Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2007 21:03:24 -0400
From: "U.S. Dept of State List Manager" <listmgr@...>
Subject: Success Against Bird Flu Slowed by Ongoing Animal Infections

Success Against Bird Flu Slowed by Ongoing Animal Infections
(Potential for pandemic exists as long as bird flu virus lives in poultry)
(890)

By Cheryl Pellerin
USINFO Staff Writer

Washington - Despite the eradication of avian flu viruses in poultry in
many countries, and reductions in the prevalence of infection in others,
the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain continues to threaten bird and human
populations around the world.

This finding was among the conclusions reached in Rome June 27-29, at the
International Technical Meeting on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and
Human H5N1 Infection. The 115 participants included representatives of 15
countries, many international and regional organizations, and 24
independent experts.

The meeting comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 317
people have been infected with avian influenza since 2003 and 191 have died.

A recurring theme throughout the meeting was that there is no room for
complacency about bird flu, said Ambassador John Lange, the U.S. State
Department's special representative on avian and pandemic influenza, during
a July 2 USINFO interview.

"The H5N1 virus is highly persistent," he said, "it is spreading in poultry
populations, and the threat that it will mutate to become a human pandemic
continues."

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization
for Animal Health (OIE) and WHO organized the meeting in collaboration with
UNICEF and the office of the U.N. System Influenza Coordinator.

The U.S. delegation included representatives from the State Department, the
Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Agriculture and
the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Participants were veterinary and human health officials, scientific experts
and technical specialists, and representatives of international and
regional technical agencies, the private sector, donors and nongovernmental
organizations.

OUTBREAK AND RESPONSE

More than 250 million chickens have died of H5N1 or have been destroyed to
stop the virus's spread. Farmers and poultry producers have lost billions
of dollars as a result.

"In the 15 or so countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East
where the H5N1 virus was introduced during the past six months, it was
rapidly detected and eliminated or controlled," FAO's chief veterinary
officer, Joseph Domenech, said during a June 27 press briefing at the
meeting in Rome.

"Most affected countries have been very open about new outbreaks," he
added. "This shows that countries are taking the H5N1 threat seriously.
They are better prepared today and have improved their response systems."

Recent poultry outbreaks in Bangladesh, Ghana, Togo, the Czech Republic and
Germany are a clear reminder that the virus can spread to new or previously
infected countries, Domenech said. A potential human pandemic cannot be
ruled out as long as the virus continues to exist in poultry.

Two new WHO-confirmed human H5N1 cases in Vietnam, for example - the first
human cases reported there since 2005 - coincided with a large number of
new poultry outbreaks of H5N1 in Vietnam in May and June. In Europe, OIE
confirmed H5N1 in three swans found dead in France July 5, the second
outbreak in France in 17 months.

For bird outbreaks, the three main countries of concern are Indonesia,
Egypt and Nigeria, because of large bird populations, bird and people
interactions, and - in Nigeria - the effect avian flu will have on people's
livelihoods. Indonesia also has the greatest number of human H5N1 cases
since 2003 - 101, with 80 deaths.

PANDEMIC READY

The persistence of H5N1 in countries despite efforts to tackle it, said
David Nabarro, U.N. system coordinator for avian and pandemic influenza, is
a concern for affected communities, countries suffering as a result, and
the world as a whole.

Part of the answer, he said, is to make all nations "pandemic ready,"
meaning they have health care systems that can accommodate patients during
a pandemic and publics that understand the implications of a pandemic.

"At least 178 countries have drafted or finalized their national pandemic
preparedness plans," Lange said, and the revised International Health
Regulations - which provide a standardized way for the international
community to detect, report and respond to public health emergencies of
international importance - have come into force. (See related article (
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=May&x\
=20070514163238lcnirellep0.4197657
).)

"One element of such preparedness is the Community Mitigation Guidance
prepared by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," Lange
said. (See related article (
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=Febru\
ary&x=20070212130917lcnirellep0.3025629
).)

The best protection against pandemic flu - a vaccine well-matched to the
virus - will not be available for five months to six months. Community
strategies that do not involve vaccines or medications (nonpharmaceutical
interventions) may be the best way to delay or help stop a pandemic's
spread.

"We use it domestically and offer it to other countries to consider for
their own preparedness plans," Lange said.

Meeting participants also discussed the New Delhi Ministerial Conference on
Avian and Pandemic Influenza, Lange said, scheduled for December 4-6 in
India. The government of India will host the meeting and the International
Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza will sponsor it. (See related
article (
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=Decem\
ber&x=20061206180557lcnirellep5.155581e-02
).)

More information (
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/community/mitigation.html ) about the
Community Mitigation Guidance is available at the pandemicflu.gov Web site.

Additional information ( http://www.who.int/csr/ihr/en/index.html ) about
the International Health Regulations is available on the WHO Web site.

For more information on U.S. and international efforts to combat avian
influenza, see Bird Flu (Avian Influenza) (
http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/global_issues/bird_flu.html ).

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)

( For help in managing your subscription to the WF-ENGLISH listserv, either
send
the word HELP in a message to LISTSERV@... or navigate to the
website menu at
http://lists.state.gov/SCRIPTS/WA-USIAINFO.EXE?SUBED1=wf-english&A=1 )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: USINFO-ENGLISH Digest - 3 Jul 2007 to 5 Jul 2007 (#2007-66)