Home>News Center>World
         
 

Asia facing real risk of bird flu pandemic - experts
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-23 15:09

The deadly bird flu virus will take years to eradicate and Asia is now facing the serious risk of a pandemic that would cause far greater loss of life than the SARS outbreak, experts told a landmark conference in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Delegations from more than 20 countries and organisations, including major donors and United Nations agencies, were seeking to evaluate their understanding of the H5N1 virus and find long-term measures to get rid of it.

World Health Organization Regional Director Dr. Shigeru Omi (L) greets Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Nhan, Vice-Chairman of the People's Committe of HCMC, at the opening ceremony of a three-day conference on Avian influenza Control in Ho Chi Minh City, February 23, 2005. Asia's deadly bird flu will persist for many years and a global effort is needed to stop the virus from spreading and prevent a human pandemic, the U.N. agency said on Wednesday. [Reuters]
World Health Organization Regional Director Dr. Shigeru Omi (L) greets Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Nhan, Vice-Chairman of the People's Committe of HCMC, at the opening ceremony of a three-day conference on Avian influenza Control in Ho Chi Minh City, February 23, 2005. Asia's deadly bird flu will persist for many years and a global effort is needed to stop the virus from spreading and prevent a human pandemic, the U.N. agency said on Wednesday. [Reuters]
"It is in the interest of both developed and developing countries to invest in the control and containment of avian influenza," said Samuel Jutzi, the Food and Agriculture Organisation's director of animal production and health.

"There is an increasing risk of avian influenza spread that no poultry keeping country can afford to ignore.

"We must assume that avian influenza will persist for many years in some of the countries that had disease outbreaks in 2004-2005," Jutzi told the conference.

Bird flu has been discovered in eight countries since late 2003 -- Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos and South Korea.

Thirty-three people have died in Vietnam since then in several outbreaks. Another 12 have died in Thailand.

Dr. Teruhide Fujita, from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), echoed the warning. "Immediate eradication of the disease in the region cannot be envisaged in the short term under the current situation," he said.

Fujita noted that "ducks can act as reservoirs of infection with or without clinical signs and are capable of excreting large amounts of viruses into the environment."

Scientists fear a possible mutation of the virus that could unleash a global pandemic, and ways of eradicating the virus for good will top the agenda.

"We at WHO believe that the world is now in the gravest possible danger of a pandemic," said Dr. Shigeru Omi, director of the WHO's Western Pacific office.

"The health impact in term of death and sickness will be enormous and certainly much greater that SARS", he said referring to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome that killed nearly 800 people two years ago.

However, at a press briefing after the opening session, Omi said the bird flu virus had not yet "gained the potential for efficient human-to-human transmission."

He also said it was difficult to predict when a human vaccine against the disease would be available.

Ducks are seen at a farm in northern Ha Tay province, 20 km (12.4 miles) south of Hanoi, February 23, 2005. [Reuters]
Ducks are seen at a farm in northern Ha Tay province, 20 km (12.4 miles) south of Hanoi, February 23, 2005. [Reuters]
FAO's director of animal health Joseph Domenech said eradication of the virus in poultry "will come in many years." But, he added, "controlling can be done today. With more investment, it is possible to control the effect of the disease."

While "there is a lot of focus put on human health," Domenech said, "we hope governments will put the focus on the source."

Scientists have long warned further outbreaks of the disease are inevitable in the region as long as humans live cheek by jowl with livestock. Animal husbandry practices across the entire region need to be changed.

The conference will also try to strengthen regional cooperation and information, as several countries were accused last year of deliberately covering up outbreaks.

Delegates would be expected to consider as well why some countries have been more affected than others.

Conference host Vietnam, which has seen 13 human deaths from the virus this winter is on the frontlines of the disease whereas China, with its huge populations, both human and poultry, has reported hardly any cases this year.

"It would be highly interesting to listen to the Chinese report," Jutzi said, suggesting that "they may have been lucky" in addition to taking measures such as vaccinating the poultry against the virus.

The conference, jointly organized by the OIE and the FAO, is being held an hour's drive from the mouth of the Mekong delta where the poultry population has been decimated since last year.



 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Beijing pushes for charter cargo flights across Straits

 

   
 

Bush threatens Europe on ending arms ban

 

   
 

Goliaths compete for nuclear plant pact

 

   
 

Strong quake strikes Iran, over 400 dead

 

   
 

US citizen accused of plotting to kill Bush

 

   
 

Medics venture into twilight zone

 

   
  Feared Iraq war could be illegal - report
   
  Al-Jaafari likely to be next Iraqi PM
   
  Strong quake strikes Iran, over 400 dead
   
  South Korea, US, Japan to discuss nuclear strategy
   
  Europeans recall bad memories during Bush visit
   
  Aceh rebels drop demands for independence
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Asia's bird flu here to stay, FAO says
   
CDC chief: Bird flu could become epidemic
   
Bird flu can produce other diseases
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 性一交一乱一乱一视频| 亚洲第一成年免费网站| 鲤鱼乡太大了坐不下去| 国产视频2021| a级毛片免费观看网站| 精品人妻少妇一区二区| 国产女主播喷水视频在线观看 | 成人国产欧美精品一区二区| 久久国产精品免费一区二区三区| 欧美午夜伦y4480私人影院| 亚洲精品无码久久久久去Q| 精品3d动漫视频一区在线观看 | 麻豆高清免费国产一区| 国产精品v欧美精品v日韩精品| 91黑丝国产线观看免费| 女人18毛片a| 一女被两男吃奶玩乳尖| 成人区人妻精品一区二区不卡网站| 久久一区二区三区免费播放| 日本高清va在线播放| 久久精品无码一区二区三区不卡| 欧美一区二区三区视频在线观看 | 日本19禁啪啪无遮挡免费动图| 久久精品无码一区二区三区| 欧美18videos极品massage| 亚洲国产成人片在线观看| 欧美牲交a欧美牲交aⅴ免费真| 人妻av一区二区三区精品| 窝窝免费午夜视频一区二区| 又粗又硬又爽的三级视频| youjizz国产| 国产综合色在线精品| 99久久婷婷国产综合精品| 够够了太深了h1v3| va天堂va亚洲va影视中文字幕| 小仙女np高h| 一二三四社区在线中文视频| 成人中文字幕在线| 三个人躁我一个| 日本黄色影院在线观看| 九九影院理论片在线观看一级|