Friday, April 5, 2013
H7N9 bird flu strain has worrying traits
PARIS: A mutated bird flu virus that has killed five people in China displays worrying traits that warrant high vigilance, experts say, though the true extent of the threat is unclear.
Most concerning is the virus' wide geographical spread, and the fact that it seems to be spreading unseen among its host animals, possibly chickens or ducks.
"I am cautiously worried," virologist John Oxford of the Queen Mary University of London told AFP.
"If there were four cases in Shanghai, I would be much less concerned, but because it is so geographically widespread I think it is trying to tell us something.
"It is not a deadly virus for chickens so it could spread in chickens without anyone knowing it. I suspect it's probably wider than we think."
Having made its jump from animals to humans, which required a series of genetic mutations, the influenza A(H7N9) strain has now been diagnosed in four Chinese provinces: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and the business capital Shanghai.
Of 11 people confirmed infected, five have died since February. Patients suffer from severe pneumonia with a fever, cough and shortness of breath.
The better-known H5N1 bird flu, which has infected 622 people since 2003 of whom 371 died, is highly fatal in birds, making it easier to identify than the new strain.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the animal source of the new infection and its mode of transmission was not yet clear.
"We do not yet know enough about these infections to determine whether there is a significant risk of community spread," the UN's health agency stated in an online H7N9 update.
No cases of human-to-human transmission have yet been found, and no infections beyond China.
"Any influenza that jumps from an animal species to a human has pandemic potential," Alan Hampson, chairman of the Australian Influenza Specialist Group, said in a statement issued by the Science Media Centre.
"If it learns to spread in humans, if it actually acquires that ability, then it's a high likelihood that it will become pandemic."
Chinese authorities are monitoring about 400 people who had been in contact with those taken ill, but have found no one with symptoms.
Since humans had not been exposed to this particular strain of flu until now, we have no immunity and would be highly susceptible.
There is no preventive vaccine.
Preliminary tests have shown the virus would react to existing antiviral drugs like Tamiflu, according to the WHO.
The UN agency has advised against airport screening and any Chinese travel or trade restrictions for now, recommending good hygiene as the best course of action - regular and thorough hand washing, avoiding diseased animals and properly cooking all meat.
It has started work on developing a vaccine, which must be strain specific, but observers fear it would be too late to deal with a potential H7N9 outbreak.
The experts and the WHO all point to the unpredictability of influenza viruses, saying this strain could fizzle out just as easily as it could kickstart an epidemic.
It is common for flu viruses to mutate, but only once in about five years do they cross the species barrier, and rarely with grave effects for humans.
"This one looks bigger because so many people have died," said Oxford.
"We just have to wait and see. We will know within the next couple of weeks whether anything serious is going to happen." -AFP
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Sale of Ayamas Product Resume Today
KUCHING: Sale of Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd (Ayamas) products, which was suspended following the recent discovery of the prohibited antibiotic Chloramphenicol by the State Veterinary Authority, will resume here and in Sri Aman today.
Its distributor for Kuching and Sri Aman, Asfine Marketing Sdn Bhd (Asfine), who announced this yesterday, said the resumption followed a statement by Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai on Saturday that Ayamas’ food products were deemed safe for human consumption.
Liow said tests conducted on 42 samples taken from various parts of the country showed negative for Chloramphenicol and, therefore, Ayamas could sell their products in Sarawak.
“Based on the announcement by the Health Minister, this morning (yesterday) we went to see the state director of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism. He told us that his office still have to wait for instructions (for the sale to resume) from the State Veterinary Authority.
“We then went to the State Veterinary Authority and met two of its deputy directors. We asked them whether Ayamas products could be sold and they did not prohibit us from selling the products,” claimed Asfine’s director Sim Han Wee during a press conference.
Sim added that the State Veterinary Authority (SVA) also told them that they would issue a letter in one or two day’s time to withdraw the notice of suspension of importation of Ayamas products.
Sim claimed that a lot of retail outlets had been enquiring when sale could resume.
“I have been made to understand that a lot of retail outlets in other divisions in the state had resumed selling Ayamas products.
“With the current stock level that we have, it will only be enough for distribution to retail outlets for between one and two days.”
He added that since import of Ayamas products from Kuala Lumpur would need four or five days to arrive, he hoped that the letter to withdraw the notice of suspension would be issued soon.
A 20-feet container full of Ayamas products would take between eight and nine days to be distributed to its retail outlets from Kuching to Sri Aman, he explained.
Sim lamented that since the import ban came into effect on Nov 1, Asfine’s business was badly dented as about Ayamas products accounted for 80 per cent of its total sales.
He said Ayamas would be holding a press conference in Kuala Lumpur soon to clarify the issue and to put Ayamas products in the right perspective.
Sim opined that there was no need for consumers to be worried about the safety and quality of Ayamas products as the products had undergone through many strict tests and had accreditations from highly-qualified bodies.
Meanwhile, the SVA director could be reached for comments.
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Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/13/sale-of-ayamas-products-resumes-today/#ixzz2C7Fda39f
Its distributor for Kuching and Sri Aman, Asfine Marketing Sdn Bhd (Asfine), who announced this yesterday, said the resumption followed a statement by Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai on Saturday that Ayamas’ food products were deemed safe for human consumption.
Liow said tests conducted on 42 samples taken from various parts of the country showed negative for Chloramphenicol and, therefore, Ayamas could sell their products in Sarawak.
“Based on the announcement by the Health Minister, this morning (yesterday) we went to see the state director of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism. He told us that his office still have to wait for instructions (for the sale to resume) from the State Veterinary Authority.
“We then went to the State Veterinary Authority and met two of its deputy directors. We asked them whether Ayamas products could be sold and they did not prohibit us from selling the products,” claimed Asfine’s director Sim Han Wee during a press conference.
Sim added that the State Veterinary Authority (SVA) also told them that they would issue a letter in one or two day’s time to withdraw the notice of suspension of importation of Ayamas products.
Sim claimed that a lot of retail outlets had been enquiring when sale could resume.
“I have been made to understand that a lot of retail outlets in other divisions in the state had resumed selling Ayamas products.
“With the current stock level that we have, it will only be enough for distribution to retail outlets for between one and two days.”
He added that since import of Ayamas products from Kuala Lumpur would need four or five days to arrive, he hoped that the letter to withdraw the notice of suspension would be issued soon.
A 20-feet container full of Ayamas products would take between eight and nine days to be distributed to its retail outlets from Kuching to Sri Aman, he explained.
Sim lamented that since the import ban came into effect on Nov 1, Asfine’s business was badly dented as about Ayamas products accounted for 80 per cent of its total sales.
He said Ayamas would be holding a press conference in Kuala Lumpur soon to clarify the issue and to put Ayamas products in the right perspective.
Sim opined that there was no need for consumers to be worried about the safety and quality of Ayamas products as the products had undergone through many strict tests and had accreditations from highly-qualified bodies.
Meanwhile, the SVA director could be reached for comments.
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Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/13/sale-of-ayamas-products-resumes-today/#ixzz2C7Fda39f
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Sarawak Veterinary Do Have SOP
KUCHING, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak Veterinary Department is not following the Health Ministry's standard operating procedure (SOP) in sampling and analysing the chicken products of Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd, its minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said, here Saturday.
He was made to understand that the department had began collecting samples of the products in May to analyse it until August this year but only announced its findings on Nov 1 this year.
Speaking to reporters after officiating the 9th World Congress of Chinese Medicine 2012 here, he said the department did not inform his ministry ahead of announcing the prohibition of the importation and sales of the Ayamas products in Sarawak.
"I believe that according to SOP, the Health Ministrymust be informed so that we can assist. At the Health Ministry, we usually do the sampling immediately. This cannot be delayed because what is important now is that the people are given quick and accurate information and the action must also be fast," he said.
He made these remarks to explain his announcement in Parliament last Thursday that Ayamas products analysed by his minisrty did not contain the antibiotic, Chloramphenicol, against what that had been discovered by Sarawak Veterinary Department in their analysis announced on Nov 1.
He was made to understand that the department had began collecting samples of the products in May to analyse it until August this year but only announced its findings on Nov 1 this year.
Speaking to reporters after officiating the 9th World Congress of Chinese Medicine 2012 here, he said the department did not inform his ministry ahead of announcing the prohibition of the importation and sales of the Ayamas products in Sarawak.
"I believe that according to SOP, the Health Ministrymust be informed so that we can assist. At the Health Ministry, we usually do the sampling immediately. This cannot be delayed because what is important now is that the people are given quick and accurate information and the action must also be fast," he said.
He made these remarks to explain his announcement in Parliament last Thursday that Ayamas products analysed by his minisrty did not contain the antibiotic, Chloramphenicol, against what that had been discovered by Sarawak Veterinary Department in their analysis announced on Nov 1.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
No antibiotic in Ayamas products: Liow
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 (Bernama) -- Tests conducted on food products of Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd (Ayamas) revealed that they do not contain the antibiotic Chloramphenicol, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said today.
He told the Dewan Rakyat that the tests were conducted by the ministry's Food Security Division on 15 samples of food products taken from the company's plant and 16 samples from the market.
"The laboratory tests showed that there was no Chloramphenicol in the products. If there were, we would have acted immediately to remove the products from the market,," he said when winding up debate on the Supply Bill 2013.
Liow said the ministry had been monitoring Ayamas products since 2009 and found that they did not contain the antibiotic.
The media had reported last Thursday that the Sarawak government imposed an immediate import ban on products from the company after a test showed up the antibiotic.
On another matter, Liow said the ministry did not encourage individual consumption of stevia on a daily basis because the sweetness was 200 to 300 times more than sugar.
The ministry did not prohibit the people from consuming stevia, he said, but advised that they should do so with monitoring by doctors or food specialists.
The use of stevia in food processing was allowed because the level of sweetness was tightly controlled, he said.
The house will sit again on Nov 19 after a week-long break for the Deepavali (Nov 13) and Awal Muharram (Nov 15) holidays.
He told the Dewan Rakyat that the tests were conducted by the ministry's Food Security Division on 15 samples of food products taken from the company's plant and 16 samples from the market.
"The laboratory tests showed that there was no Chloramphenicol in the products. If there were, we would have acted immediately to remove the products from the market,," he said when winding up debate on the Supply Bill 2013.
Liow said the ministry had been monitoring Ayamas products since 2009 and found that they did not contain the antibiotic.
The media had reported last Thursday that the Sarawak government imposed an immediate import ban on products from the company after a test showed up the antibiotic.
On another matter, Liow said the ministry did not encourage individual consumption of stevia on a daily basis because the sweetness was 200 to 300 times more than sugar.
The ministry did not prohibit the people from consuming stevia, he said, but advised that they should do so with monitoring by doctors or food specialists.
The use of stevia in food processing was allowed because the level of sweetness was tightly controlled, he said.
The house will sit again on Nov 19 after a week-long break for the Deepavali (Nov 13) and Awal Muharram (Nov 15) holidays.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Remove banned food products from shelves, says Jerip
KUCHING: An assistant minister has called for all food products containing high levels of antibiotics to be removed from shelves.
Assistant public health minister Dr Jerip Susil said consumption of chloramphenicol in large amounts was harmful to health.
He was commenting on the state veterinary authority's recent suspension of the import of whole chicken and other poultry products from peninsula-based Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd after laboratory tests showed that chicken frankfurter from the company contained the antibiotic, chloramphenicol.
The ban came into effect on Nov 1.
“The sample contained more (chloramphenicol) than the normal level,” he said yesterday.
Dr Jerip appealed to retailers to abide by the suspension order.
Meanwhile, Ayamas said the suspension order had caught the company by surprise.
“This is because we do not use chloramphenicol or other banned antibiotics in our system or during the production of our products.
“Our routine internal tests also did not reveal any evidence of usage of such antibiotics in the raw materials that we use,” the company said in a press statement.
Ayamas said it would carry out a thorough investigation into the matter.
Assistant public health minister Dr Jerip Susil said consumption of chloramphenicol in large amounts was harmful to health.
He was commenting on the state veterinary authority's recent suspension of the import of whole chicken and other poultry products from peninsula-based Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd after laboratory tests showed that chicken frankfurter from the company contained the antibiotic, chloramphenicol.
The ban came into effect on Nov 1.
“The sample contained more (chloramphenicol) than the normal level,” he said yesterday.
Dr Jerip appealed to retailers to abide by the suspension order.
Meanwhile, Ayamas said the suspension order had caught the company by surprise.
“This is because we do not use chloramphenicol or other banned antibiotics in our system or during the production of our products.
“Our routine internal tests also did not reveal any evidence of usage of such antibiotics in the raw materials that we use,” the company said in a press statement.
Ayamas said it would carry out a thorough investigation into the matter.
Remove banned food products from shelves, says Jerip
KUCHING: An assistant minister has called for all food products containing high levels of antibiotics to be removed from shelves.
Assistant public health minister Dr Jerip Susil said consumption of chloramphenicol in large amounts was harmful to health.
He was commenting on the state veterinary authority's recent suspension of the import of whole chicken and other poultry products from peninsula-based Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd after laboratory tests showed that chicken frankfurter from the company contained the antibiotic, chloramphenicol.
The ban came into effect on Nov 1.
“The sample contained more (chloramphenicol) than the normal level,” he said yesterday.
Dr Jerip appealed to retailers to abide by the suspension order.
Meanwhile, Ayamas said the suspension order had caught the company by surprise.
“This is because we do not use chloramphenicol or other banned antibiotics in our system or during the production of our products.
“Our routine internal tests also did not reveal any evidence of usage of such antibiotics in the raw materials that we use,” the company said in a press statement.
Ayamas said it would carry out a thorough investigation into the matter.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Ayamas chicken frankfurter taken off shelves by Peter Boon, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on November 6, 2012, Tuesday Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/06/ayamas-chicken-frankfurter-taken-off-shelves
SIBU: Supermarket, wet market and grocery shop operators quickly removed chicken frankfurter produced by Ayamas Food Corporation from their shelves yesterday after news broke that the State Veterinary Authority had detected the prohibited antibiotic ‘chloramphenicol’ in a sample of chicken frankfurter during random testing recently.
Some of the operators went one step further by removing all products from Ayamas on their shelves even though Ayamas issued a statement through Bernama yesterday that it did not use chloramphenicol or other banned antibiotics in its products.
The Borneo Post front-paged the shocking discovery yesterday and the Health Department has directed its enforcement personnel to ensure that all Ayamas chicken frankfurter were off the shelves.
Health Department director Datu Dr Zulkifli Jantan confirmed yesterday that all its enforcement officers throughout the state had been mobilised to look into the situation.
“We can take action …but usually we will seal and destroy the items,” he said.
Asked about the possible health effects of consuming ‘chloramphenicol’, he warned that it would have long term effects on bacterial resistance.
When contacted, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) state director Wan Ahmad Uzir Wan Sulaiman said there was no instruction to go down to the ground thus far.
“We can start taking action against the perpetrators once there is a directive, for example from the Ministry of Health,” said Wan Uzir.
On Saturday, Assistant Minister for Agriculture (Research and Marketing) Datuk Mong Dagang said the tainted sample was from a batch which was imported into the state from Peninsular Malaysia through Bintulu.
The Veterinary Authority in Kuala Lumpur confirmed the detection and the state immediately suspended the import of Ayamas products, while the state Veterinary Authority forwarded a notice of the suspension of importation of Ayamas products to importers on Nov 1.
But Ayamas general manager (Group Corporate Communications) Rosniza Baharum yesterday expressed surprise at the suspension.
“Our routine internal tests also do not reveal any evidence of usage of such antibiotics in the raw materials we use,” she said in the statement.
Nevertheless, she said, Ayamas was taking the matter very seriously and would carry out a thorough investigation into it to resolve the issue which had gone viral on Facebook.
“At Ayamas, we implement the most stringent quality control measures to ensure that only top quality food products leave our plants, and wish to let our customers know that nothing is more important to us than food safety and their health,” she added.
Meanwhile, staff of a supermarket here said they became aware of the tainted food after reading The Borneo Post yesterday.
“We have removed this product in the interest of consumer safety. We will comply with any directive from the authorities for we do not want to land in hot soup,” he said on condition of anonymity.
At another supermarket, its supervisor, who too requested anonymity, said all Ayamas products had been removed from the shelves and would be sent back to Ayamas upon the instruction of his manager.
To prove that he was not lying, he showed an invoice which indicates the items to be returned.
“We do not want to take any risk,” she said.
A senior executive of a departmental store, surnamed Chua, disclosed that he had instructed his staff to remove all Ayamas chicken frankfurter from their shelves.
“We sell other brands too and will return the affected products to the supplier.”
A chicken vendor at Sibu Central Market, Ting Leong Sing, said his business was not affected by the incident.
“People are not shying away as locally produced chicken remained among key dishes at home and restaurants,” said Ting, echoing Mong’s statement that all chicken products produced in the country were safe for consumption, except those from Ayamas.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/06/ayamas-chicken-frankfurter-taken-off-shelves/#ixzz2BOREdXMa
Some of the operators went one step further by removing all products from Ayamas on their shelves even though Ayamas issued a statement through Bernama yesterday that it did not use chloramphenicol or other banned antibiotics in its products.
The Borneo Post front-paged the shocking discovery yesterday and the Health Department has directed its enforcement personnel to ensure that all Ayamas chicken frankfurter were off the shelves.
Health Department director Datu Dr Zulkifli Jantan confirmed yesterday that all its enforcement officers throughout the state had been mobilised to look into the situation.
“We can take action …but usually we will seal and destroy the items,” he said.
Asked about the possible health effects of consuming ‘chloramphenicol’, he warned that it would have long term effects on bacterial resistance.
When contacted, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) state director Wan Ahmad Uzir Wan Sulaiman said there was no instruction to go down to the ground thus far.
“We can start taking action against the perpetrators once there is a directive, for example from the Ministry of Health,” said Wan Uzir.
On Saturday, Assistant Minister for Agriculture (Research and Marketing) Datuk Mong Dagang said the tainted sample was from a batch which was imported into the state from Peninsular Malaysia through Bintulu.
The Veterinary Authority in Kuala Lumpur confirmed the detection and the state immediately suspended the import of Ayamas products, while the state Veterinary Authority forwarded a notice of the suspension of importation of Ayamas products to importers on Nov 1.
But Ayamas general manager (Group Corporate Communications) Rosniza Baharum yesterday expressed surprise at the suspension.
“Our routine internal tests also do not reveal any evidence of usage of such antibiotics in the raw materials we use,” she said in the statement.
Nevertheless, she said, Ayamas was taking the matter very seriously and would carry out a thorough investigation into it to resolve the issue which had gone viral on Facebook.
“At Ayamas, we implement the most stringent quality control measures to ensure that only top quality food products leave our plants, and wish to let our customers know that nothing is more important to us than food safety and their health,” she added.
Meanwhile, staff of a supermarket here said they became aware of the tainted food after reading The Borneo Post yesterday.
“We have removed this product in the interest of consumer safety. We will comply with any directive from the authorities for we do not want to land in hot soup,” he said on condition of anonymity.
At another supermarket, its supervisor, who too requested anonymity, said all Ayamas products had been removed from the shelves and would be sent back to Ayamas upon the instruction of his manager.
To prove that he was not lying, he showed an invoice which indicates the items to be returned.
“We do not want to take any risk,” she said.
A senior executive of a departmental store, surnamed Chua, disclosed that he had instructed his staff to remove all Ayamas chicken frankfurter from their shelves.
“We sell other brands too and will return the affected products to the supplier.”
A chicken vendor at Sibu Central Market, Ting Leong Sing, said his business was not affected by the incident.
“People are not shying away as locally produced chicken remained among key dishes at home and restaurants,” said Ting, echoing Mong’s statement that all chicken products produced in the country were safe for consumption, except those from Ayamas.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/06/ayamas-chicken-frankfurter-taken-off-shelves/#ixzz2BOREdXMa
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