Africa has scary bird flu problems

[Guest guest]

http://tinyurl.com/2ndje2

Africa 'cannot meet WHO bird flu priorities'

Africa has little ability to achieve any of the priorities identified

by the WHO to fight avian influenza, warn Folorunso O. Fasina, Shahn

P. Bisschop and G. Webster in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

The African strain of H5N1 has acquired " troubling " properties such as

respiratory rather than faecal transmission in poultry and a mutation

associated with increased spread of disease in mammals, including humans.

Moreover, the probability of human infection on the continent is

increased by inefficient diagnosis, denial of outbreaks, inter-ethnic

crises, politicisation of the issue, and poor reporting, surveillance

and communication of risks.

Control remains problematic because of ineffective border controls and

overtaxed health-care systems, as well as inadequate biosecurity.

The crowding of poultry farms and burgeoning live poultry markets

promote the rapid spread of disease, as do high-risk conditions and

practices, such as the slaughter of sick birds in homes.

Only 40 Africans are known to have been infected. But because of

Africa's limited capacity to cope with a pandemic, this still

represents a grave danger, warn the authors.

They call for each African nation to realistically assess its status,

conduct regular active surveillance and be more forthcoming with data.

Link to full article in The Lancet Infectious Diseases*

[Guest guest]

Excellent post. I have archived it. Thanks.

Not only does Africa have limited capacity to cope with a pandemic,

but it also has limited capacity to know that there is a dangerous

disease abroad and to identify it. For example

http://news./s/afp/20071103/hl_afp/angolahealthpollution_071103172201

But because of Africa's limited capacity to cope with a pandemic, this

still represents a grave danger, warn the authors.