Funding Increased to Combat Disease Threats

US - FAO's commitment to fight emerging disease threats in "hotspot" regions worldwide is getting a boost with new funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the UN agency has announced.

The funding, totalling more than $20 million, will support the ongoing US-FAO partnership against H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and a widening focus on potential emerging pandemic threats.

The continuing threat of bird flu

The US assistance will help strengthen preparedness and response to HPAI in Southeast Asia and bolster laboratory and surveillance capacities in hotspot areas. The majority of the funding will support activities in Bangladesh, China, Indonesia and Viet Nam, which continue to experience outbreaks of H5N1 HPAI in poultry as well as cases in humans, some fatal.

Due to the speed with which animal-origin pathogens such as H5N1, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002-2003 and the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009, caused by a virus that had combined elements of avian, swine and human origin, USAID launched its "Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) programme.

Export Fears Follow Bird Flu Outbreak

INDIA - An outbreak of avian influenza has been confirmed in a turkey unit of the government-run Central Poultry Development Organisation in Bangalore.

The outbreak has triggered fear among farmers and exporters in Tamil Nadu that poultry products from across the country will be prevented from entering overseas and domestic markets, reports The Hindu.
Secretary of the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD), Government of India, Gokul Chandra Pati confirmed the outbreak of bird flu in a report he submitted to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on Friday. He stated that 3,481 turkeys had succumbed to the flu at the farm in the second week of October.
Based on test results from the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal, the department has identified a highly-pathogenic avian influenza virus as the cause of death. The report, however, made it clear that the occurrence was only in a zone or compartment and not the entire country.

H5N1 Bird Flu Outbreak in Karnataka

INDIA - Officials are saying that the outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been "nipped in the bud".

With reports about the detection of avian influenza (bird flu) at the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO) near Hessarghatta here, the State Health Department has stepped up vigil against the dreaded infection, reports The Hindu.
Calling upon people not to panic as the flu was only at the bird stage, M. Madan Gopal, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, told The Hindu on 26 October that "the flu that had made its presence known in a bird a fortnight ago was nipped in the bud".

"While there is no need to panic as the situation is not alarming, we want to assure people that the department is prepared to handle any emergency. We have adequate stocks of Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate), the medicine for flu," he said.
"Our doctors will conduct daily medical check-up of those who are involved in the culling operations. We have already started giving them prophylactic doses of Tamiflu as a preventive measure," Mr Madan Gopal said. 

High-Path Bird Flu Strikes Bangalore

29 October 2012

INDIA - Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) of the H5N1 sub-type has been reported at a government-run poultry farm in Bangalore has been reported .

The veterinary authority in India sent an Immediate Notification dated 26 October 2012 ..The outbreak started on 12 October at the Hessarghatta Turkey Unit at the Central Poultry Development Organization in Bangalore in the state of Karnataka in southern India. Of the 4,265 birds on the farm, 3,481 died and 784 have been destroyed.The source of infection is unknown or inconclusive, according to the report. An epidemiological investigation is ongoing. An intensive surveillance campaign has been launched in a 10-km radius zone. Restocking will be applied in accordance with a specified protocol.

Algae Based Vaccine soon

GLOBAL - DSM Nutritional Products, a subsidiary of Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, announced today that it has entered into a collaboration with Merial Limited under a Development and Option to License Agreement to develop animal health vaccines using DSM's proprietary algal expression system.

For decades, the production of vaccines for both animal and human diseases has relied on the use of complex production processes. Alternative methods, such as the one being explored by Merial and DSM using microbial algae as the growth platform, may present a faster and more efficient production method.

"We are pleased to join with Merial on this important project that we expect will validate the algal expression system as a viable alternative to egg or cell culture-based vaccines, which would offer important benefits for animal vaccine production," said Peter Nitze, President of the Nutritional Lipids division within DSM Nutritional Products. 

Pigeon Deaths Linked to Avian Virus

25 October 2012

US - The recent increase in pigeon deaths in West Texas has been connected to an avian virus that affects pigeons and poultry, according to a press release from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

The virus was discovered during lab tests by the US Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center and US Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

The virus -- pigeon paramyxovirus-1 (PPMV-1) -- belongs to a larger group of viruses -- avian paramyxovirus serogroup 1 (APMV-1).
Though PPMV-1 has never been known to infect humans, some strains of viruses in the APMV-1 group can cause mild conjunctivitis in people who handled large numbers of infected birds, according to the release.

There is no sign of transmission of PPMV-1 to other mammals, such as domestic pets.

Some strains of PPMV-1 have shown signs of virulence in poultry and it is advisable to minimize contact between doves and poultry in affected areas until the dove mortality event has ended, said Annaliese K. Scoggin, private lands biologist.

This is the first time that the virus has been found in white-winged doves, even though Eurasian-collared doves also were involved in this outbreak.

TPWD will monitor the spread of the virus, though it is not considered a significant danger for Texas dove populations.

Benar dan nyata pak burhan sudah tidak pedulikan cahaya di LMB

Gambar atas sebagai bukti nyata lagi terang bahawa cahaya putih atau cahaya warna lain kecuali cahaya laser sudah tidak bisa menghalang pak burhan memburu mangsa di atas frame LMB. Anda dan Saya sudah tentu mempunyai pendekatan lain untuk menghalang  Pak burhan masuk ke dalam RBW melalui LMB...........   Selamat mencuba

Dana untuk industri sarang burung walet

KUALA LUMPUR — Kerajaan diminta menyalurkan dana tambahan kepada Jabatan Perkhidmatan Veterinar (JPV) bagi menggalakkan pertumbuhan perusahaan sarang burung walet di negara ini.

Pengerusi Persatuan Pedagang dan Pengusaha Melayu (PERDASAMA), Datuk Sohaimi Shahdan berkata, industri itu dilihat mampu memberi impak besar kepada ekonomi negara dengan penyertaan lebih ramai pengusaha sarang burung walet secara serius.

"Menerusi dana sebanyak RM3 hingga RM5 bilion itu, kita dapat mengadakan siri promosi secara eksklusif di seluruh negara bagi memberi informasi yang tepat berkaitan industri sarang burung walet.

"Dengan adanya dana tambahan itu, kita dapat menjayakan banyak aktiviti promosi dan pada masa sama dapat menggalakkan penyertaan Bumiputera dalam industri itu,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas taklimat Peluang Niaga Dalam Industri Sarang Burung Walet di sini, semalam.

Menurut Sohaimi, dana itu juga dapat dimanfaat bagi menubuhkan unit khas serta inkubator supaya JPV dapat mencapai matlamat menarik lebih banyak penyertaan Bumiputera dalam industri berkenaan.

"Ini penting bagi memberi pengetahuan selain daripada teknik mengusahakan industri tersebut malah pengusaha perlu didedahkan tentang bagaimana mengimport sarang burung walet ke negara yang berpotensi seperti China,” katanya. — BERNAMA

finally paid off

ADECISION made a year ago to venture into the swiftlet-breeding industry has finally paid off for the Bakri Area Farmers' Organisation (BAFO), here.

Datuk Saipolbahari Shuib (left) watching employees processing bird’s nest. Pix by Shaiffulazhar Misri

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MUAR: The organisation's chairman, Datuk Saipolbahari Shuib, said BAFO has seven swiftlet-breeding centres including those located in Jalan Ismail, Parit Raja, Pagoh and Parit Zin.

He said BAFO has been collaborating with Duta Sialin Biotechnology Sdn Bhd to set up a high-tech processing centre at the Payamas Technology Park, near Tangkak, and produce high-quality bird's nests for both the local and export markets.

"We have signed memorandums of understanding with seven AFOs, namely those in Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Sabah and Johor, to enable us to buy their raw bird's nests and process them at our centre," he said.

"In the meantime, we are waiting for a licence from the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry permitting the export of bird's nests to Hong Kong, China and West Asia, where the markets are big.

"We are also planning to come up with bird's nest-related products."

Saipolbahari said his intention was to see farmers reaping a good harvest from the industry.

"Formerly, the price of bird's nests was between RM4,900 and RM7,000 per kilogramme. The price plunged when the Chinese government banned the import of bird's nests from Malaysia, but the matter has been resolved and now the price has returned to those previous levels.

"I hope all AFOs in the country will gain from the industry. We are prepared to help them by buying and marketing the bird's nests for them," he said.

Saipolbahari said if each of the 29 AFOs in Johor could build at least five swiftlet-breeding centres, then the total harvest could reach 20 kilogrammes a month

Read more: Breeding swiftlets pays off for BAFO - Johor - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/johor/breeding-swiftlets-pays-off-for-bafo-1.157371#ixzz29ZWOEX42

Avian Flu H5N1 Outbreak in Nepal

17 October 2012

NEPAL - An outbreak of highly 

pathogenic avian influenza virus

 H5N1 has occurred in Nepal.

The outbreak was reported by Dr Nar

 Bahadur Rajwar, Director General,

 Department of Livestock Services in

 Lalitpur, Nepal

The outbreak occurred in Sanepa-2,

 Sanchal, Lalitpur, Bagmati.

In total, there were 2,500 cases and all

 birds died as a result.

The cause of the outbreak is unknown.

Approval for birds’ nest export sought

IPOH: The newly-formed Malaysia Birds Nest Alliance wants the Government to allow industry players to export raw and unprocessed birds' nests (RUBN) to more countries.

Its president Lim Lai Soon said the alliance would submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister at Parliament on Tuesday.

He said nearly all of the country's RUBN producers and farmers were currently in a limbo as the export ban from China on birds nest imports had yet to be lifted.

“We want the Prime Minister to help by allowing us to export RUBN to Korea, Taiwan and other countries.

“There is also a great demand from factories and producers for RUBN in China,” he said here yesterday.

Lim also said the alliance was made aware that the protocol signing between Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar and the Chinese last month was only for the re-entry of edible bird nests (EBN) into China.

”The protocol will see China accepting only the EBN while the RUBN will still be kept in storage here.

“A lot of industry players, especially swiftlet farmers are affected by this new protocol, causing millions in losses every month,” he said.

Last month, Noh Omar signed the protocol in Nanning with China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection andQuarantine Minister Zhi Shuping to allow the export of birds nest products into China.

Last week, Deputy Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong said Malaysia hoped to resume export of raw cleaned birds nest in December.

Lim said about 50 tonnes of RUBN were harvested and produced every month by some 60,000 swiflet farms.

“RUBN is worth between RM4,000 and RM5,000 per kg,” he said.

Openroof concept

Sekiranya tempat  ini sebuah gua sudah tentu ia dihuni oleh burung walet

DRUG RESISTANCE:

Curbing antibiotic abuse

By R. SITTAMPARAM | news@nst.com.my 0 comments

 Educating public on need to stop self-medication

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KUALA LUMPUR: PHARMACISTS and doctors, troubled by a rise in antibiotic resistance, say finishing the course and not taking them unnecessarily should be key in arresting this trend.

Such an all-too-familiar message will be hammered home during a month-long campaign beginning on Oct 16 to help ensure antibiotics remain effective, the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Association (MPA) and Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said yesterday.

Antibiotic resistance refers to a disease-causing bacteria surviving exposure to an antibiotic.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had recently highlighted antibiotic resistance,  technically referred to as anti-microbial resistance (AMR), as a major threat to public health in the 21st century.

The two bodies told the New Straits Times yesterday that cautious use of antibiotics was the only prevention to the development of superbugs, such as the carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, multi-resistant Acinetobacter and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

This prompted the Health Ministry, together with MMA and MPA, to launch the campaign, which is to streamline the use of antibiotics among medical practitioners and the public.

MPA president Datuk Nancy Ho said although the Health Ministry continually monitored the AMR patterns, it was quite likely that the problem in Malaysia was increasing following global trends.

Ho said: "Overuse and the inappropriate use of antibiotics can result in the development of resistant strains of bacteria.

She added: "Pharmacists, as part of the healthcare team, will help educate the public on the proper use of antibiotics so that this important group of medicine continues to be useful in the management of infectious diseases."

Ho said she believed that Malaysian doctors did prescribe antibiotics with caution but were sometimes pressured by patients, who insisted on antibiotics even when they had a viral infection.

"This is why a public education campaign is important."

MMA president Dr S.R. Manalan denied that Malaysian doctors relied heavily on antibiotics, and agreed with Ho that patients pressured them to prescribe antibiotics even when they were unnecessary.

Dr Manalan said in developed countries, which had a high incidence of bacterial resistance, antibiotic prescriptions were monitored and doctors were vigilant in following guidelines.

Asked if incidences of AMR were on the rise in Malaysia, Dr Manalan said: "Yes, this is true and it is because of a number of reasons.

"Self-prescription, buying medications over the counter and patients not completing the full course are some of the causes."

The Health Ministry's Department of Medicine head and consultant for infectious diseases Datuk Dr Christopher Lee announced on Sunday that the Oct 16 campaign would involve educating medical practitioners on the importance of prescribing antibiotics sparingly and conducting public awareness programmes.

According to the WHO, infections caused by resistant microorganisms often fail to respond to conventional treatments, resulting in prolonged illness and a greater risk of death.

About 440,000 new cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) emerged annually, causing at least 150,000 deaths.

Meanwhile, resistance to earlier generations of anti-malarial medicines, such as chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, is widespread in most malaria-endemic countries.

Read more: Curbing antibiotic abuse - Top News - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/top-news/curbing-antibiotic-abuse-1.151392#ixzz28DSwjqZU

4 simple steps to process edible birds nest

The Steps Involved in Processing Edible Birds Nests

Processing bird’s nests is a long, tedious and labour-intensive process, which can be simplified into 4 steps:  

Step 1: Soak the raw bird’s nests in plain water until they expand, then separate them into individual strands.

Step 2: Remove all the feathers from the edible nest-cement contents with a pair of forceps. This step is repeated until all the feathers are detached from the entire nest-cement.

Step 3: The nest-cement strands are then arranged into a mold.

Step 4: Finally, put the molded strands under the fans to dry.