06BANGKOK4612 THAILAND AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE

“72936”,”7/28/2006 12:55″,”06BANGKOK4612″,

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SIPDIS

 

SIPDIS

 

DEPARTMENT FOR G/AIAG/JLANGE

DEPARTMENT FOR OES/STC/MGOLDBERG AND PBATES

DEPARTMENT FOR OES/PCI ANNE COVINGTON

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ROME FOR FAO

 

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: TBIO, EAGR, KFLU, PGOV, SOCI, TH

SUBJECT: THAILAND AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE

 

REF: BANGKOK 4530

 

BANGKOK 00004612 001.2 OF 002

 

1. Human Health: Since the death on July 24 of a 17-year-old

boy from H5N1 avian influenza in Phichit Province in

north-central Thailand, local public health workers have

stepped up their active surveillance activities in the area.

While local news reports have accentuated the increase in the

number of persons being tested for avian influenza in the

past few days, they have not mentioned that the increase in

testing is the result of public health workers doing what

they are supposed to do – seek out possible suspicious human

cases in areas where there have been unusual numbers of

poultry deaths.

 

2. Bangkok-based CDC personnel maintain daily contact with

officials at the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH). MOPH has

told them that in recent days, more than 50 persons who

displayed flu-like symptoms have tested negative for the H5N1

virus, but positive for the common seasonal H1 influenza

virus. This is not unexpected, they said, since Thailand is

currently at the height of its rainy season, when the numbers

of common influenza cases peak. Laboratory testing is still

pending on at least another 40 human samples, but an increase

in the numbers of people being tested is not cause for alarm

in itself – it is evidence that the avian influenza

surveillance system is working.

 

3. In other human health news, the MOPH told CDC personnel

today that testing at its central laboratory in Bangkok of

two samples taken from the 17-year-old boy who died confirmed

that he was infected with the H5N1 virus. The earlier,

presumptive testing was performed at the Phichit provincial

 

BANGKOK 00004612 002.2 OF 002

 

hospital.

 

4. Animal Health: Surveillance and testing of poultry

continues, as well. Embassy\’s Regional Environmental and

Health Officer (REO) spoke today with Dr. Nalinee at the

Avian Flu Center at the Department of Livestock Development

(DLD) in Bangkok and also with the head of the Lower Northern

Regional Veterinary Research and Development Center in

Phitsanoluk Province where a single fighting cock tested

positive for H5N1 virus on July 24. The head of the

laboratory in Phitsanoluk Province said they have performed

more than 100 tests in recent days on more than 500 birds,

but that all of the tests have been negative with the

exception of the single sample that tested positive on July

24.

 

5. In reply to a question by REO, Dr. Nalinee stated that

DLD routinely pools specimens, but combines material from no

more than five birds at a time for testing – well within the

5-10 sample batch recommended by the UN\’s Food and

Agriculture Organization (FAO). She also said that the DLD

is sampling ducks, which are known to be able to carry H5N1

asymptomatically, as well as chickens and fighting cocks, but

they have all tested negative so far.

 

6. Dr. Nalinee did not say whether she believed all the

recent chicken die-offs in the central and north-central

provinces were attributable to a resurgence of the H5N1 virus

in Thailand. The virus is present, however, and only further

surveillance and continued testing will demonstrate the

extent of it.

ARVIZU

”