VIETNAM: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DESCRIBES CURRENT OUTBREAK OF BIRD FLU ACROSS ASIA AS "UNPRECEDENTED"
Record ID:
643524
VIETNAM: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DESCRIBES CURRENT OUTBREAK OF BIRD FLU ACROSS ASIA AS "UNPRECEDENTED"
- Title: VIETNAM: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DESCRIBES CURRENT OUTBREAK OF BIRD FLU ACROSS ASIA AS "UNPRECEDENTED"
- Date: 27th January 2004
- Summary: (W5) HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM (RECENT) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS OF CHICKEN FARM (2 SHOTS) 0.09 2. SACKLOADS OF CHICKENS BEING TAKEN FOR BURIAL 0.16 3. CHICKENS BEING BURIED BY MECHANICAL DIGGER 0.22 4. EMPTY CHICKEN SHED AFTER CHICKENS HAVE BEEN KILLED 0.26 5. EXTERIORS DESERTED FRIED CHICKEN SHOPS (2 SHOTS) 0.36 (W5) HANOI, VIETNAM (JANUARY 27, 2004) (REUTERS) 6. WIDE OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) BRIEFING 0.41 7. CU: WHO SIGN 0.45 8. SOUNDBITE (English) WHO REGIONAL DIRECTOR SHIGERU OMI: "Well I think this is unprecedented because of several factors: first one is that the number of the countries infected with this virus is unprecedented. We never seen the situation in the history where so many countries are affected with one virus at the same time. So this is number one. And the number of infected poultries are really on the rise every day." 1.13 (W5) HO CHI MINH CITY (RECENT) (REUTERS) 9. CHICKENS IN FARM 1.17 10. VARIOUS OF EGGS ON SALE (2 SHOTS) 1.24 (W5) HANOI, VIETNAM (JANUARY 27, 2004) (REUTERS) 11. SOUNDBITE (English) OMI: "The more the number of the avian flu among the poultry, more chance that the people infected. And the more the number of the people infected, more chance that the virus will gain the potential for human to human transmission. So what we are concerned is that if and when this virus gains the potential for the human to human transmission, the number of affected or killed will be staggering - at least more serious, I can say, than the SARS case last year." 2.04 12. VARIOUS INTERIORS OF CHILDRENS HOSPITAL (4 SHOTS) 2.25 13. SOUNDBITE (English) OMI: "They discussed the concrete measures that all the members states are expected to implement in the weeks to come so that jointly we can avert this outbreak." 2.41 (W5) HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM (RECENT) (REUTERS) 14. VARIOUS OF WHO INSTRUCTOR TEACHING VIETNAMESE MEDICAL STAFF ON HOW TO DEAL WITH BIRD FLU VIRUS (11 SHOTS) 3.37 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 11th February 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: HO CHI MINH CITY AND HANOI, VIETNAM
- Country: Vietnam
- Reuters ID: LVA6D66JOUCT41WACUK8LR2H80KR
- Story Text: World Health Organisation describes spread of bird flu as
"unprecedented", warns of pandemic more deadly than
SARS.
Vietnam has so far been the hardest hit by the
outbreak. Besides six confirmed deaths there have been
seven deaths suspected to have been caused by avian flu.
About two million chickens have been killed by the
disease or have been culled as authorities try to stamp it
out. While all of the confirmed human cases have taken
place near the capital Hanoi, in the north of the country,
the flu has struck poultry most severely in the south.
The transport of chickens has been banned across much
of southern Vietnam and their sale has been stopped in the
country's biggest city, Ho Chi Minh City, also in the
south.
Authorities are uncertain why the human flu cases were
clustered in the north, while the chickens were sick in the
south. Possible explanations are differing climate
conditions and that some cases in the south may not yet
have been diagnosed.
"The number of the countries infected with this virus
is unprecedented", said World Health Organisation (WHO)
regional director Shigeru Omi. "We never seen the situation
in the history where so many countries are affected with
one virus at the same time. So this is number one. And the
number of infected poultries are really on the rise every
day".
And experts are worried there might be a mixing of the
avian flu with a human flu and a new, contagious deadly
disease could sweep out of Asia, a year after Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) emerged and killed about 800
people around the world.
The H5N1 variant of bird flu is the most deadly strain.
Although human fatalities from avian flu are currently very
rare the great fear is that the H5N1 virus might mate with
human influenza and unleash a pandemic among people with no
immunity to it.
So far, there is no evidence of the virus itself
passing from human to human and generating a new strain
that could spark this pandemic. Humans infected so far are
believed to have caught the virus directly from birds.
But WHO authorities warn this could change.
"The more the number of the avian flu among the
poultry, more chance that the people infected. And the more
the number of the people infected, more chance that the
virus will gain the potential for human to human
transmission", Omi said.
"So what we are concerned is that if and when this
virus gains the potential for the human to human
transmission, the number of affected or killed will be
staggering - at least more serious, I can say, than the
SARS case last year", he continued.
At the main children's hospital in Hanoi, babies have
been isolated in an infectious diseases ward. Medical staff
making the rounds were in full protective overalls,
including masks.
The WHO has launched an international appeal calling
for urgent measures to contain the virus.
"They discussed the concrete measures that all the
members states are expected to implement in the weeks to
come so that jointly we can avert this outbreak."
Doctors say bird flu in humans looks similar to common
flu, with high fever, sore throat and a dry cough that can
deteriorate into severe respiratory problems.
Medics say a vaccine may take months to develop.
In 1997, six people in Hong Kong died from H5N1, which
prompted a cull of all poultry in the territory. In April
2003, a veterinarian in the Netherlands died from a
different strain of avian flu.
Some countries, in addition to banning bird imports
from infected countries, are taking other measures to try
to keep out the flu, which experts say probably is spread
by wild birds.
Japan and Singapore banned imports of birds -- from
parrots and eagles to ostrich and exotic bird meats --
shipped from countries reporting outbreaks.
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