17 February 2006
Biosecurity Urged as Bird Flu Spreads
More nations spot the avian disease; need for prevention grows
By Charlene Porter
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – A potentially deadly form of avian influenza makes its appearance in a sweep of new countries over the last week, and prompts a new round of questions – how does it happen? and what do we do?
Nigeria reported its first case among domestic poultry February 8, the first confirmation of the H5N1 virus in Africa. By February 17 news reports cited positive confirmation of the virus in both domestic and wild birds in various regions of Egypt.
To the north of Africa, increasing numbers of European nations also have detected the virus mostly among wild fowl. Wild bird migrations have been cited frequently as bringing the disease out of Southeast Asia, west through Central Asia, further west to Eastern Europe and now Western Europe with reports from Germany, Austria, Denmark and France in recent days.
Six months ago when the disease made its first steps on this cross continental odyssey, wildlife scientists cautioned against assumptions that the virus was carried by migrating flocks. Influenza viruses are just as capable of catching rides in human travels, carried by birds bought and sold in agricultural trade, or surviving in the mud splattered on the trucks that carries them.
More evidence of the human role in transmission of the avian virus came from Nigeria this week. Agriculture Minister Adamu Bello acknowledged that poultry is being imported everyday, legally and illegally, from as far away as China.
Nigerians may be unable to ascertain precisely how the H5N1 virus traveled all the way from East Asia to sicken their birds, but they did not hesitate in deciding what to do. More than 60,000 birds have been destroyed in Kano and Kaduna states where the disease appeared, according to reports filed with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is advocating improved biosecurity to prevent a wider spread of disease through Africa.
“The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus poses a very serious threat to animal health in West Africa,” said Joseph Domenech, FAO's chief veterinary officer In a February 17 statement. “If a poultry epidemic should develop beyond the boundaries of Nigeria the effects would be disastrous for the livelihoods and the food security of millions of people.”
Domenech spoke from Nigeria where he is working with an international team to help contain the H5N1 outbreak. Experts from the U.S. government also are contributing to that effort, and have shipped in specialized equipment to assist in the operations. (See related article.)
Amidst growing concern about the spreading infection, wildlife advocates are attempting to deflect these accusations from migratory flocks.
"Globalization has turned the chicken into the world’s number one migratory bird species," said Leon Bennun, director of science of BirdLife International, a British-based partnership of conservation groups. "Movements of chickens around the world take place 365 days a year, unlike the seasonal migrations of wild birds. It is important that strict biosecurity measures are imposed to stop further spread not only within Nigeria but also to neighboring countries."
But the spread of the disease seems to be moving faster than ever in recent weeks. Iran was another of those nations that reported spotting the disease in domestic animals to the OIE in the second week of February.
Neighboring Iraq first reported human cases of avian influenza in late January, the seventh nation to do so. The World Health Organization (WHO) verified February 17 that the January death of a 39-year-old man was caused by H5N1. He was the uncle of a girl whose death – also in January -- previously was attributed to this highly pathogenic form of influenza. Both victims were known to have contact with sick, domestic birds, so this case does not indicate that the virus has developed the capability for easy transmission between humans. If the virus does make that mutation, global pandemic influenza could result.
WHO now cites 91 deaths from avian influenza with a total of 169 infections. Ongoing analysis of suspected cases could soon push that total case count to 200.
The U.S. government is pursuing a variety of initiatives to avert an influenza pandemic. (See related article.)
For additional information on the disease and efforts to combat it, see Bird Flu.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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