VARIOUS: FAO WARNS BIRD FLU COULD SPREAD TO MIDDLE EAST BALKANS AND PARTS OF AFRICA
Record ID:
208387
VARIOUS: FAO WARNS BIRD FLU COULD SPREAD TO MIDDLE EAST BALKANS AND PARTS OF AFRICA
- Title: VARIOUS: FAO WARNS BIRD FLU COULD SPREAD TO MIDDLE EAST BALKANS AND PARTS OF AFRICA
- Date: 7th October 2005
- Summary: (EU) ROME, ITALY (AUGUST 31, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV NEWS CONFERENCE 2. SCU MAP SHOWING MAJOY FLYWAYS OF MIGRATORY BIRDS 3. JOURNALIST 0.08 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOSEPH DOMENECH, FAO CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICER: "The problem comes from the regions where the virus may come and we can see that the risk could be high. Just to repeat: Middle East, Balkan area, northern Africa, eastern Africa. In these countries the migrating routes will obviously give a chance of the virus her e to go towards southwestern parts of the world. So the measures to be taken in general, eastern Europe, Middle East, eastern Africa, northern Africa, is to have emergency support to the governments, emergency action by the governments, emergency commitment of the governments of these countries to do as usual the preventative measures which are more surveillance, early detection and preparedness plan to be able to respond if there is any outbreak" 5. NEWS CONFERENCE 1.08 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAMUEL JUTZI, DIRECTOR, ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND HEALTH DIVISION OF FAO: "These countries would require quite substantial investments to be made so that they would be in a position to adequately detect the virus and fight outbreaks at the right time" 7. NEWS CONFERENCE/ JOURNALISTS 8. JOURNALIST 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JUTZI: "The FAO believes that the human pandemic could be avoided by decisive action at the level of the animal. Mr Domenech has indicated to you that our call for one hundred million dollars investment in southeast Asia has not been honoured by the international community - we have so far received maximum a quarter of that in support of the countries. And by deduction therefore one would assume that the risk to the human pandemic has been increased by the negligence of the international community for investing in eradication of the problem at the source, meaning in the animal." 10. SCU PAPER SHOWING MAJOR FLYWAYS OF MIGRATORY BIRDS 2.22 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOMENECH: "So it's a low path virus and you can find a lot of Avian influenza viruses such as this one all over the world and this is totally different form. So Finland case has been confirmed is not H5N1 virus" 12. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS 2.48 (EU) OKTYABRSKOE VILLAGE, RUSSIA (FILE - AUGUST 16, 2005) (REUTERS) 13. WIDE CHICKEN IN COOP; FARMER LOOKING AT COOP; SCU CHICKEN IN COOP; WIDE DUCKS IN COOPS (VARIOUS) 3.12 (EU) LONG NAN PROVINCE, VIETNAM (RECENT) (REUTERS) 14. SCU CHICKEN IN CAGES; FARMER FILLING WATER IN BUCKET FOR CHICKENS; WOMAN WASHING EGGS IN RIVER (VARIOUS) 3.31 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 22nd October 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ROME, ITALY / OKTYABRSKOE VILLAGE, RUSSIA / LONG NAN PROVINCE, VIETNAM
- City:
- Country: Vietnam Italy Russia
- Reuters ID: LVA77OT8XYFKAOA9XP9IATOL2G2W
- Story Text: FAO warns bird flu could spread to Middle East,
Balkans and parts of Africa, says risk of human pandemic
has been increased by the negligence of the international
community.
The bird flu virus that has hit several countries
in Asia is likely to spread to Europe, the Middle East,
south Asia and Africa, a UN food agency warned on Wednesday
(August 31, 2005).
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) urged
nations at risk to increase surveillance and prepare
national emergency plans and said the virus is likely to be
carried over long distances by migrating wild water birds.
Birds flying from Siberia, where the virus has recently
spread, may carry the disease to the Caspian and Black Seas
"in the foreseeable future," the Rome-based agency said.
"Middle East, Balkan area, northern Africa, eastern
Africa. In these countries the migrating routes will
obviously give a chance of the virus here to go towards
southwestern parts of the world," said Joseph Domenech, FAO
chief veterinary officer.
FAO said bird migration routes also run across
Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Georgia, Ukraine and some
Mediterranean countries and said bird flu outbreaks in
these areas were possible.
Experts say they are concerned by the situation, but
have also expressed optimism that European countries could
stamp out bird flu before the virus takes hold and spreads
among people.
Many experts said the virus would be detected more
quickly in Europe than in Asia, and noted that people don't
live in close quarters with animals, as they do in much of
south-east Asia. The European poultry industry also is
better equipped to shelter its birds from contact with the
wild ducks blamed for the disease's spread, experts said.
However, Director of FAO's animal production and health
division, Samuel Jutzi, expressed concerns that poorer
countries in south-east Europe, where wild birds from Asia
mingle with others from northern Europe, may lack the
capacity to detect and deal with outbreaks of bird flu.
"These countries would require quite substantial
investments to be made so that they would be in a position
to adequately detect the virus and fight outbreaks at the
right time," he said.
The H5N1 bird flu strain has killed almost 60 people in
Asia, but it does not spread easily among humans - a
situation experts fear could change if the virus mutates,
leading to a dangerous pandemic.
The agency said countries at risk, especially those
along the routes of migrating birds, should step up
surveillance of domestic poultry and wild birds, as well as
ready emergency plans. It said affected countries should
battle the bird flu virus at its origin, in poultry.
Jutzi said he believed the risk of a human pandemic had
been increased by negligence by the international community.
"Our call for 100 million dollars investment in
southeast Asia has not been honoured by the international
community - we have so far received maximum a quarter of
that in support of the countries," he said. "And by
deduction therefore one would assume that the risk to the
human pandemic has been increased by the negligence of the
international community for investing in eradication of the
problem at the source, meaning in the animal."
In Russia, the outbreak has killed about 11,000 birds
and prompted officials to slaughter 127,000 others to halt
the virus' spread. No human cases have been registered
there.
An apparent incidence of bird flu had been reported in
Finland, but Domonech stressed it was a different, and
non-dangerous form.
"You can find a lot of Avian influenza viruses such as
this one all over the world and this is totally different
form. So Finland case has been confirmed is not H5N1 virus."
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