The detection of an H1N1 virus in turkeys in Chile raises concern that poultry farms elsewhere in the world could also become infected with the pandemic flu virus currently circulating in humans, FAO said today.
Chilean authorities reported on 20 August that the pandemic H1N1/2009 virus was present in turkeys in two farms near the seaport of Valparaiso, Chile. The flu strain found in the poultry flocks is identical to the H1N1/2009 pandemic strain currently circulating among human populations around the world.
No threat to humans
However, the discovery of the virus in turkeys does not pose any immediate threat to human health and turkey meat can still be sold commercially following veterinary inspection and hygienic processing.
"The reaction of the Chilean authorities to the discovery of H1N1 in turkeys -- namely prompt reporting to international organizations, establishing a temporary quarantine, and the decision to allow infected birds to recover rather than culling them -- is scientifically sound," said FAO's interim Chief Veterinary Officer, Juan Lubroth.
"Once the sick birds have recovered, safe production and processing can continue. They do not pose a threat to the food chain," said Lubroth.
Disease monitoring
The current H1N1 virus strain is a mixture of human, pig and bird genes and has proved to be very contagious but no more deadly than common seasonal flu viruses. However, it could theoretically become more dangerous if it adds virulence by combining with H5N1, commonly known as avian flu, which is far more deadly but harder to pass along among humans.
"Chile does not have H5N1 flu. In South-East Asia where there is a lot of the virus circulating in poultry, the introduction of H1N1 in these populations would be of a greater concern," said Lubroth.
This is one reason why FAO encourages improved monitoring of health among animals and ensuring that hygienic and good farming practice guidelines are followed, including protecting farm workers if animals are sick and not allowing sick workers near animals.
"We must monitor the situation in animals more closely and strengthen veterinary services in poor and in-transition countries. They need adequate diagnostic capability and competent and suitably resourced field teams that can respond to emergency needs," Lubroth said.
This phenomenon is called genetic reassortment or recombination -- which may happen in case of simultaneous viral infections of any of the hosts.
This is now the fourth country that is investigating the spill-over of H1N1/2009 virus from farm workers showing flu-like illness to animals, with swine becoming infected in Canada, Argentina and, most recently, Australia.
Even though the clinical infections in pigs and turkeys so far observed have been generally mild, it is important to bear in mind that the establishment of pandemic H1N1 virus in pig and poultry farms has the potential to bring about negative economic consequences such as trade related restrictions and misguided perceptions of the quality and safety of meat products, according to FAO.
The emergence of new influenza virus strains capable of affecting humans and domestic animals remains a broader, more general concern that is being closely monitored by FAO, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization
воскресенье, 3 июля 2011 г.
суббота, 2 июля 2011 г.
Twelfth Confirmed Human Case Of Bird Flu, China
China's Ministry of Health has confirmed that a 20 year old woman had bird flu infection, the H5N1 strain - the most lethal one. This brings the total number to twelve human cases of bird flu infection in the country.
The woman developed bird flu symptoms on 27th January and was hospitalised with severe pneumonia. She died on February 4th.
She became ill just after the poultry in her household had been culled.
Of the twelve cases of human infection in China, eight have died.
Written by:
The woman developed bird flu symptoms on 27th January and was hospitalised with severe pneumonia. She died on February 4th.
She became ill just after the poultry in her household had been culled.
Of the twelve cases of human infection in China, eight have died.
Written by:
пятница, 1 июля 2011 г.
Vietnam last on vaccine list
Contact: Claire Bowles
claire.bowlesrbi
44-207-331-2751
New Scientist
DRUG company contracts and intellectual property rights are impeding efforts to ensure an outbreak of bird flu in Vietnam does not result in a deadly human pandemic.
All the victims so far got the disease from poultry, but the big fear is that the virus could turn into a form capable of spreading from person to person.
A flu vaccine that might help prevent this will soon become available, but instead of going to Vietnam it will be sent to rich countries to fulfil existing contracts.
And researchers who have created vaccines that might save us if the bird flu does start spreading between people are unsure how to proceed without falling foul of patent rights.
Doctors have been warning for years that another flu pandemic as deadly as the 1918 one is inevitable, and many worry it could be about to happen.
After an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in poultry, Vietnam has reported 18 suspected human cases, 15 of whom have died. The World Health Organization has so far confirmed that five of the cases were caused by the H5N1 strain.
Unlike previous H5N1 outbreaks, the victims are mostly children. So far there is no sign of the bird virus spreading between people. But if someone is infected by H5N1 and a normal human flu virus at the same time, the viruses could recombine.
This might give rise to a new virus able to spread among people as easily as human flu but far more deadly, partly because it would bear the bird flu's H5 and N1 surface proteins, which human immune systems have not been primed to recognise.
To prevent this, the WHO wants to give the normal flu vaccine to everyone who might come into contact with sick poultry, as has been done in past outbreaks of bird flu.
The Belgian-based company Solvay, a major flu vaccine producer, is supplying the WHO with the vaccine used in the northern hemisphere this winter. But research published last week by the US Centers for Disease Control shows that this vaccine will not prevent most infections, because it is not effective against the Fujian strain now circulating.
The vaccine for the next southern hemisphere winter, which will be available in February, will protect against Fujian. But Solvay and Glaxo SmithKline have both told New Scientist that they must first supply the vaccine to contracted customers in countries like Australia, and are unlikely to have any left for Vietnam.
If the H5N1 does start spreading between humans, a specific vaccine against it will be needed. Two labs, the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) in the UK and St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, have each made an H5N1 vaccine virus in cell cultures which could be used to mass produce a vaccine.
Neither have been tested yet against the specific H5N1 strain found in Vietnam but both protect animals against similar strains. Standard production methods do not work for H5N1 vaccines, partly because the virus kills the chick embryos normally used to grow flu vaccine.
Instead, the labs used a technique called 'reverse engineering', which involves using genetic sequences called plasmids. The reverse engineering patent, however, is held by the biotech company Medimmune of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and the plasmids used are patented by various companies, all of whom will be entitled to payment if their property is used to make a commercial product.
Wood says he doesn't know how the experimental vaccine can possibly be put into production quickly when there are complicated patent issues involved.
'You can't sort these things out when there's a pandemic sweeping the world.'
'If people felt we were facing a pandemic situation, we would waive intellectual property rights,' says Jamie Lacey of Medimmune, but it is not clear whether the other patent holders would do the same.
Of course, if a serious pandemic took hold, worries about patents would be swept aside. But delays in vaccine production caused by the initial uncertainty could cost many lives.
Wood says there should be a clearly defined 'trigger' point at which health authorities will be allowed to press ahead with plans for producing a vaccine without fear of violating patent laws.
New Scientist issue: 24th January 2004
PLEASE MENTION NEW SCIENTIST AS THE SOURCE OF THIS STORY AND, IF PUBLISHING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A HYPERLINK TO: newscientist.
'These articles are posted on this site to give advance access to other authorised media who may wish to quote extracts as part of fair dealing with this copyrighted material. Full attribution is required, and if publishing online a link to newscientist is also required. Advance permission is required before any and every reproduction of each article in full - please contact celia.thomasrbi. Please note that all material is copyright of Reed Business Information Limited and we reserve the right to take such action as we consider appropriate to protect such copyright.'
Written by Debora MacKenzie
UK CONTACT - Claire Bowles, New Scientist
Press Office, London:
Tel: 44-0-20-7331-2751 or email claire.bowlesrbi
claire.bowlesrbi
44-207-331-2751
New Scientist
DRUG company contracts and intellectual property rights are impeding efforts to ensure an outbreak of bird flu in Vietnam does not result in a deadly human pandemic.
All the victims so far got the disease from poultry, but the big fear is that the virus could turn into a form capable of spreading from person to person.
A flu vaccine that might help prevent this will soon become available, but instead of going to Vietnam it will be sent to rich countries to fulfil existing contracts.
And researchers who have created vaccines that might save us if the bird flu does start spreading between people are unsure how to proceed without falling foul of patent rights.
Doctors have been warning for years that another flu pandemic as deadly as the 1918 one is inevitable, and many worry it could be about to happen.
After an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in poultry, Vietnam has reported 18 suspected human cases, 15 of whom have died. The World Health Organization has so far confirmed that five of the cases were caused by the H5N1 strain.
Unlike previous H5N1 outbreaks, the victims are mostly children. So far there is no sign of the bird virus spreading between people. But if someone is infected by H5N1 and a normal human flu virus at the same time, the viruses could recombine.
This might give rise to a new virus able to spread among people as easily as human flu but far more deadly, partly because it would bear the bird flu's H5 and N1 surface proteins, which human immune systems have not been primed to recognise.
To prevent this, the WHO wants to give the normal flu vaccine to everyone who might come into contact with sick poultry, as has been done in past outbreaks of bird flu.
The Belgian-based company Solvay, a major flu vaccine producer, is supplying the WHO with the vaccine used in the northern hemisphere this winter. But research published last week by the US Centers for Disease Control shows that this vaccine will not prevent most infections, because it is not effective against the Fujian strain now circulating.
The vaccine for the next southern hemisphere winter, which will be available in February, will protect against Fujian. But Solvay and Glaxo SmithKline have both told New Scientist that they must first supply the vaccine to contracted customers in countries like Australia, and are unlikely to have any left for Vietnam.
If the H5N1 does start spreading between humans, a specific vaccine against it will be needed. Two labs, the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) in the UK and St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, have each made an H5N1 vaccine virus in cell cultures which could be used to mass produce a vaccine.
Neither have been tested yet against the specific H5N1 strain found in Vietnam but both protect animals against similar strains. Standard production methods do not work for H5N1 vaccines, partly because the virus kills the chick embryos normally used to grow flu vaccine.
Instead, the labs used a technique called 'reverse engineering', which involves using genetic sequences called plasmids. The reverse engineering patent, however, is held by the biotech company Medimmune of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and the plasmids used are patented by various companies, all of whom will be entitled to payment if their property is used to make a commercial product.
Wood says he doesn't know how the experimental vaccine can possibly be put into production quickly when there are complicated patent issues involved.
'You can't sort these things out when there's a pandemic sweeping the world.'
'If people felt we were facing a pandemic situation, we would waive intellectual property rights,' says Jamie Lacey of Medimmune, but it is not clear whether the other patent holders would do the same.
Of course, if a serious pandemic took hold, worries about patents would be swept aside. But delays in vaccine production caused by the initial uncertainty could cost many lives.
Wood says there should be a clearly defined 'trigger' point at which health authorities will be allowed to press ahead with plans for producing a vaccine without fear of violating patent laws.
New Scientist issue: 24th January 2004
PLEASE MENTION NEW SCIENTIST AS THE SOURCE OF THIS STORY AND, IF PUBLISHING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A HYPERLINK TO: newscientist.
'These articles are posted on this site to give advance access to other authorised media who may wish to quote extracts as part of fair dealing with this copyrighted material. Full attribution is required, and if publishing online a link to newscientist is also required. Advance permission is required before any and every reproduction of each article in full - please contact celia.thomasrbi. Please note that all material is copyright of Reed Business Information Limited and we reserve the right to take such action as we consider appropriate to protect such copyright.'
Written by Debora MacKenzie
UK CONTACT - Claire Bowles, New Scientist
Press Office, London:
Tel: 44-0-20-7331-2751 or email claire.bowlesrbi
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