Avian influenza updates…
The World Health Organization has issued another update on the current situation in Turkey. It reads as follows: Issued 10th January The situation in birds continues to evolve, with several new outbreaks under investigation in new parts of the country. All evidence to date indicates that patients have acquired their infections following close contact with diseased birds. The Turkish government has launched an intensive public awareness campaign. Better public understanding of the disease, supported by more complete data on disease activity in birds, could help to reduce the risk of additional human cases, pending control of the disease in birds. As the majority of confirmed cases and persons under investigation are children, it is particularly important that messages about high-risk behaviours reach children. Some 100,000 treatment courses of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) arrived in Turkey Friday evening. This supply, which is being used for both the treatment of patients and prophylaxis of persons at risk, is considered by Turkish health officials to be adequate for responding to the current situation. WHO has organized additional support for laboratory diagnostic work, and this will be arriving within the next day or two. Dr Marc Danzon, the WHO Director for its European office, will be arriving in Ankara tomorrow to confer with the country’s Minster of Health. They will assess the situation together and review needs for further support.
The United Nations has also issued a statement on avian nfluenza in Turkey: 10 January 2006 – A United Nations bird flu expert examining an outbreak in Turkey today said the disease seems to be spreading from poultry to humans as it did in Asia, and called for stepped-up efforts to monitor its course. “There is no evidence to suggest any difference in the disease pattern than what we have previously seen for H5N1,” said Dr. Guenael Rodier, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) Special Adviser on Communicable Diseases, referring to the virus that causes avian influenza. “More work needs to be done, however, particularly in terms of isolation in hospitals, and in the description of factors causing the spread of infection,” he told reporters via teleconference from Ankara. Dr. Rodier cautioned that it is too early to make any final conclusions, but stressed that “the situation is very similar to the one that we have experienced in Asia.” Transmission in Turkey, he said, appeared to be occurring among families with children. “This may mean that infection occurred because children were playing with dead or infected chickens,” said Dr. Rodier, who is leading a team of WHO and European officials in Turkey. Various experts in veterinary science and epidemiology are investigating the reason for the outbreak. “After coordinating with the laboratory in London, we will have a better idea of the cause,” he said. While emphasizing that the cases indicate that infection in humans has occurred due to “clear documented contact with poultry,” he cautioned that “we anticipate we could expect potential human cases if the disease is not controlled in animals.” Another disturbing trend is the more efficient transmission from animals to humans. “With the emergence of new outbreaks, the challenge is to control the disease in animals,” said Dr. Rodier, who called for continuous efforts to monitor the situation. “The virus in birds is unlikely to disappear quickly. Without watching, we will not be able to prevent new outbreaks.”
New technique for detecting ability of flu viruses to infect humans "Glycoarray Analysis of the Hemagglutinins from Modern and Pandemic Influenza Viruses Reveals Different Receptor Specificities" by Ian Wilson, D.Phil., James Paulson, Ph.D., and their coworkers is scheduled to be published in the February 3, 2006 issue of the Journal of Molecular Biology.
•Date: 11th Jan 2006• Region: Asia/World • Type: Article •Topic: BC general |
