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| Sunday, 23 October 2005 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Avian flu: Are we ready? by a Staff Reporter Sri Lanka does not seem to be ready for an outbreak of deadly Avian (bird) flu that has already spread in many parts of Asia and Europe, warned a former WHO Consultant who spoke to the Sunday Observer yesterday morning. An outbreak of avian flu may be more dangerous than the tsunami in its disastrous consequences he added. Citing the possibility of infected birds immigrating to Sri Lanka and spreading the disease among Sri Lankan birds he questioned whether we have warned Wild Life authorities to be on the look out and immediately send any dead birds to the authorities in Colombo so that they could be flown to Europe, USA or any other country with proper laboratory facilities for testing. On the possible infection of birds in poultry farms he questioned whether we have even a list of all poultry farms in the island so that precautionary measures could be taken in the case of an infection in any one of them. Do we know how to identify birds afflicted with avian flu and what steps should be taken in case of detection, he queried. He also questioned whether we have the requisite apparel for persons who would come into contact with affected birds and the necessary disinfectant chemicals etc. for use in such a case. The possibility of humans getting infected with the avian flu virus cannot be ruled out and only few countries have developed a vaccine against it, he said. We have to take precautionary measures like administering Influenza A type vaccines, he added. Anti-viral drugs currently used for avian flu are costly. A single dose costs as much as 10 dollars and it should be taken for at least seven days he added. The economic consequences of an avian flu outbreak would be colossal as thousands of birds will have to be killed and the means of livelihood of several thousands would be affected. The government will have to provide relief to the poultry farmers and their employees as well as provide consumers with poultry goods. What is most urgent is the formation of a National Task Force with the participation of the Wild Life department, the Health Ministry, the Agriculture department, the Animal Husbandry departmen, Poultry Famer's Association and Veterinary Science faculties of the Universities, he added. An immediate Action Plan is an urgent necessity and the Action Plan decided upon at the recent WHO Regional Conference in Colombo could be made use of, he said. Fact file What is avian influenza (bird flu)? Bird flu is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These flu viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, bird flu is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them. Do bird flu viruses infect humans? Bird flu viruses do not usually infect humans, but several cases of human infection with bird flu viruses have occurred since 1997. Symptoms of bird flu in humans have ranged from typical flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches) to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases (such as acute respiratory distress), and other severe and life-threatening complications. The symptoms of bird flu may depend on which virus caused the infection. What is an avian influenza A (H5N1) virus? Influenza A (H5N1) virus - also called "H5N1 virus" - is an influenza A virus subtype that occurs mainly in birds. It was first isolated from birds (terns) in South Africa in 1961. Like all bird flu viruses, H5N1 virus circulates among birds worldwide, is very contagious among birds, and can be deadly. Is there a vaccine to protect humans from H5N1 virus? There currently is no commercially available vaccine to protect humans against the H5N1 virus that is being seen in Asia and Europe . However, vaccine development efforts are taking place.
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