Avian Influenza Situation Updates: Archive

Last updated February 8, 2006

• Human Cases: Numbers at a Glance
• New News
• New USAID Actions
• Upcoming Actions

Human Cases: Numbers at a Glance

New News

• 	Indonesia vaccinated 114 million poultry against avian flu in 2004. Source: FAO

  Deadly bird flu found in Nigeria: A "highly pathogenic" strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in poultry stocks in Nigeria, the first reported case of the disease in Africa, according to the World Organization for Animal Health.
  
  
• Iraq confirms first human AI death: A girl who died January 17 in northern Iraq had the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, the first known case of the disease in the country. Her uncle, who was in close contact with her, died January 27 and will also be tested for H5N1.
  
  
• Turkish cases confirmed: A U.K. lab has confirmed 12 human cases of H5N1 in Turkey; nine more are under investigation. Most of the cases in Turkey are in children and teens, which has puzzled experts because adults in some of the children’s families had similar exposure.
  
  
• New bird flu death in China: The Ministry of Health in Beijing reported on January 25 that a Chinese woman infected with avian influenza (AI) had died.
  
  
• China reports 10th case of H5N1 in individual: A 29-year-old woman was diagnosed with the H5N1 virus. The woman ran a shop in a farm goods market in Jinhua Town in Sichuan Province.
  
  
• Indonesia AI deaths: WHO has confirmed bird flu caused the deaths of a brother and sister in Indonesia this month. Also, a vendor who had contact with sick poultry died of the H5N1 strain.
  
  
• H5N1 confirmed in birds in northern Cyprus: The European Commission has confirmed H5N1 was found in two birds in northern Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot authorities have quarantined an area around the village where the birds were found and have killed birds to stop the spread of the disease.
  
  
• First cases of bird flu in Saudi Arabia: Five falcons in Saudi Arabia are being tested for H5N1. The birds have already tested positive for the H5 strain, and authorities are awaiting results on the disease subtype. This is the first bird flu case reported in Saudi Arabia.
  
  
• IDB says low AI risk in Latin America, but perception could change: The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) predicts a low risk of an AI outbreak in Latin America and the Caribbean because birds flying into the region are not believed to intermingle with birds coming from Siberia.
  
  
• Tajikistan tightens control of reserve: Sanitary and ecological posts will be set up in Tajikistan’s Tiger Valley reserve, which is a nesting place for birds migrating from the Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia.
  
  
• Turkey culls more than 1 million birds: The Turkish National Coordination Center for Bird Flu said Turkey has culled 1.28 million birds to prevent further spread of AI.
  
  
• FAO warning for Afghanistan: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that Afghanistan is at risk for AI and has called for $1.5 million in donor assistance to thwart a possible AI outbreak. Afghanistan is at a crossroads of bird migration routes, and the country's veterinary services have fallen into decay after more than two decades of violence. About 85 percent of the country's 30 million inhabitants live in close contact with poultry.
  
  
• WHO notes subtypes of AI: WHO noted that 15 subtypes of influenza virus are known to infect birds, providing an extensive reservoir of influenza viruses potentially circulating in bird populations.
  

New USAID Actions

• USAID provides assistance to Iraq: With WHO, USAID is working closely with the Iraqi government to manage a recent AI outbreak and will provide technical assistance to implement the recommendations of an FAO-WHO and World Organization for Animal Health joint assessment team. USAID/Iraq has been providing ongoing technical assistance to agriculture officials in the north Kurdistan region and the Ministry of Agriculture in Baghdad.
  
  
• USAID joins U.S. AI team in Turkey amid bird flu outbreak: Led by the Department of State, U.S. experts from several fields, including USAID Avian Influenza Unit Director Dennis Carroll, traveled to Turkey to help the nation cope with both animal and human AI outbreaks. According to WHO, Turkey has experienced animal outbreaks in 11 provinces, with more under investigation. The team of U.S. experts is working with local officials to stem the outbreak. The Turkish response has moved forward with extraordinary speed and effectiveness on the animal and human side, with implementation of a very effective culling program and updates and refinement of the case definition and management of AI-confirmed cases.
  
  
• U.S., donor nations pledge almost $2 billion for bird flu: At a donors conference in Beijing on January 17-18, the United States contributed $334 million to a global pool to help hard-hit nations cope with the widespread outbreak of AI. Donor nations pledged $1.9 billion dollars. The U.S. commitment to the international effort combines $54 million appropriated in 2005 with a $280 million contribution approved in late December 2005 in the U.S. budget for fiscal year 2006. Of this, $153 million is programmed by USAID.
  
  
• AI strategic guidance: The USAID AI Unit has developed Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza Strategic Guidelines. The guidelines are meant to strengthen capacity to detect and respond to the current AI problem in animals and humans and to begin preparing for a possible human influenza pandemic. The guidelines are expected to be updated as the AI situation develops and will be posted on the USAID Web site shortly.
  
  
• Interagency USG evaluation in Armenia: A team of U.S. Government (USG) scientists and AI experts visited Yerevan. The team briefed the Mission's AI Task Force, the Ambassador, and USAID/Armenia Mission Director Robin Phillips. The group also met with the Armenian ministers of health and agriculture and representatives from international organizations including FAO, WHO, the World Bank, UNICEF, and the European Commission.
  
  
• OFDA ships 3,500 sets of protective gear to Armenia/Georgia: OFDA will ship some 1,500 sets of personal protective equipment to Armenia and 2,000 sets to Georgia.
  
  
• USAID assists Greek and Turkish Cypriots: The USAID-funded, UNDP-implemented Action for Cooperation (ACT) program convened an emergency meeting of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot working group. As a result of regular meetings over the past few months, both entities have completed compatible AI contingency plans. Turkish Cypriot veterinary contacts have confirmed that two birds have tested positive for influenza type A. Authorities have culled poultry on the farm where the birds were found and are disinfecting the area.
  
  
• USAID supports Azerbaijan: In the Caucasus, large scale bird die-offs in Azerbaijan caused great concern, prompting Azerbaijan to freeze samples in veterinary labs. Specimens were shipped to London for confirmation. USAID offered to assess and strengthen the country’s preparedness plan and sent 1,500 sets of personal protective equipment.
  

Upcoming Actions

• Japan, WHO to host meeting to discuss early response strategies to prevent a pandemic: On January 12-13, USAID will accompany a U.S. delegation to Tokyo, where bilateral and multilateral partners will work to develop detailed plans for deploying national and international stockpiles of antiviral drugs and other health commodities to support emergency outbreak containment.