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Health Officials Prepare in Event of Bird Flu Outbreak

Posted on: Thursday, 20 October 2005, 18:00 CDT

BVI health officials are taking the necessary precautions to protect members of the community in the event of a bird flu outbreak in the Territory. Director of Health Services Dr. Irad Potter says the Ministry of Health has developed a draft Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Plan to reduce the impact of any flu outbreak in the Territory. The plan includes provisions for surveillance, vaccination of target groups, access to antiviral medicine, disaster coordination, strengthened medical services and communication. - Health Services, Disaster Management and other protective services are all slated to help in strengthening the mitigation, response and recovery areas of the plan and in facilitating its implementation. Dr. Potter reminds the public that personal hygienein particular, regular hand washingreduces the chances of contracting all influenza viruses

. As the height of the flu season arrives, it is important that these practices are made a part of daily living. Human cases of the bird flu, or avian influenza, were reported recently in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia during large outbreaks in poultry, and the death rate for these cases is 50 percent. Most of them occurred from contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces. However, it is believed that, in a few of the cases, the virus has spread between humans. Bird flu is an infection caused by avian influenza 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 often leading to death. Experts from around the world and in the Caribbean are very closely monitoring the movements of the deadly influenza virus in Asia and now Europe, and are preparing for the possibility that the virus may begin to spread to other parts of the world. There are no known cases of the disease in the Americas. Symptoms of bird flu in humans range 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. Since these viruses do not commonly infect humans, there is little or no immune protection against them in the human population.

Source: Info-Prod Research (Middle East)

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