Poultry workers in England are to be offered free seasonal human
flu vaccinations by the Department of Health in a measure to combat
a potential outbreak of bird flu HN51.
Concerns that bird flu may return to ravage the poultry industry
and humans have prompted the EU to invest €28m in new research to
better spot and control outbreaks.
Tension escalated this week over bird flu, after France criticised
other countries for banning its poultry and a new report warned of
a "steady erosion" in global consumption and prices this
year.
The fear "psychosis" caused by avian flu is devastating Italy's
poultry sector, with consumption falling by 70 per cent in the
country, the Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori reported
yesterday.
Germany yesterday became the fifth EU member country to report
finding the deadly form of bird flu in wild birds, while Hungary is
also testing 12 others found dead within its borders.
Asian countries vaccinating against bird flu will be carrying out
an uncontrolled experiment in viral evolution that could ultimately
lead to a human pandemic, according to an article in New
Scientist.
Drugs based on Australian scientific body CSIRO's research into the
influenza virus have been shown to be effective, in laboratory
tests, against a sample of an H5N1 influenza virus currently
infecting chickens in Asia.
The global threat posed by bird flu is still very much in evidence,
a point the FAO is emphasising as it urges countries to remain
vigilant in light of fresh outbreaks.
