Avian Influenza Situation Updates: Archive

Last updated November 4, 2005

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

Human Cases: Numbers at a Glance

New News

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

  Over 450,000 birds culled in China during the month of October: In the October 14, 2005 outbreak in China, the first of the country's four bird flu epidemics in poultry last month, more than 93,000 birds were slaughtered and tens of thousands more vaccinated. In the latest outbreak discovered on October 26, another 8,940 died of infection and 369,900 were culled by authorities. No human cases of bird flu have been reported in China, but recent outbreaks in poultry have sparked fears that human infections may be on the horizon.
  
  
• Vietnam culls more poultry to contain outbreaks: New outbreaks in poultry were detected in three provinces near Hanoi this week, and more than 3,000 poultry died from infection or were culled for containment.
  
  
• Asian Development Bank (ADB) reports major outbreak could cause global recession: The ADB said a yearlong economic shock from bird flu in humans would cost Asian economies as much as $283 billion and would reduce the region’s gross domestic product by 6.5 percentage points, hitting Hong Kong and Singapore the most.
  
  
• New bird flu outbreak in Russia: A new bird flu outbreak was reported Thursday in Russia's Urals region of Chelyabinsk. The Russian Agriculture Ministry said a lab analysis had confirmed the diagnosis, bringing to 13 the number of Russian villages that have detected H5N1 outbreaks in bird populations.
  
  
• African leaders plan for bird flu: Agriculture ministers and other officials from over 40 African countries are expected to endorse a blueprint this week for combating the virus on the continent as officials predict bird flu could devastate African poultry. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that Africa is at risk of H5N1 outbreaks among birds in the coming months due to migration from Asia and Eastern Europe.
  
  
• U.N. leader outlines seven-point plan for preventing pandemic: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday outlined a seven-point strategy to prepare for and curb the spread of any future outbreak. The plan to prevent, detect and minimize any human-to-human outbreak of H5N1 included improving bird monitoring, focusing research on human-animal contacts, minimizing a pandemic's impact, ensuring access to medicines, facilitating speedy vaccine discovery, communicating effectively, and exercising political leadership.

New USAID Actions

• President Bush requests $7.1 billion for avian flu response, with $251 million for international efforts: On November 1, 2005, President George W. Bush requested $7.1 billion from Congress to fund a new, expanded response to the avian influenza threat, including $251 million to support international efforts to detect and contain outbreaks before they spread around the world. Of the $131 million requested for USAID, $56 million is for stockpiling key health commodities near high-risk areas, and $75 million is for planning and pandemic preparedness, surveillance and diagnosis, rapid response, and communications campaigns for containment of both animal and human outbreaks.
  
  
• USAID missions assess readiness of 102 countries to respond to bird flu threat: USAID missions this week completed rapid assessments of the state of preparedness of 102 nations around the world in which the Agency could provide assistance to respond to avian and pandemic influenza. The rapid assessments examined a full range of essential capabilities including pandemic planning, surveillance and diagnosis, communications, rapid response, and emergency stockpiles. The information is now being compiled into a global analysis that will help the Agency’s health experts identify gaps and priorities for a coordinated response across all countries, guide Agency efforts for an expanded avian influenza response in the coming year, and serve as a baseline for monitoring and evaluation.
  
  
• USAID supports preparedness in Indonesia: Using fiscal year 2005 emergency supplemental funds, USAID is supporting FAO to establish an emergency team of experts to battle against avian influenza in poultry and establish local disease control centers in hot-spot areas. These centers offer up-to-date information and will train animal health technicians and veterinarians in how to carry out rapid disease investigations and implement control measures. It also supports animal health workers who systematically go from house to house to search for sick birds and decide with Indonesian authorities on control measures such as slaughtering, vaccination, and biosecurity.
  
  
• USAID field missions act quickly to identify funds for H5N1 response: Under guidance developed by the Avian Influenza (AI) Unit in coordination with regional bureaus and approved by the Senior AI Task Force, USAID missions are working to identify funding within their mission portfolios to support avian influenza response and preparedness.
  
  
• Europe and Eurasia planning and preparedness examined: USAID met with World Bank representatives to discuss support for European and Eastern European governments to enhance planning and preparedness to respond to avian influenza, with a special focus on containment of AI in poultry farms.
  
  
• Africa: In Washington on October 31, USAID hosted a briefing with Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky for African ambassadors and other diplomats from 14 countries to discuss steps that African countries can take to prepare for possible outbreaks. While the threat in West Africa is marginal now, the threat will increase in the spring when wild birds from East Africa travel and meet with birds from Europe. Under Secretary Dobriansky outlined the U.S. Government’s ongoing plans to address the threat of avian influenza and prevent its spread in Asia, and top USAID health officials discussed the Agency’s efforts in detail. Diplomatic representatives from Namibia, Benin, Eritrea, Mali, Mozambique, Angola, Guinea, Mauritius, Swaziland, Senegal, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Egypt were in attendance.
  
  
• Asia and Near East: With support from USAID, the Navy Medical Research Unit 2 (NAMRU-2) is helping expand human surveillance in Indonesia. NAMRU-2 maintains a human influenza surveillance network of more than 20 sites in Indonesia in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  
  
• USAID to meet with top WHO South Asia health officials: Leaders from the World Health Organization’s Southeast Asia Regional Office met with USAID staff in Washington on October 31 to discuss emergency response plans for avian influenza and the WHO’s ongoing support for containment efforts.

Upcoming Actions

• USAID asked to testify at Senate hearing: Administrator Natsios will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee next week with representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department on the U.S. Government’s response to avian influenza.
  
  
• U.S. delegation to attend WHO international conference on bird flu: USAID leaders will join other U.S. officials and government representatives from all over the globe at a WHO-sponsored meeting in Geneva in early November to discuss the international response to the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus. WHO, FAO, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the World Bank will co-sponsor a partners meeting on avian influenza and human pandemic influenza from November 7-9, 2005 at WHO headquarters.
  
  
• Regional health meeting in El Salvador: A regional meeting of the Organismo Internacional Regional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (OIRSA) is taking place in El Salvador on avian influenza. Ministers of health and agriculture from Central America will meet in San Salvador on November 11 to discuss avian flu and steps to be taken. USAID has reviewed the draft plan and is providing feedback to both the Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).