WHO warns of bird flu resurgence

Manila, Nov 24

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned Tuesday of a possible resurgence of bird flu amid new cases of the disease in poultry in Egypt, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Manila-based WHO Western Pacific Office said the presence of the H5N1 virus in poultry placed those in direct contact with the birds at risk of getting infected with the disease.

It added that it was also closely monitoring the risk of the H5N1 virus combining with the H1N1 swine-flu virus to produce a new and deadlier strain.

"We don't know if this is possible, but we are certainly aware of the risk," said Shin Young-Soo, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific. "We are on alert for this development."

The WHO noted that the H1N1 virus that killed more than 6,000 people around the world since April was a new strain that resulted from "reassortment" or combination of the avian, swine and human strains of flu in pigs in Mexico.

Urging countries to remain on alert against bird flu, Shin stressed that influenza viruses were unpredictable.

"In areas where the H1N1 is endemic, we and our partners and national governments are working to build surveillance systems to identify changes in the behaviour of the virus," he said.

"We are also focusing on early-response capacity to reduce the potential threats to human health," Shin added.

Since 2003, outbreaks of H5N1 have been reported in poultry flocks in 60 countries in Asia, Europe and North Africa, leading to the culling of millions of birds.

Last updated on Nov 24^th, 2009 at 16:00 pm IST--DPA

Possibly related news:

Other News Headlines

UAE, Turkmenistan sign bilateral agreements

Abu Dhabi, Feb 9

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Turkmenistan have signed bilateral agreements for cooperation in various fields, WAM news agency reported Tuesday.

Barrymore plans remake of 'Charlie's Angels' for TV

London, Feb 9

Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore is making plans to bring back the hit TV series "Charlie's Angels" back to the small screen.

Toyota recalls Prius, three other car models

Tokyo, Feb 9

Toyota Motor said Tuesday it would recall about 437,000 vehicles globally to fix a faulty braking system in its top-selling Prius and three other hybrid models, the latest in a series of recalls threatening the reputation of the world's largest carmaker.

Senior Al Qaeda man killed in Somalia

Nairobi/Mogadishu, Feb 9

A Somali minister Tuesday said government forces had killed a senior Al Qaeda fighter who was also a member of Somali insurgent group al-Shabaab.

Iran starts 20-percent uranium enrichment process

Tehran/Vienna, Feb 9

Iran Tuesday started the 20-percent uranium enrichment process, the head of the country's Atomic Energy Organization said.

Enter Your Name and Email below and Post your comment
Name	Email:
Comment:

Please login to use this service
Usermame :
Password :
Quick signup \| Forgot Password