"The most effective way to prevent a human pandemic would be to control any outbreak in domestic birds (the disease cannot be stopped in wild birds). Containing this disease would also make economic sense for the poultry industry and the many farmers in poor countries with smallholdings of ducks, geese and chicken that are a crucial part of the food supply but vulnerable to the H5N1 virus.
"The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called on countries on the flight paths of wild birds to set up warning and surveillance systems. These include northern Africa, the Middle East, Central Europe, India and Bangladesh. In such places, people live more closely with poultry, and the arrival of bird flu is cause for concern because it could lead to many new human cases......
"In an outbreak of H5N1 in Hong Kong in 1997, the territory acted quickly to destroy 1.5m chickens, virtually its entire stock. This action undoubtedly prevented an expensive regional outbreak until H5N1 emerged again in 2003. It may also have prevented a human pandemic. If the world is to keep the threat at bay, more painful sacrifices like this will be vital.
"For that, some kind of global fund would be helpful to encourage culling, monitoring and the correct use of animal vaccines. The FAO estimates that $175m is needed to begin tackling the problem of avian flu at source by setting up control programmes. To date, $30m has been pledged but the World Bank and the European Commission are expected to invest much more in the control of flu through vaccination and better monitoring."
H5N1 Outbreaks: Jul '05 to 12 Oct'05 (Source: FAO map site.)
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