Bird Flu: Are there risks, cures?
In recent days our news staff have received numerous phone calls by persons traveling to Asia and wanted to know more about the status of the bird flu in various countries, the risks of infections and how to protect themselves. Below we have gathered some of the most frequently asked questions. The answers were taken from World Health Organization members and medical experts residing in Asia.
Can the H5N1 bird flu virus be transmitted from man-to-man?
The opinion of medical experts is that if the H5N1 virus mutates or combines with that of common human flu bug or “jumps” from birds to pigs, infection can occur even between humans. Currently, persons who have contracted the disease have been infected by bird dust or droppings. It has not been proven than the two sisters who died in Vietnam were infected by their brother. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that if there were to be a confirmed case of human-to-human transmission, there would a risk of a global outbreak.
Is it true that the bird flu is deadlier than Sars?
Avian influenza has a greater death rate than Sars. Yet experts consider Sars to be more dangerous than the H5N1 bird flu virus. Only in the case of human-to-human transmission will the bird flu be deadlier than Sars. According to a WHO official in Manila, Lance Jennings, bird flu infection in humans almost always results in death.
Can one get infected by eating poultry?
If meat is cooked properly, there are no risks of infection. Infection occurs when meat is still raw or frozen. The WHO excludes the link between a Vietnamese boy’s contraction and death of the disease and an infected chicken he had eaten before getting sick. It was the close contact with the live chicken bought at the market, whose feathers were subsequently plucked and meat cooked, that caused the boy to be infected.
Can chicken eggs transmit the virus?
No two opinions agree on this matter. According to research conducted by the World Organization for Animal Health in Paris, there are only slight risks of infection from eggs. Henry Niman, of Boston’s Harvard Medical School, is convinced the virus enters eggs and is seen in the drop in overall egg production. For Desmond O’Toole, professor of food microbiology in Hong Kong, the virus is not found in eggs, but in the shell, and when birds are infected they stop laying eggs.
Do all birds present risks of infection?
Not all birds are dangerous and the risk of infection from pet birds is quite low.
Is it true that the virus has spread because of migratory birds?
According to WHO experts migratory birds are one possible explanation for the rapid and simultaneous propagation of the virus throughout most of Asia.
Are children more vulnerable to the disease?
As in the case of other diseases, infection occurs more readily in children, as it does for elderly.
Why is it difficult to find a vaccine for the H5N1 virus?
According to Dr. Ho Pak-leung, a Hong Kong microbiologist, research is more complicated, since the virus belongs to different strains. Moreover, it is very difficult to obtain specimens of the virus for lab analysis. It is not clear why vaccines experimented with up until now have proven too weak to immunize humans against viral infection.
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17/08/2004
