BIRD FLU HUMAN PANDEMIC - Bird flu, a human pandemic will take place sooner or later, affirms David Nabarro of United Nations (UN). The Coordinator of United Nations (UN) for the bird flu warned in New York yesterday, being meant to be deliberately alarmist, that a pandemic of human influenza was unavoidable and that actual preparations had to continue from this perspective, notably in Western Africa where the broadcasting of epizootic remains worrying. The bird flu could affect America in six-12 months, or even earlier, also informed the doctor David Nabarro. In effect, according to him, the migrations of wild birds should see individuals infected by the stump H5N1 to move of western Africa towards the Arctic and Alaska in the course of next spring. Certain birds will fly then southward and should affect North America and Latin America in the course of the autumn.

« The challenges in which we face now are considerable », declared yesterday David Nabarro, main Coordinator of the system of United Nations for the bird flu and human influenza, during a press conference in New York. « My colleagues of the Organization of United Nations for feeding and agriculture (FAO) are rather perplexed as for the reaction to be adopted faced with the expansion of the virus of the bird flu of Eastern Europe towards Western Europe towards Middle East, Africa, and India », he affirmed. « They expect that this expansion continues, at least on these continents, and perhaps even on other continents », he added.

Human pandemic bird flu sooner or later for David Nabarro UN

As says it the WHO, « sooner or later, there will be a pandemic. It will perhaps be owed to the virus H5N1, perhaps to another virus of influenza. But we have a virus which we do not understand perfectly, but that is able of reproducing at the human being and in that the human beings are vulnerable », underlined the Coordinator of United Nations.

« Once the pandemic will begin, that is to say when there will be transmission of the man to the man, we shall not have any more the luxury to get ready. It is therefore necessary us to get ready as though the pandemic was sure », underlined David Nabarro. On the transfer of the virus H5N1 by the wild birds, they notably determine it in Europe but it there still things which they do not understand, he underlined. « Why do swans die? Perhaps they are more vulnerable in the virus while ducks transmit it but do not die from it », is it interrogated. The fact that the bearing birds do not show signs of illness is problematic of course for prevention, he pointed out, underlining that the FAO, the WHO and the worldwide Organization of animal health (HEARS) works with the Program of United Nations for environment (PUNE) on question.

In June, 2006, there will be a big international conference on subject, he announced. David Nabarro also reminded of big meeting on means to contain the pandemic organized by the WHO, pointing out that a report on question would be published tomorrow. « These measures will save us once the pandemic will declare itself », he affirmed.

The Coordinator of United Nations also mentioned the initiative in constituting, under the auspices the FAO, a team of veterinary surgeons ready to be dispatched on place « as an operation of assertion of peace ». Moreover, 22 countries introduced plans to benefit from loans with reduced rates given by the World Bank for a 500 million dollar sum. Finally, the special Fund decided during the conference of Beijing is set up. In April, there will be therefore much more available funds, he explained. Introducing{presenting} moreover a balance sheet of situation in the world, David Nabarro signalled that « the general situation in Europe shows that if there are numerous portrayals of bearing wild birds, there is little transmission towards the domestic birds and occasionally towards the cats ».

But at the moment we have a crisis in Africa, notably in Niger and in Nigeria, and they expect its broadcasting. Count - held by the importance of the market of fowl in Nigeria, transmission is accentuated by trade. But in Western Africa, more than 50 % of the population saw{lived} below the poverty line - 1 dollar a day - and the most part are too poor to support{maintain} the hygiene necessary for the conflict against illness. The Fund of United Nations for childhood (UNICEF) is particularly anxious for the children, who are traditionally in charge of fowl while the parents are in fields, he added. « In Middle East, in Egypt, in Iraq and in Iran, they follow situation nearly. Finally, as for Asia, cases of transmission to the man still are to deplore in Indonesia and in China », reminded David Nabarro, thinking that a panzootie - that is to say an animal pandemic - was appearing in Asia.

In the course of a pandemic, the WHO will take a role of international coordination especially with a view to assuring a quick and efficient quick-witted answer. It will collaborate with the international partners and Member States to follow the pandemic and help Regions everywhere where it is possible.

A pandemic is the contagion of an illness which stretches in the almost entirety of a population of a continent or of several continents, or even in certain cases the planet. Several pandemics touched the humanity as the black plague (or bubonic plague) which caused several million deaths in Europe, between 1346 and 1350, Spanish influenza from 1918 till 1920 which was 15 million deaths by spreading since the China towards Japan, Russia, Europe then North America. Having infected 40 million persons, the AIDS is considered to be a pandemic today; it seems to have to become the most lethal of human history.

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