Increased bird flu activity

1 February 2010

The northern hemisphere winter has seen a number of new reports of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 appearing. In Egypt the problem has been recognised as being endemic and only human cases are being notified to international organisations. Six new cases have been notified since early November with the latest being reported on 23rd January. Press articles continue to report extensive bird outbreaks in Indonesia while 2 human cases were reported from Pekanbaru earlier this month. There is continuing activity in poultry in Vietnam but only one human case in November. In Cambodia there was a single outbreak in December with no human cases resulting. A new outbreak in domestic poultry has occurred this month in West Bengal, India and in neighbouring Bangladesh there have been two outbreaks in the Joypurhat district this month – the first since September last. In Israel an outbreak was discovered on 26 January in Kibbutz Ein Shemer near Haifa.

Back to Alerts