# 2225
This morning we have some news out of Nigeria via the FAO (the UN's Food & Agriculture Organization). Laboratory findings show that a new bird flu virus, previously unseen in Africa, has appeared in Nigeria's poultry.
First the article from the FAO Newsroom (slightly reformatted for readability), then a little discussion.
New bird flu strain detected in Nigeria
FAO calls for increased surveillance
11 August 2008, Rome - A strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza previously not recorded in sub-Saharan Africa has been detected in Nigeria for the first time, FAO said today. Nigeria has recently reported two new Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreaks in the states of Katsina and Kano.
Laboratory results from Nigeria and an FAO reference laboratory in Italy show that the newly discovered virus strain is genetically different from the strains that circulated in Nigeria during earlier outbreaks in 2006 and 2007. The new strain has never been reported before in Africa; it is more similar to strains previously identified in Europe (Italy), Asia (Afghanistan) and the Middle East (Iran) in 2007.
“The detection of a new avian influenza virus strain in Africa raises serious concerns as it remains unknown how this strain has been introduced to the continent,” warned Scott Newman, International Wildlife Coordinator of FAO’s Animal Health Service.
“It seems to be unlikely that wild birds have carried the strain to Africa, since the last migration of wild birds from Europe and Central Asia to Africa occurred in September 2007 and this year’s southerly migration into Africa has not really started yet,” Newman said.
“It could well be that there are other channels for virus introduction: international trade, for example, or illegal and unreported movement of poultry. This increases the risk of avian influenza spread to other countries in Western Africa.”
The prevalence of the H5N1 bird flu virus in sub Saharan Africa is largely unknown, although we've seen ample evidence that the virus is endemic in Nigeria, and presumably other countries as well.
Surveillance is generally poor, and in some countries, it is non-existent.
The FAO is working with many nations to improve this situation, and has provided technical assistance, equipment, and veterinary drugs to help combat avian flu in many of these countries.
Much of what we do know about what's going on in Africa comes from their efforts.
While only a handful of human cases have been reported in Africa, the true extent of such cases is unknown. Thousands of people die every day from a multitude of diseases in Africa. TB, Malaria, AIDS, Rift Valley fever, malnutrition, and a host of other factors take a terrible toll.
Many people die in their villages without ever seeing a doctor. Even in bigger cities, testing for the bird flu virus is rarely, if ever, done.
So we are left with precious little data, one way or another.
As you can see from this map (www.pandemicflu.gov), the H5N1 bird flu virus has spread across much of Asia, Europe, and has made inroads into Africa.
The question now is how did a `European strain' of bird flu suddenly end up in Nigeria?
