Finland is Now on ASF Alert

3/6/2012 The Pig Site--The country's food safety authority has put out an alert over African swine fever (ASF), which has been reported from the first time in the region of Russia that borders Finland, writes senior editor, Jackie Linden. The disease represents a growing threat to the European pig industry.

African Swine Fever Virus

The Finnish Food Safety Authority, Evira, has announced it is to initiate examinations of both domestic pigs and wild boars for signs of ASF.

The move follows an announcement a week ago from the Russian Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service, Rosselkhoznadzor, that there had been the first outbreak of ASF on a farm in the Republic of Karelia, which borders Finland. Eight pigs were reported to have died in that outbreak, which has not yet been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

Rosselkhoznadzor reported that the most likely source of infection was food waste from local hospitals and kindergartens, and added that arrangements were in place to prevent further spread of the disease.

Evira reports that ASF has been detected on two farms in the Segezha region in the Republic of Karelia, which is east of Nurmes, some 160km from the Finnish border. So far there is no knowledge of how many pigs have caught the disease or where it stems from.

ASF started spreading in Georgia, in the Caucasus region, in 2007 from where it has spread to different parts of Russia, reports Evira. The first case of ASF in the neighbouring areas of Finland was detected near St Petersburg in autumn 2009. In addition, disease outbreaks were detected in 2011 in the area of the Leningrad oblast in January, in the vicinity of St Petersburg in March, and in the areas of both Murmansk and Archangel in April.

ASF is a highly contagious serious viral disease found in pigs and wild boars that requires legislative control in Finland, says Evira. In domestic pigs, the disease causes usually high fever, skin discoloration, laboured breathing and intestinal symptoms, and results in high mortality rates on pig farms. The disease is not transmitted to people and it has never been found in Finland.

Evira will examine both domestic pigs and wild boars for ASF in Finalnd. If farmers suspect that pigs on their farm show signs of ASF or any other serious contagious animal disease, they are obliged to immediately contact their municipal veterinarian for further investigation of the situation. If a wild boar is found sick or dead, this should also be reported to the municipal veterinarian in order to have the animal examined at Evira.

ASF can spread directly from one animal to another or indirectly with people, cars or, for example, poorly cooked meat. Feeding food waste to pigs is absolutely forbidden in Finland and throughout the EU. It is forbidden to import any pigs, pork or foodstuffs made of these even for own use from regions where ASF has been detected.

In addition, it is important to follow the general guidelines and recommendations for prevention of animal diseases provided by the Association for Animal Disease Prevention, ETT, added Evira.

In another area of Russia where there have been several ASF outbreaks, Krasnodar Krai, Rosselkhoznadzor reports that unannounced inspections found that the company, Ecoproduct, has been operating illegally by failing to meet health and biosecurity standards. 

Influenza A Virus In Fruit Bats

After the discovery of a new influenza A virus in fruit bats in Guatemala, a study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , reveals that the virus represents no current threat to humans, although scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the University of the Valley of Guatemala, recommend to research the virus as a potential source for human influenza.

Leading researcher Dr. Suxiang Tong, team leader of the Pathogen Discovery Program in CDC's Division of Viral Diseases, declared:

"This is the first time an influenza virus has been identified in bats, but in its current form the virus is not a human health issue. The study is important because the research has identified a new animal species that may act as a source of flu viruses."

The bat influenza virus would need to obtain some genetic properties of human influenza viruses before it could be transmitted to humans. The possibility that this could happen exists through a natural process called reassortment, which occurs when a single host cell is infected by two or more influenza viruses, in which the viruses are able to swap genetic information. Whilst reassortment involves a complex number of actions, which, in some instances, can result in the emergence of new influenza viruses in humans, preliminary CDC research on the new virus has indicated compatibility between the new virus' genes with human influenza viruses.

Co-author Dr. Ruben Donis, chief of the Molecular Virology and Vaccines Branch in CDC's Influenza Division declares:

"Fortunately, initial laboratory testing suggests the new virus would need to undergo significant changes to become capable of infecting and spreading easily among humans. A different animal - such as a pig, horse or dog - would need to be capable of being infected with both this new bat influenza virus and human influenza viruses for reassortment to occur."

The bat influenza virus is known to only infect little yellow-shouldered bats that commonly live in Central and South America, yet they are not native to the U.S. Global disease experts and the CDC work in collaboration to monitor influenza viruses that spread in animals, which could also affect humans.

Influenza viruses in animals that obtained the ability to infect and spread easily in humans were responsible for earlier pandemics of the 20th century and also the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.

North Africa: Regional Approach Needed for Neglected Tropical Disease Control

2/29/2012 All Africa--Today, the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases published a comprehensive report showcasing the high burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with particularly high prevalence rates in Egypt and Yemen.

The report,e authored by global health leaders Dr. Peter Hotez, Dr. Lorenzo Savioli and professor Alan Fenwick, reveals the high prevalence and uneven distribution of NTDs such as schistosomiasis, lymphatic filiariasis, dengue fever and Rift Valley fever in the MENA region and suggests opportunities for NTD control, especially in high risk populations in Egypt and Yemen.

"Great strides have been made towards eliminating several endemic NTDs in the Middle East and North Africa," said Dr. Hotez, President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Director of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "But in some countries, ongoing conflict threatens this progress. The ongoing instability in this region encourages populations to migrate, which spreads diseases that were once controlled. Conflict also stymies opportunities for regionally-based research and development, education programs and public health initiatives that could help prevent disease and lift people out of extreme poverty."

The MENA region has had better success combating some NTDs than others. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 4 percent of school-aged and pre-school children in the MENA at risk for soil-transmitted helminths infections, the most pervasive of the NTDs, receive periodic treatments. This is significantly less than the global average.

There have also been several outbreaks of dengue and Rift Valley fever in the last two decades in MENA countries that had not seen the diseases for more than 50 years. These mosquito-transmitted diseases are of particular concern for the more than one million migrating pilgrims passing through Saudi Arabia on their way to and from Mecca for the Hajj.

On the other hand, through successful mass drug administration (MDA) programs, lymphatic filariasis (LF), or elephantiasis, has been eliminated in all MENA countries except Egypt and Yemen. Egypt is on the cusp of LF elimination, but in Yemen, civil unrest may cause a setback in the elimination efforts.

MDA programs, along with economic development initiatives, have also helped to drastically reduce or eliminate schistosomiasis, or snail fever, another common NTD. While the largest numbers of schistosomiasis cases in the MENA region still occur in Egypt, Yemen and Algeria, these two key interventions supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, and the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population have stimulated efforts to eliminate the disease in Egypt.

"The 15 year elimination program against schistosomiasis in Egypt has produced impressive results, especially since the country still has millions of relatively poor people living in rural areas. The Egypt model is now being used as an example for countries like Yemen and could even be a model for elimination of other NTDs, including the soil-transmitted helminthes (STH), LF and other diseases of poverty," said professor Alan Fenwick, Director of the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative.
However, poverty is still a key obstacle to successful NTD treatment and elimination programs. According to the World Bank, 21 countries comprise the MENA region. Of the 400 million people that live in the area, more than 65 million live on less than $2 USD per day. Almost all of those living in poverty suffer from one or more of the NTDs that negatively impact child development and worker productivity. In the MENA region, Egypt and Yemen have the largest number of people living in poverty and also have the highest rates of several NTDs.

"Poverty and NTDs go hand-in-hand," said Dr. Lorenzo Savioli, Director of the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases at the World Health Organization. "It is not coincidence that countries with the highest poverty rates are those with the highest NTD infection rates in the region. Our research finds that localized and regional control efforts will help stop disease migration due to conflict and ultimately help serve as a regional model for control."

This latest study suggests that targeted interventions for Egypt and Yemen are necessary for NTD control and elimination, particularly for STH infections and vector-borne NTDs like dengue and Rift Valley fever.

A regional plan for elimination that includes locally-based and locally-funded research and development, education and other treatment and control programs would help to eliminate disease transmission from migrating populations and ultimately control and eliminate NTDs throughout the MENA region.

"One way to promote regional control efforts is by working with wealthier countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to help fund and develop vaccination and treatment programs in the MENA region," adds Dr. Hotez.