Avian Flu

[Guest guest]

How Much Do We Know about Avian Flu? By Ameen Abduljalil

Oct 29, 2005 - Vol.VIII Issue 43

SANA’A - Health authorities say that “tough measures†are in place to

ward

off the avian flu which is threatening the lives of thousands of birds in

Asia. The government has recently said it has sent health teams to most ports

of entry to set up quarantines. The rising concern has prompted questions

over Yemen’s vulnerability to the virus.

The ministry of agriculture has denied claims that infected migratory birds

have arrived on the coasts of Hadhramawt. Claims also existed that the

ministry planned to destroy 2350 birds that had tested positive for avian flu

in

poultries across the country. Skepticism remains over health authority claims

that bird flu cannot enter the country.

Consumers are particularly worried since bird flu is a disease “that can

easily go undetectedâ€, according to Hashem Al-Qaood. “With no sophisticated

equipment to react to the outbreak – God forbid – of such a disaster,

health

authorities only risk their credibility when they claim they are prepared.

Al-Qaood highlights the threat posed by “migratory birds spreading highly

pathogenic avian influenza and the fact that wild waterfowl are reservoirs of

influenza. This is to show that there are different outlets for the pandemic to

strike.†Fuad Al-i echoes Al-Qaood adding that the need now is for more

consumer awareness.

“For me, I consider stockpiling a supply of poultry meat, once the

epidemic–

God forbid –happens. I’ll regret not having bought enough chicken. Who

knows? It could happen today or tomorrow.†The level of consumer awareness

is

relatively good. Jameel Amrani is at least aware that “migratory birds can

introduce low pathogenic viruses to poultry flocks, which, in turn, transform

to forms highly pathogenic.â€

He is hopeful the measures of the health authorities are “adequate enough to

stave off the pandemic that is spreading like wildfire in countries like

Indonesia, Vietnam, Romania, China, Thailand and other countries.†Salah

Saleh

sees the response of Japan, South Korea and Malaysia to the pandemic as “

awe-inspiringâ€, as all those countries have managed to control the disease

quickly. “Can we do that as well if the disease strikes?†he inquires. As

for

his awareness whether avian flu can be transmitted into humans, he cited the

current flu-causing virus as a strain deadly to humans as well. He is afraid

that through direct contact with infected poultry or their droppings, the avian

flu will hit humans. “Health authorities say they have put measures into

effect in all ports of entry and in centers of provinces. That is fine.

What they should be doing in the meantime is launch awareness drives,

especially in rural areas. People should be instructed in how to handle a

disaster

of this kind, how to contain the epidemic and how to prevent it from

infecting humans in particular. As a result of inadequate veterinary services -

or no

such services at all - in rural areas, everyone is aware that an ill chicken

and other domestic birds often die of the first disease they catch. The

result of this is that impoverished families are quick to slaughter and cook

these fowls. Although, it is not yet proven that properly cooked poultry or

eggs

can be a source of infection, exposure is most likely during slaughter,

depluming, butchering, and preparation of poultry for cooking.†The current

outbreaks of avian influenza, which began in South-east Asia in mid-2003, are

the most rampant and critical on record, Mu’ez Al-Najri believes. “Starting

from December in 2003 through February of 2004, avian flu respectively struck,

South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic

Republic, Indonesia, and China. Today, the disease for the first time is likely

to strike humans as well. The current outbreak is a H5N1 strain of bird flu

that has killed 60 people, in most cases, through contact with infected

birds.â€

Emad Mahjour says that the only way is prevention.

It will be very hard for Yemen and every other country that falls victim to

bird flu to get rid of the pandemic once it has arrived. “Nations that have

already got the virus are destroying hundreds of thousands of fowl but to no

avail.†“There are no reliable techniques for identifying the virus and

tracing its transmissions,†he says, “not even in the world’s most

advanced

nations. People tested and found negative for H5N1 could in another test be

found positive. The proliferation of the virus in poultry and wild birds in new

regions further broadens the chances of human infection. It takes only a few

bird-to-human infections before the virus will spread unchecked and then

spread from human to human.â€

Anwar Khaled who has been following the case in the newspapers and on the

web says that bird flu has created a media storm similar to the one created by

Hurricane Katrina. “SARS was the great story in 2002. Since 2003, avian flu

has come to the fore. Since its breakout, bird flu seems to have gone out of

control. For me, that shows that the world is ill-prepared to deal with even

ordinary health threats. In fact, there are causes that make this strain of

virus spread rapidly. Avian influenza spreads in the air and faeces and can

also be transmitted via water, food and clothing; however, the virus cannot

survive in fully-cooked meat.†Muafa Sayf Radaman, a former pharmacist,

says:

“In humans, the symptoms of bird flu are akin to the symptoms of other sorts

of flu; fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, and breathing problems.

Effective anti-viral vaccines are not yet available. There are vaccines for

seasonal types of flu only. But these cannot cure pandemics. The special

vaccine for the H5N1 virus is being designed in a number of world countries. It

will take a few more months before a vaccine of this type is ready.†Poultry

and Mycotoxins Recently, a Yemeni researcher found that poultries are ideal

routes for food mycotoxins. He collected twenty-nine samples of poultry

rations from four provinces in order to study their associated fungi and to

determine their constituents of mycotoxins.

The findings were as follows: Fungi associated and isolated from poultry

ration samples were identified as: Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A.

candidus, A. carneus, Fusarium moniliforme, Penicillium chrysogenum,

Penicillium

spp., Mucor sp, and Rhizopus nigricans. Frequency occurrence percentage of

fungi isolated from samples collected from Sana’a Poultry Ration Supply

Companies

(SPRSC) showed that F. moniliforme was significantly dominant (41.7%),

followed by A. flavus (20%). Frequency occurrence was 10% and 9.2% for A.

candidus

and Penicillium spp. Fungi such as A. carneus A. candidus, A. niger, Mucor

sp, and Rhizopus nigricans significantly differed in prevailing from poultry

ration samples tested. P. chrysogenum and A. candidus occurrence didn’t

differ significantly. Samples of No.1, No.3 , No. 4 and No.5 collected from

(SPRSC) didn’t significantly differ in their fungi associated. Significant

difference of fungi occurrence was detected in No. 2 and No. 3 samples.

Similarly, percentage occurrence of fungi for sample No.3 differed

significantly from these given by No.5 sample. Frequency occurrence percentage

of

fungi isolated from samples collected from Taiz Poultry Ration Supply Companies

(TPRSC) showed that A. flavus significantly was dominant (47.8%), followed by

F. moniliforme (26.7%). A. candidus occurrence differed significantly from

these given by A. carneus.

Fungi associated with sample No.1 was significantly higher than these

prevailed from other four poultry ration sample collected. Fungi associated

with

poultry ration samples collected from Sana’a (SPRSC) generally differed

significantly from these associated with poultry samples collected from Taiz

(TPRSC)

except for Mucor sp., Rhizopus sp, A. carneus and Penicillium chrysogenum in

which they didn’t occur significantly in the two governorates. Fungi

associated with poultry samples collected from poultry farms in Sana’a

governorate

indicated that F. moniliforme was the most dominantly and significantly

occurring (30.2%) followed by A. carneus (25.5%), A. flavus (17.4 %), P.

chrysogenum (16.7%). Poultry ration samples collected from farmer’s poultry

farms in Sana’a didn’t differ significantly for their level of fungal

contamination except for No.6 sample in which it showed the highest

contaminated

sample. In poultry samples collected from Taiz poultry farms, F.

moniliforme, was the most significantly prevailing (50%) followed by A. flavus

(16.3%).

Other isolated fungi associated with poultry ration samples didn’t differ

significantly for their level of fungal contamination. For Taiz, poultry

ration samples fungal contamination, there was no significant difference

between

samples except for No. 3 and No. 4 samples.

Copyright © 2004 - 2005

Yemen Observer Newspaper