CDC Guidance For People Exposed To Birds Carrying Avian Flu Viruses

CREDIT CDC Avian Flu

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With so many new and emerging avian flu viruses popping up in poultry and wild birds, both in the United States and around the world, I suppose it was only a matter of time before a new term would appear describing them:

 Avian Influenza Viruses Of Public Health Concern.

The list, which started off with H5N1, and a couple of H7 viruses, has grown rapidly over the past several years, and now includes H5N1, H7N9, H10N8, H5N6, H7N8, H5N2, H5N8, H5N9, H7N7, H7N2, H7N3, H9N2 . . . among others.

Only a handful of these avian viruses are known to infect humans, and of those, all but a few (H5N1, H5N5, H7N9, H10N8) usually produce mild, self-limiting influenza-like symptoms.  

Unless you work with live poultry, purchase birds from a live market, or are involved in the culling of infected birds, your odds of exposure right now are pretty slim. But, in the words of the CDC:

Avian influenza virus infections in humans are of public health concern, not only because of the illness they may cause, but because of their pandemic potential.

Some avian influenza viruses have been associated with greater numbers of human infections and more serious illnesses in people and therefore may pose a greater known public health risk. Avian influenza viruses of particular public health concern include (1) those viruses which are known to have caused severe disease in humans, such as highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1) virus and low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) A (H7N9) virus.

Also, (2) avian influenza viruses that are related to viruses known to cause severe disease in humans are of concern because of their perceived potential to cause severe disease in people. These include HPAI A (H5) and A (H7) viruses identified in birds in the United States during 2015 and 2016. Finally, (3) other avian influenza viruses may be deemed to be of public health concern based on specific circumstances.

This week the CDC has published guidance for those who may be exposed to birds that may be carrying avian flu. Again, this is primarily for those who work in the poultry industry who have been exposed to flocks determined to be infected with avian flu.

Information for People Exposed to Birds Infected with Avian Influenza Viruses of Public Health Concern

Available as a PDF[142 KB, 3 pages] 

 

You are being given this information and these instructions because you were recently around poultry or wild birds found to be infected with avian influenza viruses (“bird flu”) of public health concern. Some avian influenza viruses have caused rare, sporadic infections in people, resulting in human illness ranging from mild to severe. These viruses are of public health concern because of their ability to cause human illness and also because of their potential to cause a pandemic.

Infected birds shed bird flu virus in their saliva, mucous and feces. Human infections with bird flu viruses are rare, but they can happen when enough virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled. This can happen when virus is in the air (in droplets or possibly dust) and a person breathes it in, or when a person touches something that has virus on it and then touches their mouth, eyes or nose. Most often these infections have occurred after unprotected contact with infected birds or surfaces contaminated with avian influenza viruses. However, some infections have been identified where direct contact was not known to have occurred.

Because human infections with these viruses are possible, all people with exposure to birds infected with avian influenza viruses of public health concern and people with exposure to surfaces contaminated with these viruses should be monitored for illness for 10 days after their last exposure. State and local health departments are helping to monitor people’s health and you should contact your health department if you get any of the symptoms listed on this fact sheet during the 10 days after your last exposure. By following the instructions below, you can help ensure that you receive prompt medical evaluation, possible testing and appropriate treatment if you become ill with signs and symptoms that could be due to bird flu.

Please follow these instructions carefully:

1. Monitor your health for symptoms of avian influenza virus infection.
During and then immediately after your last exposure to infected birds or contaminated surfaces, monitor yourself daily for any of these signs and symptoms for 10 days:

You should observe your health daily even if you carefully followed all guidelines and instructions for properly putting on and taking off personal protective equipment (PPE) and maintaining biosecurity precautions.  

Re-start your 10-day monitoring period from Day 1 if you are around sick birds again.

2. Call your state/local health department immediately if you develop any illness signs or symptoms during the 10-day observation period.
Your health department will help you determine what to do next.

Remember: 

• Most of the signs and symptoms of bird flu overlap with those of other respiratory illnesses (like seasonal flu).
• If you develop any of the signs or symptoms listed on this fact sheet, immediately call the health department of the state you are in at the time. Your health department wants to hear from you, even if it turns out to be a ‘false alarm’.  
• Your health department may contact you by phone, email or text while you are observing your health.
• If you have symptoms, your health department may give you instructions and ask you to get tested for avian influenza virus infection.  
• To test for avian influenza virus, a doctor or nurse will collect a sample from you by swabbing your nose and/or throat.
• If you become sick while you are observing your health, a doctor may prescribe you an antiviral medication that is used for treatment of influenza.  It is important to follow the directions for taking the medication. (CDC recommends that clinicians prescribe antiviral medications for treatment of ill persons who had exposure to avian influenza viruses of public health concern.)

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UK PHE Warns On Potential Sexual Transmission Of Zika

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There is a great deal we still don't know about the Zika virus, but given its suspected link to profound birth defects, public health agencies around the globe are faced with a difficult decision:

Do you wait for irrefutable proof of harm, or do you warn people based on the available (and often anecdotal) evidence, in hopes of preventing needless tragedies?

Given the devastating effects that microcephalic birth defects have on families and society, most health agencies would prefer to be proactive, even if it risks raising some degree of alarm. 

In this regard, this week the UK's PHE (Public Health England) has issued some specific advice to sexually active men who have recently returned from regions where Zika has been reported, based on limited reports that the virus may be sexually transmitted.

The notion that Zika might be transmitted direct contact first came to light in 2011 when the EID Journal carried a dispatch on the first Probable Non–Vector-borne Transmission of Zika Virus, Colorado, USA, involving two researchers infected in Africa, one of whom returned to the Untied States and passed the virus (presumably via sexual contact) on to his wife. 

This was the first instance where sexual transmission of an Arbovirus was suspected, the author’s writing:

Results also support ZIKV transmission from patient 1 to patient 3. Patient 3 had never traveled to Africa or Asia and had not left the United States since 2007. ZIKV has never been reported in the Western Hemisphere. Circumstantial evidence suggests direct person-to-person, possibly sexual, transmission of the virus.

A second clue came a year ago, when the CDC's EID journal carried a dispatch called:

Potential Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus

Didier Musso , Claudine Roche, Emilie Robin, Tuxuan Nhan, Anita Teissier, and Van-Mai Cao-Lormeau

Abstract

In December 2013, during a Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in French Polynesia, a patient in Tahiti sought treatment for hematospermia, and ZIKV was isolated from his semen. ZIKV transmission by sexual intercourse has been previously suspected. This observation supports the possibility that ZIKV could be transmitted sexually.

Even if sexual transmission is possible, this would be a minor route of infection compared to the mosquito-vectored virus.  But as we've seen with Ebola in West Africa, some viruses can persist in the host long after they have physically recovered, and so this potential route of infection must be considered.


In addition to providing Zika virus: travel advice for pregnant women, this week the UK government updated their detailed guidance -  The characteristics, symptoms, diagnosis and epidemiology of Zika - with the following advice on sexual transmission of the virus.

Sexual transmission

Sexual transmission of Zika virus has been recorded in a limited number of cases, and the risk of sexual transmission of Zika virus is thought to be very low. However, if a female partner is at risk of getting pregnant, or is already pregnant, condom use is advised for a male traveller :

• for 28 days after his return from a Zika transmission area if he had no symptoms of unexplained fever and rash
  
• for 6 months following recovery if a clinical illness compatible with Zika virus infection or laboratory confirmed Zika virus infection was reported
  

This is a precaution and may be revised as more information becomes available. Individuals with further concerns regarding potential sexual transmission of Zika virus should contact their GP for advice.

The data is very limited, and the risks of sexual transmission are likely very low.  But there is still much we still don't know about how the Zika virus affects the human body, how it is shed, and the potential for non–vector-borne transmission of the virus.


For another look on how the Zika virus is shed from the human body, earlier today Dr. Ian Mackay looked at the detection of Zika virus in urine, in his VDU blog:

Zika virus disease samples...don't pass urine (by)..

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CDC-NIAID Telebriefing: Zika 101 Transcript & HHS Blog

Mosquito Bite Prevention for the United States PDF

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Amid the whirlwind of Zika related public health announcements yesterday (see WHO To Convene IHR Emergency Committee Meeting On Zika &  WHO Zika Media Briefing Audio Recording) the CDC held telebriefing of their own called ZIKA 101, featuring NIAID Director Dr Tony Fauci and the CDC's Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat, M.D..

Dr. Schuchat was the `voice' of the CDC during much of the opening months of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, and impressed mightily with her ability to convey rapidly changing and unscripted information – while acknowledging  the things about the virus that were still unknown – in almost daily briefings.

For those unable to attend the CDC's event, we have a transcript posted to the CDC's media site late yesterday:

Transcript for CDC Telebriefing: Zika Virus Travel Alert

Press Briefing Transcript

Thursday, January 28, 2016.

Please Note:This transcript is not edited and may contain errors.

OPERATOR: Welcome, and thank you for standing by.  At this time, all participants are in listen only mode.  After the presentation, we'll conduct a question and answer session.  To ask a question, please press the star and 1 and please record your name.  Today’s conference is being recorded.  If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time.

 
TOM SKINNER: We’ll be joined today by DR.  Anne Schuchat, the Principal Deputy Director of the CDC and DR. Tony Fauci, Director of the National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, both providing opening remarks about the current outbreak of Zika virus infection.  We understand we are getting a lot of calls and a lot of interest in this story right now.  We want to try to provide you all with as much information as we can, and so we're having this telebriefing.  I’ll turn the call over now to Dr. Schuchat. 

(Continue .. .)

Dr. Schuchat also penned a blog on Zika yesterday for the HHS.GOV website, which goes over the basics of Zika.

Zika 101

January 28, 2016

 

By: Dr. Anne Schuchat, Principal Deputy Director, CDC

 

Summary: 

 

The Zika virus is spread to people through the bite of infected mosquitos. About 1 in 5 people who get infected with Zika virus will show symptoms.

 

In the past several weeks, increased cases of Zika virus disease (Zika) have been reported in South and Central America, and to a limited degree in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a US territory, and the US Virgin Islands.  Zika is a little known illness spread by a certain type of mosquito. Although most people who may be exposed to Zika virus will have only mild or no symptoms, there has been evidence linking Zika virus to negative effects on pregnancies in some cases, which has received widespread public attention. We understand that this news is concerning, especially to pregnant women and their families who may travel to or live in affected areas. Here are some answers to common questions about Zika.

(Continue . . .)

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RESEP ROTI JALA KUAH KARI DAGING SAPI

RESEP ROTI JALA KUAH KARI

Makanan yang berbentuk jala atau jaring ini sering disebut dengan roti jala atau roti kirai. Kuliner ini paling enak disantap bersama kuah kari sebagai ciri khasnya, bisa kari kambing, kari ayam, atau kari daging sapi dalam resep roti jala spesial kali ini. Roti jala dengan kuah kari sangat populer sebagai menu makanan melayu, india bahkan timur tengah. Di Indonesia sendiri cukup dikenal dengan roti jala khas Riau, Melayu Sumatera Utara hingga Aceh dengan bermacam variasinya.

Terdapat banyak kreasi dalam cara membuat roti jala yang mudah dan sederhana, di antaranya adalah penggunaan bahan utama telur atau tanpa telur, susu sebagai alternatif santan, atau dikombinasikan dengan bahan lainnya untuk menambah cita rasa. Begitu juga dengan variasi hidangannya, bisa dengan kuah durian, disuguhkan bersama saus coklat atau yang lain sebagainya.

Roti jala kari sapi juga tak kalah enaknya dengan aneka roti jala lainnya, sangat sedap disantap sambil menghirup kuah kari yang gurih dan ludes dalam sekejap.

Persiapan Bahan Roti Jala

• 300 gram tepung terigu
• 500 ml santan encer dari 150 gram kelapa parut
• 4 butir telur
• 4 sdm minyak sayur
• 1 sdt garam
• margarin secukupnya untuk olesan

Cara Membuat Roti Jala

1. Campur dan aduk rata terigu dan garam dalam sebuah wadah. Masukkan telur dan aduk rata menggunakan whisk, lalu tuangkan santan dan minyak sayur. Aduk lagi hingga benar-benar rata, selanjutnya saring agar adonan tidak ada yang menggumpal.
2. Masukkan adonan ke dalam wadah roti jala, plastik segitiga atau menggunakan botol plastik dan lubangi tutupnya sebesar sedotan kecil air gelas mineral, supaya nantinya bisa membentuk jala yang cantik saat adonan dituangkan.
3. Panaskan teflon atau wajan anti lengket di atas api kecil, olesi tipis dengan margarin. Tuang adonan secara horisontal, vertikal dan melingkar-lingkar atau acak sesuai selera yang penting membentuk jala. Setelah adonan matang, lipat berbentuk segitiga atau dengan bentuk menurut selera.

Persiapan Bahan dan Bumbu Kari Daging Sapi

• 250 gram daging sapi
• 1,5 liter air untuk merebus daging
• 600 ml santan dari 1 butir kelapa
• 2 lembar daun salam
• 2 lembar daun jeruk
• 2 buah kapulaga
• 4 butir cengkeh
• 5 cm kayu manis
• 1 buah pekak (bunga lawang)
• 1/2 sdt pala bubuk
• 1 sdt gula pasir
• 1/2 sdt garam
• minyak untuk menumis

Haluskan :

• 6 buah cabe merah keriting
• 6 butir bawang merah
• 3 siung bawang putih
• 4 butir kemiri
• 4 cm jahe
• 4 cm kunyit
• 1 sdt adas manis
• 1/2 sdt jinten
• 1 sdm ketumbar

Cara Membuat Kuah Kari daging Sapi

1. Cuci bersih daging sapi kemudian rebus dengan 1,5 liter air hingga empuk. Angkat dan tiriskan daging sapi lalu potong-potong dadu, sisihkan air rebusan untuk kuah kaldu.
2. Panaskan sedikit minyak dan tumis bumbu halus hingga harum. Masukkan potongan daging beserta 500 ml kuah kaldu, masukkan juga daun salam, daun jeruk, kapulaga, cengkeh, kayu manis, pekak dan pala bubuk, serta aduk rata.
3. Setelah mendidih, tuangkan santan lalu masak sambil diaduk-aduk hingga mendidih kembali. Tambahkan garam dan gula, aduk sesekali dan masak hingga matang.

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Raffles College of Higher Education - Singapore

Raffles Singapore Open House on 20th of February 2016

A great opportunity for students to explore Raffles creative learning environment, vibrant campus life and get in touch with our creative practitioners (lecturers) at Raffles College of Higher Education, Singapore. 

               

                       Date                      

20th of February 2016

                Time              

 10am – 5pm

           Venue        

  Raffles Education Square, 51 Merchant Road, Singapore 058283

      Programs

    Campus Tour

      Creative Design workshops

         Business workshops

For more information, please contact/visit your nearest JM Office today

                  

                                                                                                                                                 Article is courtesy of  Raffles College of Higher Education

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AUT University- New Zealand

Congratulations,

AUT becomes New Zealand’s most international university

The Times Higher Education’s list of the world’s most international universities has named Auckland University of Technology (AUT) the twelfth most international university in the world – making AUT New Zealand’s most international university.

Released last week, the rankings recognise universities that have demonstrated an international outlook. They consider each institution’s proportion of international staff and students, and the extent to which its academics collaborate with international colleagues. Universities must have ranked in the top 800 of the overall 2015-2016 ranking to be considered. 

AUT has academic staff from around the world, and more than 7,000 international students from over 100 countries. Together they make a significant contribution to academic life, knowledge sharing, the culture of the University and to wider society. 

AUT Vice Chancellor Derek McCormack says the ranking highlights the University’s strong standing and reputation, and is a significant accomplishment for AUT, which is New Zealand’s second largest and fastest-growing university. 

“To be recognised alongside the world’s top universities in just our sixteenth year as a university is an outstanding achievement, and is testament to the quality of teaching, learning and research that AUT provides.”

 

“The fact that we are ranked twelfth in the world for our international outlook illustrates that we are an attractive work and study destination internationally, and an institution that recognises the value international students and staff bring to the University.”

“An institution’s global outlook is one of the key markers of a prestigious university,” says Phil Baty, Times Higher Education World University Rankings editor. 

“The top institutions hire faculty from all over the world, attract students from a global market of top talent and collaborate with leading departments wherever they happen to be based. Being named one of the most international universities in the world is a sign of great potential, competitiveness and dynamism.” 

Last year AUT ranked 681-800 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, was ranked in the top 500 universities by the QS World University Rankings®, and AUT’s School of Art and Design was ranked in the top 50 in this year’s QS World University Rankings by Subject®.

For more information, please contact/visit your nearest JM Office today

                  

                                                                                                                                                                        Article is courtesy of  AUT University

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University of Northampton International College (UNIC) - United Kingdom

University of Northampton International College is now open.

For more information, please contact/visit your nearest JM Office today

                  

                                                                                                 Article is courtesy of University of Northampton International College (UNIC)

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