Health Chief Moves to Reassure Public Over Threat of Bird Flu Spreading to Humans on Merseyside
Posted on: Saturday, 22 October 2005, 12:00 CDT
THE risk of deadly bird flu passing into humans in the region was "currently almost non-existent", Merseyside's leading public health official said yesterday.
Professor John Ashton moved to reassure the public about the threat just days after the UK's chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, warned more than 50,000 people could die when a flu pandemic arrives in this country.
Prof Ashton, North West Director of Public Health, spoke before it emerged that a parrot which died in UK quarantine had Avian flu.
He stressed the risk of the virus in birds spreading to humans in Europe was currently minuscule.
He said: "Thousands and possibly millions of people in South East Asia handle diseased birds and poultry, yet only 120 of those have contracted Avian Flu as a result.
"These 120 people lived and worked in close proximity with their birds in impoverished conditions and that made them more susceptible to infection.
"The Avian Flu virus, H5N1, does not spread easily from bird to human and at this stage there is no evidence of it being able to spread from human-to-human.
"H5N1 has not reached UKor western European birds and poultry flocks and DEFRA is leading on plans to minimise even further the risk to domestic and wild fowl in this country.
"The biggest risks to health this winter will be from road accidents, smoking and the ordinary seasonal flu that we see every winter.
"That is why it is important for everyone who is eligible for a flu jab to ensure that they are protected against normal seasonal flu."
Professor Ashton said a flu pandemic was likely within the next three or four years and that plans were in place to contain it, but there was no evidence of the pandemic Professor John Ashton starting anywhere in the world yet. Dr Nick Phin, the Health Protection Agency's Flu Lead for Cheshire and Merseyside, said: "There are real concerns that the avian influenza affecting birds in Asia and Eastern Europe maybe the trigger for the next flu pandemic.
"For this to happen the current H5N1 virus would have to mutate and incorporate viral genes of human influenza origin so that it can spread easily from person to person.
"The evidence to date suggests that this has not happened. It is also encouraging that the current strain of avian flu is not resistant to the anti-viral drugs we would use to treat this virus.
"Given the seriousness of the potential threat, plans outlining how such an event should be handled are being updated and tested
Source: Daily Post; Liverpool
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