Call for calm over deadly bird flu outbreak
Posted 9 April 2013, 8:20 AEST
A Chinese boy wearing a facemask chases pigeons at a public park in People Square, Shanghai (Credit: Reuters)
The World Health Organisation has called for calm as concern mounts about a bird flu epidemic developing in China.
Another person has reportedly died from the H7N9 bird flu virus, bringing the death toll to seven.
More than 20 people have been infected.
Chinese authorities have closed poultry markets and restricted the movement of birds around the country, and the World Health Organisation has asked that it be allowed to send a team of scientists to China to monitor the situation.
The head of the WHO office in China, Michael O'Leary, says there is no sign the virus is being passed from person to person.
"We don't see any evidence of human-to-human transmission and we hope that that will remain the case, but of course none of us can predict the future, so it bears very close watching," he said.
"So far, we really only have sporadic cases of a rare disease, and perhaps it will remain that way.
"So this is not a time for over-reaction or panic."
The cases of the virus have so far been contained to the country's east, in Shanghai and neighbouring provinces.
Hong Kong, which imports thousands of live chickens from China, will start testing for the virus at the border from Thursday.
Infectious disease expert Professor Peter Collignon, from the Australian National University medical school, says it is a sensible precaution.
"It's bad enough if you're in one area and exposed to this virus from certain birds, but what we don't want is the birds widely moved so that we're actually now having many more people exposed," he said.
During the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) a decade ago, China was criticised for being too slow to report cases and not giving enough information.
Professor Collignon says it appears to be different this time round.
"Any country tends to be a bit reticent with the information that comes out and the more developing you are as a country, the more information's incomplete.
But he says there is not that much to worry about unless something dramatically changes with the virus.
"This happens fairly regularly with influenza and the vast majority peter out and go nowhere," he said.
ABC/Reuters
Another person has reportedly died from the H7N9 bird flu virus, bringing the death toll to seven.
More than 20 people have been infected.
Chinese authorities have closed poultry markets and restricted the movement of birds around the country, and the World Health Organisation has asked that it be allowed to send a team of scientists to China to monitor the situation.
The head of the WHO office in China, Michael O'Leary, says there is no sign the virus is being passed from person to person.
"We don't see any evidence of human-to-human transmission and we hope that that will remain the case, but of course none of us can predict the future, so it bears very close watching," he said.
"So far, we really only have sporadic cases of a rare disease, and perhaps it will remain that way.
"So this is not a time for over-reaction or panic."
The cases of the virus have so far been contained to the country's east, in Shanghai and neighbouring provinces.
Hong Kong, which imports thousands of live chickens from China, will start testing for the virus at the border from Thursday.
Infectious disease expert Professor Peter Collignon, from the Australian National University medical school, says it is a sensible precaution.
"It's bad enough if you're in one area and exposed to this virus from certain birds, but what we don't want is the birds widely moved so that we're actually now having many more people exposed," he said.
During the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) a decade ago, China was criticised for being too slow to report cases and not giving enough information.
Professor Collignon says it appears to be different this time round.
"Any country tends to be a bit reticent with the information that comes out and the more developing you are as a country, the more information's incomplete.
But he says there is not that much to worry about unless something dramatically changes with the virus.
"This happens fairly regularly with influenza and the vast majority peter out and go nowhere," he said.
ABC/Reuters
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