Officials, poultry producers discuss bird flu
You cannot tune in to the international media without hearing about bird flu. This is a viral disease that has killed over sixty people, mostly in Asia, but according to scientists, has the potential to kill millions if it mutates into a different strain. Today, the Ministry of Health, the Belize Poultry Association, and the Belize Agricultural Health Authority met to see what can be done to address the situation here in Belize.
Dr. Michael Tewes, C.E.O., Min. of Agriculture & Fisheries
?Part of the reason we are here today is because we have an expert from the U.S.D.A. in poultry, Dr. Magee from the University of Mississippi, and he is here sharing the experiences for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to share with us some of the preventative measures and the plan that they have in place, as well we have also had contact with the Caribbean Poultry Association, the Central American Association, and we are along with our neighbouring countries all putting in place preparedness plan for the poultry industry.?
?This virus that is out there is an Avian Influenza, it?s a bird flu and it is a highly pathogenic strain, which means that it affects not only the upper respiratory system but the entire body and birds die from it very easily. So the infection, the mortality rate is high with this virus. Some viruses are only low pathogenic, which means that they get sick, sneeze, cough, runny nose, and then they get better. This one actually kills the majority of birds. So it is a high pathogenic strain.?
?So far the people who have been infected, which worldwide is about a hundred and twenty-five or so people, have been in direct contact with poultry. There is one case that is of concern where a mother and child both died from having the virus and it?s not sure if that virus jumped from child to mother or from the bird to both mother and daughter. So, so far there is no real proof that the virus has actually transmitted people to people; it?s mostly bird to people.?
According to the World Health Organization, currently it is difficult for humans to catch the virus and most deaths have been linked to humans handling infected poultry. In 1918 the worst flu pandemic in modern history killed between twenty and one hundred million people worldwide. In a “normal” year, various strains of influenza take the lives of around five hundred thousand people.
