Vaccinate poultry to curb spread of flu, warn experts

WORLD health experts yesterday recommended that a poultry vaccination campaign be launched to control the spread of a bird flu epidemic, which has claimed the lives of 17 people in Asia.

The recommendation was issued along with warnings from a top UN official that an urgent response was needed to put a halt to the epidemic that has struck in 10 Asian countries.

“A targeted vaccination campaign for poultry at risk of being infected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus may be required in heavily affected countries to control the further spread of the epidemic,” the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a statement.

The experts advocated vaccinating poultry along with mass culling and other measures to contain the spread of the virus, according to the statement issued following a two-day meeting in Rome attended by 40 animal health experts.

Speaking at the end of the meeting, FAO director general Jacques Diouf said that all efforts were directed at preventing the bird flu from spreading geographically and to other animal species.

“The epidemic has not been brought under control and we need an urgent response,” said Diouf.

“We ask that all countries take precautionary measures, to strengthen their veterinary services and keep in touch with the concerned international organisations,” he urged.

There was also some harsh words targeted at governments and health authorities in Asia for failing to report suspected cases quickly.

“I can say that all countries were much too slow on reporting", said Bernard Vallat, director general of the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health.

“All countries could have notified more quickly”, said Vallat, adding that in at least one case the delay was “up to one month”. He declined to specify the country involved.

The two-day gathering, hosted by the FAO and with experts from the WHO, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the US Centres for Disease Control, issued a list of recommendations on how to contain and eradicate the disease.

The WHO has warned that the bird flu could potentially kill millions if it is combined with a human influenza virus.

Vietnam yesterday announced its 12th human fatality from the bird flu sweeping Asia, bringing the total death toll to 17.

The experts recommended that the mass culling outside of infected areas could be “largely avoided” and damage to livelihoods and economies averted through the vaccination program, according to the statement.

They said it would probably take “a few months” for affected countries to produce sufficient amounts of the required vaccines and that the campaign should provide for monitoring and surveillance.

“Culling infected flocks remains the recommended response when the disease is detected,” said Joseph Domenech, chief of the FAO’s animal health service.

The experts said targeted vaccination would help prevent animals falling ill and reduce the “viral load”, or the amount of virus present in the environment.

The FAO estimates the number of chickens culled so far at around 50 million. Countries where mass cullings are ongoing include Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, China and Taiwan.

Thailand and Vietnam are alone among 10 Asian countries with the virus to report human fatalities.