AVIAN INFLUENZA: TOKYO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 9

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000729

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DEPT FOR OES/IHA POWELL, SINGER AND FENDRICK
DEPT FOR EAP/J
USDA PASS TO APHIS
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KFLU KSTH ECON PREL SOCI WHO JA
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: TOKYO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 9

REF: A. 05 STATE 153802


B. TOKYO 594 AND PREVIOUS

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1. No human outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza (AI) were
reported in Japan during the past week.

-- H5N2 Infection not from Wild Birds... --


2. (U) Ibaraki Prefectural Authorities announced on
February 6 that all of the tests it conducted on 354 wild
birds since October of last year came back negative for
avian influenza. The Prefecture was investigating the
route of infection that led to the ultimate culling of 3.3
million birds at Ibaraki farms. Officials caught the wild
birds in twenty towns and cities across Ibaraki, most of
which included crows, starlings and sparrows. The 20 sites
were selected because they either had a history of
outbreaks or farms with more than 50,000 domesticated
birds.

-- Tokyo Forms AI Network with 10 Asian Cities --


3. Tokyo City's Health and Welfare Bureau established an
Infectious Diseases Information Network with its "Asia
Network 21" partner cities to share information on avian
and pandemic influenza via the Internet. The Network will
allow the municipal partners to quickly share detailed
medical records and information on outbreaks as well as
allow the exchange of information on early countermeasures
and surveillance capacity. In addition to Tokyo, the other
cities in the Network include Bangkok, Delhi, Hanoi,
Taipei, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore and
Rangoon. The Network will post detailed information on
symptoms and routes of infection, and upload information on
treatment procedures. It will also allow participants to
share know-how and exchange opinions similar to a user
group. Access to the website will be limited to government
officials, researchers and medical personnel in the ten
cities in order to ensure the credibility of the
information being shared.

-- Ibaraki Lifts all Remaining Quarantines --


4. On February 3, Ibaraki officials announced the lifting
of all remaining 5-kilometer circular quarantines that were
imposed after antibodies to H5N2 avian influenza were
detected at poultry farms in the prefecture. Officials had
imposed a total of 12 quarantines since last June,
effecting 119 poultry farms that included 7.9 million
birds. The local government has confirmed infections at 40
farms to date, leading to the culling of a total 3.3
million birds. Officials are still unsure of the route of
infection.

-- Early Detection System for H5N2? --


5. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
(MAFF) has begun work on developing a system to detect
H5N2, the less pathogenic strain of avian influenza.
Several outbreaks of H5N2 have occurred in birds in Ibaraki
Prefecture since June of last year, and officials remain
concerned about the continued spread of the virus. MAFF
will undertake a two-year study to see how the virus grows
inside chickens in order to improve earlier detection of
the disease. The National Institute of Animal Health,
Hokkaido University and Tottori University will partner in
the research. The study will exam the virus's rate of
multiplication in a chicken's body and the amount of virus
that is shed by the birds.

-- Seasonal Flu Cases on the Rise across Japan --


6. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases weekly
surveillance of seasonal influenza showed that flu
infections are spreading across Japan. Forty-four
prefectures out of 47 were considered to be at an alert
level. Five thousand medical institutions across the
country send in weekly reports to the Institute. The

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average number of patients infected by influenza was 32.4
between January 23 and 29, compared to only 26.2 the
previous week. The alert level is breached when more than
30 patients are sick per medical institution.

SCHIEFFER