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Avian Influenza Research |
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| Bird
Flu in Thailand: Studies at Human-Animal
Interface |
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| Avian influenza (AI) has assumed
increasing importance, not merely in causing
devastation in both wild birds and farmed
poultry, but also because the H5N1 subtype
has been known to infect humans. Mahidol
University, led by Prof. Pilaipan Puthavathana
as principal investigator, has been funded
by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) to conduct integrative
research on “Avian Influenza Surveillance
in Thailand- Studies at Human-Animal Interface”.
The project aims to study AI among migratory
birds and disease transmission from animals
to animals, animals to humans, and from
humans to humans. The work involves collaboration
not only between faculties within Mahidol
University, but also with the Ministry of
Public Health, Thailand, and Westat Research
Company, USA. |
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This
project covers many areas of expertise and
may be divided into 3 main sub-projects.
The first sub-project, led by Dr. Parntep
Ratanakorn, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary
Science, Mahidol University focuses on studying
the epidemiology and transmission of AI
from migratory birds to domestic animals,
such as poultry, cats and dogs. The second
project, led by Dr. Kumnuan Ungchusak, Director
of the Bureau of Epidemiology, Department
of Communicable Disease Control, Ministry
of Public Health, will study the transmission
of AI and causative agents of severe pneumonia
in humans in an AI epidemic area. The third
sub-project, led by Dr. Prasert Auewarakul,
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine
Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University will
study AI the evolution of the virus from
a causative agent of the naturally occurring
diseases in animals to a possible pandemic
form in humans. |
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The
project was started in February 2007 with
a study of migratory birds in Amphoe Bang
Lane, Nakhon Pathom province and in the
area
near Bung Borapetch in Nakhon Sawan province.
To study the flyways,
Dr. Adrian H Farmer, a geologist from Fort
Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological
Survey, was invited to supervise a satellite-telemetry
study. This will show the relation of the
migratory flyways and the AI epidemics.
It is the first time in the world that the
global positioning system technology has
been applied to study AI spread through
migratory birds. Preliminary data from 111
migratory birds (as of March 26, 2007) showed
that there was no Avian Influenza virus
infection in these birds. After 1 month
of the Argos satellite monitoring, four
tagged birds are still in Thailand traveling
in the average distance of 0.5-20 kilometers
per day. The flyways of these birds cover
the areas in Nakorn Pathom, Nonthaburi,
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| Ratchaburi, and Kanchanaburi.
Information to be obtained in the future
will help in the epidemiological investigation
of Avian Influenza in Thailand. |
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| For further information, contact:
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