• Disease
  • Control
  •  Be Prepared 
  • Outbreaks
  • About Us
  •  Latest Publications 

Avian Influenza News Archive

8 September 2006
Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1) Reported to WHO 

25 August 2006
Owls from Rotterdam zoo - not H5N1
It has been confirmed that the two hawk owls that died at Rotterdam zoo were not infected with avian influenza H5N1.

14 August 2006
H5N1 suspected in owls in Rotterdam zoo
2 dead young owls from the Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam have been tested and found infected with the H5N1 virus. Further investigations are underway to obtain final confirmation of an HPAI infection.

14 August 2006
OIE update - New outbreak of avian influenza in Laos


7 August 2006
H5N1 avian influenza reappears in Germany 
A swan found dead in Dresden zoo in eastern Germany was infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus. This is the 1st case in the country in nearly 3 
months.

Thailand
2nd confirmed H5N1 positive human death in Thailand from reported from Thailand's central province.

5 August 2006
OIE report - Highly pathogenic avian influenza in Thailand 

3 August 2006
The Netherlands - LPAI H7
25 000 chickens at a poultry plant at Voorthuizen in the eastern province of Gelderland were destroyed after traces of a mild form of bird flu were found there.

Officials have imposed a set of controls around the plant, including setting up a 6 km zone where the transport of poultry, whether live or dead, animal feed, eggs, and manure was banned. Controls were placed on around 130 businesses in the area.

Experts are unanimous in declaring the variant harmless to both poultry and humans, but there were concerns that it could spread and mutate to a more dangerous form.

30 July, China and Cote d'Ivoire
New outbreaks of HPAI confirmed in poultry in:

  • China (Xinjiang autonomous region in Akesu region)
  • Cote d'Ivoire (San Pedro region, near Grand Bereby)                

26 July, Thailand
17 year old boy confirmed to have died from H5N1 infection (Thap Khlo district, Phichit province). This is the first confirmed case of human infection in Thailand.

OIE report of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry  (BangMulnarg district, Phichit province)

26 July, WHO report
Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1) Reported to WHO
Read more...

14 July 2006
WHO update (22) - avian influenza in humans in Indonesia

7 July 2006
First case of H5N1 reported in a wild bird from Spain.

6 July 2006
Western Cape, South Africa - Avian influenza H5N2 has been confirmed in ostriches on a farm in the Western Cape. Control measures are quarantine and culling.

5 July 2006
OIE report - Oubreaks of avian influenza H5N1 in Hungary

30 June 2006
World Health Organization (WHO) Weekly Epidemiological Record
This week sets out results from the first analysis of epidemiological data on all 205 laboratory-confirmed H5N1 cases officially reported to WHO by onset date from December 2003 to 30 April 2006.

19 June 2006
Latest FAO bulletin - Update on avian influenza (no.40)
Contents:

  • Should wild birds now be considered a permanent reservoir of the virus?
  • Country Situation - See updates on the situation in countries in:
    • Africa 
    • The EU and Caucasus
    • The Near East
    • Asia                        

12 June 2006
First cases of Avian Influenza reported in domestic poultry in Ukraine. 7200 birds to be culled.

08 June 2006 - OIE reports
Updates on avian influenza in:

  • Romania
  • Israel
  • India
  • Niger
  • China                         

06 June 2006
Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1) Reported to WHO

23 May 2006
Indonesia - 6 human deaths from H5N1 infection
The deaths of 6 people from the same family are being invesitigated. It is believed that human to human transmission of the H5N1 virus could have taken place.

20 May 2006
OIE disease alert - H5N1 in poultry, Denmark

19 May 2006
Denmark - H5N1 isolated from domestic poultry
Danish authorities have reported the country's 1st case of H5 bird flu virus in poultry. The virus was found in a petting farm in Hundslev, on Fyn island in the centre of the country. All birds have been destroyed and a 3km protection zone has been set up around the farm.

18 May 2006
Egypt, Minya governorate
A 75 year old woman has died following H5N1 infection. This is the 14th human case since the confirmation of the deadly disease in Egypt in March 2006. Out of the 13 cases reported before the new case, 5 have died and the other 8 have recovered.

15 May 2006
Human cases of avian influenza

  • North Sumatra, Indonesia -  Five people from the same family confirmed to be infected with H5N1. All five had been in contact with poultry and pigs.
  • Djibouti, North Africa - 2 year old girl confirmed to be infected with H5N1. She is currently hospitalised.                   

New outbreak in Transylvania, Romania
An outbreak of H5N1 in poultry has been reported from Transylvania. Romanian health officials announced less than one month ago that avian influenza had been eradicated in Romania. 

04 May 2006

  • Europa website - 10 facts about about avian influenza
  • The Netherlands' Agriculture Ministry lifted an order keeping all domestic poultry indoors on Monday, as fears over an outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza eased. Over 13 000 wild birds have been tested for H5N1 since February with no positive results.                    

28 April 2006

  • England - H7 avian influenza isolated from a poultry farm in Norfolk. Even though the strain isolated is not the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, all 35,000 birds on the farm are to be culled.
  • Germany - H5N1 isolated from a dead white stork found in the Brandenburg district. This is the first time that the virus has been isolated from a white stork.
  • China - 18th case of human H5N1 infection confirmed in an 8 year old girl. The child is currently hospitalised.                     

25 April 2006
Avian influenza confirmed on a poultry farm in Sudan.

17 April 2006
See the OIE website for updates on avian influenza in the following countries:

  • Palestinian Autonomous Territories, chicken and ducks
  • Azerbaijan, quarantine lifted
  • United Kingdom, whooper swan
  • Czech Republic, swans
  • Denmark, common buzzard and swans
  • Croatia, swan
  • Germany, wild birds
  • Poland, wild swans                       

10 April 2006
Myanmar reports more than 100 outbreaks of avian influenza
The UN has recently confimed over 100 outbreaks of AI in military ruled Myanmar (Burma). The outbreaks are mainly in the districts of Mandalay and Sagaing. 

7 April 2006

  • Germany  - H5N1 confirmed in domestic poultry in Saxony.
  • Britain - H5N1 isolated from a dead mute swan found on the Scottish coast.
  • Nigeria -  Avian influenza confirmed in poultry in the capital Lagos. Lagos is hundreds of kilometers south of the initial Nigerian AI outbreak.                          

5 April 2006
Avian Influenza in Birkina Faso
The Animal Resources Minister has announced 3 cases of H5N1 infection in Birkina Faso. The species that the virus has been isolated from is not yet  known.

4 April 2006
WHO update on avian influenza infections in humans
See the WHO website for the latest update on human cases in Egypt and Indonesia

3 April 2006
Europe - Update on H5N1 in wild birds

  • Germany - A total of 263 cases of H5N1 infection in wild birds have been confirmed.
  • Switzerland - 4 cases of H5N1 confirmed. 12 more cases have tested positive for H5 influenza, subtype to be confirmed.                              

A European map on avian influenza in wild birds is available on the EU website and updated daily -  Map of Europe

29 March 2006
H5N1 confirmed in a dead swan found in the Czech Republic 130km south of Prague.

27 March 2006
3 human deaths from H5N1 confirmed in Asia

  • Indonesia -  Baby girl aged 1 living west of Jakarta. Confimed human death toll in Indonesia now 23.
  • China - 29 year old migrant worker dies in Shanghai. This is China's 11 reported fatal avian influenza case. For detail see the WHO website.
  • Cambodia - 3 year old child. 5th confirmed human case but the first case in more than 1 year. For detail see the WHO website.                       

24 March

  • Jordan  - H5N1 confirmed in turkeys.
  • Gaza Strip - Outbreaks confirmed from 2 chicken farms.                      

22 March

  • The WHO confirms 7 cases of human infection with H5N1 in Azerbaijan.                        

21 March

  • H5N1 confirmed in poultry in Pakistan.
  • Egypt confirms that the death of a 30 year old woman was caused by avian influenza. The woman had been in close contact with infected poultry.                         

20 March

  • 3rd major outbreak of avian influenza confirmed in Russia's Krasnodar and Daghestan regions. 
  • In Israel an outbreak of H5N1 is suspected in turkeys and chickens - culling on affected farms is taking place.
  • More wild birds infected with H5N1 have been found in Denmark.                          

17 March 2006
H5N1 confirmed in chickens in Afghanistan. Positive samples were taken from chickens in the capital Kabul and Nangarhar province, on the Pakistani border in the east.

16 March 2006

  • Dutch government to start the voluntary vaccination of backyard and free range poultry against avian influenza.
  • Azerbaijan - 3 human deaths from avian influenza confirmed Confimed global human death toll from the virus now over 100.
  • Sweden - H5N1 confirmed in an owl.
  • Croatia - H5N1 confirmed in seagulls.
  • Denmark - H5 virus isolated from wild fowl, not clear yet if H5N1.                            

OIE updates:

  • Cameroon - poultry
  • Myanamar - poultry
  • Nigeria, commercial and backyard poultry, guinea fowl, ducks 
    Pakistan, poultry 
    Romania, turkey, wild goose 
    Albania, chicken 
    Turkey, commercial and backyard poultry
    See OIE update.                              

14 March 2006

  • Myanamar (Mandalay) confirmsfirst cases of H5N1 infection in poultry                             

13 March 2006

  • H5N1 avian influenza confirmed in day old chicks in Cameroon, West Africa.
  • Indonesia - Avian influenza reaches the island of Batam. Batam lies just 20km south of Singapore.                              

11 March 2006

  • Russia - Chickens on a farm in Stavropol infected with H5N1.
  • Russia starts mass vaccination against H5N1 infection.
  • Greece confirms avian influenza in 4 dead swans.
  • Poland - H5 virus isolated from a dead swan found near the German border.                              

10 March 2006

  • China - A 9 year old girl from Eastern China dies from avian influenza.
  • Germany - A stone marten on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen infected with H5N1.
  • Serbia - H5N1 confimed in a mute swan.
  • Bavaria, Germany - H5N1 confirmed in a dead buzzard and mute swan.                               

07 March 2006
3 domestic cats in Austria have tested positive for H5N1 infection. The cats are among 170 cats living in an animal shelter where bird flu was detected in chickens last month.

6 March 2006

  • H5N1 confirmed in two dead swans in the city of Torun in Poland.
  • H5N1 confirmed in wild birds in France
  • The death of a 32 year old man from Guandong province, China, confirmed to have been caused by avian influenza.                                 

02 March 2006

For latest OIE updates see the OIE website.

  • Germany - H5N1 confirmed in two wild birds in Bavaria.
  • Switzerland confirms second bird flu case in a dead swan
  • H5N1 confirmed as the cause of death in an Iraqi man. This is Iraq's second confirmed human death from avian influenza.                                  

01 March 2006

  • Avian influenza confirmed in poultry in Niger
  • A dead duck found in Lake Geneva confirmed to have died from H5N1 infection.
  • A domestic cat dies of H5N1 infection on the Baltic island of Ruegen.
  • 2 dead wild ducks found in Sweden suspected of having H5N1.                                          

25 February 2006
H5N1 confirmed in commercial turkeys in France. See OIE report.

22 February 2006

  • H5N1 isolated from dead swans in Croatia, Bosnia and Hungary.
  • Malaysia reports avian influenza outbreak in poultry.                         

For details see Reuters AlertNet.

Frequently asked questions with regard to the Avian flu, answered by Intervet International. See Press release

21 February 2006

19 February 2006

  • H5N1 confirmed in 59 dead wild aquatic birds that were wintering along the northwestern shores of the Island of Ruegen, located in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Germany.
  • India to cull about 700 000 chickens in the western part of the country to prevent the spread of avian influenza, after the 1st cases of the viral outbreak were reported in poultry.
  • Cairo zoo closes after zoo birds die of avian influenza.                            

16 February 2006
Intervet to supply French government with avian influenza vaccine. See press release on www.intervet.com.  

15 February 2006
Avian influenza confirmed in Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Azerbaijan and Germany

  • Azerbaijan - H5N1 confirmed in dead wild birds, including swans, on the Caspian Sea coast.
  • Greece - H5N1 confirmed in dead swans found on Thermaikos Gulf near the northern city of Thessaloniki.
  • Italy - H5N1 confirmed in dead swans from southern provinces of Puglia, Scicily and Calabria.
  • Slovenia - avian influenza H5 isolated from a dead swan found near the Austrian border. It is expected to be confimed as H5N1.
  • Germany - H5N1 isolated from dead swans.           

30 January 2006
Avian Influenza cases in people

  • 1st human case of avian influenza confirmed in Iraq.
  • WHO collaborating laboratory has confirmed 12 of the human H5N1 infections reported by the Turkish Ministry of Health. All 4 fatalities are among the 12 cases. No new cases have been confirmed since 13 January 2006.             

See WHO website for current human avian influenza situation

November 2005
Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) - Statement on Avian influenza.
Click here for pdf documents

October 2005

Eurosurveillance weekly release - Avian influenza outbreaks in the WHO European region and public health actions

EFSA press release - Update on avian influenza and food safety 

Nobilon International to develop a new human H5N1 influenza vaccine
See the Nobilon website Press releases.

Press release of new EU avian influenza measures - 
See press release  on the EU website.

November 2005 

28 November 2005, Indonesia
Avian influenza has been confirmed in 23 of Indonesia's 33 provinces. New infections are also suspected in other provinces.

26 November 2005, Romania
New case of avian influenza confimed in a turkey in a remote village near the Danube Delta.

26 November 2005, China
Outbreak confimed in Northwest China. This is the 7th outbreak in 10 days. 

25 November 2005, Viet Nam
China has provided Viet Nam with aid to combat avian influenza.

24 November 2005, Indonesia
Avian influenza outbreak confirmed in Aceh.

23 November 2005, China
China confirms that the  death of a 35 year-old woman was caused by H5N1 infection. This is China's third confirmed human case of avian influenza.

19 November 2005, Viet Nam
2 new outbreaks of H5N1 reported. One from the northern province of Phu Tho and one from Thai Binh province.

14 November 2005, China
New outbreak of H5N1 confirmed in central Hubei province.

11 November 2005, Kuwait
H5N1 isolated from a flamingo found on a beach.

11 November 2005, Viet Nam
The animal health agency claims that avian influenza has spread to 30 communes in 9 provinces and cities, where nearly 30 000 fowl died or were culled.

10 November 2005, Viet Nam
H5N1 infection confirmed in a 35 year old man.

8 November 2005, Japan
170 000 chickens are to be culled on a farm north of Tokyo after avian influenza h5 was detected on the farm. The exact identification of the virus is not yet known.

8 November 2005, China
All live poultry markets in Beijing have been shut down. The municipal government also closed pet-bird markets, banned the raising of chickens in urban areas, and asked citizens to keep their pigeons in cages. Residents have been told to vaccinate all animals, including pets, against avian influenza; and those who refuse to do so can be taken into custody or fined.

7 November 2005, China
All poultry within a 3km radius of an avian influenza outbreak in the county of Heishan, in northeast China's Liaoning Province were culled. In total around 6 million birds were killed over two days.

7 November 2005, Indonesia
Two more human cases of H5N1 infection confirmed. To date, Indonesia has confirmed 9 cases of human infection , of which 5 have been fatal.

www.pro-med.org

October 2005 

Japan, 31 October 2005
Signs of avian influenza have been detected on a farm in Northern Japan. 82 000 birds are to be culled. The virus is an H5 virus but the exact strain has not been identified

Russia, 31 October 2005 
Suspected cases of avian influenza have now been confirmed in 10 rural communities across Russia and are being verified in 19 others.

Thailand, 31 October 2005
An outbreak of avian influenza in the northeastern province of Kalasin is the 1st case outside the Central region's poultry zone since the 3rd wave of infections in July 2005. 

Greece, 28 October 2005
Final tests in Britain and Greece showed that the turkey in Greece suspected of bird flu did not carry the disease.

Croatia, 26 October 2005 
H5N1 confirmed in dead swans found in a National Park in Western Croatia.

EU, 26 October 2005
The European Union has banned the import of all live captive birds from around the world. There is also a ban on all bird fairs exhibitions and shows.

Germany, 26 October 2005
Signs of the avian influenza virus have been detected in two dead migratory birds. The strain present is still to be determined. 23 other dead migratory birds tested showed no signs of the virus. 

Thailand, 26 October 2005
It is reported that avian influenza has spread to more than half the country. Two more human cases have been reported. 

China, 25 October 2005 
Outbreak of HPAI subtype H5 in Anhui. 45 000 birds destroyed. 140 000 birds vaccinated with inactivated H5N2 vaccine. Another out break in chickens and ducks was also confirmed in Hunan province. 

Sweden, 25 October 2005 
Avian influenza virus isolated from 4 ducks identified as a low pathogenic H5 virus.

Indonesia, 25 October 
2 cases of human H5N1 infection confirmed. Both had been exposed to infected poultry. 

Russia, 25 October 2005
Outbreak of H5N1 confirmed in Tambov, 400km south east of Moscow. 

Russia, 24 October 2005 
Avian influenza outbreak diagnosed in a village in the Southern Urals. The H5N1 strain has been isolated. All the poultry in the village is to be culled.

Russia has been fighting an avian influenza out break since mid-July 2005. To date 600 000 birds have been culled. 

Sweden, 23 October 2005 
4 dead ducks found in Eskilstuna, Sweden, were tested for avian influenza. One duck has tested positive. The virus strain present is still to be determined.

UK, 23 October 2005 
Parrot from Suriname dies in quarantine. The bird tested positive for H5N1. The parrot had been in contact with birds from Taiwan.

Greece, 21 October 2005
Alarms about possible avian influenza in Greece seem to be false. The EU Laboratory for Avian Influenza in Weybridge, reports that tests show the Greek birds had not died from the H5 bird flu virus. 

Taiwan, 21 October 2005 
Avian influenza virus H5N1 isolated from seized birds smuggled from China into Taiwan. All the birds have been destroyed and people in contact with the birds treated prophylactically against the virus.

Thailand, 21 October 2005 
A Thai farmer who was in close contact with and slaughtered sick chickens dies from H5N1 infection. The farmer's son who was also in close contact with chickens fell ill from the disease but has recovered. This is Thailand's 19th human case since the start of the outbreak in July 2003. 

Croatia, 21 October 2005 
Avian influenza isolated from 6 dead swans found in a National Park in Western Croatia. The virus strain present is still to be determined. 

Greece, 17 October 2005 
Avian Influenza H5 virus confirmed in a turkey on the island of Chios. Chios is a few miles from the coast of Western Turkey. 

Romania, 7 October 2005 
Report of an avian influenza outbreak on a farm in Tulcea County in the east of Romania.On 14 October 2005 avian influenza virus H5N1 was isolated from wildfowl in the Danube Delta in Romania and the agent responsible for the outbreak was confirmed as influenza virus type A, subtype H5N1.

Turkey, 6 October 2005
A an outbreak of avian influenza was confirmed in a sparsley populated area in the Manyas district.The outbreak occurred in a backyard poultry flock. The responsible agent was identified as influenza virus type A, subtype H5N1.

www.pro-med.org

September 2005

Scientific Opinion on Animal health and welfare aspects of Avian Influenza 
EFSA website
Adopted by the AHAW Panel on 13/14 September 2005

The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) has published a scientific opinion and report on the risks of Avian Influenza (AI) entering and spreading amongst the poultry population in Europe. The Opinion provides recommendations to risk managers on different options to reduce the risk and contain the disease should poultry flocks become infected. 

Proceedings of the Frontis workshop on Avian Influenza: Prevention and Control - Wageningen, The Netherlands 13-15 October 2003
Frontis website