Bird flu continues to spread around the world
Volume 11, No. 41, April 20, 2006

The spread of bird flu (H5N1) has led us to Europe and Africa since the last update in the service newspapers. However, there hasn’t been a significant change in the risk to humans to date.

Bird flu has spread rapidly since late 2005 from Asia to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The US expects it will arrive on its shores before year’s end.

Since the virus re-emerged in Asia in 2003, outbreaks have been confirmed in more than 45 countries and territories, according to data from the World Organisation for Animal Health. Since the beginning of January, more than 30 countries have reported outbreaks, in most cases involving wild birds such as swans.

The virus has killed 107 people since 2003 in nine countries and territories, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Countries with confirmed human cases are; Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. Indonesia and Vietnam have the highest number of cases, accounting for 64 of the total deaths. In total, the virus is known to have infected 190 people since 2003, according to the WHO. A large proportion of those who have died were children and young adults.

The H5N1 virus is not new to science. The virus made the first known jump into humans in Hong Kong in 1997, infecting 18 people and killing six. The government ordered the immediate culling of the territory’s entire poultry flock, ending the outbreak.

Bird flu has so far not been transmitted from human to human, but can be caught from close contact with infected poultry and other birds.

Symptoms
Symptoms of bird flu in humans have ranged from typical influenza like symptoms, such as fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches, to eye infections (conjunctivitis), gastrointestinal symptoms, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, viral pneumonia, and other severe and life threatening complications.

Travel
The WHO advises travellers to affected areas to avoid live animal markets and poultry farms and any free-ranging or caged poultry.

Travellers are not considered at elevated risk unless there is direct and unprotected exposure to infected birds (including feathers, faeces and undercooked meat and poultry).

For further information refer to http://defweb2.cbr.defence.gov.au/dpedhs/Avian_Flu_home.htm or email DOOH@defence.gov.au.

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