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NorthStar Preparedness Network is a national preparedness organization working to teach others what they need to know to prepare for natural or man-made disasters.
Date / Time: 5/25/2008 5:21 AM UTC
But first we'll begin with the news:
Russia Shows Off Military Toys in Victory Day Parade
Associated Press
Moscow, Russia - Missiles, tanks and other heavy weaponry rolled through Moscow's Red Square in the Victory Day parade Friday, the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union that they have appeared in the annual event. Russia has nearly quadrupled its defense spending in recent years, aiming to resuscitate the military forces that deteriorated in the post-Soviet period.
U.N. Suspends Aid Shipments to Myanmar After Government Confiscates the Donations
Yangon, Myanmar - Myanmar's junta seized U.N. aid shipments headed for hungry and homeless survivors of last week's devastating cyclone, prompting the world body to suspend further help on Friday.
Oil-Rich States Starve the World Food Program
New York, NY - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his top lieutenants on Monday are convening the first meeting of the U.N.’s Task Force on the Global Food Crisis. Ban says it will “study the root causes of the crisis,” and propose solutions for “coordinated global action” at a summit of world leaders in June.
Ban might want to consider convincing the oil-rich nations of the Middle East to provide more than the near-invisible amount of money they currently give to the World Food Program (WFP), the U.N.’s food-giving arm, which is charged with alleviating the food crisis.
WFP internal documents show that the major oil producing nations of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) gives almost nothing to the food organization, even as skyrocketing oil prices and swollen oil revenues contribute to the very crisis that the U.N. claims could soon add 100 million more people to the world’s starving masses.
The overwhelming bulk of the burden in feeding the world’s starving poor remains with the United States and a small group of other predominately Western nations, a situation that the WFP has done little so far to change, even as it has asked for another $775 million in donations to ease the crisis.
Group Says North Korea Faces Massive Famine
Seoul, South Korea - North Koreans are dying because of food shortages in rural areas, and a massive famine is just a matter of time, a South Korean aid group said Friday.
The food situation was as bad as the famine that hit the country in the mid-1990s, which left as many as 2 million people dead, Seoul-based Good Friends - a Buddhist-affiliated group that sends food and other aid to the North - cited an unidentified North Korean official Friday as saying.
"So far, mass deaths have not occurred as people have become more used to (starvation) than in the 1990s, but famine is a matter of time," the official was quoted as saying by the aid group.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_on_re_as/nkorea_famine
Here's the Burns My Ass Story of the Week:
Global Free Market For Food and Energy Faces Biggest Threat in Decades
Telegraph UK
London, England - The global free market for food and energy is facing its biggest threat in decades as a host of countries push through draconian measures to hold down prices, raising fears of a new "resource nationalism" that could endanger world food security.
India shocked the markets yesterday by suspending trading in futures contracts for a range of farm products in a bid to clamp down on alleged speculators and curb inflation, now running at 7.6pc.
The country's Forward Markets Commission said contracts for soybean oil, chana (chickpeas), potatoes, and rubber had been banned for four months, even though a report by the Indian parliament last month concluded that soaring food costs had almost nothing to do with the futures contracts. Traders in Mumbai slammed the ban as an act of brazen political populism.
The move has been seen as a concession to India's Communist MPs - key allies of premier Manmohan Singh - who want a full-fledged ban on futures trading in sugar, cooking oil, and grains.
As food and fuel riots spread across the world, a string of governments have resorted to steps that menace the free flow of food and key commodities. Argentina has banned beef exports, while Egypt and India have stopped shipments of rice.
Kazakhstan has prohibited wheat exports. Russia has slapped a 40pc export duty on shipments, and Pakistan a 35pc duty.
China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philipines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam have all imposed export controls or forms of rationing to ease the crisis.
"The bottom line is that countries with resources, particularly in food and energy are becoming more protective of these resources," it said.
Nationalist policies are making the crisis worse. Governments are blocking foreign investments in sensitive sectors, imposing arbitary taxes, or meddling in details.
UBS said political intervention in the African Copper Belt, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia was already taking its toll on copper output, while oil companies are being shut out of key markets such as Russia - with damaging effect on oil production.
Even the US and Europe are falling prey to some of these populist impulses. A group of top Democratic senators on Capitol Hill this week called for draconian measures to halt speculative trading on oil futures, widely blamed for pushing crude prices to $124 a barrel.
They have drafted the Consumer-First Energy Act mandating higher margin requirements on oil futures contracts, as well as revoking $17bn in tax concessions for oil companies and imposing a 25pc windfall tax on oil profits.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization says the global food bill has risen 57pc in the last year. Soaring freight rates have compounded the effect.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&xml=/money/2008/05/08/bcnfood108.xml
Survey Shows US Honey Bee Deaths Increased Over Last Year
San Francisco, CA - A survey of bee health released Tuesday revealed a grim picture, with 36.1 percent of the nation's commercially managed hives lost since last year. Last year's survey commissioned by the Apiary Inspectors of America found losses of about 32 percent.
As beekeepers travel with their hives this spring to pollinate crops around the country, it's clear the insects are buckling under the weight of new diseases, pesticide drift and old enemies like the parasitic varroa mite, said Dennis vanEngelsdorp, president of the group.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080507/ap_on_re_us/disappearing_bees
And for news about today’s topic:
WHO – World Still Faces Substantial Threat of Flu Pandemic
Washington, DC - The world still faces a substantial threat of a flu pandemic and countries need to speed up preparations for a global outbreak, health experts said Tuesday.
"We can't delude ourselves. The threat of a pandemic influenza has not diminished," said Keiji Fukuda, coordinator for the World Health Organization's Global Influenza Program.
WHO – Child Killing Virus Yet to Peak, No Threat to Olympics
A virus that has sickened close to more than 11,000 children in China is not a threat to the Olympians who will be heading to the country, the World Health Organization has said.
Although the outbreak is another headache for China's Communist government as it prepares to host this summer's Olympic Games, WHO's China representative, Hans Troedsson, said the disease was not a threat to the Beijing Olympics because the disease mostly sickens young children.
Government Reports Answers Who Lives and Who Dies in Flu Pandemic
Washington, DC - Should doctors be allowed to play God?
In the case of a flu pandemic — yes, say government officials in a new report.
Doctors know some patients needing lifesaving care won't get it in a flu pandemic or other disaster. The gut-wrenching dilemma will be deciding who to let die.
Who Should MD’s Let Die in a Pandemic? Report Offers Answers
Chicago, IL - Doctors know some patients needing lifesaving care won't get it in a flu pandemic or other disaster. The gut-wrenching dilemma will be deciding who to let die.
Now, an influential group of physicians has drafted a grimly specific list of recommendations for which patients wouldn't be treated. They include the very elderly, seriously hurt trauma victims, severely burned patients and those with severe dementia.
And how timely was this situation?
What Went Wrong On Train: Doctor Speculates
City News Canada
Timmins, Canada - Early Friday morning, a Via Rail train was quarantined outside Timmins. One woman died and at least 10 others have flu-like systems, though police believe the two events are unconnected.
While it's not known what caused the woman's death, a Toronto doctor outlines what he thinks happened to the 10 passengers. Dr James Brunton is an infectious disease at Mount Sinai Hospital. In a telephone interview, he explains what may have happened.
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_22546.aspx
And now for today’s topic – Outbreak – How to Prepare for a Pandemic.
Historically there have been epidemics for as long as beast and man had contact. Some caused by bacteria, some by viruses.
The most famous episode of plague in Europe, the Black Death, seems to have originated in Central Asia; it arrived in Milan in 1348, carried by ship-borne rats. By 1351, all of the European world was affected. In some areas, two-thirds to three-quarters of the population died, perhaps as many as 25 million overall.
Though far less contagious than plague, leprosy has also left deep and painful impressions on historical memory. Caused by Mycobacterium leprae, this disease destroys nerve endings, blood vessels, ligaments, skin tissue, and even bone and can cause marked deformations of the extremities, face, and voice.
Mass destruction and social condemnation also characterized two epidemics of the Renaissance, smallpox and syphilis, diseases that may well have sprung into prominence as a direct result of the explorations of the age. Smallpox had existed in Asia, and then in Europe, for centuries but was apparently unknown in the Americas until Europeans arrived there in the fifteenth century.
Meanwhile, syphilis was first recorded in Europe in 1493, which was, perhaps coincidentally, immediately after Christopher Columbus and his sailors returned to Spain. Far more virulent a disease than it is today, syphilis spread furiously through Europe. Meanwhile, every nation tried to categorize it as a disease brought from outside, by foreigners, with the Russians calling it Polish, the Poles ascribing it to Germans, and the Germans, English, and Italians calling it the "French sickness." The Dutch and Portuguese ascribed it to the Spanish, while the Japanese blamed the Portuguese.
Memorable epidemics in the following centuries included the European smallpox pandemic of 1614, outbreaks of plague in London in 1665 and Marseilles in 1720, and an epidemic of yellow fever in the new American capital, Philadelphia, in 1793.
The nineteenth century was marked by four pandemics of cholera, one of which started in 1826 in India and had spread by 1832 to Russia, Persia (Iran), Continental Europe, Great Britain, and North America. Cholera, which can kill within a day, is caused by fecal contamination of food and water; it brings on severe cramps, vomiting, fever, dehydration, and sudden death. Because cholera often afflicted the overcrowded and malnourished poor, the New York Times in 1866 called it "the curse of the dirty, the intemperate, and the degraded."
Similar views of the relationship between social conditions and disease characterized the construction of tuberculosis (TB), the nineteenth century's most devastating chronic disease. TB is typically a chronic disease whose symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, chills, aches, fevers, and a characteristic violent cough that sometimes brings up bloody sputum. It most commonly affects people, such as the urban poor, whose nutrition is inadequate and who live and work in crowded conditions. By the eighteenth century, physicians and the lay public believed that climate and "dissolute and immoral" living made people susceptible to the disease. Tubercular patients were often urged to take up physically active lives in areas with salubrious weather. Rest cures in sanatoriums were common, and treatment often varied according to the gender and class of the sufferer. Only when Robert Koch discovered in 1882 that TB is caused by a bacterium did the stereotypes that its sufferers were inherently weak or tainted begin to fade away.
The early twentieth century was marked by epidemics such as those of influenza and poliomyelitis, or polio. And here's where we come to the one most of us remember, not because we were there but because our families were.
The great influenza pandemic of 1918 began when the "Spanish flu" struck Chungking in July, Persia in early August, and France two weeks later; in two months it had covered the entire globe, taking 500,000 lives in the United States, 12,000,000 in India, and 22,000,000 overall -- nearly twice as many as World War I.
Throughout history, influenza viruses have mutated and caused pandemics or global epidemics. In 1890, an especially virulent influenza pandemic struck, killing many Americans. Those who survived that pandemic and lived to experience the 1918 pandemic tended to be less susceptible to the disease.
In 1918, the Public Health Service had just begun to require state and local health departments to provide them with reports about diseases in their communities. The problem? Influenza wasn’t a reportable disease.
But in early March of 1918, officials in Haskell County in Kansas sent a worrisome report to the Public Health Service. Although these officials knew that influenza was not a reportable disease, they wanted the federal government to know that “18 cases of influenza of a severe type” had been reported there.
By May, reports of severe influenza trickled in from Europe. Young soldiers, men in the prime of life, were becoming ill in large numbers. Most of these men recovered quickly but some developed a secondary pneumonia of “a most virulent and deadly type.”
Within two months, influenza had spread from the military to the civilian population in
Europe. From there, the disease spread outward—to Asia, Africa, South America and, back again, to North America.
What is believe now is that in late August, the influenza virus probably mutated again and epidemics now erupted in three port cities: Freetown, Sierra Leone; Brest, France, and Boston, Massachusetts.
In Boston, dockworkers at Commonwealth Pier reported sick in massive numbers during the last week in August. Suffering from fevers as high as 105 degrees, these workers had severe muscle and joint pains. For most of these men, recovery quickly followed. But 5 to 10% of these patients developed severe and massive pneumonia and died. Death often followed.
Public health experts had little time to register their shock at the severity of this outbreak. Within days, the disease had spread outward to the city of Boston itself. By mid-September, the epidemic had spread even further with states as far away as California, North Dakota, Florida and Texas reporting severe epidemics.
This outbreak of the Spanish Flu occurred in three waves in the United States throughout 1918 and 1919.
The first wave had occurred when mild influenza erupted in the late spring and summer of 1918. The second wave occurred with an outbreak of severe influenza in the fall of 1918 and the final wave occurred in the spring of 1919.
In its wake, the pandemic would leave about twenty million dead across the world. In America alone, about 675,000 people in a population of 105 million would die from the disease.
World War I had left many communities with a shortage of trained medical personnel. As influenza spread, local officials urgently requested the Public Health Service to send nurses and doctors. With less than 700 officers on duty, the Public Health Service was unable to meet most of these requests.
Entire families became ill. In Philadelphia, a city especially hard hit, so many children were orphaned that the Bureau of Child Hygiene found itself overwhelmed and unable to care for them.
As the disease spread, schools and businesses emptied. Telegraph and telephone services collapsed as operators took to their beds. Garbage went uncollected as garbage men reported sick. The mail piled up as postal carriers failed to come to work.
State and local departments of health also suffered from high absentee rates. No one was left to record the pandemic’s spread and the Public Health Service’s requests for information went unanswered.
As the bodies accumulated, funeral parlors ran out of caskets and bodies went uncollected in morgues.
In many communities, quarantines were imposed to prevent the spread of the disease. Schools, theaters, saloons, pool halls and even churches were all closed. As the bodies mounted, even funerals were held out doors to protect mourners against the spread of the disease.
Public officials, who were unaware that influenza was a virus and that masks provided no real protection against viruses, often demanded that people wear gauze masks. Some cities even passed laws requiring people to wear masks. Enforcing these laws proved to be very difficult as many people resisted wearing masks.
Advertisements recommending drugs which could cure influenza filled newspapers. Some doctors suggested that drinking alcohol might prevent infection, causing a run on alcohol supplies. Some folk healers insisted that wearing a specific type of amulet or a small bag of camphor could protect against influenza.
States passed laws forbidding spitting, fearing that this common practice spread influenza.
In November, two months after the pandemic had erupted, the Public Health Service began reporting that influenza cases were declining.
Communities slowly lifted their quarantines. Masks were discarded. Schools were re-opened and citizens flocked to celebrate the end of World War I.
Communities and the disease continued to be a threat throughout the spring of 1919.
By the time the pandemic had ended, in the summer of 1919, nearly 675,000 Americans were dead from influenza. Hundred of thousands more were orphaned and widowed.
No one knows exactly how many people died during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic. During the 1920s, researchers estimated that 21.5 million people died as a result of the 1918-1919 pandemic. More recent estimates have estimated global mortality from the 1918-1919 pandemic at anywhere between 30 and 50 million. An estimated 675,000 Americans were among the dead.
The pandemic which occurred in 1918-1919 was not the only influenza pandemic of the twentieth century. Influenza returned in a pandemic form in 1957-1958 and, again, in 1968-1969.
These two later pandemics were much less severe than the 1918-1919 pandemic. Estimated deaths within the United States for these two later pandemics were 70,000 excess deaths from the Asian Flu (1957-1958) and 33,000 excess deaths from the Hong Kong (1968-1967).
1976: Swine Flu Threat
When a novel virus was first identified at Fort Dix, it was labeled the "killer flu." Experts were extremely concerned because the virus was thought to be related to the Spanish flu virus of 1918. The concern that a major pandemic could sweep across the world led to a mass vaccination campaign in the United States. In fact, the virus--later named "swine flu"--never moved outside the Fort Dix area. Research on the virus later showed that if it had spread, it would probably have been much less deadly than the Spanish flu.
1977: Russian Flu Threat
In May 1977, influenza A/H1N1 viruses isolated in northern China, spread rapidly, and caused epidemic disease in children and young adults (< 23 years) worldwide. The 1977 virus was similar to other A/H1N1 viruses that had circulated prior to 1957. (In 1957, the A/H1N1 virus was replaced by the new A/H2N2 viruses). Because of the timing of the appearance of these viruses, persons born before 1957 were likely to have been exposed to A/H1N1 viruses and to have developed immunity against A/H1N1 viruses. Therefore, when the A/H1N1 reappeared in 1977, many people over the age of 23 had some protection against the virus and it was primarily younger people who became ill from A/H1N1 infections. By January 1978, the virus had spread around the world, including the United States. Because illness occurred primarily in children, this event was not considered a true pandemic. Vaccine containing this virus was not produced in time for the 1977-78 season, but the virus was included in the 1978-79 vaccine.
Are we due for another?
Flu Terms Defined
Seasonal (or common) flu is a respiratory illness that can be transmitted person to person. Most people have some immunity, and a vaccine is available.
Avian (or bird) flu (AI) is caused by influenza viruses that occur naturally among wild birds. Low pathogenic AI is common in birds and causes few problems. Highly pathogenic H5N1 is deadly to domestic fowl, can be transmitted from birds to humans, and is deadly to humans. There is virtually no human immunity and human vaccine availability is very limited.
Pandemic flu is virulent human flu that causes a global outbreak, or pandemic, of serious illness. Because there is little natural immunity, the disease can spread easily from person to person. Currently, there is no pandemic flu.
In 1997, an outbreak of a new, deadly strain of influenza A (H5N1) occurred in poultry in Hong Kong. Since that time, the virus has mutated and has passed from sick poultry to over 300 humans worldwide of which nearly 60% have died. So far, human-to-human transmission has been very limited and not sustained.
The H5N1 virus continues to change and poses a significant potential threat as the cause of the next pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization and other leading public agencies all agree that the threat of another flu pandemic is real and it’s not a question of IF anymore but WHEN.
Regardless of where the outbreak starts, everyone around the world will be at risk. Especially in this day and age of global travel. If you don’t take steps to prepare before a pandemic it will be harder for you to follow important health advice when a pandemic occurs.So how do YOU prepare?
The US Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), the CDC and health experts are asking that you stock up on foods and other necessities, improve your health and plan ahead for how you will take care of yourself and you family during an outbreak.
Stock up on non-perishable foods, bottled water, over the counter drugs, health supplies and other necessities so that you won’t have to leave your home. You’re trying to reduce your exposure to other people during a pandemic crisis.
Over-the-counter drugs will pretty much be your lifeline. A virus isn’t “cured” by antibiotics. Part of the problem today is the overuse of antibiotics leading to the mutation of bacteria & diseases that are now a antibiotic resistant. In a virus you can treat the symptoms. Pain relievers, fever reducers, expectorants, cough syrup, decongestants, etc. I have a small problem with combination medications like cough & cold formulas, etc. because they may treat symptoms that you don’t have and can worsen other symptoms like antihistamines that dry you up when you need to really have an expectorant to get that stuff out. Educate yourself now so that you won’t panic later.
Research continues into effective antivirals, seeking medications that can reduce the severity of an influenza attack. Antivirals are drugs that are used to prevent or cure a disease caused by a virus, by interfering with the ability of the virus to multiply in number or spread from cell to cell. Recent increases in the number and promotion of antiviral drugs for influenza have increased interest in the role of specific antiviral drugs for treatment of the flu. Use of antiviral drugs does not eliminate the risk of complications, and some complications can be life threatening.
Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to minimize suffering and death from influenza. Research efforts have led to the development of a vaccine for one of the two strains of the H5N1 influenza virus in humans. In the event of a pandemic, it could take months to develop an effective vaccine. Federal officials have drafted a plan that spells out who gets priority for the first vaccinations.
DHHS recommends that you have at least a 2-week supply but as we all know here, stocking up is a good thing and you can do it over time as long as you start today. Listen to the archived shows for food storage ideas and information and read our blog here on Blog Talk Radio for lists and information. These supplies aren’t just for a pandemic. There are plenty of situations that you should stock up for and there’s no substitute for overall preparedness. FEMA and the Red Cross have upped their recommendations to 4 weeks so the more, the safer.
And stock up on cleaning supplies.
How Flu Viruses Spread
· A flu pandemic is an outbreak of illness caused by a new flu virus that spreads around the world. Because the virus is new to people, nearly everyone will be at risk of getting it.
· The main way that illnesses like colds and flu are spread is from person to person by coughs and sneezes. This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air and make contact with the mouth or nose of people nearby.
· Droplets from an infected person can also make contact with environmental surfaces (like the tops of tables). The virus can then be spread from those surfaces if a person touches the droplets and then touches his or her own eyes, mouth, or nose before washing his or her hands.
· The virus also can be spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes into his or her hands and then touches a surface (like a phone, remote control, or toy) before washing his or her hands. Another person could become sick if he or she touches that surface and then touches his or her own eyes, mouth, or nose before washing. Flu viruses and other germs can live 2 hours or longer on hard environmental surfaces like tables, doorknobs, and desks. Surfaces are likely to be touched much more often than they can be cleaned and disinfected. Thus, it is important to wash your hands often, keep your hands away from your face, and keep such surfaces clean to help prevent the spread of germs.
Continued.......
Dipl.-Ing. Soddemann
5/25/2008 7:29 AM UTC
Spread of avian flu by drinking water: Proved awareness to ecology and transmission is necessary to understand the spread of avian flu. For this it is insufficient exclusive to test samples from wild birds, poultry and humans for avian flu viruses. Samples from the known abiotic vehicles also have to be analysed. There are plain links between the cold, rainy seasons as well as floods and the spread of avian flu. That is just why abiotic vehicles have to be analysed. The direct biotic transmission from birds, poultry or humans to humans can not depend on the cold, rainy seasons or floods. Water is a very efficient abiotic vehicle for the spread of viruses - in particular of fecal as well as by mouth, nose and eyes excreted viruses. Infected birds and poultry can everywhere contaminate the drinking water. All humans have very intensive contact to drinking water. Spread of avian flu by drinking water can explain small clusters in households too. Proving viruses in water is difficult because of dilution. If you find no viruses you can not be sure that there are not any. On the other hand in water viruses remain viable for a long time. Water has to be tested for influenza viruses by cell culture and in particular by the more sensitive molecular biology method PCR. There is a widespread link between avian flu and water, e.g. in Egypt to the Nile delta or Indonesia to residential districts of less prosperous humans with backyard flocks and without central water supply as in Vietnam: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no12/06-0829.htm. See also the WHO web side: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/emerging/h5n1background.pdf . Transmission of avian flu by direct contact to infected poultry is an unproved assumption from the WHO. There is no evidence that influenza primarily is transmitted by saliva droplets: “Transmission of influenza A in human beings” http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473309907700294/abstract?iseop=true . Avian flu infections may increase in consequence to increase of virus circulation. In hot climates/the tropics flood-related influenza is typical after extreme weather and floods. Virulence of influenza viruses depends on temperature and time. Special in cases of local water supplies with “young” and fresh H5N1 contaminated water from low local wells, cisterns, tanks, rain barrels, ponds, rivers or rice paddies this pathway can explain small clusters in households. At 24°C e.g. in the tropics the virulence of influenza viruses in water amount to 2 days. In temperate climates for “older” water from central water supplies cold water is decisive to virulence of viruses. At 7°C the virulence of influenza viruses in water amount to 14 days. Human to human and contact transmission of influenza occur - but are overvalued immense. In the course of influenza epidemics in Germany, recognized clusters are rare, accounting for just 9 percent of cases e.g. in the 2005 season. In temperate climates the lethal H5N1 virus will be transferred to humans via cold drinking water, as with the birds in February and March 2006, strong seasonal at the time when drinking water has its temperature minimum. The performance to eliminate viruses from the drinking water processing plants regularly does not meet the requirements of the WHO and the USA/USEPA. Conventional disinfection procedures are poor, because microorganisms in the water are not in suspension, but embedded in particles. Even ground water used for drinking water is not free from viruses. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26096&Cr=&Cr1 Ducks and rice [paddies = flooded by water] major factors in bird flu outbreaks, says UN agency Ducks and rice fields may be a critical factor in spreading H5N1 26 March 2008 – Ducks, rice [fields, paddies = flooded by water! Farmers on work drink the water from rice paddies!] and people – and not chickens – have emerged as the most significant factors in the spread of avian influenza in Thailand and Viet Nam, according to a study carried out by a group of experts from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and associated research centres. “Mapping H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza risk in Southeast Asia: ducks, rice and people” also finds that these factors are probably behind persistent outbreaks in other countries such as Cambodia and Laos. The study, which examined a series of waves of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in Thailand and Viet Nam between early 2004 and late 2005, was initiated and coordinated by FAO senior veterinary officer Jan Slingenbergh and just published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. Through the use of satellite mapping, researchers looked at a number of different factors, including the numbers of ducks, geese and chickens, human population size, rice cultivation and geography, and found a strong link between duck grazing patterns and rice cropping intensity. In Thailand, for example, the proportion of young ducks in flocks was found to peak in September-October; these rapidly growing young ducks can therefore benefit from the peak of the rice harvest in November-December [at the beginning of the cold: Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos are situated – different from Indonesia – in the northern hemisphere]. “These peaks in congregation of ducks indicate periods in which there is an increase in the chances for virus release and exposure, and rice paddies often become a temporary habitat for wild bird species,” the agency said in a news release. “We now know much better where and when to expect H5N1 flare-ups, and this helps to target prevention and control,” said Mr. Slingenbergh. “In addition, with virus persistence becoming increasingly confined to areas with intensive rice-duck agriculture in eastern and south-eastern Asia, evolution of the H5N1 virus may become easier to predict.” He said the findings can help better target control efforts and replace indiscriminate mass vaccination. FAO estimates that approximately 90 per cent of the world’s more than 1 billion domestic ducks are in Asia, with about 75 per cent of that in China and Viet Nam. Thailand has about 11 million ducks. Dipl.-Ing. Wilfried Soddemann - Epidemiologist - Free Science Journalist soddemann-aachen@t-online.de
NorthStarXO
5/25/2008 5:23 AM UTC
Continuation............ How to Stop the Spread of Pandemic Flu Virus from Environmental Surfaces Use good hygiene practices · Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze; put the used tissue in a waste basket and clean your hands. · Cover your mouth and nose with your upper sleeve (not your hands) if you do not have a tissue and need to cough or sneeze. · Clean your hands as soon as possible after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose. o Use soap and water and wash your hands for 15 - 20 seconds; or o Use alcohol-based hand wipes or alcohol-based (60-95% alcohol) gel hand sanitizers; rub these on the hands until the liquid or gel dries. · Clean your hands often when you or others are sick, especially if you touch your mouth, nose, and eyes. · Always clean your hands before eating. · Carry alcohol-based hand wipes or alcohol-based (60-95% alcohol) hand-sanitizing gels with you to clean your hands when you are out in public. · Teach your children to use these hygiene practices because germs are often spread at school. Clean and disinfect hard surfaces and items in homes and schools · Follow label instructions carefully when using disinfectants and cleaners. o Pay attention to any hazard warnings and instructions on the labels for using personal protective items (such as household gloves). o Do not mix disinfectants and cleaners unless the labels indicate it is safe to do so. Combining certain products (such as chlorine bleach and ammonia cleaners) can be harmful, resulting in serious injury or death. · Keep hard surfaces like kitchen countertops, tabletops, desktops, and bathroom surfaces clean and disinfected. o Clean the surface with a commercial product that is both a detergent (cleans) and a disinfectant (kills germs). These products can be used when surfaces are not visibly dirty. o Another way to do this is to wash the surface with a general household cleaner (soap or detergent), rinse with water, and follow with a disinfectant. This method should be used for visibly dirty surfaces. o Use disinfectants on surfaces that are touched often. Clean the surface as explained above before using disinfectants. § If disinfectants are not available, use a chlorine bleach solution made by adding 1 tablespoon of bleach to a quart (4 cups) of water; use a cloth to apply this to surfaces and let stand for 3 – 5 minutes before rinsing with clean water. (For a larger supply of disinfectant, add ¼ cup of bleach to a gallon [16 cups] of water.) § Wear gloves to protect your hands when working with strong bleach solutions. · Keep surfaces touched by more than one person clean and disinfected. Examples of these surfaces include doorknobs, refrigerator door handles, and microwaves. o Clean with a combination detergent and disinfectant product. Or use a cleaner first, rinse the surface thoroughly, and then follow with a disinfectant. o Use sanitizer cloths to wipe electronic items that are touched often, such as phones, computers, remote controls, and hand-held games. o Use sanitizer cloths to wipe car door handles, the steering wheel, and the gear shift. Use recommended laundry practices · Gently gather soiled clothing, bedding, and linens without creating a lot of motion or fluffing; for example, do not shake sheets when removing them from the bed. · Clean your hands after handling soiled laundry items. · Use washing machine cycles, detergents, and laundry additives (like softener) as you normally do; follow label instructions for detergents and additives. · Dry the cleaned laundry items as you normally do, selecting the dryer temperature for the types of fabrics in the load. Line- or air-drying can be used to dry items when machine drying is not indicated. · Clean your hands before removing clean laundry from the washer or dryer, especially if you have coughed or sneezed on your hands. Use recommended waste disposal practices · Toss tissues into waste baskets after they have been used for coughs, sneezes, and blowing your nose. · Place waste baskets where they are easy to use. · Avoid touching used tissues and other waste when emptying waste baskets. · Clean your hands after emptying waste baskets. Improve your health now. Exercise, eat better, get healthy. Stop smoking if you can. I’m not a smoker and I don’t advocate it but I’m not preachy about it. Quit because it’s good for you. Wash your hands with soap & water throughout the day and cover your nose and mouth with your sleeve or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. And plan ahead by figuring out what you would do in the following cases: if schools were dismissed early and then closed, if you couldn’t go to work, if someone in your immediate household becomes ill and needs care. Schools May Be Closed for an Extended Period of Time · Help schools plan for pandemic influenza. Talk to the school nurse or the health center. Talk to your teachers, administrators, and parent-teacher organizations. · Plan home learning activities and exercises. Have materials, such as books, on hand. Also plan recreational activities that your children can do at home. · Consider childcare needs. Transportation Services May Be Disrupted Think about how you can rely less on public transportation during a pandemic. For example, store food and other essential supplies so you can make fewer trips to the store. Prepare backup plans for taking care of loved ones who are far away. Consider other ways to get to work, or, if you can, work at home. Being Able to Work May Be Difficult or Impossible · Find out if you can work from home. · Ask your employer about how business will continue during a pandemic. (A Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist is available at www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/business/businesschecklist.html.) · Plan for the possible reduction or loss of income if you are unable to work or your place of employment is closed. · Check with your employer or union about leave policies. Social Disruption May Be Widespread · Plan for the possibility that usual services may be disrupted. These could include services provided by hospitals and other health care facilities, banks, stores, restaurants, government offices, and post offices. · Prepare backup plans in case public gatherings, such as volunteer meetings and worship services, are canceled. · Consider how to care for people with special needs in case the services they rely on are not available. People Will Need Advice and Help at Work and Home · Think about what information the people in your workplace will need if you are a manager. This may include information about insurance, leave policies, working from home, possible loss of income, and when not to come to work if sick. (A Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist is available at www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/business/businesschecklist.html.) · Meet with your colleagues and make lists of things that you will need to know and what actions can be taken. · Find volunteers who want to help people in need, such as elderly neighbors, single parents of small children, or people without the resources to get the medical help they will need. · Identify other information resources in your community, such as mental health hotlines, public health hotlines, or electronic bulletin boards. · Find support systems—people who are thinking about the same issues you are thinking about. Share ideas. Get Informed Knowing the facts is the best preparation. Identify sources you can count on for reliable information. If a pandemic occurs, having accurate and reliable information will be critical. · Reliable, accurate, and timely information is available at www.pandemicflu.gov. · Another source for information on pandemic influenza is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hotline at: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636). This line is available in English and Spanish, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY: 1-888-232-6348. Questions can be e-mailed to cdcinfo@cdc.gov. · Look for information on your local and state government Web sites. Links are available to each state department of public health at www.cdc.gov/other.htm#states. · Listen to local and national radio, watch news reports on television, and read your newspaper and other sources of printed and Web-based information. · Talk to your local health care providers and public health officials. As you begin your individual or family planning, you may want to review your state's planning efforts and those of your local public health and emergency preparedness officials. Many of the state plans and other planning information can be found at pandemicflu.gov/plan/state/index.html.
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