January 29, 2008

 

Bird flu rearing its ugly head in Asia
 

 

Bird flu has picked up speed in Asia, killing two more Indonesian while ravaging poultry stocks in India and Bangladesh, and health officials are bracing for more possible outbreaks during the upcoming Lunar New Year.

 

Indonesia, the nation hardest-hit by bird flu, logged its 100th human death after the H5N1 bird flu virus killed a 9-year-old boy and a 20-year-old woman from the outskirts of Jakarta, said Joko Suyono of the National Bird Flu Center.

 

The boy fell ill Jan. 16 and died Sunday in Jakarta after testing positive, said Suyono. The woman developed symptoms Jan. 19 and died in a hospital.

 

Two other Indonesians in their 30s, who also tested positive, were being treated at a hospital in the capital, he said.

 

Indonesia has recorded nearly half of the 222 human bird flu deaths detected worldwide since the virus began afflicting poultry stocks in late 2003. It is one of the only countries to log human deaths year-round.

 

Bird flu typically flares during the winter months.

 

A number of countries, including Thailand, have recently reported fresh bird flu outbreaks in poultry following quiet periods.

 

India has recorded its worst-ever outbreaks as officials scramble to slaughter birds to try to stop the virus from spreading into Calcutta, where 14 million people live. The virus has already reached 13 of West Bengal state's 19 districts, and more than 1.6 million birds have been slaughtered since mid-January to try to contain it, state Animal Husbandry Minister Anisur Rahman said Sunday.

 

On Sunday, officials in neighbouring Bangladesh ordered the halt of all egg and poultry imports from India. All Indian trucks were ordered to be sprayed with disinfectant, regardless of their cargo.

 

Bangladesh, which shares a border with West Bengal, has also experienced a spate of recent poultry outbreaks. Bird flu was discovered in four new districts this month, bringing the total number of districts affected to 29, officials said.

 

Last week, Thailand reported its second bird flu case of the year. The first was reported in Nakhon Sawan province in the north while the second was reported over the weekend in Phichit, also in the north. The two cases are expected to impact trade talks to open up exports of fresh chicken between Thailand and Japan. The bird flu cases are not expected to impact on current Thai chicken exports as it is mainly in the form of cooked chickens, officials said.

 

Last week, Vietnam reported its first human case of the year after a man from northern Vietnam contracted the virus and died. China also confirmed its first instance of two family members - a father and son - being infected by the disease, but said there was no evidence that the virus has changed into a form that can easily be passed between humans.

 

China lifted a bird flu quarantine in Xinjiang province on Sunday after 35,000 birds were slaughtered following a December outbreak, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Farms in the area were disinfected, and workers who came into contact with sick birds showed no sign of infection, it said.

 

Health officials in both China and Vietnam have urged more strict control measures to keep the virus from spreading during the upcoming Lunar New Year festivities, when massive numbers of people and poultry are on the move.

 

Bird flu remains hard for humans to catch, but experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily among people, potentially sparking a pandemic. So far, most human cases have been traced to contact with sick birds.