill the mice much faster - which would suggest it's also becoming more lethal to humans.

However, as Professor Robert Webster, from St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis points out, it has not yet acquired the most dangerous mutation.

He said: "The thing that's lacking so far in these viruses is the ability to transmit human to human.

"And that's the trick that we hope they don't achieve; but if they do, then we have very big problems."

Professor Webster's team has been able to document some of the genetic changes in the virus and understand what they do - for example enabling it to evade bits of the human immune system.

However, other mutations remain a mystery.

Professor Webster believes the mutations may be caused by the virus jumping from species to species.

As well as becoming more lethal, H5N1 is also now able to reproduce in more parts of the body than before.

The trend towards more dangerous forms of the virus is one which the researchers believe will continue.

Sudden change

The concern is that the virus will eventually accumulate enough genetic changes to become good at passing between humans.

Even more of a concern would be the sudden change that could be caused should the flu combine with a human flu in someone's body.

The two viruses could swap genes and create a potent hybrid as deadly as the bird strain and as contagious as a regular human strain.

Professor Webster, who runs a World Health Organization-affiliated laboratory studying animal diseases, believes the international community needs to put more resources into tracking bird flu if a major epidemic is to be avoided.

"WHO have not adequately addressed the human/animal interface adequately. It's difficult to do; I think it's on their radar screen now," he said.

The avian flu has forced authorities to slaughter millions of chickens and other fowl in Asia to stem outbreaks in recent years.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/3849127.stm Published: 2004/06/29 09:12:30 GMT

VIETNAM: Viet Nam continues preventing reoccurrence of bird flu

The Bird Flu Control Steering Committee is still monitoring the former previous bird flu-stricken hot spots for any latent outbreak areas and will continue guiding and taking measures to strictly control imports of poultry breeds and use timely prevention measures should a reoccurrence or outbreak of the epidemic return. The plan was revealed by Director Bui Quang Anh of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)'s Veterinary Department.