Scientists say we should not just assume that wild birds are spreading bird flu around the world. The part wild birds play in the spread of avian influenza, after careful analysis by scientists, is unclear. This is the opinion of several scientists meeting for a two-day conference in Rome.
The meeting is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE).
Although wild birds may be a useful indicator of the presence of bird flu in an area, how big their role is in spreading bird flu is unknown. Just because you find a dead swan on the coast does not necessarily mean bird flu is being brought in at that time by wild swans.
It is possible, say scientists, that migrating birds play some role in bird flu spread - their role could be small or big. Most experts agree that several factors influence the spread of bird flu.
Experts are urging more use of vaccinations of farmed poultry stocks. They say the poultry industry plays a major role in the spread of H5N1. Vaccinations would help enormously.
Dr Robert Webster, St Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, USA, says that there are good vaccines that could control the source of an outbreak. He criticizes governments around the world for not standardizing their vaccines for antigen content. He says this standardization can be done.
Dr. Webster says vaccines would be a great help for poorer countries which find it harder to mass cull their poultry stocks.
The scientists also urged agencies to concentrate more on Africa. If H5N1 becomes entrenched and widespread in Africa, it will stay there for several years. This would significantly raise the number of times other parts of the world could become re-infected.
For bird flu outbreaks to be controlled, detection and response has to be swift. Most of Asia and Europe have managed to detect and respond quickly. It is vital that Africa does the same.
Written by:
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий