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Dr. Albert Osterhaus is one of the world’s leading virologists and his group was the first to identify human infection with the avian influenza strain H5N1.
Contact: Dr. Albert
Osterhaus, Erasmus MC, Room Ee 1726, Dr. Molewaterplein 50,
NL- 3015GE Rotterdam The Netherlands
Making HP5N1 Vaccines available -
Paul van Aarle -
Click
here!
(A .pdf file 280.08KB (286805 bytes)
2007 - Science Links
'Comments on the re-opening of the Holton Plant' - Dr. Ruth Watkins
- Click here!
'HPAI - H5N1' - Dr. Ruth Watkins -
Click
here!
The
Transmissibility of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial
Poultry in Industrialised Countries - Click
here!
Bird Flu (Avian influenza)
Is a virus affecting birds and there are several strains of the virus. It has been devastating bird populations around the globe and has been confirmed in about 50 countries.
The current outbreak, which originated in southeast Asia in 2003, has spread to the Middle East, Europe, South Asia and Africa.
Most viruses are species specific but the virus has acquired the ability to jump from birds to humans. Scientists believe that if the virus acquires the ability to jump easily between humans (human to human), it could unleash a pandemic, killing millions of people within months.
Developing countries are most at risk where a human pandemic would be particularly catastrophic as living conditions and malnutrition are likely to make people more vulnerable. Health services are weak and vaccines and
anti-viral treatments would be beyond reach.
Since late last year, outbreaks of avian flu have been confirmed in Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, China, Japan, Egypt, Nigeria, Hungary and Britain as well as an unconfirmed report in Turkey. But there have been no confirmed outbreaks in North and South America.
By February 2007 the World Health Organization had registered 272 cases of the virus in humans and 166 deaths since 2003. The people had died from the H5N1 strain. Almost all
of them had caught it from birds, but scientists believe there have been a few cases of human to human
transmission and there is no known cure.
Even if there is no pandemic, bird flu will threaten the livelihoods of millions of people in Asia and Africa as health officials carry out mass poultry
culls and other countries ban imports.
Over 220 million domestic birds - mostly owned by poor farmers in developing countries - have died or been culled.
(FAO). Some countries have used a
combination of culling, bio-security, vaccination and surveillance to
control the spread of the virus.
Countries with known human deaths from bird flu are - Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
More information concerning Avian Influenza
- (Bird flu) can be found in the links above. The
latest information and advice from DEFRA (the Department of the
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs UK) can be found here - DEFRA
and via our News page
The UK Government's Contingency Plan for Exotic
Animal Diseases - December 2006 - Click
here! |
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