NEWS: W.H.O. says Bird Flu could become bigger than SARS

The World Health Organization has claimed that Avian influenza, better known as bird flu, has become a greater threat than SARS. Avian influenza has infected 14 people in Vietnam's Hanoi region killing three.

The disease has been found in Japanese and Korean chickens causing the governments to kill millions of Chickens in a desperate attempt to halt the spread.
CNN

The WHO -- currently investigating new SARS outbreak fears in China -- is worried by the rapid spread of the bird flu virus, which is similar to the strain discovered in a South Korean epidemic in December.

"The presence of avian influenza in humans is of concern to WHO because humans apparently have little immune protection against the strain," a WHO statement Tuesday said.

The WHO's regional director for the Western Pacific, Dr. Shigeru Omi, has said that if human-to-human transmission were to occur, "we would have a serious situation."


Although there has not been any documented cases of transmission from human to human or by eating poultry products WHO is worried that Bird Flu may attach to the normal strain of human influenza.




[Edited on 14-1-2004 by SkepticOverlord]

The Food and Agriculture Organization is jumping into the Bird Flu fray calling for investigations.

"The disease seems to have a regional dimension, with South Korea, Vietnam and Japan being affected in a short period of time," the United Nations (news - web sites) agency said in a statement.


"Possible links between these outbreaks must be investigated. If there are such links, the epidemiological reasons must be elucidated," the statement from Rome said.


An FAO official said the outbreak has taken an epidemic form in Vietnam, the hardest hit of the three countries.


Nearly two million chickens have been culled or killed by the flu in the southeast Asian nation, and the number culled in Japan and South Korea runs into the hundreds of thousands.

Click Here for the Article

The vietenamese government is now saying that 900,000 containmenated chickens could have been sold to the public.

Fears over Asia's bird flu outbreak spiraled Wednesday as worst-hit Vietnam admitted that nearly 900,000 chickens possibly exposed to the deadly virus had been sold to the public

story.news.yahoo.com.../ap/20040121/ap_on_he_me/asia_bird_flu

Guys I am telling you that this is going to be far worse than SARS every dared to be. The disease has spread to Thailand.

After days of denying it had a problem, Thailand became the latest flashpoint in the bird flu crisis with claims Thursday that a village boy is infected, while the World Health Organization (news - web sites) warned that the fast-spreading virus could mutate into a form deadlier to humans.

Bird flu has killed five people in Vietnam and infected millions of chickens across Asia. So far, fowl are believed to have directly infected people, but scientists worry about the possibility of human-to-human transmission.

"The more widespread it becomes, the greater the possibility that the virus could become altered and become more of a threat to the human population," said WHO spokesman Bob Dietz in Hanoi.

News.yahoo.com

Ladies and Gentlemen here is the kicker

Thailand is among the world's top five poultry exporters and stocks in its multibillion-dollar industry dived as much as 7.1 percent on the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

How much of that chicken you are eating is safe? Just something to ponder.

I wonder if they're going to start killing more chickens soon in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus. I wonder if those 6 million chickens actually did die from cholera, and "other respiratory diseases."

"Fears over Asia's bird flu outbreak grew when worst-hit Vietnam admitted Wednesday that nearly 900,000 chickens possibly exposed to the deadly virus had been sold to the public. "
whoops. Hopefully there won't be an onslaught of cases because of this. I'm sure it'll be seen soon, if so.

Its Getting Bigger its now in China

Click Here for Article..........

China confirmed Tuesday that it found bird flu in dead ducks on a southern farm and was tracking "suspect" cases in two other provinces. Thailand said a young boy became the eighth victim of the disease in its deadliest outbreak since 1997.

This is not a matter to be taken lightly.

[Edited on 27-1-2004 by BlackJackal]

i stopped eating beef and pork 5 years ago, i guess chicken is next to go!

I know that I seem to be the only one harping on this subject but I really think that more people should be aware of this. Maybe this quote will make it more real to you.

In provinces like Guangdong -- where SARS first emerged -- people live in cramped conditions close to chickens and other farm animals, raising the possibility the virus may combine with human flu to produce a strain that could sweep through a world where people have no immunity to it.

Thats right "no immunity" this thing is deadly it kills almost everyone it infects. Please beware.

story.news.yahoo.com.../nm/birdflu_dc

[Edited on 30-1-2004 by BlackJackal]

It sounds like Captain Trips.
I hope this is just a scare because if it really does turn out as bad as they say it might, we're all going to be affected.

Two Sisters that have Bird Flu are suspected to have gotten the disease from their brother.

If this is true then this is indeed a very very bad thing. This would mean that the virus has mutated to a form that allows for human to human contamination.

story.news.yahoo.com.../chitrib_ts/20040202/ts_chicagotrib/humantohumantransmissionofbirdflususpected

The source of the sisters' infection has not been identified, but investigators have failed to find a specific event, such as contact with sick poultry, or an environmental source to explain the cases, WHO spokesman Bob Dietz said.


No other cases of people catching the virus from another person have been documented.

I read an article back when this was first reported that there was a possiblity that it'd been contracted when handling chicken at their wedding.

Regardless, it's been reported that the virus in the two sisters had not mutated to a form more easily transmissable.