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Iain
Moderator
United Kingdom
224 Posts |
 Posted - 02 Oct 2006 : 11:35:46
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Bird Flu: What Is The Risk?
Updated: 09:30, Monday October 02, 2006
As the migratory season begins, Sky News has learned that the risk of a deadly bird flu pandemic hitting Britain this winter is even higher than last year.
In a series of exclusive reports, our correspondents and reporters have been looking into the threat that H5N1 poses to the UK.
Two migratory routes cut across the country and as the days get colder, the chances of infected birds arriving on our shores gets higher.
Farmers are being urged to watch flocks carefully and even the public is being asked to remain vigilant.
Health Correspondent Thomas Moore says that if the virus arrives in the country it could be in every British city within a fortnight.
"And with no in-built immunity to such a new virus, it would be open season for the bug," he said.
Some 56,000 people could die in a pandemic, with at least a quarter of the population falling sick.
"That's not scare-mongering," he said. "That's the bottom end of the Department of Health's predictions."
Sky News Environment Correspondent Robert Nisbet says the Government is targeting specific areas for surveillance in a bid to minimise the risk.
But he added that it is "impossible to monitor the skies".
During the Spring of this year, when Bird Flu was last in the news, we produced some Guidance Notes for pest controllers on Bird Flu. These looked at 'Frequently Asked Questions'; presented details of our 'Avian Flu' kits, for those asked to deal with dead birds; reproduced Guidance Notes from a Government and Industry Working Party; supplied a list of DEFRA-approved disinfectants that we can obtain for you and supplied links to the relevant DEFRA websites.
For further information or copies of these notes, contact me or the Barrettine Office. |
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DaveM
New Member
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2006 : 13:56:47
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Iain,
You may be interested in the latest news on Chikungunya fever, see below.
Chikungunya Fever Diagnosed Among International Travelers -- United States, 2005 --2006
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Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus indigenous to tropical Africa and Asia, where it is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes, usually of the genus Aedes (1).
Chikungunya (CHIK) fever, the disease caused by CHIKV, was first recognized in epidemic form in East Africa during 1952-1953. The word "chikungunya" is thought to derive from description in local dialect of the contorted posture of patients afflicted with the severe joint pain associated with this disease. Because CHIK fever epidemics are sustained by human-mosquito-human transmission, the epidemic cycle is similar to those of dengue and urban yellow fever. Large outbreaks of CHIK fever have been reported recently on several islands in the Indian Ocean and in India (refs. 2-6). In 2006, CHIK fever cases also have been reported in travelers returning from known outbreak areas to Europe, Canada, the Caribbean (Martinique), and South America (French Guyana) (2,3,5-7). During 2005-2006, 12 cases of CHIK fever were diagnosed serologically and virologically at CDC in travelers who arrived in the United States from areas known to be epidemic or endemic for CHIK fever. This report describes 4 of these cases and provides guidance to health-care providers.
Clinicians should be alert for additional cases among travelers, and public health officials should be alert to evidence of local transmission of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), introduced through infection of local mosquitoes by a person with viremia.
Case Reports
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Minnesota. On 12 May 2005, an adult male resident of Minnesota returned from a 3-month trip to Somalia and Kenya. He had onset of illness hours after arrival in the United States, including fever, headache, malaise, and joint pain mainly in a shoulder and a knee.
Serum obtained on 13 May [2006] was tested at CDC and determined to be equivocal for CHIKV RNA by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), consistent with low-level viremia. A recent CHIKV infection was confirmed by demonstration of IgM antibody in this acute-phase serum specimen and neutralizing antibody in convalescent-phase serum (collected 214 days after illness onset).
Arthralgias resolved after several weeks.
Louisiana. On 15 Jan 2006, an adult female resident of India had onset of an illness characterized by fever, joint pain (in the knees, wrists, hands, and feet), and muscle pain (in the thighs and neck).
In March 2006, she traveled to Louisiana, where she sought medical attention for persistent joint pain. At CDC, tests of a single serum sample collected on 30 Mar [2006] (74 days after illness onset) were positive for IgM and neutralizing antibodies to CHIKV. The patient was subsequently lost to follow-up.
Maryland. An adult female resident of Maryland visited the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean from October 2005 through mid-March 2006.
On 18 Feb 2006, during an ongoing CHIK fever outbreak on the island, she had onset of fever, joint pain (in the hands and feet), and rash.
A local physician clinically diagnosed CHIK fever, but no laboratory tests were conducted. After returning to the United States, the patient sought medical attention for persistent joint pain. At CDC, tests of a single serum sample collected on 22 Mar [2006](32 days after illness onset) were equivocal for IgM and positive for neutralizing antibody to CHIKV, consistent with a recent CHIKV infection in which IgM antibody was waning. At 5 months after onset, the patient had persistent joint pain (in the hands and feet).
Colorado. An adult male resident of Colorado visited Zimbabwe during
17 Apr -- 29 May 2006. On 29 Apr [2006], he had onset of illness with fever, chills, joint pain (in the wrists and ankles), and neck stiffness; a rash appeared a few days later. All symptoms resolved within 2 weeks, except for joint pain, which persisted for approximately 1 month. At CDC, tests of a single serum sample collected on 12 Jun [2006] (44 days after illness onset) were positive for IgM and neutralizing antibody to CHIKV.
MMWR Editorial Note:
Most CHIKV infections are symptomatic (8). In clinical infections, the incubation period typically is 2-4 days. Illness is characterized by sudden onset of fever, headache, malaise, arthralgias or arthritis, myalgias, and low back pain. Skin rash occurs in approximately half of cases (9). Joint symptoms can be severe and involve small and large joints. Although CHIK fever typically lasts
3-7 days and full recovery is the usual outcome, certain patients experience persistent joint symptoms for weeks or months and occasionally years after illness onset (1).
Serious complications (e.g., neuroinvasive disease) are rare, and fatal cases have not been documented conclusively. Transplacental CHIKV transmission and severe congenital CHIKV disease have been described (10). CHIKV infection is believed to confer life-long immunity (1).
Because no specific drug therapy is available, treatment of CHIK fever is supportive. No licensed CHIKV vaccine exists. Therefore, prevention recommendations for travelers to tropical Asia and Africa should emphasize mosquito repellent and avoidance measures.
Additional information is available at
<http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/chikungunya/chickvfact.htm>.
During May 2004-May 2006, approximately 300 000 suspected CHIK fever cases were reported on islands in the Indian Ocean, including approximately 264 000 suspected cases on Reunion, a French overseas department (2,3). Other affected areas included Mombasa, Kenya, and the islands of Comoros, Lamu, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, and the Seychelles. In addition, since early 2006, an estimated 180 000 suspected CHIK fever cases have occurred in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra (4). In recent years, extensive CHIKV activity also has been documented in Southeast Asia (9). In 2006, as of 11 May, approximately 340 imported CHIK fever cases were reported in Europe, mainly in France, reflecting the high frequency of travel between Europe and islands in the Indian Ocean (2). To date, no known local mosquito-borne CHIKV transmission has occurred in Europe or other nonindigenous areas.
_Aedes aegypti_ is the primary CHIKV vector in Asia, but _Ae.
albopictus_ (the Asian tiger mosquito) likely was the primary vector in Reunion (2,3). In Asia, CHIKV epidemics involve a human-mosquito cycle, with humans serving as the sole vertebrate amplifying hosts (1). In Africa, sylvatic cycles involving nonhuman primates and forest-dwelling Aedes species (e.g., _Ae. furcifer_) also occur. Most CHIKV epidemics occur during the tropical rainy season and abate during the dry season (1,9). Human CHIKV infections include a transient, high-titered viremia (typically detectable during the first 2 days of illness, ranging up to 6 days after illness onset) that is adequate to infect feeding mosquitoes (1). _Ae. aegypti_ and _Ae. albopictus_ are abundant peridomestic species and aggressive daytime blood-feeders in all tropical and most subtropical areas of the world, and _Ae. albopictus_ now lives in many temperate areas of the eastern and western hemispheres, including Europe and th!
e United States. Therefore, some risk exists that CHIKV might be introduced into previously nonendemic areas by travelers with viremia, leading to local transmission of the virus, especially in tropical or subtropical areas of the United States (e.g., the Gulf Coast and Hawaii) or its territories (e.g., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Early recognition of local transmission followed by prompt, aggressive vector control and other public health measures might prevent long-term establishment of the virus in new areas. Of the 4 patients described in this report, 3 posed no substantial public health risk because they probably no longer had viremia upon arrival in the United States; although the 4th patient was likely viremic upon arrival in Minnesota in mid-May, transmission to competent local mosquito vectors in that climate was unlikely.
In early illness, the clinical features of CHIK fever can be similar to those of dengue and malaria, especially in patients without joint symptoms. In both dengue and CHIK fever, rash usually is generalized and maculopapular, but petechial rashes occur in certain dengue cases. During 1991-2004, 9 confirmed or probable cases of CHIK fever were diagnosed serologically at CDC among travelers to the United States (CDC, unpublished data, 2006). Additional imported but unrecognized cases likely occurred. Clinicians should be aware of possible CHIKV infection in travelers returning from CHIK-fever--endemic or outbreak areas, particularly if an acute febrile illness with arthralgias or arthritis occurs. Suspected cases should be reported promptly to local and state public health officials and to CDC. Mosquito exposure should be strictly avoided (e.g., by staying within a screened environment and using barrier clothing and repellents) during the first week of illness to prevent infecti!
on of local mosquitoes.
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Iain
Moderator
United Kingdom
224 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2006 : 15:05:25
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Dave,
Thanks for that! The key sentence would appear to be "To date, no known local mosquito-borne CHIKV transmission has occurred in Europe or other nonindigenous areas", so - for the time being at least, UK pesties shouldn't have to worry about this disease - unless they go on holiday in the affected areas!
But who knows what might happen as our climate warms up.
For the immediate future, Avian flu would appear to be the next possible threat - even if for the moment it is simply the fear of Avian Flu that UK pesties may have to deal with.
By a complete coincidence, I'm just off to the Doctors for my booster immunisations for going on holiday in a few weeks time! Fortunately, not too many 'nasties' appear to live in Morrocco. |
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Bird Flu - Here we go again
