UN warns of global birdflu crisis

[New Petchburi Pete]

 

September 28, 2004 - 1:50PM

 

Asia's bird flu epidemic is a "crisis of global importance," two UN agencies warned as Thailand went on nationwide alert today after the virus was confirmed in a woman whose case has raised concerns over human-to-human transmission.

 

Recent outbreaks among poultry in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand show that the virus is still gripping the region and probably won't be eradicated soon, the two agencies said in a joint statement.

 

"A permanent threat to animal and human health continues to exist," the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health said.

 

The warning came hours after Thai authorities confirmed that a woman was suffering from bird flu, the second person in Thailand confirmed with the disease since it resurfaced in July after appearing to subside for a few months.

 

The woman, identified only as Pranom, 32, is in an isolation ward in hospital but her condition has been improving, Charal Trinwuthipong, director general of the Disease Control Department, told reporters yesterday. He said Pranom's six-year-old son is also sick.

 

The announcement about Pranom raised fears of human-to-human transmission because her sister and niece died earlier this month of symptoms similar to bird flu, although it was impossible to confirm if they had the virus.

 

Human-to-human transmission was suspected in the past in Vietnam and Hong Kong, but never confirmed. All the known victims of the disease so far contracted the virus from infected birds.

 

Nine people have died of bird flu in Thailand and 19 in Vietnam this year. Tens of millions of chickens and other birds have also died or been culled throughout much of Asia.

 

Scientists fear a global pandemic if it is proved that the virus has mutated to mix with the human influenza virus and can jump easily from one human to another.

 

However, Thai and World Health Organisation officials said there is no evidence so far that Pranom got the virus from her sister, Pranee, 26, or niece Sakuntala, 11.

 

"At this stage, we can't say what caused the infection and truth be told, at the end of the day, we may never know what caused these infections," said Peter Cordingley, WHO's regional spokesman in Manila, Philippines.

 

Still, the Thai government went on high alert and ordered 1 million health workers and volunteers to inform people about the need to keep tabs on dead poultry. They were also told to distribute handbooks and posters to all villages.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisaen, who chairs the national committee to fight bird flu, will meet livestock officials tomorrow.

 

"The avian influenza epidemic in Asia is a 'crisis of global importance' and will continue to demand the attention of the international community for some time to come, the FAO and OIE joint statement said.

 

It said more research is urgently needed as the role of wildlife, domestic ducks and pigs in transmitting the virus among animals is still not fully understood.

 

- AP

[frogpatrol]

This is alarming stuff. About 6 months ago, I remember reading an article by a well-know medical writer on the potential for exactly this to occur. His arguments about the viral mutation were spot on, and now here we are with the chance that such a mutation could indeed be happening.

 

The Thai authorities have muddled this whole thing from the onset. Let's hope and pray we don't all pay for it.

[Guest]

This is old news. I am amazed that the bird flu has not crossed over to people by now and be transmitted by person to person. Most people claim when this happens, the world might be in for one of the worst health nightmares it has ever experienced. Now, lets go back to sleep.

[New Petchburi Pete]

I read on some site today that there may well have been a case in Thailand involving human to human transmission

fairly recently.

[Guest]

Human to human, as in mother to daughter or daughter to mother and both died. If this version of the flu should begin to be transmitted from person to person, we might expect to see the disaster that some organizations such as CDC and WHO have said may becoming our way. Also remember that SARS appears not to have been completely eliminated so we can expect that dragon's head may reappear again also.

[Khun_Kong]

MightyMouse said:

Human to human, as in mother to daughter or daughter to mother and both died. If this version of the flu should begin to be transmitted from person to person, we might expect to see the disaster that some organizations such as CDC and WHO have said may becoming our way. Also remember that SARS appears not to have been completely eliminated so we can expect that dragon's head may reappear again also.

 

His most excellency Khun T ordered today that bird flu be eliminated by October 31.

 

Sick birds have been ordered to fly to the nearest police station, where they will be shot... errr, "processed".

 

It is rumored that the police are being issued extra birdshot, but government spokesmen deny that this is true. They say that if any chickens are found shot to death, that it must be the work of rival gangs of bad eggs.

 

The sad part is that the first paragraph is actually TRUE (today's BKK Post), but it sounds as ridiculous as the final 2 paragraphs.

[Guest]

KK,

 

Agree, what a joke, huh? I just looked at the Bangkok post and saw the 1 month deadline! Doesn't he realise you can't just timeline it in a short period to completely wipe it out!!!!!!!!

 

Oh well, I had a good chuckle.......

 

SB.

[Guest]

Guns don't kill people. Chickens do.