Transporation of Infected Animal Hides and Avian Influenza [News]

Officials Try to Trace the Journey of a Disease
The New York Times
23 February 2006
Marc Santora

In the small, impoverished West African nation of Ivory Coast, the ancient plague of anthrax still thrives, infecting and killing animals at one of the highest rates in all of Africa, according to the World Health Organization.

Among the animals plagued by anthrax are goats, which are prized for their skins. When stretched tight, those skins provide the perfect acoustical top for a drum. And that most pre-modern of instruments is wildly popular in the most modern of cities, sold on street corners from London to New York.

It is through this bit of commerce, the authorities now suspect, that the germ was brought to New York in December, lurking in the hairs of a hide that was carried in a suitcase through Kennedy International Airport by an unsuspecting African musician. Now, officials are investigating how that musician, Vado Diomande, was able to transport infected animal carcasses thousands of miles without being detected.

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Avian influenza: significance of mutations in the H5N1
World Health Organization
20 February 2006

Several recent media reports have included speculations about the significance of mutations in H5N1 avian influenza viruses. Some reports have suggested that the likelihood of another pandemic may have increased as a result of changes in the virus.

Since 1997, when the first human infections with the H5N1 avian influenza virus were documented, the virus has undergone a number of changes.

These changes have affected patterns of virus transmission and spread among domestic and wild birds. They have not, however, had any discernible impact on the disease in humans, including its modes of transmission. Human infections remain a rare event. The virus does not spread easily from birds to humans or readily from person to person.

Influenza viruses are inherently unstable. As these viruses lack a genetic proof-reading mechanism, small errors that occur when the virus copies itself go undetected and uncorrected. Specific mutations and evolution in influenza viruses cannot be predicted, making it difficult if not impossible to know if or when a virus such as H5N1 might acquire the properties needed to spread easily and sustainably among humans. This difficulty is increased by the present lack of understanding concerning which specific mutations would lead to increased transmissibility of the virus among humans.

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Bird Markets Pose Possible Risk for Avian Flu
Living on Earth
17 February 2006

Government officials and the poultry industry are stepping up efforts to stop bird flu. Critics say there are some weak links in that defense. Living on Earth's Jeff Young reports. Wild birds are transmitters of the H5N1 virus. The federal government has recently launched a program to monitor migratory birds coming into the US and detect whether they are bringing bird flu with them. Host Jeff Young speaks with Hon Ip of the US Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center.

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