#3932
Martin W
Participant

    from Promed, 22 May:

    Date: Thu 18 May 2006
    From: Simon Shane

    I agree with your comments re. avian influenza (AI) in ProMED post
    20060518.1396. It is common practice in Southeast Asia (Thailand 2004) to
    dump chicken and duck intestinal tracts from processing plants into
    commercial fish ponds. This practice continued even after the disease was
    diagnosed in Thailand when I visited operations there. It is presumed that
    in China, where nothing is wasted, similar activities contribute to
    dissemination of AI virus in lakes and waterways (see Dave Stallknecht’s
    work in Cameron Parish).


    Simon M. Shane FRCVS, PhD. MBL. dip ACPV
    Emeritus Professor
    205 Landreth Court
    Durham NC 27713
    USA

    [Simon and I were once fellow faculty members in the old LSU Epidemiology
    and Community Health Department. He has extensive consultancy outreach in
    Africa and Asia. Apropos virus-contaminated water, there is an interesting
    WHO Review: “Review of latest available evidence on risks to human health
    through potential transmission of avian influenza (H5N1) through water and
    sewage,” available through the WHO report
    http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/emerging/h5n1background.pdf
    on the possibility of spread to humans through exposure to contaminated
    water. It is well worth reading. Though it is equivocal on the risks, it
    lays out the data very well for the reader to make his or her own
    conclusions. It also raises the specter of risks from human sewage and the
    need for improved safety procedures for sewage workers. – Mod.MHJ]
    [the paper doesn’t include fish farming; mainly notions re H5N1 from waterfowl – not surprising given Robert Webster a key author]

    – following this, I’ve emailed Promed, inc re fish farm in Java, w catfish fed dead chickens

    Post edited by: martin, at: 2006/05/23 00:47

    Post edited by: martin, at: 2006/05/24 01:50