Notes from the world of wildlife disease

Student opportunities at the WDA

2010-02-01T18:59:00.001-05:00

From Kevin Keel, chair of the WDA Student Awards Committee: To Whom it May Concern: I am chair of the student awards committee for the Wildlife Disease Association (WDA) and I am trying to circulate information concerning the opportunities we offer students at our annual meeting. Would it be possible to post this information on the Wildlife Disease News Digest or related listserves? Each

Anticipated job opportunities with WCS

2010-01-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

Some upcoming jobs at the Wildlife Conservation Society: http://www.gains.org/AboutGAINS/Vacancies/tabid/690/language/en-US/Default.aspx

WDA 2010 Registration and Call for Papers

2010-01-11T20:18:00.000-05:00

Registration for the Wildlife Disease Association 2010 Conference and Call for Papers is now open: http://sites.google.com/site/wda2010argentina/

Biosurveillance blog

2010-01-11T20:15:00.002-05:00

Interesting new blog on surveillance for infectious diseases: http://biosurveillance.typepad.com/biosurveillance/

Support ProMED by voting for them on facebook

2009-12-22T21:22:00.000-05:00

Post-doctoral Research Associate (Avian Influenza in Wild Birds)

2009-12-09T20:02:00.002-05:00

Here's a link to a new post-doc position posting (one year) with WCS to analyze and write AI data from Central and SE Asia.

ProMED and 2010 WDA meeting in Argentina

2009-12-08T13:17:00.002-05:00

Really not sure why, but for some reason there were >1,400 visits to this site in the last 2 weeks. Not bad for a very stale blog (last post over 3 years ago!). I guess I should say something, given folks are looking at the site. In fact, I'll say two things: 1. Those of you who read ProMED on a daily basis know it's value; I don't have to convince you. Those of who don't should know that

Support for International Travel to the 2006 WDA Meeting

2006-04-13T17:57:00.000-04:00

Although people in the western world are beginning to understand the importance of wildlife health, those in the developing world that live with and depend on wildlife for survival have long understood these connections. However, the advances in our understanding of wildlife have not necessarily spread to those that need them the most.The Wildlife Conservation Society Field Veterinary Program

Conference Announcement: Advancing Global Health: Facing Disease Issues at the Wildlife, Human, and Livestock Interface

2006-04-04T16:43:00.000-04:00

This should be a good meeting for professionals involved in wildlife disease issues (at least I hope so as I'm helping organize it!)DamienAdvancing Global Health: Facing Disease Issues at the Wildlife, Human, and Livestock Interface The 55th Annual Meeting of the Wildlife Disease Association in conjunction with the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians will be held August 6-10, 2006 on

Seal Hunt part 2

2006-03-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

I apologize for continuing to be way off topic, but I just had to reproduce this. It's brilliant.On the other hand - poverty is strongly linked to health, so perhaps discussing an issue that is so important to northern and Maritime economies (and consequently health) maybe is not so far off?Think Pam, Paul, and Brigid are listening?(photo comes from here)

Seal hunt

2006-03-29T10:26:00.000-05:00

I know this is a wildlife disease blog, not a political blog, but after having worked in the Canadian North and seeing Northern cultures and economies destroyed by previous incarnations of the anti-fur lobby, I feel moved to promote a link to an important article on this issue in the Edmonton Journal.I apologize for neglecting this blog. I've been super busy, but hope to start participating

ProMED round up on avian influenza in Canadian birds (domestic and wild)

2005-11-22T09:11:00.000-05:00

ProMED had a couple stories on the findings of low pathogenic avian influenzas in Canada. Here is a snippet: Tests revealed low pathogenic strains of H5N9 in 2 birds and H5N2 in 5 birds in the western province of British Columbia, H5N1 in 2 birds from the central province of Manitoba and H5N3 in 2 birds from the eastern Quebec province, officials said. (original source here) Damien

CP: H5N1 avian flu viruses found in Manitoba, but not Asian form of virus: source

2005-11-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

Two of the wild "ducks" in the 2005 Interagency Wild Bird Influenza Survey have turned out to be low pathogenic H5N1 ( story): TORONTO (CP) - The Canadian Press has learned wild ducks in Manitoba have tested positive for H5-N1 avian flu viruses, but not the dangerous form of the virus circulating in Southeast Asia. The findings will be reported by federal officials at a news conference

CTV: H5 bird flu found in B.C. duck; strain uncertain

2005-11-19T12:40:00.000-05:00

Story here, and press release from the BC Ministry of Agriculture here.According to a post on CurEvents, the H5 positive duck was from a free-ranging duck farm (no idea if this is true). It will be interesting to learn whether this appearance of H5 is related to the presence of H5 in wild waterfowl. If so, this event underscores the need for biosecurity on poultry farms, whether in Asia or

Please support ProMED

2005-11-18T16:29:00.000-05:00

Click here to support ProMED.Here is commentary from Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy:"I just went online and made my contribution to the ProMEDInternet-a-thon. But I'd be remiss if I didn't also taketime to thank you and the other editors for your wonderfuland invaluable service. I can't imagine a world todaywithout ProMED. You are an

Nature: Superspreading and the effect of individual variation on disease emergence

2005-11-18T13:38:00.000-05:00

New paper here by Lloyd-Smith et al. on the effect of individual variation in infectiousness. I haven't read it yet, but by the abstract it looks very interesting.From the editor's summary:From Typhoid Mary to SARS, it has long been known that some people spread disease more than others. But for diseases transmitted via casual contact, contagiousness arises from a plethora of social and

Weekly Standard: Fuss and Feathers

2005-11-17T12:16:00.000-05:00

Interesting and informative article here by Michael Fumento. He addresses some of the hyperbole in the media. Here's a snippet from the end of the article: Bottom line? We are all going to die. But from various causes. There probably will be another pandemic, but nobody knows when or what its origin will be. We do know that with every month that passes, we'll be better prepared. Unless the

WCS: Urge Congress to Establish an Early Warning System for Avian Influenza that Includes Wild Bird Surveillance

2005-11-17T11:02:00.000-05:00

The Wildlife Conservation Society has a campaign to support the development of a global network for wild bird disease surveillance, including avian influenzas. People can follow this link to a site where, with one click you can send correspondence to US Federal government representatives in support of developing such a network.I really believe that we need to be looking at wild bird health, and

Why is it taking so long to figure out which AI subtypes were in the Canadian samples?

2005-11-16T14:12:00.000-05:00

A story from the Canadian press here.Here is a snippet: Teasing out flu viruses found in ducks taking longer than expected: officials Helen Branswell, CP Wednesday, November 16, 2005 TORONTO (CP) - It's proving harder than anticipated to type the avian flu viruses wild ducks sampled in Canada were carrying because a number were co-infected with several strains, creating a viral "soup" that is

Taiwan CDC: no birds have tested positive for H5N1 in Taiwan.

2005-11-15T10:46:00.000-05:00

From a press release (or at least I think that's what this is...) CDC INSISTS NO TAIWAN BIRDS INFECTED WITH H5N1 2005-11-15 23:22:03 Taipei, Nov. 15 (CNA) No bird in Taiwan has so far tested positive for H5N1, the most virulent strain of avian flu, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) under the Department of Health said Tuesday. I noted this previously, but will reiterate. The birds from

How does high pathogenicity evolve in avian influenzas?

2005-11-15T09:28:00.000-05:00

Here's my hypothesis, for what it's worth....In its simplest terms, evolution works by two processes. First, mutation and reassortment provide genetic variation. Second, selection favours the sets of genetic material that are most fit (i.e., will leave more progeny than other sets of genetic material). These processes work with all living things, whether they are influenza viruses or

UK DEFRA: An epidiomological report on avian influenza in a quarantine premises in Essex

2005-11-15T09:13:00.000-05:00

The UK Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has released a report on the H5N1 discovered in quarantine in the UK. The PDF can be accessed here. It seems the parrot from Surinam was likely not H5N1 positive: samples from the parrot were pooled with the Taiwanese birds (pooling samples is standard procedure), and so when the pool was positive, they could not determine which of

H7N3 in a Taiwanese "migratory bird"

2005-11-14T10:45:00.000-05:00

From Reuters:TAIPEI, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Taiwan found a highly pathogenic strain of avian flu, H7N3, in droppings left by a migratory bird and is carrying out tests to see if the virus has spread to nearby poultry farms, the agriculture department said on Monday. Like the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, which has killed more than 60 people around Asia, the H7N3 strain can infect humans, said an

CDC EID: Host Range and Emerging and Reemerging Pathogens

2005-11-13T15:41:00.000-05:00

An update of a previous review of factors associated with emergence of diseases is in upcoming issue of the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. Here's the abstract Host Range and Emerging and Reemerging Pathogens Mark E.J. Woolhouse* and Sonya Gowtage-Sequeria* *Centre for Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

ProMED: Italian H5N1 confirmed as LPAI

2005-11-13T13:23:00.000-05:00

From ProMED: Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2005From: Communications Office, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentaledelle Venezie (IZSVe) Report on the H5N1 Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) Isolate inItaly - November 2005--------------------------------------------------On 8 Nov 2005, a type A influenza virus isolate was submitted to theNational Reference Laboratory for Avian

What's in a name?

2005-11-12T16:24:00.000-05:00

"Wild bird flu" vs. "Poultry flu" ...There seems to be (at least a small) battle over the moniker for the current highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) strain circulating in Eurasia. Henry Niman over at Recombinombics prefers the former, while the folks over at Birds Korea prefer the latter.It probably doesn't matter what we call it (the virus certainly doesn't care), but I find it

For students interested in wildlife epidemiology

2005-11-12T15:46:00.000-05:00

The University of Calgary is opening a new veterinary school, with a "population medicine" stream: Population Medicine: Public Health, Eco-Health and Zoological Medicine: This stream will focus on veterinary practice and research as it relates to wildlife conservation and management. Graduates of this program will enter veterinary practice in

Some links to wildlife disease sites

2005-11-12T14:33:00.000-05:00

The whole bird flu situation is bringing the whole wildlife disease issue to the forefront of people's minds. I thought I would provide a few links to some good sites with wildlife disease information in case people were interested in other diseases. USGS National Wildlife Health Center (a nice set of manuals etc. here) Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (they have a great set of

Global surveillance for avian influenza wild birds?

2005-11-12T13:15:00.000-05:00

Rob Fergus over at "The Birdchaser" posted a story about a plan by Senator Lieberman to create a global network for avian influenza surveillance in wild birds. With about $10 million slated for wild bird surveillance out of $8 billion targetted for pandemic influenza preparedness in the Harkin-Specter amendment, this is a cost-effective way to counter this threat upstream before a global

No word on neuraminidase subtype for CDN H5 influenzas from wild birds

2005-11-12T12:49:00.000-05:00

This article from the Vancouver Sun is mainly about the pathology of H5N1 and SARS in humans, but there is one line indicating that the results from tests for the neuraminidase subtype for the H5 positive birds in Canada (previous comments here, here, and here) are yet to come:Meanwhile, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday it is still not known what type of bird flu strain has

CBC: Kuwait confirms flamingo had H5N1 virus

2005-11-11T15:17:00.000-05:00

The CBC is reporting today that the flamingo found on a Kuwaiti beach had H5N1, while the peacock in quarantine had H5N2, in contrast to yesterday's report. No word if the flamingo had a high or low path H5N1. I suspect it was high path ... why else would they test it if weren't sick?Damien

New findings: Kuwait and Italy

2005-11-10T16:13:00.000-05:00

Two new reports today of findings of H5 influenzas, both apparently of low pathogenicity.First Kuwait:Sheikh Fahd Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah, the head of agriculture and fisheries in Kuwait, said the first case was discovered in a peacock held in quarantine at the airport. The bird had been imported from Asia, but Mr Al-Sabah did not specify the country it came from. The second case was a

Conservation International: New Study Uncovers Major Inaccuracies In Global Wildlife Trade Monitoring

2005-11-07T14:48:00.000-05:00

Text of the press release here.I guess I agree that it is important to have good records of the legal wildlife trade. However, it's the illegal trade, that dwarves the legal trade in volume and money, that is the real problem from a health perspective. It's the illegal trade for which we have no good numbers.Damien

WCS press release: Avian flu vaccine under development with help of WCS

2005-11-03T15:11:00.000-05:00

I've often argued here the importance of studying disease issues at the wildlife/livestock/human interface. We just can't ignore livestock and wildlife health if we really want to protect human health as over 60% of the 1400 known human pathogens and and ~75% of emerging infectious diseases transmit between people and animals. A new press release from the Wildlife Conservation Society

New book: Conservation and Development Interventions at the Wildlife/Livestock Interface

2005-11-03T14:42:00.000-05:00

A new book is out on the relationships between wildlife, livestock and human health, particularly with respect to economic growth in the developing world. Published by the World Conservation Union, it is available for free download here (links to PDFs way at the bottom). Damien

Two US Government plans to contain bird flu

2005-11-03T12:42:00.000-05:00

Finally, we have the answer to bird flu. Here are two brilliant plans to protect us all ... The Borowitz Report: U.S. PLANS TO MAKE BIRDS OBESE - Would Slow the Spread of Avian Flu, President Asserts and The Onion: Bush Orders Mass Bald Eagle Slaughter To Stop Spread Of Bird Flu Damien

CDC: Bushmeat hunting and deforestation in prediction of zoonoses emergence

2005-11-03T11:48:00.000-05:00

Interesting review of disease emergence and bushmeat coming up in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Bushmeat Hunting and Deforestation in Prediction of Zoonoses Emergence Nathan D. Wolfe, Peter Daszak, A. Marm Kilpatrick, and Donald S. Burke* Abstract:Understanding the emergence of new zoonotic agents requires knowledge of pathogen biodiversity in wildlife, human-wildlife

H5N1 and Canada's First Nations

2005-11-03T08:30:00.000-05:00

Good commentary on the potential effects of a pandemic flu on aboriginal communities in Canada here. Damien

H5 avian influenza in British Columbia

2005-11-02T08:28:00.000-05:00

Not surprisingly, avian influenza of the H5 subtype have been found in "ducks" in British Columbia . The neuraminidase subtype is currently being determined. "I can tell you right off the top, there's no question we were surprised by the large number of H5 samples [25% of 700 samples],'' British Columbia's Chief Veterinarian Dr. Ron Lewis told a teleconference call from Victoria. "But having

More comments on the H5 positive birds from Canada

2005-11-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

I believe Henry Niman, who maintains the Recombinomics blog, is overstating the significance of the recent finding of H5 influenza in wild birds in Manitoba and Quebec. His comments are here, here, and here. His main point is that H5 subtypes are hardly ever isolated from wild birds in Canada, and cites only 2 deposits in Genbank as evidence for this statement. Therefore, he argues " ... H5

Canada: WILD BIRD SURVEY DETECTS AVIAN INFLUENZA IN DUCKS

2005-10-31T15:56:00.000-05:00

From the Canadian Food Inspection Agency:"A national survey of wild migratory birds (ducks) has produced preliminary results indicating the possible presence of Influenza A in 28 wild ducks in Quebec and five wild ducks in Manitoba. To date, preliminary testing has identified H5 influenza. No evidence of H7 influenza has been observed."The Canadian Government, in collaboration with the Canadian

H5N1 Timeline

2005-10-31T09:48:00.000-05:00

The WHO has put together a timeline of events in the H5N1 panzootic.Damien

Wave-Like Spread of Ebola Zaire?

2005-10-27T13:18:00.000-04:00

A new paper in PLoS by Walsh, Biek, and Real provides pretty good evidence that Ebola Zaire is spreading through Central Africa in a wave-like fashion. However, it is too premature to assume that this "wave" is driven by gorilla-gorilla contact. Gorillas are clearly not the reservoir - they suffer too much mortality for the virus to be maintained in gorilla populations. Insufficient sampling of

CDC: Mallards and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Ancestral Viruses, Northern Europe

2005-10-27T12:13:00.000-04:00

This paper is like many others in the avian influenza literature on wild birds. Although it makes a very compelling argument for avian influenza surveillance in wild birds, and provides important information on the genetics of influenza isolates, it neglects to provide a numerator (how many birds had the virus) or denominator (out of how many birds were tested).Risk is estimated (in its simplest

Interesting discussion of the 1976 swine flu "pandemic"

2005-10-27T08:55:00.000-04:00

EffectMeaure has an interesting discussion of the 1976 swine flu scare, here.With that perspective, it makes it even more important that we follow Peter Sandman's advice (here and here) when discussing bird flu.Damien

H5 in swans in Croatia - what swan?

2005-10-25T12:21:00.000-04:00

From ProMED: Avian influenza in Croatia --------------------------- Information received on 21 Oct 2005 from Dr. Mate Brstilo, Director of the Veterinary Administration, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Zagreb: Report date: 21 Oct 2005. An outbreak of avian influenza was reported in wild migratory swans in Zdenci municipality, Viroviticko-Podravska county. Out of approximately 1500

UN task forces battle misconceptions of avian flu, mount Indonesian campaign

2005-10-24T18:02:00.000-04:00

An excerpt from a UN task force on routes of spread of avian influenza: "A new United Nations task force warned today against the "over-simplified" perception that wild birds are the main cause of avian flu, and urged immediate measures be taken among both domestic and wild bird populations to guard against its possible transference, while a UN task force in Indonesia begins a door-to-door

ProMED comments on UK bird flu positive parrot

2005-10-23T17:55:00.000-04:00

The ProMED editor "AS" has some interesting commentary (mid-way down the piece) on the recent discovery of an avian influenza-positive parrot in quarantine in the UK: "Interestingly, H5N1 was detected last week in pet birds smuggled from China to Taiwan. This has happened before as well, and is a clear indication of significant disease risk related to contacts with pet-birds originating or

BBC: Parrot in quarantine tests positive for H5 in UK

2005-10-22T11:15:00.000-04:00

A story on the BBC web site today describes a parrot (not sure what species) that died in quarantine tested positive for an H5 avian influenza virus. Testing is ongoing to see if it is H5N1. From the story: "The bird came from South America, and was held with 216 birds from Taiwan." and "The bird, from Surinam, was part of a mixed consignment of 148 parrots and "soft bills" that arrived on

Bird flu in perspective

2005-10-18T19:42:00.000-04:00

Here is a really good article, by Peter Sandman. Very much worth the read.

Canada has 16 million doses of Tamiflu

2005-10-18T18:36:00.000-04:00

If this is true, then Canada is in a pretty decent position tocontrol, at least for a while, the spread of pandemic influenza if thepandemic happens. With 16 million doses, enough to treat almost halfthe population, Canada will be able to save many lives if combinedwith effective isolation of cases.

NY Times: Deadly 1918 Epidemic Linked to Bird Flu, Scientists Say

2005-10-05T13:35:00.000-04:00

Deadly 1918 Epidemic Linked to Bird Flu, Scientists Say By GINA KOLATA New York Times Published: October 5, 2005 Two teams of federal and university scientists announced today that they had resurrected the 1918 influenza virus, the cause of one of history's most deadly epidemics, and had found that unlike the viruses that caused more recent flu pandemics of 1957 and 1968, the 1918 virus was

OIE expert's mission to assess the avian influenza situation of wildlife in Russia

2005-10-05T08:01:00.000-04:00

"OIE expert's mission to assess the avian influenza situation of wildlife in Russia Paris, 4 October - At the request of the OIE delegate of Russia, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has started yesterday its expert's mission to assess the avian influenza situation of wildlife in Russia and the national measures to be taken to minimize the risk of international spread of the disease

NY Times article on CWD

2005-10-04T09:25:00.000-04:00

Wasting-Disease Culprit May Be Tongue?http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/04/science/04tong.html Although it's a nice discussion about how prions might move around within an animal, I definetely think shedding of prions by faeces or urine onto feed, and then consumption of contaminated feed is much more likely a route of transmission among animals, not sloughing of tongue skin cells. I wouldn't

New England Journal of Medicine: Review of AI in humans by WHO

2005-10-04T09:11:00.000-04:00

The WHO has published a synthesis of the what we know about avian influenza (H5N1) in humans in the New England Journal of Medicine (pdf here). The summary posted on ProMED is here: "The authors have drawn the following conclusions. Infected birds have been the primary source of influenza A (H5N1) infections in humans in Asia. Transmission between humans is very limited at present, but

New bird flu paper in EID: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1, Thailand, 2004

2005-10-02T22:25:00.000-04:00

There's a new paper on the avian influenza epizootic in Thailand in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Interesting quote in the discussion: "High numbers of HPAI detections coincided with low temperatures in Thailand from October to February, when wild birds from central and northern Asia migrate into Thailand (7). Therefore, seasonal conditions and bird migration might have contributed to the

Pandemic Flu Awareness Week

2005-10-02T16:31:00.000-04:00

The Reveres over at EffectMeasure are spearheading Pandemic Flu Awareness Week. Read their post and spread the word!

US launches campaign against Asia wildlife trade amid bird flu threat - Yahoo! News

2005-09-30T15:09:00.000-04:00

US launches campaign against Asia wildlife trade amid bird flu threat .This is very good news. The wildlife trade/disease links are profound, and more than a little scary.

Colorado Division of Wildlife: Hunter Harvested Moose Tests Positive for CWD

2005-09-30T12:09:00.000-04:00

From the Colorado Division of Wildlife 9/29/2005Division of Wildlife Hunter Harvested Moose Tests Positive for CWD The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) has confirmed that a bull moose killed by an archer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD)....This is the first time that a moose has tested positive for CWD in a natural setting. Kreeger et al. reported experimental infection

CP: Close relative to SARS coronavirus found in bats

2005-09-30T09:02:00.000-04:00

Interesting article by Helen Branswell here. Although I have yet to read the actual scientific articles, some of the people she quotes in this news story are suggesting that although they found a similar virus to SARS, they are not the same: Dr. Earl Brown, an expert in viral evolution at the University of Ottawa, said the bat and human viruses are probably separated by 100 years of evolution,

More on the reported Mongolian bird flu deaths

2005-09-30T08:30:00.000-04:00

I spoke with a colleague that works in Mongolia, who reported the following:"I just spoke to the veterinarians at the [Mongolian] Institure of Veterinary Medicine. The reported avian flu in 500+ birds in 30 soums and 16 different aimags reflects citizen reports of dead birds NOT serologic evidence of AI exposure. I am not yet sure whether or not the report of "an additional five geese, two

UB Post: Bird toll reaches over 500

2005-09-29T22:16:00.000-04:00

Bird toll reaches over 500UB Post29 Sept 2005An additional five geese, two shelduck, and four gulls were found deadat Erkhel Lake in Alag-Erdene soum, Khovsgol aimag, on September 22. By September 23, the total number of birds dead from bird flu hadreached 583, in 30 soums and 16 different aimags, since its outbreakon July 29, 2005.The local veterinary and emergency officials have destroyed

More birds die in Mongolia from avian flu - Yahoo! News

2005-09-22T16:49:00.000-04:00

Yahoo! News: "ULAN BATOR (AFP) - Mongolian authorities said 563 birds have died from avian flu across the country since late July, prompting teams of emergency workers to be sent to the worst-hit areas."With an outbreak of H5N1 earlier this year at Erhel Lake, this news doesn't seem too suprising. However, no official report has yet been made to the OIE, and the details on testing are vague.

More on chicken soup ...

2005-09-21T14:28:00.000-04:00

More on the bizarre statements from the Canadian Public Health Officer David Butler-Jones: "'In a pandemic, we would see potentially 50,000 deaths in Canada. We see approximately that number of deaths in every year related to tobacco.' A new pandemic likely wouldn't resemble the famous killer flu of 1918-1919 whose victims were often in the prime of youth, he said. More likely it would look

New tool in the fight against bird flu ... chicken soup?

2005-09-21T10:01:00.000-04:00

Public Health Minister Carolyn Bennett: "'The part that bugs me most is the bottom-up part. Does every Canadian know who their three neighbours are ... and would we be able to get them the chicken soup and not get infected?'"In this article, this amazing statement follows another goody from Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, David Butler-Jones: "In a pandemic, we would see potentially 50,000

Move poultry out of Jakarta?

2005-09-19T13:16:00.000-04:00

From Promed:"Governor Sutiyoso said on Friday [16 Sep 2005] that all poultry farms in Jakarta should relocate to outside the city in order to stop the spread of avian influenza in the capital."The Promed moderator "AS" had this comment:"Minimizing unnecessary mixing between people and domestic poultry, in order to limit the exposure of humans to zoonotic infections, is epidemiologically

Forbes: Two more human bird flu cases suspected in Indonesia as Jakarta closes zoo

2005-09-18T12:35:00.000-04:00

Two more human bird flu cases suspected in Indonesia as Jakarta closes zoo09.18.2005, 09:15 AMJAKARTA (AFX) - Two more Indonesian children are suspected of havingbeen infected with bird flu as authorities closed the Jakarta zooafter 19 birds there were found to be carrying the deadly virus,officials said.Rest of the story here.

WCS bird flu fact sheet

2005-09-17T17:26:00.000-04:00

It's a bit dated, but good nonetheless

After the flood

2005-09-17T15:42:00.000-04:00

I know this is a wildlife disease blog, but I am a frequent listener of "This American Life" and I was deeply moved by the "After the flood" episode (RealAudio format). Parts made furious, other parts hopeful.From the site:After the FloodSurprising stories from survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. A woman who was at the convention center talks about some things she says were widely

Mallards and Avian Influenza Viruses, Northern Europe | CDC EID

2005-09-17T12:12:00.000-04:00

From a new paper by Munster et al. in the upcoming issue of EID: "Wild birds harbor the LPAI ancestral viruses of HPAI strains of poultry (and mammals). In our influenza A virus surveillance studies in wild birds in northern Europe, we detected numerous influenza A viruses of subtype H5 and H7 in Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). We show that for each of the HPAI outbreaks that occurred in Europe

Canada to host flu pandemic prep. meeting

2005-09-13T22:20:00.000-04:00

Canada to host flu pandemic prep. meetingby Helen BranswellCanadian PressTuesday, September 13, 2005TORONTO -- Health ministers from 20-plus developed and developing countries will meet in Canada next month to work on ways to enhance global capacity to respond to an influenza pandemic, federal government sources revealed Tuesday.This is great news. It's unlikely that an avian influenza pandemic

Discussion of the role of migratory birds in the spread of avian influenza A(H5N1)

2005-09-12T18:42:00.000-04:00

Birds Korea - Fourteen Key Statements: Poultry Flu is about poultry!Interesting commentary on the role of migratory birds in the spread of avian influenza A(H5N1), particularly on the timing of migration (Point 7 in the list).

Newsday.com: West Virginia's first case of wasting disease found

2005-09-09T13:31:00.000-04:00

On the finding of a 2-year old male CWD-positive deer in West Virginia:"'It's possible that it's just one deer,' [West Virginia DNR's assistant chief for game management] Johansen said." (Newsday.com)This seems highly unlikely that the one and only CWD-positive deer was hit by a vehicle.However, it does illustrate that CWD surveillance strategies in areas where CWD has not been found should focus

Avian influenza in Mongolia

2005-09-09T13:23:00.000-04:00

From Promed: "The Mongolian case provides the best evidence to date for wild birds in the trans-boundary spread of H5N1 avian influenza ..."This is a snippet of a longer post by Les Sims, Asia Pacific Veterinary Information Services. I totally agree - without large numbers of poultry in Mongolia, these isolations demonstrate that a wild bird population can host H5N1 in the absence of affected

Avian Influenza

2005-09-09T13:16:00.000-04:00

After a summer of travel, I'm back and am going to try and post more often again. Here is a link to the USGS-National Wildlife Health Center's avian influenza page, which has a pdf (under Health Bulletins) with advice to people who may be handling birds. Good advice, and worth a read: National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC): Avian Influenza: "Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), strain

Reply to Dr. Niman's argument that wild birds are spreading avian influenza

2005-06-18T23:29:00.000-04:00

I thought this issue was important enough to repost here from www.agonist.org. The points in italics are comments from Dr. Niman. Quote from: niman on Today at 08:26:14pmYou have already provided the evidence. The geese at Qinghai Lake were H5N1 positive and there is no reported outbreaks in domestic birds there. Moreover, the OIE report cited 4 additional species. Thus, the OIE report has 5

Philippino bird flu strategy

2005-06-18T19:42:00.000-04:00

Here is a story on the Philippines' strategy to prevent the introduction of avian influenza. The good: they are enacting a monitoring strategy for wild birds, something many other countries are not doing. The bad: it seems to suggest they plan on "stamping out" migratory birds in local areas if avian influenza is found. The ugly: killing migratory birds is not an effective strategy, and may

No CWD in Maryland or Missouri...yet

2005-06-17T18:05:00.000-04:00

According to a press report by the Maryland DNR there are no signs of CWD among 872 free-ranging deer in the state. The sampling regime was intensive:"The state’s current sampling effort was designed such that if 1 percent of the deer in either population had CWD, there is a 98 percent chance the disease would be detected."That maybe a high prevalence for a recently introduced disease (let Damien

One case of avian flu confirmed in Indonesia

2005-06-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

This report has just confirmed a positive human case for avian flu in Indonesia. Although only one out of 81 human blood samples was found positive back in May, the case has been confirmed just recently:"The infected man is a farm labourer who was exposed to sick chickens when a wave of avian flu swept over the southern Sulawesi island earlier this year." The man is asymptomatic, but was believed

More cases of avian flu in Vietnam

2005-06-16T10:47:00.000-04:00

According to this report six new more human cases of avian flu have been reported in the last week in Vietnam.

Human trial of H5N1 vaccine could be dangerous?

2005-06-14T18:32:00.000-04:00

According to this report Vietnam is getting ready to test a new vaccine for H5N1 avian flu this summer. However, some are concerned about the methods used to develop this vaccine:The seed virus used for Vietnam's vaccine was mixed with cancer cells to boost replication, and then grown in monkey kidney cells, a method the article describes as highly unorthodox. It is not the same seed virus as the

H5N1 samples from Qinghai match those from 2004 outbreak in China

2005-06-13T22:17:00.000-04:00

Quote from here:"Samples recently recovered from China's western Qinghai Province show the virus there has been matched genetically to that found on the southeast coast, researchers say, reigniting a debate over whether it is being spread by migratory birds or human activities."This information is consistent with my earlier hypothesis (explained here). I'm in the "human activity" is to blame

CWD in PA

2005-06-13T09:52:00.000-04:00

Looks like people are thinking along the right ways in Pennsilvania to get ready for CWD. Baning feeding deer during the winter is not very popular among suburbans but will probably minimize contact between individuals, lowering transmission.ahumadamesiter.

When conservation and disease management clash-Bighorns

2005-06-10T17:37:00.000-04:00

This is not news in the world of disease management and conservation. Sometimes the best way to control a disease in wildlife is to cull potentially infectious individuals before they come into contact with susceptible individuals in the population (e.g. CWD). However, when we are talking about endangered species, what should we do?Found this piece reporting clashes between disease managers and

Fungus can help control malaria

2005-06-09T18:04:00.000-04:00

Malaria is one of the big human killers, but few people are aware also that malaria can have large impacts on bird and mammal populations, specially when they have been isolated in islands and unexposed to disease for millions of years (such as avian malaria and pox in Hawaii).Traditionally mosquitoes that bear disease like malaria and pox have been controlled without much success with

Background on H5N1 in China - are wild birds to blame?

2005-06-09T12:05:00.000-04:00

With rampant speculation that wild birds are spreading H5N1 throughout China I thought it important to summarize some of the available information on H5N1 avian influenza in China.My working hypothesis is that the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak in domestic poultry in Tacheng is a continuation of the 2004 avian influenza epizootic in Chinese domestic poultry. The virus was widespread across China

Guest Blogger

2005-06-08T16:18:00.000-04:00

From June 10 to July 5, there will be a guest blogger, ahumadameister, on wildlifedisease.blogspot.com while I am travelling. He comes to the world of wildlife disease from a theoretical perspective, and is an expert using statistical and simulation techniques to describe ecological patterns of disease in natural populations. I am really looking forward to coming back from my trip, and reading

New OIE report on H5N1 in China

2005-06-08T13:27:00.000-04:00

HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINAThe location of the outbreak is in the far west of China near the border with Kazakhstan, possibly ~2000 km away from the Qinghai migratory bird outbreak.The report indicates ~1,042 cases in "geese", with 460 deaths and ~13,000 culled. At this point there is no indication of which species, or if these were domestic or free-ranging

Mysterious Disease Kills 400 Sheep in Mongolia

2005-06-08T00:36:00.000-04:00

Mysterious Disease Kills 400 Sheep in Mongolia: "Mysterious Disease Kills 400 Sheep in Mongolia"It seems that every time there is an outbreak of any kind anywhere near China these days, it must have been H5N1.I admit to being a little frustrated with this. I find it unsettling that animals that people depend upon, including livestock and wildlife, often suffer from disease issues around the world

Comment on possiblity of Mumbai die-off being caused by WNV

2005-06-07T22:17:00.000-04:00

From ProMED: ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2005 21:33:22 -0400 (EDT) From: ProMED-mail Subject: PRO/AH> Crow die-off - India (Mumbai, Khar-Bandra) (02) CROW DIE-OFF - INDIA (MUMBAI, KHAR-BANDRA) (02) *********************************************** A ProMED-mail post ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases Date: Mon 6 Jun 2005 From:

China orders bloggers to register with government

2005-06-07T14:40:00.000-04:00

Please take a moment to learn about this issue.

Update on Mumbai crow die-off

2005-06-07T11:01:00.000-04:00

A comprehensive update from Sunjoy Monga.

Why did the chicken cross the road ...

2005-06-07T09:51:00.000-04:00

A little levity:

More thoughts on geese photos ...

2005-06-06T19:36:00.000-04:00

I asked Dr. Michael Samuel, a professor at the University of Wisconsin who has worked on wildlife disease issues for over twenty years including waterfowl mortalities, to comment on the photos (some of his publications are listed here). Specifically, I wrote:"The internet is ablaze with rumours about "thousands" of geese dyingof H5N1 avian influenza in western China. Part of the fire is

Grounding a Pandemic - New York Times

2005-06-06T09:53:00.000-04:00

Grounding a Pandemic - New York Times: "By BARACK OBAMA and RICHARD LUGAR" A nice editorial summarizing the threats and potential responses associated with pandemic avian influenza.

2005-06-05T19:51:00.000-04:00

Re: a topic at www.agonist.com (Bar-headed geese possibly bringing H5N1 from India)We have to remember that 5 species were officially reported in the Qinghai H5N1 outbreak and likely dozens of waterfowl species congregate at Qinghai. Although Bar-headed geese were found dead, it doesn't mean they brought H5N1 there. Some duck species may carry the virus without showing clinical signs (e.g., this

RedNova News - Science - Quantitative Bioscience for the 21st Century

2005-06-04T21:19:00.000-04:00

This is a great article (particularly for quantitative geeks like myself): RedNova News - Science - Quantitative Bioscience for the 21st Century I'm a little troubled though that the article was clearly copied from a scientific publication (Copyright American Institute of Biological Sciences Jun 2005) but the full citation is not given. I guess it's BioScience?

DPIWE - Disease Affecting Tasmanian Devils - Update

2005-06-04T21:05:00.000-04:00

An update from the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Water, and Environment on research on the Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease is available here: DPIWE - Disease Affecting Tasmanian Devils - Update: "Latest Information from the Devil Project"

ProMED: Crow die-off in Mumbai

2005-06-04T07:34:00.000-04:00

ProMED posted a story on a crow die-off in Mumbai, India today (here is another news story). This issue was first reported by Sunjoy Monga on the birdsofbombay discussion group May 4. So far about 400 dead crows have been reported. Information from Dr. Monga's post-mortem examinations of some crows will be really important.

H5N1 in Qinghai revisited

2005-06-03T21:42:00.000-04:00

I was asked to clarify my position with regards to the Qinghai H5N1 outbreak.In general, I try to view new information as a skeptic. When I question the evidence for a statement or conclusion, it doesn't necessarily mean I don't agree with the conclusion. I just think it is important to not sensationalize or draw premature conclusions on unverified evidence. I would rather dismiss something I