Bird flu scare in Bingiriya, is that real?

Ratnayake leelananda

If you have listen to radio, watch TV or read newspapers in last few days, surely you would have been either alarmed or breathless with the ha ho created by news telling chicken dying of highly pathogenic avian influenza commonly called bird flu in poultry farms in Bingiriya. Is it real? The investigation have proven that the fear is fake and hopefully this article will explain the scenario taken place for last few days.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak was first emerged in Asia in 2004. Since then, Department of Animal Production and Health (DAPH) has been so vigilant and was very keen to keep Sri Lanka away from highly pathogenic avian influenza. Therefore, DAPH enforced rigorous quarantine procedures and allowed imports of birds and chicken products only from countries free of HPAI always.

Migratory birds

Parallel to this, an intensive surveillance programme also has been launched in the field to make sure that the country is free of bird flu. Annually, Department collects 9,000 blood samples from chicken farms all over the island and 4,500 fecal samples from migratory birds and ducks from 35 locations and test them at the laboratories equipped with ultra modern equipments at the Veterinary Research Institute.

As it is of utmost importance to keep the country free of 'Bird Flu' the President of Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka as well as Minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development are always vigilant as well and regularly in touch with the matters related to animal health and hence the Department has been adequately provided with manpower as well as financial resources to run uninterrupted processes due to its importance as far as food security of the country is concerned.

With all of these efforts Sri Lanka has been kept away from 'Bird Flue' even in the peak of the disease in Asia and well recognized as one of the two countries free of influenza A H5. Therefore, the country enjoyed a high market value as far as poultry products and production systems are concerned and provided ample opportunities for growth as an export industry as well.

Poultry producers

However, on February 20, 2012 the entire circle of poultry producers, allied industries, general public and Department officials got alarmed due to a rumour created through a message delivered by some unscrupulous sources identified thyself as Harsh indicating two poultry layer farms in Bingiriya got infected with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and thousands of birds are dying. The message was not only delivered to World Health Organization but also to some government officials attached to the Health Ministry as well as the Animal Production and Health Department.

The news made Department officers surprised as they have investigated the particular farms about one week before on reporting two - three bird death per day and clearly diagnosed as Avian Infectious Anaemia (Chicken Anaemia). As the rumour has created a serious panic among poultry producers as well as among general public in the region, it was not possible for the DAPH to keep away from the scene without re-launching a detailed event based investigation.

Scientists of the Department of Animal Production and Health have visited the farms once again and collected relevant specimens for detection of the presence of causative agent in the farm. Following rigorous testing, the scientists have revealed the presence of Influenza A subtype H5N2 which is low pathogenic to poultry as well as almost non pathogenic to human. The presence of the particular virus prompted the Department to intensively test the entire flock rears around a radius of 3 km in order to observe the epidemiology of spreading the virus so that the preventive measures could be enforced incurring a massive cost.

What is Influenza A H5N2?

Influenza viruses categorize into three broad groups identified as A, B and C. On the outer surface of Influenza A viruses, there are substances called Haemaglutinin and Nuraminidase which helps the virus to enter the host cell and to come out from the host cell respectively. Sixteen types of Haemaglutinins and nine types of nuraminidases have been identified in influenza A viruses and any influenza A virus contain only one type of haemaglutinin and one type of nuraminidase always.

In writing the name of the virus subtype, it is denominated by letter 'H' and 'N' indicating the available haemaglutinin and nuraminidase. Therefore, in this case the particular virus contains type H5 haemaglutinin and type N2 nuramidase and hence identified as Influenza A H5N2. Usually this virus H5N2 is considered as low pathogenic to poultry and not pathogenic to human.

However, due to the genetic nature of the influenza A virus, it always tend to change and there are possibilities of converting the same non pathogenic virus into a virulent one as well.

In general this particular virus is used for production of vaccine and biological and there are vaccines presently in the market produced using the same subtype though not available in the local market as influenza vaccination on animals is prohibited in Sri Lanka. As H5N2 subtype is used as a candidate for biological production, there are occasions where this virus exists in live form as well.

What made this issue important?

Sri Lanka is a country with a poultry population approximately of 15 million with production of chicken meat 5 kg per person per year and 57 eggs per person per year. Poultry industry of the country has become a key livelihood for around 80,000 families and additionally providing employment opportunities for a quite significant number representing different components of the supply chain. North-western and Western are the two provinces where approximately 60 percent of the poultry industry has concentrated based on factors favourable for production and marketing.

According to the epidemiology of the present case, it has been shown that it is a low pathogenic one as it did not cause high number of deaths in poultry as well as had not shown any clinical implications among human in contact. The question is whether the particular virus would remain as it is forever. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the Influenza viruses, it ever changing and there would be a high possibility for the same virus to transform in to a virulent virus causing high mortality as well as can even be pathogenic to human and the history has already proven the situation.

On the other hand, according to the provisions of the Animal Diseases Act No 59 of 1992, as well as, OIE (World Animal Health Organization) made it mandatory locally, as well as, globally to notify the presence of Influenza viruses of subtype H5 subtypes irrespective of its pathologic nature as well as N subtype.

Accordingly, the Department has already made arrangements to notify the presence of the particular virus to OIE by marking the first red spot of the history interrupting the unblemished record of free status of H5 maintained with enormous hardships and efforts of many for ages. In addition, the arrangements have been implemented according to the provisions of the Animal Disease Act to prevent the spread and eradication of the infection on the spot for the best interest of public and animal health safety.

Costs and losses

Following the dramatic growth of the poultry industry for last three decades, at present it produces approximately 100,000 tons of chicken and well over 1,000 million eggs per year. Chicken meat and eggs are the cheapest source of animal protein at present and has already become a commodity in the food basket of the common man. It successfully contributes towards elimination of protein malnutrition in the country as well. If the poultry industry endangered with this kind of infections, it would be a serious question whether the country will still be able to maintain this situation in the future as well. In another way isn't it mean that employment of 80,000 families are in danger.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka has launched a post-conflict economic revitalization programme and animal production has become an important venture targeting to double the present production by 2016 as well as to introduce to the foreign markets from this year onwards. The issue here is, with this kind of a hiccup whether the industry will be able to offer the required growth in next five years.

Once a country reports the presence of H5 subtype, the country will be notified to the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) as infected with Influenza A H5 subtype. According to the OIE regulations such countries will not be able to export chicken meat and eggs to any other country until producing the evidence for absence of subtype H5 for consecutive six months and therefore plans for exports will be hampered.

The final possible cost and loss would be distancing from export market and the loss of livelihood as well as lowered production leading to protein malnutrition which a rapidly developing country will never expect.

Why this issue looks mysterious?

There are evidence indicating that a group of researchers have been working around the farms in question in collecting specimens of poultry birds mere for academic interest but not for disease diagnosis. The issue here is reporting the particular Influenza virus H5N2 generally using for vaccine and biological production from two of three farm units belong to the same owner and the rumour message made to be known on February 20, 2012 was related to the same farm. If the particular virus could have been in the particular farm, it should have been spreaded around and should have been identified by the surveillance programme of the Department of Animal Production and Health but have never revealed surprisingly though.

Another concern which is mysterious is to medicate the particular farmer and the staff with antiviral drugs by the particular group of researchers even before the disease was officially confirmed and what was the relationship of two incidents. The other concern is drawing blood samples from the farm owner and workers instead of obtaining naso-pharyngeal aspirates that are collected for diagnosis of influenza.

In order to create such a panic, the particular researchers or else should have obtained samples from poultry birds without proper authority and samples were dispatched having obtained the licence from the country of origin as well as from the receiving country that are violation of the present legislations and the Department has already launched a special investigation to bring the responsible persons engaged in this act to the jurisdiction of the present law as a measure of preventing such unauthorised acts happening in the future as well.

While looking for the answers for the above questions, one can make many speculations in relating events together such as movement of unknown group of researchers without authority, rumour of presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza, medicating the farm persons with antiviral drugs, collecting blood samples as the particular virus subtype is used mainly for vaccine and biological production which available in laboratories in live form. Moreover, one may even speculate as a biological research on animals and human or any bioterrorism act or even is having any trade or political interests associated with the presence of notifiable influenza as well.

What do we expect from the farming community?

At this juncture poultry farmers, general public as well as the personnel engaged in commercial poultry ventures have a key role to play in view of avoiding such situations in the future. The following could be of importance if we carefully analyse the situation.

*The poultry producers as well as off farm service providers have to be extremely careful about maintaining biosecurity of the farms and therefore, should never entertain any person to the farm premises without any valid reason and safety measures.

*Maintaining a record within the farm to note the visitors and the operations that they have carried out in the farm premises.

*Maintaining a strong link with the Range Veterinary Surgeon by registering the farm and regularly updating the Veterinary Officer with disease situation

*Not allowing any unauthorized parties to collect specimens from the farm or allowing any medications or manipulations just for the sake of financial or any assistance receive in kind

The writer is the Director General, Department of Animal Production and Health, Peradeniya