Indonesia discovers more dangerous Avian Flu strain

JAKARTA: Global health workers are already concerned about recent findings in Indonesia that suggest they have discovered a new strain of the deadly H5N1 Avian Flu that is more dangerous and virulent than others.

The new strain killed hundreds of thousands of ducks in the past few weeks and there are concerns that the virus could spread to humans.

"We found a highly pathogenic avian influenza sub-type H5N1 (virus) with clade 2.3..." the agriculture ministry's veterinary chief Syukur Iwantoro said in the letter obtained by AFP and quoted on Tuesday in a report.

"This clade is a new clade found for the first time in Indonesia, that is very different to the avian influenza found before, which is clade 2.1."

A clade is a group of organisms, usually species, with a common ancestor, doctors said.

A poultry breeders' association had reported the death of more than 300,000 ducks in several provinces on Java island since November to the ministry.

The veterinary office found the H5N1 virus involved was a different clade to that usually found in Indonesia, said Iwantoro's letter to local government offices and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Avian Flu has killed scores of people and millions of birds over the past few years, but is not transmittable from human to human contact, but medical professionals fear that if the virus were to mutate and be communicable for humans, it could devastate populations.

(source: www.bikyamasr.com)