Veterinary Public Health (VPH) E-Bulletin (30/09/2013)

NEWS

LATEST OUTBREAKS – VPH ASIA (Nepal) Rabies Three people died of rabies infection after being bitten by stray dogs in Jajarkot district recently. […] ASIA (Taiwan) Rabies The Animal Health Research Institute (National laboratory) has confirmed rabies virus infection by direct fluorescent antibody test in 1 ferret-badger which was found in Tainan City. […] ASIA (Taiwan) Rabies   September 10, 2013. The Central epidemic Control Center confirmed that a pet dog in Taitung County, eastern Taiwan has been infected with rabies after being bitten by a rabid Formosan ferret-badger. […] […] ASIA (Bangladesh) Human Anthrax At least seven people including four women and a 10-year-old have been confirmed to have been infected with anthrax in a village of Sirajganj’s Shahjadpur upazilla. […] ASIA (Cambodia) Human Avian Influenza HPAI H5N1 Two more new human cases of avian influenza have been confirmed for the H5N1 virus in Cambodia, bringing the number of the cases to 20 so far this year, a hospital spokesman said Thursday. […] ASIA (Taiwan) Avian Influenza LPAI H5N2 The Council of Agriculture reports that during the second round of surveillance conducted on the poultry farms around the H5N2 infected duck farm in Hualien County, the H5N2 avian influenza virus was detected from swabs taken from a meat-type duck farm. […] ASIA (Nepal) Avian Influenza HPAI H1N5 Nepal reported 10 new outbreaks among layer and broiler birds in different farms in Bagmati, Lumbini, and Janakpur regions. […] ASIA (Nepal) Avian Influenza HPAI H5N1 Nepal reports new outbreak of HPAI in Bagmati, Narayani and Gandagi regions among birds in farms as well as back yard poultry. […] ASIA (Cambodia) Human Avian Influenza HPAI H5N1 A 15-month-old boy in the capital's Russei Keo district has been diagnosed with H5N1 virus, bringing the number of the cases to 18 so far this year, a joint statement by the World Health Organization and Cambodian Health Ministry said Wednesday. […] ASIA (India) Leishmaniasis Twenty cases of Leishmaniasis (Kala-azar) were reported from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for the first time this year from the Doda district of the state since March this year. […] ASIA (Philippines) Leptospirosis Thirty three cases of leptospirosis, seven of them fatal, were noted this past week at the Philippine General Hospital following the floods and rain from the southwest Monsoon. […] EUROPE (Hungary) Anthrax An outbreak of anthrax has been identified in sheep at a farm in Jaszladany, a village 120 kilometres east of Budapest. […] EUROPE (Bosnia and Herzegovina) West Nile Fever Virus Several dead crows were found in parks in urban area of Sarajevo and samples taken from 6 crows tested positive for West Nile Fever Virus. […] EUROPE (Italy) Avian Influenza HPAI H7N7 Two new outbreaks of HPAI H7N7 were reported from Bondeno, Emilia-Romagna from a commercial layer farm and a backyard flock of free range hens. […] EUROPE (Kyrgyzstan) Anthrax A new case of anthrax was registered in Kyrgyzstan, Public Health Department who is a 33-year-old resident of Bakay-Ata district, Talas province. […] NORTH AMERICA (USA) Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced that the test result on a patient who was treated at CMC has been confirmed of Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease (CJD). […] NORTH AMERICA (Mexico) HPAI H7N3 Two new outbreaks of H7N3 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been reported - the first in a village flock of quails and the second in a flock of commercial layers. […] SOUTH AMERICA (Argentina) Anthrax During the 2nd week of September 2013, Bacillus anthracis was identified in an adult cow in a herd of 90 head in General Belgrano, Province of Beunos Aires. […] SOUTH AMERICA (Peru) Human Anthrax A livestock farmer in Huaraz, Ancash (north-central Peru, a main agricultural center) is in serious condition after an outbreak of anthrax in the area. […]  To view reported cases of animal diseases visit the EMPRES-I website EMPRES-i is a global animal health information system of the FAO's EMPRES programme that focuses on the user need to easily find and collect in one place all the information available for animal health and transboundary animal diseases. EMPRES-i compiles, stores and verifies animal diseases outbreaks data (including zoonoses) from numerous sources (e.g. FAO representatives, FAO reports, OIE reports, official government, European Commission, FAO reference centres and laboratories) for early warning and risk analysis. FOOD SAFETY NEWS Tracking Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella from Farm to Fork September 8, 2013. Continuing research on Salmonella may enable researchers to identify and track strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria as they evolve and spread, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. […] Emerging H7N9 virus has potential to cause a pandemic September 10, 2013. A new study has found that a novel avian-origin H7N9 influenza A virus, which has recently emerged in humans, attaches moderately or abundantly to the epithelium of both the upper and lower respiratory tracts. […] Team study effects of climate change on West Nile virus September 9, 2013.The varied influence of climate change on temperature and precipitation may have an equally wide-ranging effect on the spread of West Nile virus, suggesting that public health efforts to control the virus will need to take a local rather than global perspective, according to a study published this week in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. […] Bird flu vaccine tested ahead of phase-two trials September 7, 2013. An H7N9 avian influenza vaccine developed by a research and development team co-led by Adimmune Corp and Taipei Veteran’s General Hospital entered the animal testing stage last month and is expected to enter the second phase of clinical trials in January next year. […] Poultry sector records huge loss in Nepal September 7, 2013.The poultry industry in Nepal has lost more than 7 billion rupees (more than $100 million) because of a rash of H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in the Kathmandu Valley and other areas recently, which could have reverberations through the country's economy. […] MRSA Strain in Humans Originally Came from Cattle August 13, 2013.A strain of bacteria that causes skin and soft tissue infections in humans originally came from cattle, according to a study to be published inmBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. […] OTHER NEWS World Rabies Day 2013 World Rabies Day is being celebrated on September 28 by organising events to increase the awareness and unite people all over the world for rabies prevention. […] First vaccine for H7N9 may be too little, too late September 25, 2013. The US has launched the first human trials of a vaccine against H7N9, the bird flu virus that emerged in China in February. […] Rabies still kills: What are we waiting for to act? Rabies still kills as many as 70 000 people a year worldwide with most of these victims being children in developing countries bitten by infected stray dogs. […] Predicting patterns of pathogen transmission in complex landscapes September 25, 2013. Inclusion of land heterogeneity and host behaviour into disease management decisions can improve our understanding of their dynamics. […] FAO Launches Emergency Projects to Fight H7N9 Avian Flu September 23, 2013.  Two emergency regional projects aimed at containing avian influenza were launched last week by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific at a three-day workshop. […] The evolution of lethal bird flu viruses September 23, 2013. A new study not only re-enforces the important role of wild birds in the emergence of novel influenza viruses but also highlights the necessity of integrating data from infections in humans, poultry, and wild birds for effective influenza surveillance. […] Evolution and public health September 23, 2013. Evolutionary analysis has become an integral public health tool used to identify novel disease, monitor its spread, design vaccines and antiviral treatments as well as disease mitigation strategies to protect the general public. […] Research on computer modeling for emergency preparedness September 23, 2013. Cutting-edge research on computational modeling of public health emergencies and simulations of the potential response, brought together by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, is featured in a special issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. […] Scientists closer to universal flu vaccine after pandemic "natural experiment" September 22, 2013. Scientists have moved closer to developing a universal flu vaccine by using the 2009 pandemic to study why some people seem to resist severe illness. […] A new weapon against rabies September 21, 2013. More than 1m marshmallow-flavoured packets of ONRAB, a trial vaccine designed to be eaten by raccoons, skunks and other furry critters, have been dropped from aircraft or placed by hand in five north-eastern states in recent weeks.[…] Bird flu spread in humans September 20, 2013. A recent study on bird flu viruses has raised questions on overreliance on vaccines as a cure all strategy and which could have even spurred the emergence of newer strains. […] FAO launches emergency projects to fight H7N9 avian flu September 18, 2013. Two emergency regional projects aimed at containing avian influenza were launched by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific at a three-day workshop. […] Only two antibiotic-resistance threats connected to food animals: US September 18, 2013. Of the 18 specific antibiotic-resistant threats discussed in the CDC report, only two have possible connections to antibiotic use in food animals according to the US Animal Health Institute. […] Visterra monoclonal antibody may neutralize H5N1 and H7N9 influenza September 17, 2013. Visterra, Inc., presented data on Friday at the 53rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Denver that demonstrated that VIS410 human monoclonal antibody can neutralize the H5N1 and H7N9 influenza strains. […] Bird flu viruses could re-emerge in upcoming flu season: FAO September 16, 2013. FAO has issued a new warning to the international community that the H7N9 and H5N1 avian influenza viruses continue to pose serious threats to human and animal health, especially in view of the upcoming flu season. […] Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Lead to 23, 000 Deaths a Year, CDC Finds September 16, 2013. Federal health officials reported Monday that at least two million Americans fall ill from antibiotic-resistant bacteria every year and that at least 23, 000 die from those infections, putting a hard number on a growing public health threat. […] Natural human interferon active against avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) virus September 12, 2013. Data Presented at 53rd Annual Meeting of Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Denver, Colorado showed that natural human interferon (Alpha-n3) is active against both wild-type and Oseltamivir resistant avian-origin influenza A H9N9 virus. […] 817 poultry farms cleared of infected fowls: Nepal September 12, 2013. Bringing its two-month-long intensive operation to an end, the Nepal government said it has completed slaughtering over 1.6 million chickens in commercial farms in bird flu emergency areas. […] ANNOUNCEMENTS Iowa State offers zoonotic diseases web course Iowa State is offering seven hours of lessons on zoonotic diseases that could be completed from Oct. 7 to Nov. 3 in pursuit of a certificate of completion. […] JIFSAN partners with EpiX Analytics for Upcoming Advanced Quantitative Risk Assessment Course This new Advanced Quantitative Risk Assessment Training from November 4th will place emphasis on modeling methods and how to use them for solving real-world risk analysis problems. Registration deadline is October 18, 2013. […] Farm to Table Program 2013 The week long study program from October 21 to 25 will consider aspects of animal health and welfare, food safety, public health protection through food numerous website and facilitated discussions and visits. […]

EVENTS

October 1-4, 2013. 7th Annual meeting Epizone, Brussels, Belgium […] October 2-3, 2013. Antimicrobial resistance: Incentivizing change towards a global solution, London, UK […]   October 21-25, 2013. Farm to Table Program, Chile […] November 14, 2013. Pastoralism – where does it go in an ever changing context? , Brussels, Belgium. For more information, please contact Eric Thys at +32 3 247 63 92 or Leen Claes at +32 3 247 62 71 or via e-mail info@be-troplive.be November 17-20, 2013. 2nd One Health Summit 2013, Davos, Switzerland […] December 4-6, 2013. OIE Global Conference on Veterinary Education and the Role of Veterinary Statutory Body, Foz do Iguazu, Brazil […]   December 3-14, 2013. Workshop on Surveillance and Control of rabies, Pasteur Institute – Dakar […]

PUBLICATIONS

1. FAO: AGA e-newsletter. To receive regular updates by email on all issues relating FAO's work on animal production and health, subscribe to the AGA e-newsletter. It contains information on upcoming events, publications, programme activities, articles and press releases [Click here to subscribe] 2. FAOAIDEnews 84 […] 3. FAO: EMPRES Transboundary Animal Diseases Bulletin No. 41 – 2012 […] 4. FAO: EMPRES Watch 28 […] 5. FAO: ECTAD-RAP News Mar-Apr 2013 […] 6. FAO Animal Production and Health Division e-newsletter 60 […] 7. FAO Statistical Yearbook 2013 […] 8. FAO: Health and Animal Agriculture in Developing Countries […] 9. FAO: China HPAI Highlights June 2013 Vol 53 […] 10. FAO’s support to the One Health Approach 2013 […] 11. A Unique and Conserved Neutralization Epitope in H5N1 Influenza Viruses Identified by a Murine 12. Antibody against the A/goose/Guangdong/1/96 Hemagglutinin […] 12. Age-Specific and Sex-Specific Morbidity and Mortality from Avian Influenza A (H7N9) […] 13. Avian-Origin Influenza A (H7N9) Infection in Influenza A (H7N9)–Affected Areas of China: A Serological Study […] 14. Controlling novel avian influenza A (H7N9) at animal sources […] 15. Cytokine and Chemokine Levels in Patients Infected With the Novel Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Virus in China […] 16. Detection of antibodies against avian influenza virus subtypes H7 and H9 among veterinarians in Guangdong province, China […] 18. Genetic and biological characterisation of an avian-like H1N2 swine influenza virus generated by reassortment of circulating avian-like H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes in Denmark […] 19. Human H7N9 Influenza A Viruses Replicate in Swine Respiratory Tissue Explants[…] 20. Human Infection with Eurasian Avian-like Influenza a (H1N1) Virus, China […] 21. Inactivation of the novel avian influenza A (H7N9) virus under physical conditions or chemical agent’s treatment […]  22. Outbreak of Variant Influenza A (H3N2v) Virus in the United States […] 23. Reassortant Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Viruses with H9N2-PB1 Gene in Poultry, Bangladesh […] 24. Safe Pseudovirus-based Assay for Neutralization Antibodies against Influenza A (H7N9) Virus […] 25. Structural analysis of the hemagglutinin from the recent 2013 H7N9 influenza virus[…] 26. Subclinical Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Infection in Human, Vietnam […] 27. The first detection of influenza in the Finnish pig population: a retrospective study[…] 28. West Nile virus genome with glycosylated envelope protein and deletion of alpha helixes 1, 2 and 4 in the capsid gene is non-infectious and efficiently secretes sub-viral particles […] 29. Whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of West Nile Virus lineage 1 and lineage 2 from human cases of infection, Italy, August 2013 […] 30. FAO’s support to the One health Approach 2013 […] 31. Avian influenza: virology, diagnosis and surveillance […] 32. Food systems for better nutrition […] 33. Inactivation of the novel avian influenza A (H7N9) virus under physical conditions or chemical agents treatment […] 34. Life without TTP: Apparent absence of an important anti-inflammatory protein in birds […] 35. Mammalian Adaptation in the PB2 Gene of Avian H5N1 Influenza Virus […] 36. Novel Avian-Origin Influenza A (H7N9) Virus Attaches to Epithelium in Both Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract of Humans […] 37. OIE Bulletin No. 2013 – 2 […] 38. Population susceptibility to North American and Eurasian swine influenza viruses in England, at three time points between 2004 and 2011 […] 39. Rapid emergence of a virulent PB2 E627K variant during adaptation of highly pathogenic avian influenza H7N7 virus to mice […] 40. Rapid Reassortment of Internal Genes in Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Virus […] 41. Serological evidence for avian H9N2 influenza virus infections among Romanian agriculture workers […] 42. State of the art on the initiatives and activities relevant to risk assessment and risk management of nanotechnologies in the food and agriculture sectors: FAO/WHO technical paper […] 43. The Short Stalk Length of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Virus Neuraminidase Limits Transmission of Pandemic H1N1 Virus in Ferrets […] 44. WHO Influenza at the human-animal interface […] Treatment with interferon-α2b and ribavirin improves outcome in MERS-CoV–infected rhesus macaques […]11. Avian influenza: Ferret H7N9 flu model questioned […] 45. Cytokine and Chemokine Levels in Patients Infected with the Novel Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Virus in China […] 46. Epidemiological and risk analysis of the H7N9 subtype influenza outbreak in China at its early stage […] 47. Fifth Report on the Global Programme for the Prevention and Control of HPAI (January 2011–January 2012) Rome […] 48. Historic Prevalence and Distribution of Avian Influenza Virus A (H7N9) among Wild Birds […] 49. Mild Illness in Avian Influenza A(H7N9) Virus–Infected Poultry Worker, Huizhou, China, April 2013 […] 50. Quality assurance for microbiology in feed analysis laboratories […] 51. Structures and Receptor Binding of Hemagglutinin from Human-Infecting H7N9 Influenza Viruses […] 52. The emergence of influenza A H7N9 in human beings 16 years after influenza A H5N1: a tale of two cities […] 53. The Novel Avian-Origin Human A (H7N9) Influenza Virus Could be Transmitted between Ferrets via Respiratory Droplets […] 54. Use of National Pneumonia Surveillance to Describe Influenza A (H7N9) Virus Epidemiology, China, 2004–2013 […] 55. Zoonoses report UK 2012 […]

TRAINING

Postgraduate Certificate in Risk Analysis in Health and Food Safety – RVC London Organisers announce a new postgraduate certificate in Risk Analysis in Health and Food Safety to be offered by EpiX Analytics and the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), University of London in March 2014. […] Engaging Intergovernmental Organisations 2014 – University of Minnesota Engaging Intergovernmental Organizations (EIO) is a week-long intensive professional development program designed to provide mid and senior level government officials, private sector leaders and academic faculty the opportunity to interact more effectively with Intergovernmental organisations. […] Local Policy Course – University of Minnesoata This is a short course in public health and animal health policy-making at the local level from September 16-18, 2013 at St Paul, Minnesota, USA.  Using the case study of raw milk for human consumption, the University of Minnesota in conjunction with Washington State University will engage participants in three days of experiential learning about public policy-making at the local (sub-national) level […] Online MSc in One Health (Infectious Diseases) The unique Master's level course, delivered jointly by the RVC and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, will be available through both full and part-time study as MSc and diploma. […] EpiVille, the E-learning in Epidemiology Epiville, a learning tool developed specifically for Principles of Epidemiology (P6400), is a set of interactive web-based exercises created by faculty in the Department of Epidemiology and produced by the Center for New Media Teaching and Learning at Columbia University […] Cambridge online e-learning institute