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London confirms: it's H5N1! published on 17th October 2005
Fears concerning the existence of the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus in Romania were confirmed. Sent to London for a final check, the samples collected in Ceamurlia de Jos revealed a fact that everyone dreaded: the H5N1 virus, which caused so much damage in Asia several years ago and was recently confirmed in Turkey as well, is present in Romania. The H5 subtype of the virus was also found in Maliuc, another locality in Tulcea County, in samples collected from a swan and a chicken. In the two localities, authorities ordered the killing of all birds and full quarantine regime.
British experts confirmed that the H5N1 virus identified in the samples in Ceamurlia and Maliuc is highly pathogenic. European Commissioner for Health also announced that the virus found in Romania belongs to the same highly pathogenic strain identified in Turkey.
Romanian authorities assured that the two areas in Tulcea County where the virus was found were sealed off, and that no other bird died in the last two days. Nonetheless, panic spread among people, as the number of dead fowls brought for lab checks significantly increased after the official announcement confirming the deadly virus in Ceamurlia and Maliuc. The National Animal Health Institute is currently analysing over 1,000 bird samples. The Minister of Agriculture announced that another possible bird flu area was identified near a Danube Delta lake, Obretinu Mic, where 15 swans were found dead. The swans were burnt and buried. Obretinu Mic is an unpopulated area near the locality of Maliuc. Also, dozens of dead birds were reported in Arad and Covasna, yet preliminary indications show the death of the respective birds was caused by other diseases, various ailments or bird plague. Veterinarians appealed for calm, stating that not any dead bird is suspect of bird flu. Also, authorities assured that so far there is no bird flu suspicion in humans, because this type of virus is very difficult to transmit to people. Still, the most exposed to the disease are bird breeders.
Maximum mobilisation
Authorities closed up ranks and ordered general mobilisation to seal off the areas where the virus was found, while at the same time urging people to keep calm. Hundreds of gendarme and police were dispatched to the respective areas to monitor the implementation of quarantine measures. Also, the Ministry of Transport yesterday ordered additional disinfecting measures for vehicles and trains. The main corridors where disinfecting equipment was installed are Braila - the ferry area, Harsova - the Giurgeni bridge, Fetesti and Ostrov. In counties adjacent to Tulcea - Constanta, Calarasi, Galati, Braila, Ialomita - disinfecting carpets were located. Protection measures have also been taken in ports and airports.
Authorities appeal to calm and reason
While in the Summit Central European meeting in Zagreb on Friday, President Traian Basescu assured participants that Romania is able to handle the situation, and asked European leaders to have confidence in Bucharest's capacity to manage the crisis.
Premier Tariceanu will coordinate the activity of ministries involved in managing the crisis. In his turn, President Basescu urged the population not to panic, stating that confirmation of the H5N1 virus in Romania was predictable. "This is a new opportunity to make an adequate response, that life gives us (...) We must work on the assumption that what we buy from stores has been checked by the health-veterinary system, and we must recognise that we had a system which reacted adequately," Basescu stated on Saturday, during a visit to Maracineni Bridge. The Head of State said that one of the solutions to prevent the virus spread is to isolate Dobrogea from the rest of the country, but also the people's complying with minimal health and hygiene norms. He added he will continue to give personal examples, and will continue to eat chicken, but only after it undergoes thermal processing. "The administration did their jobs, now it's our responsibility, that of properly assessing a bad thing and of doing whatever we need to do to keep safe. We shouldn't panic," Basescu pointed out. In turn, the head of the Romanian Press Club (CRP) Cristian Tudor Popescu asked journalists to check all information on the bird flu, to avoid releasing unconfirmed incendiary messages. A meeting of mass media officials with authorities was held on Saturday, at the request of the Agriculture Ministry.
Opposition asks for truce
Adrian Nastase, executive president of leading Opposition party PSD proposed in Iasi on Saturday a "political truce" and even cooperation between PSD and the Government in handling a prospective bird flu crisis. "A prospective epidemic may have unexpected implications. It is already a stake in economic wars around the world. This is why we are proposing a political truce and establishment of a task force jointly with the incumbent power, to find the most adequate responses to this problem," Nastase said. He proposed that approx. five million children in the country should receive free anti-flu vaccines. PM Tariceanu yesterday turned down PSD's truce offer, labelling it as "ridiculous."
Neighbours warned
President Basescu on Saturday talked on the telephone with his Moldovan counterpart Vladimir Voronin. The two heads of state agreed for authorities in the two countries to jointly monitor the measures required to prevent the avian flu in the border areas. The minister of Agriculture, Gheorghe Flutur, met yesterday with his Moldovan counterpart Antonie Gorodenco, at the Galati Prefecture, to exchange information over the plan of measures taken to prevent the spreading of the avian flu virus. An expert from the Bucharest Laboratory for Reference of Avian flu will go to the Republic of Moldova to do laboratory testing from samples taken from birds found dead in Moldova. Also during today, Minister Gheorghe Flutur is due to meet his Ukrainian counterpart, in Suceava most likely, to discuss the set of preventive measures against the spreading of the avian flu virus and the management of the biosphere of the Danube Delta.
Demand for flu vaccines rose 10 times
The panic following the confirmation of the virus in Romania was also felt in chemist's stores, given Romanians preferred foreign vaccines to the Romanian ones. The demand for flu vaccines was up circa 10 times compared to the previous season, yet chemists assure the public the supply is replenished continuously so that they don't run the risk of lacking the doses. The Health Ministry however considers that chemist's stores have not done enough to get sufficient supplies. Minister Nicolaescu made an appeal to chemist's stores to urgently renew their stocks of flu vaccine.
The Health Ministry plans to acquire between 1.5 million and 2 million doses of flu vaccine to vaccinate at no cost the populace in the areas of the avian flue, the people left homeless by floods, as well as the children and the elderly. No fewer than 100,000 persons have been vaccinated so far from the areas hit by floods and the avian flu virus. Nearly 13,000 doses of vaccine from domestic manufacturers were sent to Ceamurlia de Jos at the weekend. The Health minister said yesterday that the ministry have so far procured over 500,000 doses of vaccine from the Cantacuzino Institute. A public tender is underway to make up for the difference.
Minister Nicolaescu rejected speculations over the price paid for the doses, saying that the price would only be made public after the tender was over.
The ministry will also receive 5,000 doses of viral medicine Tamiflu from the World Health Organisation, of which 1,000 free of charge.
EU financial assistance
The European Commission will give Romania financial aid to overcome the problems the country faces after cases of avian flu were reported. "The Commission will give financial aid to Romania. The avian flu is also a problem of Europe not only Romania's," said the European commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget, while in Bucharest a few days ago. The amount of European aid is yet to be established.
The EC has banned the import of all the live birds and poultry from Romania and Turkey. Russia has also instituted a similar ban.
A team of Dutch veterinarian experts is expected in Bucharest today to cooperate with Romanian experts in the fight against avian flu. Premier Tariceanu announced yesterday he had received a note from the US Embassy in Bucharest thereby the US Government expressed its intention to assist Romania.
WHO urges stepped-up measures
The World Health Organisation (WHO) urged all the states to boost their monitoring of both animals and humans. WHO maintained its category 3 alert on the outbreak of a potential pandemic of avian flu to humans, on a scale of 1 to 5. Although avian flu seldom spreads to humans, WHO experts voiced their concern about a likely viral mutation. "The virus spreads to humans quite seldom and only when several factors cumulate, but when it happened, half of those infected died," WHO expert Dick Thompson told Radio Delta RFI. He suggested that in the countries where the virus had been reported, stocks of anti-viral medicine such as Tamiflu might lower the severity of the disease.
Another WHO expert, Dutch Harm Kiezebrink, who is in Tulcea, said that Romanian authorities did their duty, but warned that Tulcea areas must still be isolated and monitored. "If the infection comes from migratory birds, in the areas where the crisis breaks out, the virus spreads and contamination is 90 per cent indirect, due to humans, means of transport that come into contact with the infected areas. A single gram of droppings is enough to kill 100 million birds," said the Dutch expert.
Turkey also under alert
In Turkey, the H5N1 virus had been found earlier than in Romania, following testing on 40 pigeons that died in western Turkey. Nine people suspected of bird flu kept under observation at a hospital have been allowed to go home after tests did nor detect an infection, a Health Ministry official said on Saturday. The nine persons had come into contact with the pigeons infected with avian flu. Turkey's environment ministry decided to ban the hunting of wild birds across the country after the virus confirmation.
by Alina Grigoras
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