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| Credit OIE |
#13,913
The OIE has very recently published the notification from Egypt on the reassorted avian HPAI H5N2 virus reported 3 days ago by their Ministry of Agriculture (see Reassorted H5N2 Detected On Duck Farm).
This report (which serves as both an immediate notification & final report) tells us very little more than we knew previously, other than the location (Dakahlia Governorate) and the size of the flock affected.Egypt, which was declared endemic with H5N1 more than a decade ago, ceased regular reporting on outbreaks in 2008. They are, however, required to report new subtypes when they are detected.
After the break, I'll return with more on what we don't yet know.
Since the news broke, Arabic media has been on fire with stories - often conflicting - about the parental sources of this reassortment, its impact to date, and the threat going forward.
Pathfinder on FluTrackers has curated an excellent sampling of Arabic news reports on this event over the past 72 hours.On Monday, some reports had the virus a reassortment between H5N1 and H9N2, but over the past 24 hours I'm seeing more reports saying H5N8 and H9N2. Hopefully we'll get a clarification soon.
On Monday, we saw some officials downplaying the outbreak, as was reported by Youm7 (h/t Pathfinder).
Immunizations are able to deal with them
Member of the "Veterinarians": avian influenza H5n2 "" is not serious
Monday, 04 March 2019 05:21 PM
Dr. Zakaria El-Shennawy, Member of the Veterinary Veterinarians Association
I wrote Aya Dabbis
Dr. Zakaria Al-Shennawy, member of the Veterinary Veterinarians Council, said that the avian influenza known as H5n2, which the Ministry of Agriculture has announced recently, is not new and is not dangerous, pointing out that it is known to specialists of virus professors Since 2016, and that non-specialists should not intervene to express opinion and to inform the public, and that the role of professors of viruses and research centers to clarify the seriousness of the virus or not, and Egypt is rich in specialized professors, and the most efficient around the world.Earlier today, the Ministry of Agriculture reassured:
(Continue . . . )
Agriculture: H5N2 avian influenza vaccines available
Wednesday, 06 March 2019 - 12:59 PM
The official spokesman of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation d. Mohammed Al-Shark, said that all vaccines for the new avian influenza virus (H5n2) are available in the form of serum and vaccine, as well as shops for the sale of vaccines.
(Continue . . . .)
While it is certainly true that many of the H5 poultry vaccines are made from a modified H5N2 virus, that doesn't guarantee they will be a good match against any and all H5 viruses.
Eight months ago, in Sci. Reports: Efficacy Of AI Vaccines Against The H5N8 Virus in Egypt, researchers wrote:
Our results indicate that most of the commercial poultry H5 vaccines used in the present study were ineffective because the seed viruses in these vaccines are genetically distinct from the H5N8 viruses currently circulating in Egypt.A 2012 study (see Egypt: A Paltry Poultry Vaccine), found only one of six commercially available H5 poultry vaccines then deployed in Egypt actually appeared to offer protection.
Although some of the commercial vaccines protected chickens from mortality, they failed to prevent chickens from shedding the virus. Accordingly, we recommend updating and reinforcing the H5N8 prevention and control strategies in Egypt. The vaccination strategy should be reconsidered based on currently circulating viruses.
While it may be comforting to say they have an H5N2 vaccine, until the currently available vaccines have been tested against this emerging virus, there's no way to know whether any of them are effective.Today, despite a lack of any solid information, we are seeing a more worried tone in the Egyptian press and reports that seem to contradict the two previous media reports, particularly regarding the efficacy of the currently available poultry vaccine.
(Translated)
Veterans: A new strain of avian influenza virus is more ferocious
Wednesday, March 06, 2019 - 05:50 PM
Mohamed Ghaly
Dr. Yusef Al-Abd, a member of the Veterinarians' Council and Chairman of the Pharmaceutical and Corporate Committee, said that a new strain of H5N2, a highly virulent strain of bird flu, has been discovered and is currently being tested to prepare a new vaccine to combat the new strain and reduce its risk. On the poultry production sector.
Al-Abd, in remarks to the country's echo, said the source of the strain was a duck farm in Dakahlia, which resulted in many deaths in birds, especially poultry, adding that avian influenza has been settled in Egypt since 2006. The member of the Veterinary Council said that the battle of windmills was caused by the lack of a plan to eliminate The virus is from its roots, pointing out that it was only opening the door for the import of vaccines for avian flu, from China and it does not work, because of the different type of strain in Egypt than its counterpart in China, and vary from one country to another.
(Continue . . . )Getting good information out of Egypt has been notoriously difficult for years, so hopefully the Egyptian government is sharing this virus with an outside reference laboratory that will be more forthcoming.
For now, about all we can do is watch and wait - and hope this reassorted H5N2 virus has been contained - and hasn't already hitched a ride aboard some northbound duck homesick for their summer roosting areas.But even if it has been contained, since this reassortment happened once, it can certainly happen again. As can many other combinations. Which is why the recent lull in avian flu activity around the world is not likely to last.
Because Nature's laboratory remains open 24/7, and it has no oversight committee.
