The “biggest impediment” to routine HIV testing is not “state restrictions” or “insufficient funding,” but rather “government health insurance, Medicare and managed care insurance companies,” Gary Blick — an HIV/AIDS specialist in Norwalk, Conn. — writes in a Washington Times letter to the editor in response to a recent Times opinion piece. According to Blick, Medicare reimburses $12.14 for the $17.50 HIV test, and United Healthcare, which covers 70 million U.S. residents, reimburses $6.04 for the test, “making it impossible to routinely test anyone.”

It is “ironic” that CDC recommends routine HIV testing because Medicare prevents it by reimbursing 30% below cost for the test, Blick writes. Meanwhile, the number of new HIV cases is increasing, and President Bush has “significantly” reduced “funding for HIV prevention and testing,” he adds.

Blick also writes that FDA in 2004 approved the drug Sculptra for correction of facial lipoatrophy, a “serious, disfiguring and stigmatizing complication” that occurs among people living with HIV/AIDS. The disease, also called facial fat wasting, “causes severe depression” and can lead “people to divulge their HIV status to others.” However, Medicare and managed-care companies “routinely deny” Sculptra for HIV/AIDS patients as a “cosmetic procedure without it having a cosmetic indication,” Blick writes. According to Blick, it also is “ironic” that FDA has approved a treatment that would help “reverse stigma” so that “Medicare can deny it for irrelevant, cost-saving reasons” (Blick, Washington Times, 12/15).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

We might not think of dentists and dental hygienists as saving lives, but Dr. Gwen Cohen-Brown would beg to differ.

An assistant professor of dental hygiene at New York City College of Technology (City Tech), she is on a mission to educate her students and a variety of providers in the metropolitan New York area — hygienists, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and hospital HIV/AIDS counselors — to routinely conduct periodontal evaluations and oral cancer and vital sign screenings as well as how to recognize the clinical signs of such systemic diseases as HIV/AIDS.

“Dental health providers can be the first line of care when it comes to oral health,” she says. “The mouth is the portal to the body and a reflection of general health. We as health providers need to be able to recognize things like a yeast infection that doesn’t go away or specific tumors and be able to bring up such subjects with our patients.”

Statistics bear out her concern. According to the American Dental Association, only about seven percent of dentists offer the mouth and neck exams they should.

Dr. Cohen-Brown, who became a dentist in the mid-1980s when the AIDS crisis reached epidemic proportions and saw many patients with HIV/AIDS, makes this point when she speaks at hospitals, prisons, clinics, health care conferences, training programs and rehab, medical and mental health centers in the tri-state area, which she does as often as time permits. She also offers in-person health care provider continuing education on HIV-related topics through Cicatelli Associates.

“While HIV/AIDS is no longer in the news as much, it is still an epidemic that needs to be contained, and education is key,” she explained. The New York City case rate of 45.4 per 100,000 people is more than three times the U.S. average and 45 times the target goal for Healthy People 2010, a set of health objectives for the nation to achieve over the first decade of the new century. Particularly hard hit are the city’s Black and Hispanic populations, which account for 81 percent of new HIV diagnoses, as reported this past September by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Dr. Cohen-Brown explains to providers the laws about HIV testing, what occurs in pre-counseling, and the types of tests available. Dentists can’t do HIV testing (New York State has strict requirements about providing counseling with testing), but can refer patients to clinics, hospitals and agencies such as the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force that perform confidential or anonymous testing, especially the Rapid HIV Test, which delivers negative results in 20 minutes.

Just as importantly, she informs her audiences on how to bring up the subject of HIV/AIDS testing — where to refer patients, how to help them access those places, what needs to be done and what to expect.

And since success in steering patients to HIV testing may hinge on the ability to remain nonjudgmental, she also gives her audiences examples from her former oral pathology practice on how to approach patients in a way that won’t make them panic. “The more comfortable you are, the more comfortable they’ll be,” she says. “You have to know which questions will elicit answers. As long as I’m not judgmental, the patient will be comfortable.”

Dr. Cohen-Brown, whose advanced studies in oral and maxillofacial pathology led her from dental practice into teaching, works with the AIDS Institute, the New York State Department of Health and the Department of Corrections, lecturing on mandated cleanliness standards, equipment maintenance, exposure prevention, infection control, post-exposure medication and how the HIV Rapid Testing kit works.

In addition to all her teaching and the workshops she conducts, Dr. Cohen-Brown recently was featured in the Audio Conference on Oral Health and Pregnancy, which went out to community health workers at 80 sites throughout New York State. She actively participates in statewide teleconferences for health care providers working for the New York State Department of Corrections, sponsored also by the New York State Department of Health’s AIDS Institute and Albany Medical Center.

Since joining the City Tech faculty in 2004, she has been teaching the College’s dental hygiene students to handle tricky situations. “We’ve had cases where we picked up on medical or dental problems that other places didn’t,” she explains. “Students have uncovered situations that merited biopsies or high blood pressure medication, and oral cancers and other tumors. Hygienists can’t make diagnoses, but they need to know how diagnoses are arrived at for their licensing. And since City Tech students have a 100 percent pass rate on licensing exams, their patients are getting the best care.

“Because of health care disparities,” she adds, “sometimes we’re the first health care provider patients see. Many patients in City Tech’s dental hygiene clinic lack health insurance, and the clinic fee is only $10 for all treatments except x-rays, no matter how many visits are needed.” The clinic’s multilingual staff and students often translate for patients whose first language is not English, and students gain invaluable experience from having full patient contact eight to 12 hours each week.

Dr. Cohen-Brown is also the force behind the upcoming “Send a Soldier a Smile” campaign. On April 19, she and student members of the Student American Dental Hygiene Association (SADHA) and the City Tech Student Veterans Club will be collecting thousands of toothbrushes and cash donations, with the proceeds used to send toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and mouthwash to soldiers in Iraq, including battalions that have a connection to the City Tech community.

A longtime resident of Scarsdale, Dr. Cohen Brown became a dentist because her father was one “and always came home from work happy.” One additional professional activity that fulfills her is conducting research. Recently, she became the only dentist ever selected (and the only person chosen from New York this year) to participate in a federally funded program focused on grant writing co-offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

She feels City Tech has unique access to a population composed of underrepresented groups whose healthcare issues need systematic study. “I would like to get a pilot study funded to examine the relationships between metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, diabetes and gum disease in the Hispanic population,” she says. “This student research opportunity would put City Tech on the map in a way that hasn’t been done before.”

The largest public college of technology in New York State, New York City College of Technology of The City University of New York enrolls more than 13,000 students in 57 baccalaureate, associate and specialized certificate programs. Another 15,000 students enroll annually in adult education and workforce development programs, many of which lead to licensure and certification. Located at 300 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn, City Tech is at the MetroTech Center academic and commercial complex, convenient to public transportation.

New York City College of Technology
300 Jay St., N-325
Brooklyn, NY 11201
United States
citytech.cuny.edu/ Continue reading →

The “increasingly common” practice in Tehran, Iran, between commercial sex workers and shopkeepers of trading sex for no-cost or discounted fashion clothing is undermining efforts to fight the spread of HIV in the country, according to health education workers, London’s Guardian reports. One business owner in north Tehran’s “affluent” Tajrish district said that about 50% of shopkeepers in the mall had accepted sex in exchange for clothes, the Guardian reports. Another worker in the same mall, who admitted to accepting sex for clothes, said that the sex workers provide their phone numbers and services in exchange for an increased discount on clothing. According to the Guardian, Iranian authorities have “attempted a clampdown” on the sex-for-clothing trade by placing policemen and security guards inside shopping malls. In addition, the HIV/AIDS advocacy group Iran Positive Life tours shops in an effort to educate business owners, whom the group hopes will pass safer-sex information to sex workers. However, business owners often do not implement the practices and fail to pass the information to the sex workers, according to the Guardian. Although the official number of HIV cases in Iran is 13,704, the World Health Organization and Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education estimate the actual figure is between 70,000 and 120,000 cases. HIV/AIDS advocates and health officials believe that Iran’s “strict sexual mores are loosening among its predominantly young population” and that premarital sex and sex outside of marriage are becoming increasingly common, the Guardian reports. Some experts believe many young people in the country do not get tested because they lack HIV/AIDS education or fear reprisal from their families. Although an official campaign has been launched to raise HIV/AIDS awareness among Iranians, experts say combating the disease has been slowed by a lack of reliable data and research, the Guardian reports (Tait, Guardian, 1/2).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

The American Medical Student Association, the nation’s largest, independent medical student organization joins numerous other groups in condemning last month’s dismissal of Deputy-Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge from the South African government. Her dismissal comes at a unique time given the recent establishment of a new HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan in South Africa.

South Africa suffers from the largest HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world; it has also historically suffered a high level of ignorance and hostility on the part of government leaders toward science-based HIV/AIDS policy. President Thabo Mbeki, who has formerly endorsed AIDS denialist positions and Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, infamous for her suggestion of using fruits and vegetables to treat AIDS instead of “toxic” antiretroviral medications, have set a poor precedent for HIV policy in years past. Madlala-Routledge used her time in office to push a strong HIV program, ultimately resulting in the April passage of the new HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan (NSP). Deputy-President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka joined her in leading the government effort to create the NSP, which was endorsed by a wide range of interested parties as a firm step forward in addressing the raging HIV epidemic in South Africa. It seems that her dismissal is linked in part to her impressive work on this topic, and to the contradictory stance she took relative to the President and Health Minister.

The world press has roundly condemned Madlala-Routledge’s dismissal as a farce, as have leading medical journals such as The Lancet, Science, and Nature. The Treatment Action Campaign, AIDS Law Project, and South African HIV-AIDS Clinicians Society have joined other South African HIV advocacy groups in asking for the Deputy-Minister’s reinstatement in addition to a firm commitment on the part of President Mbeki to implement the NSP in its current form. They also ask that Deputy-President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka be allowed to continue her work unhampered, and have renewed calls for the dismissal of Health Minister Tshabalala-Msimang.

“Deputy-Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge has been an inspirational leader in the fight against HIV and AIDS in South Africa,” says Dr. Vishal Patel, AMSA Global AIDS Fellow. “Her dismissal undermines this progress and suggests a disregard for evidence-based medicine and treatment in one of the hardest hit regions in the world.”

About the American Medical Student Association

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), with more than a half-century history of medical student activism, is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. With more than 68,000 members, including medical and premedical students, residents and practicing physicians, AMSA is committed to improving medical training as well as advancing the profession of medicine. AMSA focuses on four strategic priorities, including universal healthcare, disparities in medicine, diversity in medicine and transforming the culture of medical education. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online at amsa/.

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Calypte Biomedical Corporation (OTCBB: CBMC), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of HIV diagnostic tests, announced the first sale of its Aware™ HIV-1/2 OMT rapid oral fluid test in India. The tests were purchased by one of the paramilitary forces of the Government of India.

Roger I. Gale, Calypte’s President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “This sale marks a major milestone for us both as our first sale in India and as our entry into the Indian governmental market. Our Aware™ oral fluid test is ideally suited for large institutions such as India’s paramilitary forces which need to protect the welfare of their workforces.” Mr. Gale continued, “We applaud the Government of India’s ambitious plans to combat HIV/AIDS. We believe that the safety and ease of use of non-invasive tests such as our Aware™ HIV-1/2 OMT will be instrumental in containing costs and improving efficiencies as India scales up its testing initiatives. Calypte’s Aware™ HIV-1/2 OMT test is the first and currently only oral fluid test approved in India.”

Sujata Mital, Director of Sumit Biosciences Pvt. Ltd., Calypte’s distributor in India, stated, “India’s paramilitary forces have a vested interest in guarding the health and welfare of their personnel. These personnel are highly trained and make important contributions to guarding India’s security. Non-invasive testing will help India’s paramilitary organizations safeguard their commitment to and investment in human capital. Further, the experience with non-invasive testing gained by these organizations will concretely demonstrate the advantages of oral fluid testing.”

About India’s HIV Program

India recently embarked on its Third National AIDS Control Program (NACP-III) with the overall goal of halting and reversing its HIV/AIDS epidemic. Since India’s reported prevalence rate remains well below 1%, the major focus of NACP-III will be on scaling up prevention and control initiatives. According to The World Bank Project Appraisal Document on NACP-III, India; dated March 22, 2007, of the US $2.6 billion budgeted over five years for NACP-III, over US $1.8 billion has been allocated to scaling up prevention efforts. One of the major goals cited for NACP-III is increasing the number of people tested from 3 million in 2006 to 22 million by 2011.

About Calypte Biomedical

Calypte Biomedical Corporation is a U.S.-based healthcare company focused on the development and commercialization of rapid testing products for sexually transmitted diseases such as the Aware™ HIV-1/2 OMT test that are suitable for use at the point of care and at home. Calypte believes there is a significant need for rapid detection of such diseases globally to control their proliferation, particularly in developing countries, which lack the medical infrastructure to support laboratory-based testing. Calypte believes that testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infectious diseases may make important contributions to public health, and could increase the likelihood of treating those with undetected HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and its management. Such statements reflect management’s current views, are based on certain assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results, events, or performance may differ materially from the above forward-looking statements due to a number of important factors, and will be dependent upon a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the Company’s ability to obtain additional financing, if and as needed, and access funds from its existing financing arrangements that will allow it to continue its current and future operations and whether demand for its test products in domestic and international markets will generate sufficient revenues to achieve positive cash flow and profitability.

The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof or to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with regard to these forward-looking statements or the occurrence of unanticipated events. Factors that may impact the Company’s success are more fully disclosed in the Company’s most recent public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including its annual report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2006 and its subsequent filings with the SEC.

Calypte Biomedical Corporation Continue reading →

Using HIV-positive people’s social network is “an efficient, high-yield” method of contacting their partners who are at high-risk for the virus and providing them with testing and other HIV-related services, CDC researchers said in a recently published study, Reuters Health reports.

For the study, which appears online in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers led by Lisa Kimbrough documented the results of a social networks project that took place between October 2003 and December 2005. For the project, nine community-based organizations in seven cities signed up 422 recruiters. The initial recruiters were HIV-positive, and later recruiters could be HIV-negative but at a high-risk for HIV. The most commonly self-reported behavioral risk factor was having had high-risk heterosexual sex at 46%. The average age of the recruiters was 41.7, and 60% were HIV-positive. Sixty-three percent were men, and 61% were black.

Recruiters referred peers, known as network associates, into the study. On average, the number of network associates referred and tested per recruiter was 7.4. The report found that of the 3,172 network associates referred, 177, or 5.6%, tested HIV-positive and two-thirds were connected to HIV care and services. According to the study, the HIV prevalence among those tested as a result of the project was about five times greater than the prevalence found in other CDC-funded counseling, testing and referral projects.

The researchers said that this was a “significant public health achievement, because persons who learn that they are HIV-positive tend to reduce their high-risk behaviors to avoid infecting others and have the opportunity to access medical care and other services to improve their personal health.” They added that the social networking strategy was more effective and a better use of staff time at contacting undiagnosed HIV-positive people, compared with the common approach of partner counseling and referral services (Reuters Health, 4/29).

An abstract of the study is available online.

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

US health officials are considering whether to promote routine circumcision for all baby boys born in the country as a way to reduce the spread of
HIV; a topic that is giving rise to considerable debate in anticipation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s official draft
recommendations on the subject that are due out at the end of the year.

The New York Times reported online yesterday, in an article that will appear in today’s print edition, that experts are also considering whether
circumcision should also be offered to adult heterosexual men whose sexual behaviour puts them at higher risk of infection.

The reasons behind the consideration stem from several studies in support of male circumcision as a way to reduce HIV spread.

Trials in Africa, where there are several countries with severe AIDS and HIV epidemics, have shown that male circumcision reduced HIV infection
risk by 50 per cent in heterosexual men who were at high risk of infection from women with HIV.

And earlier this year, an Australian study suggested that the inner foreskin has the largest concentration of Langerhans’ cells, which are the initial
cellular targets in the sexual transmission of HIV. The researchers suggested that removing the skin surface which is most susceptible to the virus would reduce the risk of contracting HIV.

However, there is also a strong opinion that large scale male circumcision will not make a big difference in the US where the group at highest risk is
men who have sex with men, and there is no evidence that circumcision prevents the spread of HIV among this group.

Another reason that the measure might have less impact in the US is because health officials there suggest that nearly 80 per cent of adult American
males are already circumcised, although this is likely to go down in the future because there is less routine circumcision of newborns nowadays,
reports the New York Times.

Another argument that is being put against the idea of promoting male circumcision in newborn boys is that it subjects them to a medical procedure of
questionable health value without their permission.

However, the CDC HIV/AIDS Division’s chief epidemiologist, Dr Peter Kilmarx said every potential step that could prevent the spread of HIV should
be seriously considered. He said there is a significant HIV epidemic in the US and every opportunity to add another “tool in the toolbox” should be
examined.

“What we’ve heard from our consultants is that there would be a benefit for infants from infant circumcision, and that the benefits outweigh the risks,”
he told the New York Times.

However, he did acknowledge that the situation in Africa was different to the US and the effect of male circumcision was likely to be less dramatic
both because the disease was not so prevalent in the US and because the routes of infections were also different. Another consideration was the
difference in health care infrastructures.

Circumcision will be a discussion topic at the CDC’s National HIV Prevention Conference which takes place this week in Atlanta and is expected to
be attended by thousands of HIV health professionals.

Intact America, a group that is against the idea of routine circumcision for newborns is holding a protest in the city to coincide with the
conference.

They will be arguing that the facts show that circumcision only reduces the risk of HIV infection, it does not eliminate it, and circumcised men
still have to wear condoms.

Sources: New York Times, MNT archives

: Catharine Paddock, PhD

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A new Tel Aviv University drug, based on an older generation antibiotic, may provide doctors with an effective and innovative method of treating colon cancer in both its incipient and full-blown stages – and minimize the need for painful, uncomfortable colonoscopies and surgical polyp removal.

Dr. Rina Rosin-Arbesfeld of TAU’s Sackler School of Medicine has shown in preclinical studies that a common antibiotic can suppress the growth of colon cancer polyps in mice. Her aim is to reformulate the drug for use as a preventative therapy – or, in stronger doses, in combination with chemotherapy and radiation to fight existing cancers until they’re gone. The current formulation reduced the size of the polyps in about 80% of the mice she studied, and on average the animals lived 30% longer than those who were not given the antibiotic.

“My experience shows that colon cancer is particularly aggressive,” says Dr. Rosin-Arbesfeld. “Our new drug may be able to slow down polyp growth so that it never manifests to full-blown colon cancer.” She is currently preparing the results of her recent study for an upcoming issue of the journal Gut.

Taking genes to the repair shop

The antibiotic acts in a genetic fashion. In diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF) and muscular dystrophy, antibiotics from the aminiglycoside family can repair damaged or mutated DNA. For her new study, Dr. Rosin-Arbesfeld looked at a closely-related but less toxic family of antibiotics from the Macrolide family that achieves the same therapeutic results.

Dr. Rosin-Arbesfeld focused on a gene associated with colorectal cancer, the APC gene, and noticed that the mutation types in colorectal cancer are similar to those in the CF gene. Noting that old generation antibiotics are effective in fighting CF, she studied its effects on colon cancer as well. She found that the drug partially repaired faulty genes in mice with colon cancer. Benefits from using old generation and out of circulation antibiotics means that the new therapy will not interfere with current antibiotics used for today’s bacterial infections.

At first she thought about using the antibiotic as a preventative therapy, but later investigated its efficacy in treating full-blown cancer and found it similarly effective.

A fast track to getting the drug to market

Ramot, TAU’s commercial transfer company, has filed for a patent for the new use, and because the antibiotic has already been on the market, Dr. Rosin-Arbesfeld expects the new drug could be developed quickly. The preclinical results are encouraging and Ramot is currently talking with potential partners to bring this drug to experimental trials in humans, a critical step before it can be made more widely available.

“For many years it’s been known that a specific family of antibiotics does more than kill bacteria,” says Dr. Rosin-Arbesfeld. “They affect biological systems in the body and repair mutated genes. In directing my work towards the treatment of cancer, I can help save lives.”

Dr. Rosin-Arbesfeld’s research has been funded in part through generous scholarships and donations from the Colton family in the U.S.

Source:
George Hunka

American Friends of Tel Aviv University Continue reading →

A key Federal program in the fight against AIDS serves many of the poorest people with HIV/AIDS in America, according to a report released during the 2008 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Conference in Washington, D.C.

The Ryan White Program provides primary medical care and support services to more than half a million people living with HIV/AIDS. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

According to the 2008 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Progress Report: The Power of Connections, people living with HIV/AIDS are poorer than the general population, and Ryan White Program clients are poorer still. Seventy-two percent of Ryan White Program clients have household incomes equal to or below the federal poverty level and only 11 percent have any private health insurance. Findings in the report summarize program data from 2006.

“Every day the Ryan White Program makes a huge difference in the lives of more than half-a-million Americans who would otherwise have no way of accessing life-saving care,” said HRSA Administrator Elizabeth M. Duke. “This report documents how this program is prevailing against the nation’s most challenging and longest-running epidemic.”

The report shows that Ryan White Program programs are following the demographics of the disease:

- Of the 72 percent of Ryan White Program clients from minority communities, 49 percent are African American and 21 percent are Hispanic;
- A third (33 percent) of all Ryan White Program clients are women; and
- Two percent are over the age of 65 and six percent are under age 25.

Since fiscal year 2001, the Bush administration has spent $15 billion in Ryan White Program funds to help more than 500,000 individuals each year access life-sustaining care and services. President Bush has requested nearly $2.2 billion in fiscal year 2009, an increase of $1.1 million over FY 2008.

The Office of Minority Health Continue reading →

Authorities are trying to find out how the virulent H5N1 bird flu virus strain infected and killed three mute swans in Dorset, England. Other birds at Abbotsbury Swannery are being tested. Abbotsbury Swannery, approximately 9 miles from Weymouth, is a bird sanctuary. According to Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), the dead birds were found while routine surveillance was taking place.

Authorities are asking all bird keepers, particularly those in Dorset, to be extra vigilant. Experts say birds will not be culled as this move could disperse birds further away.

John Houston, Abbotsbury Swannery, said this latest outbreak is a “big shock” for him and all his staff. He stressed that his main concern is for the welfare of the swans, staff and the general public. “We are also working with the Health Protection Agency to ensure that staff and public are fully protected,” he said.

Experts say this latest outbreak is more worrying because it involves wild birds.

Defra informs that tests from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) confirm that the swans were infected with the highly pathogenic (virulent) H5N1 avian influenza virus strain. A 3km Control Area and 10km Monitoring Area are being established around the premises. Within these areas bird gatherings will be banned, and bird keepers must house their birds or make sure they are cannot come into contact with wild birds or their feathers and droppings.

Defra adds that it is working closely with ornithological experts to consider what wider measures may be required. So far, no domestic birds have been reported as infected.

More information on movement restrictions applying during an Avian Influenza outbreak

If you need to report dead wild gulls, waders, ducks, geese or swans; groups of dead birds or need advice on avian flu, please contact the Defra Helpline 08459 33 55 77 Mon – Fri, 9am – 5pm. More information on finding dead birds is available. For information on the disposal of poultry please see Defra’s Fallen Stock pages.

– Abbotsbury Swannery
– Map (Zoom out to see more of UK)
– Defra – Avian Flu Page
– “Avian Influenza – Still a Disease of Birds”, British Veterinary Association

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