Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) - An outbreak of avian flu among birds in the east Burmese state of Shan, on the border with Thailand, registered the first human case, a seven year old girl infected by poultry in her village.
Despite information campaign promoted by UN organisations such as FAO, and medical personnel in Myanmar, bird flu is still a threat. At the end of December two rural farms in southern Vietnam were infected. In 2005 in Vietnam, 42 of 93 persons infected with the virus died. In addition about 44 million birds, almost 17% of the birds in the country, were culled or died. Thanks to intensive programme of education, vaccination and culling of animals promoted towards the end of 2005, no cases of avian flu were registered in 2006. However since the beginning of last year Vietnam is having to deal with new outbreaks.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, about 60 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa have been infected by the virus H5N1 since the epidemic started in the winter of 2003. Of these 28 registered outbreaks in 2007, five for the first time: Bangladesh, Benin, Ghana, Saudi Arabia and Togo.
The World Health Organisation said that 215 of 348 persons infected in 2003 died of the disease. In 2007 lethal cases were 50 out of 77 persons infected with the virus. The victims were living in Cambodia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, Nigeria and Vietnam. in Indonesia 94 of 116 cases registered since 2004 have been lethal.
(AP) (22/1/2008 Agenzia Fides; Righe:27; Parole:332)
