H5N1 Spread in Afghanistan
Recombinomics Commentary
March 12, 2007
Thirteen new cases of bird flu have been detected in Afghanistan over the past week, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 17 for this year, health officials said.
“Nine dead birds were diagnosed with the virulent H5N1 strain [of avian influenza] in five districts of [eastern] Nangarhar and Kunar provinces,” said Assadullah Azhari, a spokesman for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Kabul.
According to FAO – which has set up a bird flu diagnostic laboratory in Kabul – four other cases were identified in backyard poultry in the capital.
Prior to this, four cases of the H5N1 strain of the virus were reported on 24 February in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, which border Pakistan.
The above comments describe the spread of H5N1 in Afghanistan this season. This spread is similar to the spread there at this time last year. One set of sequences from last season has been made public, and it linked to H5N1 upstream in the Russian Caucasus and Azerbaijan and linked downstream to Tuva and Mongolia.
These linkages define migratory bird routes which have regional markers. These relationships were also seen this season and last season in Egypt. The regional markers from last season re-surfaced this season, but had additional regional markers.
Sequences from Europe last season are still being withheld by Weybridge, but similar pathways are expected. Sequences from the recent outbreaks in Afghanistan and Pakistan would be useful.
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