AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN WEEKLY REPORT JANUARY 11

UNCLAS TOKYO 000152 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AIAG AMBASSADOR LANGE DEPT FOR OES/IHA COMELLA DEPT FOR EAP/J USDA PASS TO APHIS HHS PASS TO CDC HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER, BHAT AND ELVANDER DEPT PASS TO AID/GH/HIDN DENNIS CARROLL SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KFLU KSTH ECON PREL SOCI JA SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN WEEKLY REPORT JANUARY 11 REF: A. 05 STATE 153802 ¶B. TOKYO 7106 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. No human outbreaks of H5N1 AI were reported in Japan during the period from December 21 to January 11. --- Suspected AI Outbreak in Kyushu --- ¶2. On January 11, the Miyazaki Prefectural government in Kyushu announced that they are investigating the death of about 750 poultry on a farm in the Miyazaki Prefecture. Results from an initial rapid test kit, administered by the farm veterinarian on January 11, indicated type "A" influenza. The outbreak was subsequently reported to the Miyazaki Prefecture, and is now being investigated by the National Institute of Animal Health, which will release a DNA sequence of the virus by January 13. There are no reports of human infection. In the Kyushu region, avian flu outbreaks occurred in Yamaguchi in January 2004 and in Oita in February 2004. According to the Prefectural government, about 12,000 chickens were being raised at the farm. In accordance with the law, the Prefectural government has isolated the remaining chickens there as an emergency measure until viral results are obtained, and will impose a ban on the movement of poultry, eggs, and live birds within a 10 km radius of the affected farm. This restricted area includes 17 poultry farms that raise roughly 400,000 chickens. -- Japan to Urge Public to Stockpile Food- ¶3. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) plans to call on citizens to store a two-week supply of food in preparation for outbreaks of human-to-human transmitted pandemic influenza. Such stockpiling would enable them to stay home and prevent spreading of the virus. The recommendation will be included in guidelines to be drawn up by MHLW as early as January. The guidelines will also lay out a strategy for containing pandemic influenza as soon as possible to limit the spread of infection and a plan to build an effective supply system for antiviral drugs. -- Faster Test Kit for Avian Influenza-- ¶4. Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health has developed a diagnostic kit for avian influenza that provides a faster and easier way to test for infections. The new diagnostic method, using antibodies that exclusively join with the nucleus protein of virus of avian influenza, can diagnose an avian influenza infection within ten minutes. The conventional test kit is unable to distinguish between avian influenza and human influenza. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) takes a day to identify an avian influenza virus. The new test kit's effectiveness has been confirmed with the H5 type avian influenza virus, and is expected to be effective in diagnosing pandemic influenza viruses that have mutated from avian influenza form. DONOVAN