UN agency voices serious concern over spread of ‘bird flu’ in East Asia

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expressed serious concern today about the spread of avian flu in East Asia, where the outbreak, also known as “bird flu,” could affect the livelihood of thousands of farmers relying on chicken production.

"The disease seems to have a regional dimension, with South Korea, Viet Nam and Japan being affected in a short period of time," the Rome-based FAO said, calling for a probe of possible links among these outbreaks.

After Viet Nam declared an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 in the southern part of the country last week, FAO decided to send an expert there to help investigate the problem and set up necessary control and rehabilitation measures.

Viet Nam rapidly applied appropriate control measures such as the killing of several hundred thousand chickens, disinfection, quarantine and control of animal movements, but the situation continues to give cause for concern, with possible new outbreaks, FAO said. In addition, human cases of avian flu have been confirmed.

The authorities have declared 14 cases of severe respiratory disease in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, 11 of them fatal and three confirmed as avian flu victims. There is still no evidence of human-to-human transmission but FAO warned that this matter has to be treated “very seriously.”

To stamp out the disease, all infected animals have to be killed, the agency cautioned. In addition, disinfection, quarantine and a ban on the movement of domestic birds must be put in place.

There is no current method to control the disease, which causes considerable economic losses, due to bird mortality, mass culling of domestic birds and other control measures.