# 5338
My opinion of (mostly machine-translated) foreign media reports on disease outbreaks is essentially the same as what I’ve held about American television programs over the years;
I’m not particularly thrilled by their quality, but I tend to watch them all the same.
Disease surveillance and reporting – particularly in places like Indonesia and China – tend to be less than optimal, and so media outlets are usually our first (and sometimes only) source of outbreak information.
Unfortunately translations can produce vague, ambiguous, or sometimes misleading results. Other times stories are simply wrong, or blown out of proportion.
So I tend to approach all reports – even official ones – with a fair amount of skepticism.
But, as I say, I do watch them. And on occasion I highlight them here in this blog.
This week we are seeing poultry & wild bird outbreaks of bird flu in a host of countries, and in at least two (Indonesia & Cambodia), a number of potentially exposed people are said to be `under observation’.
It isn’t at all clear that any of these `suspect’ cases actually have the H5N1 virus.
So, with the appropriate caveats out of the way, a round up of a few H5N1 reports from around the globe.
Indonesia
On Monday, Ida at BFIC reported on a die-off of poultry in Garut, Indonesia and Dutchy started a thread Flutrackers which you can follow HERE.
In quick succession we saw stories posted by other newshounds indicating that the Indonesian government was sending more Tamiflu into the region, and that poultry deaths had been reported in 5 local villages over the previous 3 weeks, and that villagers were resisting government attempts to cull their flocks.
On Monday it was reported that 5 citizens with contact with infected poultry were under observation for `flu-like’ symptoms.
By Tuesday, that number had increased to 14. A typical report, posted by Treyfish, reads:
H5N1 raged in Garut, 600 Chicken Dead, 14 Citizens Influenza
By admin-February 22, 2011
At least 600 chickens died suddenly due to mengganasnya Avian Influenza (AI/H5N1), Sukaratu Village, and Village Banyuresmi Sukasari Banyuresmi Garut district, even up to now there are about 14 local residents suffering from severe influenza.
By Thursday, the headlines became a bit more concerning, although the large number of people under `observation’ appear to be so out of an abundance of caution.
This report was posted by Dutchy123 on FluTrackers.
163 Garut residents feared H5N1 Transmission
Thursday, February 24, 2011,
Officers destroy bird flu infected poultry
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, GARUT - Public Health Service, Garut regency, West Java, to supervise the 163 people who live in District Banyuresmi, because it was feared H5N1 virus or bird flu after the discovery of hundreds of chickens died suddenly fell ill from the virus.
Head of Communicable Diseases Eradication (P2M), Public Health Service, Garut regency, Dede Rohmansyah told reporters on Thursday, said the monitoring of citizens because otherwise have been in contact with dead or sick poultry.
It isn’t all all clear that any of these people under observation are genuinely suspected of having the virus. Today, however, we are seeing a report about at least one suspected human infection.
This, again, from Treyfish on FluTrackers.
Animal Husbandry Department Officers Suspected Bird Flu Virus Infected
Friday, February 25, 2011 | 16:16 pm
TEMPO Interactive, Garut - Head of Technical Services Unit Banyuresmi District Livestock Office, Garut regency, West Java, the initials EK, 49 years suspected of contracting the H5N1 virus or bird flu from poultry. "His condition began to improve, but still suspect bird flu," said Executive Responsible Garut Hospital Isolation Room, Asep Roni Aryanto, Friday (25 / 2).
Residents Cempaka Perum Bumi Indah, Lebak Jaya Village, District Karangpawitan, have not been allowed to go home. The hospital is still in intensive care in isolation rooms. EK admitted to hospital on Friday afternoon at around 12.00 pm.
For now, all we really have is a large outbreak of poultry deaths due to the H5N1 virus, a number of local villagers with `flu-like’ symptoms, and a lot of Tamiflu being passed out as a precaution.
Events that, quite frankly, we’ve seen before in Indonesia. But the newshounds will keep close watch on the situation, and I’ll post an update if more comes of it.
Vietnam
From Xinhua News, we learn that five new provinces in Vietnam are reporting outbreaks of H5N1.
Vietnam reports more cases of bird flu
HANOI, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Bird flu has been discovered in five more provinces in Vietnam, the Vietnam News Agency reported Friday.
According to the report, the cases were found in northern Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc, Lang Son, Nam Dinh provinces and Central Highland Kon Tum province.
Meanwhile, foot-and-mouth disease has been discovered in 19 provinces across the nation since the end of January. A total of about 700 buffaloes, cows and pigs were reported to be affected.
South Korea
The last OIE report, submitted on February 18th, listed 48 separate outbreaks since December. This, again from Xinhua News.
S Korea confirms additional case of bird flu
SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Friday confirmed an additional case of bird flu at a farm near Seoul.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said the new case of the H5N1 virus was confirmed at the chicken farm in Yeoju, about 100 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
About 30,000 chickens on the farm have been culled to prevent the spread of the disease, the ministry said.
The spread of the disease has shown signs of slowing down in February with only five confirmed cases, including the latest one.
A record 5.5 million birds have been put to death due to the disease, which began in December last year.
Bangladesh
While not necessarily making big headlines, Bangladesh continues to struggle with large numbers of H5N1 outbreaks in poultry. In an OIE Report submitted on Feb 24th, they list 22 new outbreaks so far in February.
India
Mizoram India is nestled between Bangladesh, Tripura, and Myanmar; nearly surrounded by bird flu endemic regions. As this New Kerala article tells us - the alert is on to prevent the introduction of H5N1 into their region.
Tripura, Mizoram on bird flu alert
Aizawl/Agartala, Feb 25 : Mizoram Friday sounded a bird flu alert following the outbreak of the avian influenza in neighbouring Tripura and also in Myanmar and Bangladesh, which border the state.
The authorities in Tripura, after the fresh cases of bird flu, have culled more than 6,000 ducks and poultry birds and are now busy with mopping, cleaning and disinfecting.
And to the above stories we could easily add ongoing reports out of Egypt, Cambodia, and Japan.
While none of these outbreaks appear unusual or particularly alarming, they do serve to remind us that the bird flu threat has not abated. The virus continues to circulate in wild & migratory birds, and poultry flocks, across large areas of the globe.
Despite the obvious concerns over human exposure to bird flu, the H5N1 virus remains primarily adapted to avian physiology. Humans have only rarely contracted the virus, usually after direct exposure to infected birds.
