10 February 2006
U.N. Health Agency Offers Help for African Bird Flu Outbreak
Situation "demands immediate action," WHO director-general says
In response to the first confirmed incidence of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry on the African continent, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Lee Jong-wook said the situation “is a cause for great concern and demands immediate action.”
The outbreak, on a large commercial farm in northern Nigeria, raises the number of countries with infected birds to 14 and increases fears of a potential global bird flu pandemic among people. (See related story.)
“The single most important public health priority at this stage is to warn people about the dangers of close contact with sick or dead birds infected with H5N1, Lee said in a February 9 statement.
Slaughtering, defeathering or butchering infected, sick or dead birds can put people at risk, he added. The home slaughter and consumption of birds that seem sick is high-risk behavior, and those who cull and dispose of birds should wear protective equipment.
WHO is offering support to the government of Nigeria's national public information campaign, which may include delivering messages to communities during the nationwide house-to-house polio immunization campaign beginning February 11.
The polio-eradication infrastructure in Nigeria also is being mobilized to support other essential surveillance and protective measures, such as monitoring for human cases, support for early warning systems and logistic support for containment, treatment and laboratory functions.
“The latest outbreak confirms that no country is immune to H5N1,” Lee said. “Every country is at risk. Every country must prepare.”
There is a risk that outbreaks of H5N1 infection in birds could spread within Nigeria and into neighboring countries. Nigeria is one of several African countries located on the Black Sea-Mediterranean flyway used by migratory birds.
Human and animal health services must be on high alert, sharing information and quickly reporting any signs of disease in birds or humans that could be due to H5N1 avian influenza.
African health systems already are struggling to cope with children and adults suffering from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, respiratory infections and other infectious conditions. Human cases of H5N1 might be difficult to distinguish from other illnesses.
“There is no time to waste,” Lee said. “We are ready to help all African countries take measures to reduce the risks of H5N1.”
WHO disease outbreak news is available on the organization’s Web site.
For more information the avian influenza and efforts to combat it, see Bird Flu.
Text of the WHO statement follows:
(begin text)
World Health Organization
[Geneva, Switzerland]
9 February 2006
Avian influenza in Africa: statement by the Director-General of WHO
The confirmation of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry in Africa is a cause for great concern and demands immediate action. This is the first reported incidence of this highly pathogenic virus on the continent, where people are already enduring the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other serious infectious diseases. The H5N1 virus now confirmed in Nigeria poses a risk to human health and livelihood.
The single most important public health priority at this stage is to warn people about the dangers of close contact with sick or dead birds infected with H5N1. The vast majority of all human cases and deaths from H5N1 have occurred in previously healthy children and young adults.
Experience in Asian countries and most recently in Turkey underscores the fact that immediate, clear public information is critical to help protect human health. Slaughtering, defeathering or butchering infected, sick or dead birds can put people at risk. The home slaughter and consumption of birds which appear to be sick is high-risk behaviour. Ideally, people culling and disposing of birds should have protective equipment.
WHO is offering support to the Government of Nigeria's national public information campaign. This campaign may include delivery of messages to communities during the nationwide house-to-house polio immunization campaign beginning on Saturday. The polio eradication infrastructure in Nigeria is also being mobilized to support other essential surveillance and protective measures, such as monitoring for human cases, support for "early warning systems", and logistic support for containment, treatment, and laboratory functions.
This latest outbreak confirms that no country is immune to H5N1. Every country is at risk. Every country must prepare. There is a risk that outbreaks of H5N1 infection in birds could spread within Nigeria and into neighbouring countries. Nigeria is one of several African countries located on the Black Sea-Mediterranean flyway used by migratory birds. Human and animal health services must be on high alert, sharing information and quickly reporting any signs of disease in birds or humans that could be due to H5N1 avian influenza.
African health systems are already struggling to cope with children and adults suffering from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, respiratory infections and other infectious conditions. Human cases of H5N1 may be difficult to distinguish from other illnesses. We simply do not know what the impact of exposure to avian influenza will be on the many people who may be already immunocompromised and in a fragile state of health. Health workers must be fully alert and samples must be taken and sent to laboratories. When human cases of H5N1 are identified, coordinated human and animal health investigations will be essential.
If the H5N1 virus changes to allow it to pass easily from person to person, and it goes unchecked, this could trigger an influenza pandemic. H5N1 is spreading rapidly across the world. All countries must take measures to protect human health against avian flu, and prepare for a pandemic.
There is no time to waste. We are ready to help all African countries take measures to reduce the risks of H5N1.
WHO disease outbreak news is available at http://www.who.int/csr/don/en/
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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