Fine Gael fears Ireland has ‘no plan’ for bird flu
The United Nations has warned that the chance of it mutating into a form that could be passed between humans increases with each new case after Turkey confirmed 16 more people have tested positive with the deadly H5N1 strain.
And with bird flu being detected in the popular resort of Kusadasi, holiday-makers may decide to stay away. Up to 75,000 Irish people visit Turkey each year, according to a spokesperson for the Irish Travel Agents Association.
However, a spokesman for the ITAA said yesterday that there were no signs of panic among tour operators or their customers.
“Obviously consumers are concerned about avian flu but there is still no evidence of human to human transmission. So long as people do not come in contact with avian livestock, my understanding is that the threat is minimal.”
He said the issue did not arise in a survey of the mood in the trade conducted on Monday.
Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan said continued vigilance is needed to prevent bird flu’s introduction into Ireland.
She said the outbreak in Turkey provides evidence of the need for this vigilance, but said the most recent events do not alter the risk of introducing the virus into Ireland.
She said her department had not changed its advice to people travelling to Turkey and was not advising people to avoid particular parts of the country.
However, she urged travellers to take sensible precautions and, in particular, to avoid contact with wild birds and live poultry, and to avoid live bird markets, farms and other places that may be contaminated by bird faeces.
She said her department was taking account of any new veterinary or scientific information, with a view to minimising any risk of introduction of the disease into the country.
Ms Coughlan said she had been very encouraged by the response to the requirement for flockowners to register.
She urged those who had not yet registered to do so as soon as possible at their local Department of Agriculture and Food office or to contact the department’s avian influenza helpline at (01) 6072512.
She said the register would form a central part of the department’s effort to deal speedily with any disease outbreak by identifying the locations of all neighbouring flocks.
While the Department of Foreign Affairs is not advising Irish people to refrain from travelling to Turkey, its website offers no specific caution to travellers - other than one posted last August which deals with terrorism in the region - although it advises concerned travellers to contact the Department of Health.
Other EU states are taking the threat seriously. Germany has increased customs checks on people entering from Turkey and in London the world’s third-biggest bank, HSBC Holdings Plc, has drawn up plans to cope without half its staff if there is a pandemic triggered by bird flu.
Fine Gael Dublin MEP Gay Mitchell TD has said the international community should consider donating avian flu vaccines/anti-viral medicines to Turkey in order to prevent the virus spreading any further.
And he warned that Ireland is one of the least prepared countries in the EU for an avian flu pandemic.
“The outbreak of avian flu among civilians in Turkey appears to be getting worse, and could be a prelude to a far more serious situation.
“Tánaiste Mary Harney must make a statement about Ireland’s ability to deal with a human pandemic. The World Health Organisation, the UN and the US administration have all warned that a pandemic is now a serious risk. Serious influenza epidemics have occurred at 50-year intervals such as 1918 and 1968. It is significant that Turkey’s second city, Istanbul, is actually located in mainland Europe.
“Yet the Irish Government is only planning to acquire limited stocks of the human vaccine. In her most recent Dáil question Tánaiste Mary Harney stated that Ireland would acquire vaccines for 200,000 people. It is not even clear if these have been acquired. Given that the mortality rate of the virus in its current form is 72%, this seems a very small quantity.
“My greatest fear is that the Irish Government has no plan, and that Ireland as a State is not prepared.”
Labour Party Spokesperson on Agriculture and Food, Dr Mary Upton, said the worsening situation in Turkey must be met with a renewed and pro-active campaign to inform Irish people about steps to protect against the disease.
“The deteriorating situation in Turkey has serious consequences for Ireland.
“A single bio-security unit - such as has been established in New Zealand - must be established to co-ordinate the task of how best to deal with avian flu and to prepare for its arrival in Ireland.”
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