Return of bird flu to South Korea sparks cull

South Korea has confirmed its first outbreak of avian flu since 2008 and is culling many thousands of birds.

The agricultural ministry confirmed that two farms in the centre and south-west of the country had been contaminated with the H5N1 virus.

So far, more than 100,000 chickens have been culled and more than 10,000 ducks.

South Korea was the second country in Asia to register bird flu, after Thailand, in 2003, suffering three major outbreaks until 2008.

Earlier this month, officials in Seoul confirmed that three cases of bird flu had been found in wild migratory birds that had arrived for winter.

The authorities have warned poultry farmers to take better precautions against wild birds infecting their flocks, including the erection of nets.

The latest outbreak was first detected on Wednesday when birds started dying.

One of the poultry farms affected is in the central city of Cheonan and the other is in the south-western city of Iksan, 90km (56 miles) and 230km (143 miles) south of Seoul, respectively.

Both are now under quarantine, meaning that the movements of people and vehicles are restricted.
Farming challenge

Exports of chicken, duck and related products will be affected.

"All the 10,700 ducks at the farm in Cheonan and 17,000 breeding chickens at the farm in Iksan have already been culled and buried, together with 92,000 chickens raised at nearby farms," the ministry said in a press statement.

South Korea has embarked on major culls before: more than eight million birds in 2008, 2.8m in the 2006-07 outbreak and 5.28m in 2003-2004.

South Korea has not registered any human fatalities from bird flu. Four people were infected in 2003.

Separately, South Korea recently confirmed an outbreak of 66 cases of foot and mouth disease, and has registered swine flu infections that have caused the death of one man.

More than half a million cattle, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals have been culled in the past month, with vaccinations carried out on 313,000 animals.

A month-long quarantine effort has been struggling to keep pace with the contagious disease, since a confirmed infection on 29 November.

One of the farms affected, in Gyeonggi province just west of Seoul is the single largest producer of cattle in the country.

Agriculture ministry estimates suggest that losses from the foot-and-mouth outbreak could exceed $463m (£300m).

Swine flu death toll climbs to 66 in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, Sep 22 (PTI) With one more person succumbing to swine flu, the death toll due to the disease has risen to 66 in Madhya Pradesh, officials said today. Ramchandra (55) from Ratlam district succumbed to viral disease at the M Y Hospital in Indore on Monday, they said.

Bhopal has recorded 29 deaths since August while Indore (22), Jabalpur (10) Gwalior (3) and Harda (1) after the viral infection resurfaced in the state during monsoon. About 80 people are undergoing treatment for symptoms of HINI and the condition of 15 is stated to be critical.

Five more persons tested positive for the influenza virus yesterday. With this, the number of HINI cases in the state has gone up to 266 so far.

Swine flu cases increase with monsoon

Health Ministry officials are worried as the number of swine flu cases reported from various parts of the country are increasing with the monsoon. A total of 548 fresh cases were reported last week, the highest for the current year.

According to the health ministry, 38 people died of the virus between July 19 and 25.

While the four southern states and Maharashtra continued to be severely hit, West Bengal and Delhi also joined the list of flu cases. Maharashtra reported the highest number, with 230 cases this week, followed by Kerala with 108 cases. Karnataka reported 86 cases while Andhra Pradesh and Delhi reported 34 each, followed by West Bengal with 29 cases. Tamil Nadu reported 11 cases.

As many as 19 deaths were reported from Maharashtra, eight from Kerala, five from Andhra Pradesh, two in Delhi and one in West Bengal. A handful of cases have also been reported from Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the health ministry has recommended the use of swine flu vaccines to avoid the threat.

'The moisture due to monsoon is giving a good breeding ground to the virus, precautionary measures such as washing of hands, covering the nose and avoiding crowded places must be followed,' a health ministry official told IANS.

According to the health ministry, 1,692 deaths have been reported due to swine flu since its outbreak in May last year

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2009 H1N1 Flu: International Situation Update

This report provides an update to the international flu situation using data collected through March 28, 2010, and reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on April 1. WHO continues to report laboratory-confirmed 2009 H1N1 flu cases and deathsExternal Web Site Icon on its Web page. These laboratory-confirmed cases represent a substantial underestimation of total cases in the world, as most countries focus surveillance and laboratory testing only on people with severe illness.

Currently, 2009 H1N1 influenza activity is highest in the tropical regions of Asia, the Americas and Africa. In the temperate areas of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, 2009 H1N1 influenza virus continues to circulate at low levels. Although the 2009 H1N1 virus continues to be the predominant influenza virus circulating worldwide, influenza B viruses are predominant in most of East Asia and have been detected at low levels across Southeast and Western Asia, East Africa, and parts of Eastern and Northern Europe. Seasonal influenza A viruses are still being detected in parts of Asia and Australia.


Selected Highlights

* According to WHO, the majority of 2009 H1N1 virus isolates tested worldwide remain sensitive to oseltamivir, an antiviral medicine used to treat flu. Among 2009 H1N1 isolates tested worldwide, 268 have been found to be resistant to oseltamivir – 64 of these isolates were detected in the United States.
* Influenza B remains the predominant flu strain in East Asia, accounting for 66.7% of all influenza viruses reported in the Republic of Korea, 71.6% in the Russian Federation, 84.2% in China, and 100% in Mongolia and Iran. An increase in influenza B activity has also been reported in some European countries.
* Seasonal influenza A activity has been reported recently in some countries in recent weeks, including China, Ghana and Thailand.
* On February 18, 2010, WHO published recommendations for the following viruses to be used for influenza vaccines in the 2010-2011 influenza season of the Northern Hemisphere:

o an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus;
o an A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus*;
o a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus.

* A/Wisconsin/15/2009 is an A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus and is a 2010 Southern Hemisphere vaccine virus.

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