Bird flu in Europe is “call to arms”
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The spread of the deadly bird flu virus to poultry in areas on the fringes of Europe has increased the chances of human cases and should serve as a “call to arms”, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.
The United Nations agency urged tighter surveillance of both flocks and humans to detect quickly any further outbreaks after avian viruses were identified in Turkey and Romania.
“It represents a call to arms on human health. We have to accelerate work in many countries on the human preparedness side,” Mike Ryan, director of WHO’s alert and response operations, told Reuters.
“It’s not a time for panic, it is a time for action,” added the Irish expert in international outbreak control.
In a statement, the WHO said all evidence shows the virulent H5N1 virus still does not spread easily from birds to humans.
Experts say the H5N1 strain is mutating steadily and fear it will eventually acquire the changes it needs to spread among humans. This could result in a human influenza pandemic, which could sweep around the world in months and could kill millions.
The spread of H5N1 to poultry in new areas was of concern “as it increases opportunities for further human cases to occur”, WHO said.
But it also warned that there were likely to be increasing numbers of “false alarms” over possible human infection because “the early symptoms of H5N1 infection mimic those of many other common respiratory illnesses”.
In Turkey, nine people have been kept under observation in hospital for blood tests for possible bird flu after the death of a number of pigeons, state-run Antatolian news agency said.
“It is good and reassuring that the system in Turkey is able to detect cases consistent with the disease, but it is premature to say these are human cases of avian flu,” Ryan said.
SUPPORT FOR TURKEY, ROMANIA
The WHO has sent diagnostic materials to both Turkey and Romania and had recently trained virologists from both countries in diagnosing human cases of bird flu, according to Ryan.
“We suspect there will be an increase in suspected cases with the enhanced surveillance,” he added.
The deadly H5N1 strain spread from Asia, where it has killed 65 people in four countries since 2003.
On Thursday, an H5N1 bird flu outbreak was confirmed among birds on a farm in Turkey. An avian virus has been detected in Romanian ducks, but the European Commission said results on whether it is H5N1 or a milder strain were now due on Saturday.
Countries with outbreaks in poultry should take precautions, particularly during culling and should monitor people possibly exposed to the virus or who display fever or respiratory symptoms, according to the WHO.
People in affected countries were advised to avoid contact with dead migratory birds or wild birds showing signs of disease. Infected poultry, or surfaces and objects contaminated by their droppings, are the main route of human infection.
“Exposure risk is considered highest during slaughter, defeathering, butchering, and preparation of poultry for cooking,” WHO said, adding poultry should be properly cooked.
Ryan said: “What we want to see in every country are health and safety standards for workers who work in the animal industry. General hygiene standards need to be maintained.”
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