Cat Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 U.N. Bird Flu Chief: Expect More Cases By CHRIS BRUMMITT JAKARTA, Indonesia - The world should expect more bird flu outbreaks in the coming months, the U.N. official coordinating the global fight against the virus warned Sunday after Britain recorded its first case of the H5N1 strain on a commercial farm. Dr. David Nabarro said, however, that he did not expect the virus to spread in Britain to neighboring farms because of the quick containment measures put in place by the government. "This should mean that there won't therefore be spread ... into other parts in the vicinity," he told The Associated Press in Indonesia, the country worst hit by the virus. "That is what I hope, but of course we will see over the next few days." He said countries around the world where the virus was not endemic would likely see more cases in poultry before June, mostly spread by migrating birds. "I am expecting to see outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a number of locations over the next three or four months, and I am basing it on what happened last year," he said, stressing that the risk to human health remained very small. Nabarro said a recent spike in human deaths in Indonesia meant the country must do more to fight the virus despite improving its efforts in recent months, including the slaughter of backyard chickens in the capital last week. "Just at the moment there are rather a lot of (cases) ... so that is why everybody needs to be a little anxious about what is happening and everybody needs to be forceful on moving rapidly and strongly forward with intensifying measures." H5N1 has prompted the slaughter of millions of birds across Asia since late 2003 and caused the deaths of more than 160 people worldwide, around a third of them in Indonesia, according to the World Health Organization. Most people killed so far have been infected by domestic fowl and the virus remains very hard for humans to catch. But experts fear it could mutate into a form that easily spreads among humans, sparking a pandemic with the potential to kill millions. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16918516/ Link to comment
Mother Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 If this were a mystery thriller or a science fiction book I'd say the "plot thickens". Unfortunately, it's all to real. Link to comment
Pansy Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Sewage - definitely! The govt thinks the majority of us are just plain stupid - sure hope they are not correct and that more of us will wake up and smell (not the Roses darn it!) but the sewage. Just had a run in with our county govt so am now in an evil frame of mind - want to send them the "here is your sign Stupid" but guess that won't help our cause at the moment..... Link to comment
Sunnyboysx3 Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 As I've heard time and time again, watch what they DO not what they say. Link to comment
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