India: HPAI Behind Massive Duck Die Off In Kerala

Credit Wikipedia

 

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With highly pathogenic avian flu turning up in Europe, and continual reports of outbreaks in across much of Asia (see China: H5 AI Rising), we are understandably interested whenever there is a large, unexplained bird die off anywhere in the world.

Last week the Indian press carried reports of a large, and ongoing die off of ducks in Kerala, near Kuttanad – a low lying rice growing region of Southern India - which switches over to duck farming each fall after the rice harvest is in.

 

Based on that report,  there was a die off last spring as well, and a variety of explanations have been offered – including weed killers and chemicals used in the rice paddy.  This fall, however, the die off has accelerated.

 

5,000 Ducks Die of Epidemic in Kuttanad

By Express News Service

Published: 19th November 2014 06:00 AM

(EXCERPT)

Experts from the Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, KVASU, Mannuthy, had reported in one of their studies in October that ‘pasteurellosis’ and ‘aflatoxicosis’ had affected the duck population in Kuttanad, and almost 250 ducks died in the outbreak.

But the farmers presented a different picture. They said the disease had killed more than 25,000 ducks in October first week. It had spread to Thakazhi, Edathua, Veeyapuram and other areas in Upper Kuttanad. This time the killer disease has appeared again in November and places like Kainakari, Nedumudi and Mankombu have been affected, they said. 

(Continue . . . )

 

Today the Indian press is carrying word that testing by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases has revealed an (undisclosed subtype) highly pathogenic avian influenza virus is behind this die off.  This from the Indian Express.

 

Tests confirm Kerala duck deaths caused by avian influenza

Written by Shaju Philip | Thiruvananthapuram | Posted: November 24, 2014 5:03 pm

Kerala Animal Husbandry Department on Monday said avian influenza virus was behind the massive death of ducks in Kuttanad region of Alappuzha district.

Reports from Alappuzha said 17,000 ducks had died in recent days. Kuttanad is Kerala’s prominent paddy-growing region, where scores of farmers are engaged in rearing duck.

Kerala Animal Husbandry Minister K P Mohanan said preventive steps would be soon initiated to contain the disease. The avian flu was confirmed after lab tests at National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal. He said veterinary kits would be disturbed in the region and if necessary, birds would be culled to prevent the disease’s spread to other regions.

(Continue . . . )

 

The identity of this avian flu has not been disclosed, and as of this writing I’ve found no OIE report published.  Perhaps we’ll learn more later today.

Kerala is an important over-wintering spot for scores of avian species, which flock to the warm tropical wetlands of southern India each fall. 

 

According to The Hindu  2011 report Migratory birds arrive in Kerala, most of these birds hail  from the . . . Eurasia region; Siberia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and other area north of the Himalayan regions. Some of the birds are also from the Himalayan region.  . . .  The migratory species arriving include godwits, terns, ospreys, golden plovers, pratincoles, several species of ducks and waders like sandpipers and plovers.

There are, admittedly, a number of bird flu strains that could be behind this outbreak.  In recent months we’ve seen the emergence of HPAI H5N8, H5N3, H5N6, H10N8 and new clades of H5N1 and H7N9 (not normally pathogenic in birds) continue to emerge.

For more on this you may wish to revisit these recent related blogs:

FAO On The Potential Threat Of HPAI Spread Via Migratory Birds

Bird Flu Spread: The Flyway Or The Highway?

EID Journal: Subclinical HPAI In Vaccinated Poultry – China

VOA Report On The Indonesian Duck Die Off

 

 

 

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Reports this week that clade 2.3.2 of the H5N1 virus has shown up in Indonesia (where previously clade 2.1 has reigned) have also included stories of large, sudden die offs of ducks (see Report: Clade 2.3.2 H5N1 Detected In Indonesia).

 

Although mortality from H5N1 in ducks isn’t unheard of, ducks - along with other waterfowl - are often able to carry the H5N1 virus without serious ill effect. 

 

In Reservoir Ducks we looked at a 2007 warning from the FAO:

 

FAO warns H5N1 may be lurking in Europe

Oct 26, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – Apparently healthy domestic geese and ducks in Europe may be harboring the H5N1 avian influenza virus, posing a risk to other poultry and to humans who have contact with them, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned in a statement yesterday.

 

In 2009, a leading virologist (see Webster On China's `Silent' Bird Flu Infections) warned in this Reuters Report that:

 

Most types of ducks are not sickened by the virus and in most countries in Asia, they mingle freely with chickens, providing ample opportunity for the virus to jump between species.

 

'The problem is in the ducks in Asia, there is no visible disease in these birds,' said Webster of the St Jude Children's Research Hospital in the United States.

 

The absence of visible infection in poultry makes it harder to track the disease and take preventive measures.

 

All of which makes the sudden death of 300,000 ducks in central Java a bit surprising.  First, a report from VOA NEWS, and then I’ll be back with more.

 

 

Indonesia Identifies New Strain of Bird Flu

Kate Lamb

December 12, 2012

(EXCERPT)

In recent weeks, more than 300,000 ducks have died on the densely populated island of Java.

 

The government has since confirmed the deaths were caused by a new and highly pathogenic strain of H5N1, or bird flu.

 

Dr. Rita M. Ridwan, the director of disease control at the Indonesian Health Ministry, says the government is working closely with relevant ministries to investigate further.

 

“So we are in close contact by sharing information, sharing the virus lab and even working together in the field to do field investigations," Ridwan explained.  "I know there are very alarming deaths in the duck population, mostly in the center of duck production by the traditional farming as well as in central Java and East Java.”

(Continue . . . )

 

 

 

While it may seem counterintuitive that a species of waterfowl that normally can carry the H5N1 virus without harm is dying in droves, research has shown that even minor variations in the bird flu virus can greatly affect its pathogenicity.

 

Last April, in Differences In Virulence Between Closely Related H5N1 Strains, we looked at experiments done on mice and ducks with two variants of the same H5N1 clade (2.3.2.1), and the different mortality rates they produced.

 

And among known human H5N1 cases reported to the World Health Organization, in Bangladesh, of the 6 known cases, none have died, while in Cambodia 19 of 21 have succumbed to the virus.  In Egypt, the CFR is running about 35%, while in Indonesia, it is nearly 83%.

 

Although there are likely many factors involved in causing this disparity in CFR – including quality of, and delays in seeking medical care – it suggests that the H5N1 virus is more virulent in some regions of the world than in others.

 

Whatever is driving this higher mortality in ducks is currently a mystery, but is hopefully one that can be solved with a closer analysis of the virus.

South Korea Investigating Cheonan Duck Farm

 

 

# 5187

 

 

After three detections of the H5N1 bird flu virus in wild and/or migratory birds this month (see South Korea Finds 2 H5N1 Infected Owls and Korea: Bird Flu Discovered In Teal Ducks), it comes as little surprise that Korean Agriculture authorities are now investigating a duck farm where some of the birds there are showing signs suggestive of avian flu.

 

First the AFP report, appearing on Terra Daily, then some background.

 

S.Korea reports suspected bird flu case

by Staff Writers
Seoul (AFP) Dec 29, 2010

A South Korean duck farm has reported a suspected case of bird flu, the agriculture ministry said Wednesday.

 

A quarantine zone has been declared around a farm in Cheonan, about 90 kilometres (54 miles) south of Seoul, where ducks showed symptoms of avian influenza, the ministry said.

(Continue . . .)

 

Testing is underway, and we should know in a day or so if this is, indeed, H5N1.

 

South Korea has seen three previous major outbreaks of avian influenza in their poultry population.  The first in the winter of 2003-2004, and then a second time in 2006.

The largest, and most costly outbreak occurred in April of 2008, which resulted in the culling of more than 8 million birds.  You can read some of the coverage of that outbreak in these blogs:

 

Korea: Cat Death Attributed To Bird Flu

South Korea Investigating New Outbreak

S. Korea Finds 2 More Suspected Outbreaks

 

At the same time as these Korean outbreaks in 2008, Japan reported the discovery of the H5N1 virus in four swans in Akita Prefecture (see Japan Confirms Swans Infected With H5N1).

 

Similarly, this month Japan and Korea are once again both reporting multiple instances of H5N1 in wild and/or migratory birds.  I’ve plotted the general locations on the map below.

 

All of which has agricultural interests in Japan and Korea on high alert, in hopes of avoiding another widespread outbreak like was seen two years ago.

Japan: Detection Of H5N1 In Ducks

 

 

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A hat-tip to Makoto and Dutchy on Flutrackers for this press release from the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, on the detection of H5N1 in the droppings of ducks in Hokkaido.

 

 

First from Mokoto, posted in this thread, the following details.

 

26 Oct. 2010 press release by Ministry of the Environment Government of Japan
http://www.env.go.jp/press/press.php?serial=13069 at Japanese

14 Oct, collect Bard(duck) droppings at a Marsh
26 Oct, detect H5N1 subtype by Hokkaido University
at present, the bird is not dead, limit the entry
spot: "Ônuma" Marsh, Wakkanai city, Hokkaido

http://www.env.go.jp/press/file_view...2&hou_id=13069 

2 detected/183 specimens

 

My reading of the (admittedly terse) accompanying machine translation is that no bird deaths have been detected (not terribly unusual, since ducks are known to be able to carry the virus asymptomatically), and that just 2 of 183 specimens tested positive for the H5N1 virus.

I confess I’m a little confused over the `collection date’ since we seem to have a date of May 14th cited, as well as October 14th.

 

Machine translations are always a `challenge’.

With a little luck perhaps we’ll get some clarification on these details over the next few days.

Cambodian Duck Mystery Solved

 

# 4317

 

 

And, not unexpectedly  . . . the culprit behind the deaths of thousands of ducks in Takeo Province is H5N1.

 

Bird flu kills Takeo ducks: govt

Wednesday, 03 February 2010 15:04

Chhay channyda and Jacob Gold

 

Sample tissue from ducks in Takeo province that died in an outbreak of a disease officials could not identify earlier this week have tested positive for the H5N1 virus, commonly known as bird flu, officials at the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Tuesday.

 

In light of the test result, officials said they will move ahead with Monday’s order from the provincial agriculture department to destroy all live ducks and halt duck meat sales in the affected area. Since the outbreak began last month, 16,442 ducks have died and at least 31,000 live ducks are exhibiting symptoms of the virus.

 

Ly Sovann, deputy director of the Communicable Diseases Control Department at the Ministry of Health, confirmed the positive test result on Tuesday and related the contents of an unreleased statement from the Agriculture Ministry.

 

“The statement identified the bird flu-affected area as Pralay village, Romenh commune, Koh Andeth district. All ducks within 5 kilometres of the village will be incinerated, sales of duck meat will be stopped and local officials within 10 kilometres of the area must monitor both ducks and humans for signs of infection,” Ly Sovann said.

 

(Continue. . . )

 

 

So far this outbreak is only reportedly affecting poultry, and as this article states, outbreaks of H5N1 are not unusual this time of year in South East Asia.

 

With the Lunar New Year’s celebration about to begin, and hundreds of millions of people traveling to their home towns and villages (see China: Spring Festival - High Risk Individuals Should Not Travel Home), concerns over the spread of infectious diseases in South East Asia always increases.

 

We’ll just have to wait to see if this annual mass migration spurs an increase in pandemic H1N1 in the region, or (less likely) contributes to an outbreak of human H5N1. 

 

A hat tip goes to RoRo on FluTrackers for posting the above article.

The Cambodian Duck Mystery

 

(UPDATED) 

 

# 4314

 

A curious report out of Cambodia, where 10,000 ducks have died and another 30,000 are reported sickened in Takeo province, which borders Vietnam. 

 

The cause of these bird deaths is not yet known, although bird flu is no doubt under consideration.  There are other possibilities, of course, including parasites or toxins, or even other virus strains. 

 

 

While ducks can and do die from H5N1, they often carry the virus asymptomatically or exhibit minor symptoms, like weight loss.  The range of symptoms seems dependent upon the species of duck, as some are more resistant than others.

 

Hopefully we’ll get test results back on this die off in the next day or two.  In the meantime, a hat tip to RoRo on FluTrackers for posting this report.

 

 

 

Over 10,000 ducks die in Cambodia

2010-02-01 19:59

The Cambodian government said on Monday that more than 10,000 ducks have died and some 30,000 others are being sick in the country's southern province of Takeo.

 

Kao Phal, director of animal production department of agriculture ministry said that samples of the dead ducks being examined and the results will be known Tuesday or the day after.

 

He said that those dead ducks were reported happening a few days ago and now some 30,000 others are being sick.

 

Kao Phal said while sample testing is being examined, he could not tell what the cause to the deaths of the ducks was.

 

However, he said no report of any disease or death of human lives, but at the same time precaution to villagers is strictly advised by the government health concerning authorities.

 

According to Kao Sophal, the case is happening in Prey Khla village, Rominh Commune, Koh Andeth district in Takeo province, some 90 km south of Phnom Penh.

 

Cambodia, in the past and present, has had reports on the bird flu and influenza A/H1N1.

 

 

This update, from the Phnom Penh Post.

 

FOWL PLAY: Takeo orders destruction of ducks

 

Tuesday, 02 February 2010 15:02

Khouth Sophak Chakrya and Kim Yuthana

The Takeo province Agriculture Office has ordered the farmers of domesticated ducks across the province to incinerate their birds and temporarily suspended the sale of the animals’ meat until the results tests for the H5N1 virus (also known as bird flu), come back from Phnom Penh this week following mass deaths of the fowl.

 

Nhib Sron, director of the Takeo agriculture office, said that since the middle of January, about 50,000 ducks in the province’s Koh Andeth district had contracted an unknown illness, and that there were signs the disease had reached some communes in neighbouring Tramkak district.

 

“We haven’t identified the virus or other agent causing these deaths, but we sent some of the dead animals to a Phnom Penh laboratory for analysis,” Nhib Sron said. Thai Ly, Takeo province’s chief officer of domesticated animals, said that 16,442 ducks had died since the outbreak began, and that roughly 31,000 more have fallen sick.