27 December 2005
Epidemiologist says bird flu virus can’t quite link up yet
AN epidemiologist of the Department of Health said based on current statistics of deaths from the dreaded avian influenza worldwide, the virus seems to be having difficulty transmitting to humans.
This piece of seemingly good news on the global fight against bird flu was among the bright spots reported by Dr. Jesus Fantone, DOH epidemiologist during the recent day-long workshop on the prevention of avian flu organized by the Region 1 Medical Center here as part of the province’s measures to prevent or control the disease, if it should ever break out here.
The Philippines, according to Fantone, remains as among only three bird flu-free countries in Asia today, to include Singapore and Brunei.
He said that some countries, instead of being transparent about the status of the disease in their areas in fact withheld releasing true statistics about local outbreaks from the World Health Organization.
Fantone said in the event the disease reaches our shores and communities, mass culling of poultry should be resorted to just as Hongkong did in 1997 to stop the H5NI epidemic there. Culling means the killing of infected chicken or fowl in an affected area so that the virus would have no chance of spreading or transferring to healthy fowls.
Among the measures suggested to and taken up by the Philippine government, he said, to prevent entry of the virus is a ban on the import of poultry, including foreign birds, and tight border guarding in the southern corridor of the country to prevent entry of humans who may be carrying the bird flu virus from their country of origin.
Local government units, Fantone added, may reinforce these measures by passing laws prohibiting people from going near or disturbing migratory birds that are believed to be carriers of the virus now frequenting various bird sanctuaries and forage areas in the country. The birds flew in to escape winter in their traditional sanctuaries across the globe.
The epidemiologist admitted that aside from its cost being prohibitive, Tamiflu, the anti-viral drug produced by Roche, still has limited supply worldwide despite mass production undertaken by Roche and its deputized or licensed pharmaceutical companies.
This piece of seemingly good news on the global fight against bird flu was among the bright spots reported by Dr. Jesus Fantone, DOH epidemiologist during the recent day-long workshop on the prevention of avian flu organized by the Region 1 Medical Center here as part of the province’s measures to prevent or control the disease, if it should ever break out here.
The Philippines, according to Fantone, remains as among only three bird flu-free countries in Asia today, to include Singapore and Brunei.
He said that some countries, instead of being transparent about the status of the disease in their areas in fact withheld releasing true statistics about local outbreaks from the World Health Organization.
Fantone said in the event the disease reaches our shores and communities, mass culling of poultry should be resorted to just as Hongkong did in 1997 to stop the H5NI epidemic there. Culling means the killing of infected chicken or fowl in an affected area so that the virus would have no chance of spreading or transferring to healthy fowls.
Among the measures suggested to and taken up by the Philippine government, he said, to prevent entry of the virus is a ban on the import of poultry, including foreign birds, and tight border guarding in the southern corridor of the country to prevent entry of humans who may be carrying the bird flu virus from their country of origin.
Local government units, Fantone added, may reinforce these measures by passing laws prohibiting people from going near or disturbing migratory birds that are believed to be carriers of the virus now frequenting various bird sanctuaries and forage areas in the country. The birds flew in to escape winter in their traditional sanctuaries across the globe.
The epidemiologist admitted that aside from its cost being prohibitive, Tamiflu, the anti-viral drug produced by Roche, still has limited supply worldwide despite mass production undertaken by Roche and its deputized or licensed pharmaceutical companies.
