Bird Flu Steadily Spreading Through Asian Countries

Thursday’s holiday brought joy to many American households, but the day brought fear to households throughout Asia, with China reporting that its 21st outbreak of bird flu had occurred and Indonesia reporting its first outbreak of the strain of the virus that can affect humans. The outbreak in Turpan, a city in the Xinjiang region of China, killed 11 birds, as disclosed by the official Xinhua News Agency, The Agriculture Ministry reported that the discovery had prompted the destruction of over 5,000 chickens in the area.

Just a day before the outbreak, China confirmed its second human death from bird flu. A 35-year old farmer in Xiuning County in the eastern province of Anhui died after coming in contact with infected poultry and developing a fever and pneumonia-like symptoms. Blood tests revealed that she had died from the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus. The Anhui area is about 60 miles northwest of the county where the country’s first human bird flu death was reported. Only one other human bird flu case has been reported in China, a 9-year old boy who recovered.

Indonesia’s Agriculture Ministry has reported that its first outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain has occurred in the Aceh province. Hundreds of chickens have died in at least three different districts in Aceh, where tens of thousands of tsunami survivors still live in crowded refugee camps. Bird flu has now been found in 23 of Indonesia’s 30 provinces, and seven people have been killed. The virus has insidiously spread through Asia over the last two years, with more than 100 million birds being killed since 2003. Since the virus mutated and began affecting humans, at least 67 people in Asia have died, according to the World Health Organization. Experts are worried that the virus may mutate into an even more dangerous strain that is easily passed among people, which could lead to a global pandemic.

The outbreaks in China have triggered fear and panic all around the world. In the Caribbean, the island nations of Trinidad and Tobago halted a shipment of feathers from China that were intended for use on carnival costumes. Although there was no indication of contamination, the container of feathers was stopped at the port before entering the country, and is awaiting another ship to return the feathers to China. The Tourism Administration of Vietnam, the country hit hardest by bird flu, has ordered tour operators not to take foreigners near areas where bird flu oustbreaks have been reported. Although most major hotels and restaurants in Vietnam have stopped serving poultry, the threat has not yet affected the country’s tourism industry.

Bird flu hit Japan last year for the first time in decades. Although there has been one confirmed case of a human contracting the virus, there are no confirmed human deaths. Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper has reported that the country has enough stockpiles of the anti-drug Tamiflu for only about 37,400 people—less than 1% of the number recommended by the Health Ministry. Tamiflu is one of the few drugs believed to be effective in treating the virus, although there is currently no human vaccine available. The ministry’s "bird flu action plan" recommends having enough medicine on hand to treat over 10 million people, but local officials cited cost as one reason for the small stockpiles available. Another reason may be the intense demand for the drug even though the drug’s manufacturer has boosted production.

The China Daily newspaper has reported that scientists in the country are very close to beginning testing of a bird flu vaccine on 100 people. If approved, the vaccine will be given first to high-risk groups such as poultry farmers in infected areas, laboratory workers, and veterinarians.