OH OH

[Hamish]

Boston Globe today


China seeks help to verify bird flu cases
By Alexa Olesen, Associated Press | November 7, 2005
BEIJING -- China said yesterday it had asked for outside help to test three possible cases of bird flu in people, while scientists and government representatives prepared for a strategy session in Geneva amid fears of a possible worldwide flu pandemic among humans.
China said it asked the World Health Organization to help determine whether the virus caused the death of a 12-year-old girl and infected her 9-year-old brother as well as a 36-year-old middle school teacher in Wantang, a village in central Hunan Province.
Chinese specialists ''cannot rule out the possibility of human transmission of H5N1 bird flu" in the cases of the three, who came down with pneumonia last month after a bird flu outbreak among poultry in their village, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The girl's brother and the teacher recovered..
China has had four outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu among poultry in the past three weeks, but there have been no confirmed human deaths. The virus has killed at least 62 people across Southeast Asia.
Since late 2003, the H5N1 strain of bird flu has ravaged poultry stocks across Asia and jumped from birds to humans. Most of the human deaths have been linked to close contact with infected birds, but specialists fear the virus could mutate into a form easily passed among humans.
A series of meetings throughout the world are culminating in a three-day strategy session starting today in Geneva. More than 300 scientists, public health specialists, veterinarians, and government officials are expected to share what they have learned and plan the next steps.
© Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.

[con's fly is open]

I'll stand by denial for now: the teacher touched a bird at some point.

But we all know it's a matter of when.

[Mr Nobody]

It is nice to know this thread has been moved to the same forum. Somehow this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

[Nate M]

It was moved and then moved back. My bad.

[Ruth]

So, are the ducks in the Saloon Pic of the Week being doused as a precaution against bird flu? No danger now. The spray police have handled it.

[Ruth]

Okay. Bird flu has drastically affected my life. They killed all the chickens around here. It took me until today to realize that no chickens means no eggs (never said I was a bright one). Actually, I didn't learn until yesterday that all the chickens were gone, even though it happened last week. I am SOOOO out of the info loop here.

My coworkers have no idea when we will have eggs and chickens again.

[George61]

So, what's for breakfast?

[con's fly is open]

I really gave to phone my old school and find out how this is playing out there.

[Jollyjunklass]

Well I am in Hunan, maybe 2 and !/2 hours away from a few outbreaks. I get reports from Canada everyday, otherwise I would know nothing of this. We are teaching our students, otherwise they would know nothing either. We can buy chickens and eggs everywhere. I am eating eggs, but I have to admit I am beginning to wonder if this is smart on my part.

Every time I go the country and walk past these damn birds I am scared pooless that they are going to come over and give me a peck or two.

Why do you guys think there is nothing to be concerned of, do you think it is just media hype?

[Ruth]

So, what's for breakfast?

I haven't figured that out yet. Still have 5 eggs left. Maybe oatmeal or toast. We can buy puffed rice and puffed corn which is so-so with milk and sugar added. A trip to Huludao offers cereal, Chinese style. Yogurt is plentiful here. We won't starve. But it will change our eating habits for awhile.

Two years ago, when we first arrived, we were cautioned not to eat eggs because of bird flu. But eggs were available for sale. We ignored the warnings, but cooked them omelette style instead of over-easy.

I really gave to phone my old school and find out how this is playing out there.

Please let me know what they say. I'm curious to know if this is province wide.

Why do you guys think there is nothing to be concerned of, do you think it is just media hype?

I think this is going to be a huge deal on the global level at some point. So in that sense, I'm concerned, but can't really do anything about it. I'm glad to know that the gov't is trying to contain it. However, I think this is knee-jerk.

[Ruth]

Okay, I take back the knee-jerk response. I found out this morning that there were two cases (in birds) in Liaoning province. One was in Jinzhou, just one hour by car from where I live, and the other was in the countryside somewhere. So the Liaoning gov't ordered the killing (culling, as they say) of all the domestic fowl. Still not sure if it is province-wide or just for a certain distance around the two cases.

The co-worker who was so informative didn't know when chickens or eggs would be available again. His response was 'you'd better stay healthy. Don't eat eggs or chicken.'

So what's the deal when an area has been 'culled' of all it's domestic fowl? Do they import healthy ones from somewhere? I assume that's what will happen. But when?

For the record: My 'knee-jerk' comment was based upon internet research on bird flu in China. I didn't find any reported cases near where I live. I couldn't understand how western China or Hunan were affecting my egg supply. Turns out it's a little closer to home.

[Crippler]

So bird flu is mainly spread from wild birds or birds imported witht he disease who may be immune and carriers. Not much we can do unless we get rid of the free range birds. And, then closely monitor the introduction of birds into closed populations. Most of the developed world already does this and China will likely need to do it as well. It will be unlikely to solve the problem as long as small farm free range birds are allowed to mingle with wild and especially migratory birds. As well, as long as eggs are sold with the poo still attached then it is going to move around and be available to humans to pick up!

[teleplayer]

Lei Shan, What you suggest is what needs to be done but it comes back to an education issue...teaching the farmers, who seem to be low priority for education, about what they can do as well as providing them with capital to provide enclosurers.. When I think of how pro-active an Agricultural Extension office in North Carolina as well as rest of US works. Probably same in Australia and Canada...
Yet, here I sit at a leading US School of Public Health where our nutrition department, among others, has found issues with amounts of steroids and antibiotics added to mash fed to chickens. Some of faculty in my department, Environmental Sciences, have received funding to see if these antibiotics, etc show up in the water shed and if they're eliminated by treatment processes. It's thought that being free in enviornment reduces effectiveness of antibiotics, greatly increases children's susceptibility to allergies and other diseases... Hence, part of the solution brings on it's own set of issues.
Wannabe King George has made a lot of press about being prepared for a pandemic, with his usual pass the cost of his half-baked plans to the local Emergency Mgmt which includes having enough Tamaflu on hand for 1/4 of the population and the CDC says the world is over due a pandemic... (to check CDC reports on the subject: www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/ ), the question is will common sense prevail.
I just googled "bird flu" and the NYTimes among others are reporting two human cases in Hunan and one in Anhui. This, as they note, " day after China's Agriculture Ministry said that it would inject all of the nation's 5.2 billion chickens, geese and ducks with a vaccine against bird flu."
The Agricultural Minister, Qi Xiaoqiu says the same thing as Lei Shan adding that "People raise pigs and people keep birds just like Americans keep dogs," ... "Those pigs and birds are part of the family. It is a kind of self-sufficient, outmoded production method."

So, remember, the best thing we can all do wherever we are to reduce disease is to WASH OUR HANDS OFTEN.
Hoping all stay safe and healthy

[Ruth]

And wash the poo off the eggs before cracking them open for consumption.

Does anyone know if this inject-all-the-birds thing is really effective?

[Newbs]

and if the vaccine is effective, then why isn't it being given to humans, or at least those most at risk, eg. poultry farmers.

I know that the scientists are concerned that the H5N1 will mutate, and the they have to develop a new vaccine, but in the mean time this ought to save a few lives, surely.

[Jollyjunklass]

I don't trust any injection or medication around here, half of it is bogus. Why do you think nothing is stamped?

[Ruth]

Well, Liaoning province made the top four news stories by the AP on my Yahoo home page (my main source of news of the world, other than what you guys post here). The article speaks about the innoculations. Some guy from the UN says it's a good idea. I guess now I feel more comfortable. Why am I sceptical about what the Chinese gov't says and not the UN guy? Speaks to my upbringing, I guess. Depends on how you were brainwashed as a child. Forgive me, China. Anyway - here's the article:

China Confirms First Human Bird-Flu Cases By JOE McDONALD, Associated Press Writer
Wed Nov 16, 6:35 PM ET

BEIJING - China reported its first human cases of bird flu on the mainland Wednesday, including at least one fatality, as health workers armed with vaccine and disinfectant raced to inoculate billions of chickens and other poultry in a massive campaign to contain the virus.

The World Health Organization confirmed the virulent strain experts fear could cause a worldwide flu pandemic has now infected humans in the world's most populous nation.

China's Health Ministry reported confirmed cases of infection with the deadly H5N1 strain in a poultry worker, who died, and a 9-year-old boy, who fell ill in central Hunan province but recovered, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said the boy's 12-year-old sister, who died, was recorded as a suspected case.

Experts worry the virus could spread and mutate in China due to its huge poultry flocks and their contact with humans. It also has migration routes for geese and other wild birds that might carry the disease.

"This is a psychologically telling moment for a country that has never had bird flu cases in the past in humans," said Roy Wadia, a WHO spokesman in Beijing. "This will drive home to citizens across the country that this can happen in our own backyards," he said. "It's a very real threat."

Officials had warned a human infection in China was inevitable after the country suffered 11 outbreaks in poultry over the past month, which prompted authorities to destroy millions of birds.

Elsewhere in Asia, the H5N1 strain has infected at least 126 people and killed at least 64 of them since 2003, two-thirds of them in Vietnam.

Nevertheless, WHO spokeswoman Maria Cheng in Geneva said the Chinese cases do not increase the risk of a flu pandemic because there has been no observed genetic change in the virus and no apparent spread between people.

She said it would not be surprising if more human bird flu cases are confirmed in China. "There are a lot of chickens infected and there's a lot of contact between humans and chickens in China," she said.

The Chinese government announced plans Tuesday to vaccinate all the country's 14 billion domestic fowl.

It wasn't clear how long that would take. According to Chinese health officials, vaccinating chickens can require repeated injections and booster shots. State television showed workers at industrial-scale poultry farms jabbing chickens with injector guns.

Health experts in Geneva said shots were the most reliable way to deliver vaccine, although it can also be administered by mixing it in the animals' feed.

Officials in Liaoning in China's northeast, scene of four outbreaks, said they have finished a vaccination program begun this month for the province's 320 million birds.

Such vaccination programs are "the right thing to do," said David Nabarro, the U.N. coordinator for bird and human flu. The virus is so entrenched in China's birds that simply slaughtering them will not work, he said. The best plan is to vaccinate and then slaughter when there are outbreaks, he said at a conference on bird flu in New York.

China's prompt response to bird flu and the scale of its anti-disease effort have been in striking contrast to its handling of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003, when it was criticized for its secrecy and failure to respond to foreign pleas for information and cooperation.

Since the SARS outbreak, the government has set up disease testing laboratories and a health warning network. It has promised to be more open about epidemics and to cooperate with other nations.

The Chinese territory of Hong Kong recorded the first known cases of human infection with H5N1 bird flu in 1997, when it infected 18 people and killed six, according to WHO. The entire poultry population of about 1.5 million birds was slaughtered.

Chinese officials initially said the 12-year-old girl who died in Hunan tested negative for the virus, as did her brother and a schoolteacher who fell ill at the same time. But the government later asked WHO to help re-examine the case.

Wadia said Chinese investigators were confident the girl died of bird flu, but she couldn't be considered a confirmed case under WHO guidelines because her body was cremated and there weren't adequate samples for testing.

The 24-year-old poultry worker died in the eastern province of Anhui, where there was an outbreak last month. But Wadia said the victim didn't live near that site and instead had contact with birds that died in her own village.

"She died in a hospital," he said. "She was therefore tested adequately."

In Liaoning, officials took reporters Wednesday to the village of Qitaizi in an effort to reassure the public by showing off anti-disease work.

Officials destroyed 160,000 chickens in the village after 40 were found dead of bird flu on Nov. 4.

"Obviously there's no way we can kill all the migratory birds," said Shao Chuanming of the provincial animal health bureau. "But as long as we can sever the links of transmission between migratory birds, poultry and people, then the controls are effective."

Also Wednesday, Vietnamese authorities reported bird flu outbreaks in three more provinces, bringing to 12 the number of cities and provinces affected recently. Vietnam is in the middle of a campaign to destroy all poultry in most of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, its two biggest cities.

[Ruth]

I've been wondering how the couple who sell egg burgers at a mobile street stand have been faring since this crisis hit our province. They sell about 100 a day and it is their livelihood. You can bet they don't have unemployment insurance. Saw them today on my way home, set up and ready for the dinner rush as soon as school lets out. So I said, "Mei you jidan." She agreed with me. The husband lifted the cloth to show me what they were selling. They had bun sized pieces of the sausage meat that I call SPAM and don't like. No thanks. Not a good substitute for me. Under the cloth they had stuff that actually looked like meat patties. They said zhu rou, so maybe it's some sort of ground pork. Might actually be closer to a hamburger than the ones they made with eggs. Think I'll try one for lunch tomorrow.

Glad they are still in business.

[Ruth]

We have eggs I went to the store to get other stuff and there was the crate of eggs, on the floor by the door where it always is. The store clerk put on white knit gloves to pick up the eggs and bag them for me. Usually I choose my own with my bare hands.

Guess I'll wash the poop and blood off the eggs thoroughly (although she did choose the cleanest ones for me) and then wash my hands thoroughly. I'll also cook the eggs well, instead of serving them over-easy. Living on the edge here in bird flu country.

Oh, I checked out the zhu rou burger. It was closer to a hamburger than the eggs they usually cook with. Hope they leave it on the menu.

This week is Thanksgiving in the USA. Last year Lei Shan cooked a chicken and we invited friends for a traditional dinner. I have the cranberry sauce, stuffing mix and even mince meat pie filling. We could do the whole deal - except no chicken and certainly no turkey. I'll save it all for Christmas and hope we have chicken by then.

[Dragonsaver]

In Wuxi, the Sheridan Hotel is putting on a 3 course Turkey Dinner for the US Thanksgiving. The teachers have booked a table. Cost is high though. 128Y. I would imagine the beer is extra. I'm glad I like water

But, the turkey diner will be nice for a change!!!

[con's fly is open]

The gal in Dashiqiao asked me for advice: her boss wants her toarrange something for Thanksgiving at the office. I replied that the holiday is neither religious nor nationalostic, and consists entirely of people getting together, eating like pigs and giving toasts about what they're thankful for.

I also pointed out that we often serve turkey at Christmas and on Easter, but the Brits serve goose, since they have no indigenous turkeys, so any bird would be appropriat, especially, in China, duck. No gift-giving at Thanksgiving, but a company might give out vouchers to a grocery store.

The boss wanted it done cheaply, and the staff is rather large, so maybe a feast won't go over. But there's not much else to do, really: Thanksgiving is a simple, albeit wonderful holiday.

[Ruth]

Tell your friend in Dashiqiao to make it a pot luck affair. The office I worked in in Florida did that for Thanksgiving. Everybody brought something and we all pigged out and had a great time. Togetherness and food is what it's all about. Lots of families do the pot luck thing too. Well, maybe you are asked to bring something specific, but it spreads the work around.

She could sell her boss on the 'American' tradition of sharing food together and building the work community spirit. The school could provide the paper goods and maybe the drinks. It would be cheap for them and still accomplish the purpose.

[Mr Nobody]

OK, I can clear up a few points.

Hospitals - vaccines not bogus. Bogus stuff is rife at pharmacies, but hospitals, no especially those that treat foreigners or have foreign doctors.

One, the bird flu vaccine works on birds, yes, but not on people. It is irrelevant anyway until the disease mutates, since the mutant form will not be prevented by the vaccine, just like the flu vaccine in humans. YOu need revaccination yearly because of changes in the virus. Virii such as this mutate regularly, rapidly and successfully. New strains tend to spread fast, be very deadly. Old strains are mild and spread slowly. Both the host and the virus mutates to a homeostasis where both live longest. Evolution in action. (a really successful disease or parasite actually makes the host live longer or healthier when infected. eg E coli, plus a host of other bugs living in and on our bodies. Mitochondria and chloroplasts are now thought to have been like this originally.)

Two, vaccinating birds has pros and cons. pros obvious, but the cons include such things as - it masks carriers and the actual epidemics, enables the virus to spread while the victim lives longer, which enables it to have a higher chance of mutating to a form people can catch from people, and gives us less chance to see the spread of the virus. the more exposure the more likely it is to mutate to a human pandemic.

Three, all this panic and worry are unneccessary, this happens a couple of times every decade. once a century or so there will be a human pandemic. You will notice the time to panic when entire cities are depopulated. Two or three or even 100 isolated deaths are irrelevant (except to those experiencing it) However, if you hear of 100 or more deaths with more infected within a short time (2-3 weeks - about 3-4 incubation cycles) from the one city or locality, run away. The time for panic would have already passed and it is already time to do something.

[con's fly is open]

Word of the week: virii Your prize is a beer, courtesy of the Raoulster.

But, you know, don't mention it to him. See, he's modest about his generosity, and it would just embarrass him. It was Lei Shan's idea anyway- remember that.

[con's fly is open]

Time to bring the Harbin spill Downstairs: there's been a sequel.

China braces for toxins from 2nd blast
Last Updated Fri, 25 Nov 2005 05:53:02 EST
CBC News

Chinese media reported a second chemical plant explosion Friday, as officials evacuated hundreds of people living along a river tainted with toxic nitrobenzene from a similar blast two weeks ago.

The latest explosion happened Thursday in Chongqing, a city in southwestern China. One person died in the blast, which officials fear could also spill cancer-linked benzene into water supplies.

More than 6,000 people were evacuated from homes and businesses in the vicinity of the Chongqing plant in the hours following the explosion.

Authorities told residents not to use the water until it could be checked for signs of toxins.

The incident in Chongqing is eerily similar to the accident that has disrupted life for millions of people in the northeastern city of Harbin this week.

A nitrobenzene slick 80 kilometres long has been making its way along the Songhua River, forcing authorities to shut down Harbin's water supply until at least Saturday.

Water tests show the Songhua has levels of nitrobenzene that are 30 times the acceptable amount.

The 100-tonne spill of the chemical, which is flammable and highly toxic, originated when a chemical plant blew up in the city of Jilin on Nov. 13. Five people died in that explosion.

On Friday, Chinese media reported that hundreds of villagers were being told to leave their homes downstream of Harbin, where the slick is expected to travel next.

Eventually, its remnants will reach Russia by means of the Amur River.

Chinese authorities have been trying to dilute the spill by discharging extra water into the Songhua from reservoirs upstream.

They have also deployed soldiers to help install filters on water plants in an attempt to keep the nitrobenzene out of local water supplies.