H5N1 affects 60,000 poultry in China, Vietnam
An outbreak of H5N1 avian flu has destroyed 50,000 chickens at a farm in China, and four H5N1 outbreaks in Vietnam have led to the deaths of almost 10,000 poultry, according to separate reports filed with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
In China, the virus infected 6,700 chickens and killed 3,200 at a farm in Wanjia village of Yangxin County in Hubei province, according to an OIE report today. The outbreak at the farm, which housed 50,000 chickens, began Jan 7.
The remaining 46,800 birds were culled to prevent the spread of the disease, the report said, adding that disinfection and other control measures have also been employed.
Jan 13 OIE report
In Vietnam, four H5N1 outbreaks in Bac Ninh province in the north resulted in 3,895 illnesses and 2,600 deaths in village poultry flocks ranging from about 1,000 to almost 5,000 birds, according to a Jan 10 OIE report.
The outbreaks occurred in four separate administrative divisions in Bac Ninh—in two districts, the city of Bac Ninh, and the town of Tu Son. Two outbreaks began on Jan 8, and two on Jan 9.
The number of sick poultry in each village flock ranged from 395 to 2,000, and the number of deaths ranged from 300 to 1,300. All told, 9,787 birds were susceptible, and all 7,187 surviving poultry were culled.
In addition to disinfection and measures to control the movement of animals in the area, officials also vaccinated nearby flocks to prevent disease spread, the report said.
Jan 10 OIE report
WHO: H1N1 dominates global flu picture
In a virologic update today, the World Health Organization (WHO) noted increasing global influenza in the last weeks of 2013, with 2009 H1N1 the predominant strain.
Data from FluNet reporting that covers 99 countries or territories showed that worldwide labs tested 88,471 specimens. Of those, 17,640 (20.0%) were positive for influenza.
Of the 17,640 flu-positive samples, 15,233 (86.4%) were influenza A and 2,406 (23.6%) influenza B. Of the subtyped influenza A viruses, 6.889 (67.2%) were 2009 H1N1 and 3,365 (32.8%) were H3N2. Of the B viruses, 352 (81.1%) were of the Yamagata lineage and 82 (18.9%) of the Victoria lineage.
Jan 13 WHO update