WHO briefs deputy PM on bird flu plan
HA NOI — The regional director of the World Health Organisation Shigeru Omi met Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem in Ha Noi on Tuesday to discuss Viet Nam’s response to the bird flu and regional co-ordination issues.
Omi said the outbreak was wide-spread across Asia and "highly aggressive". The WHO feared the H5N1 virus could mutate into a contagious, lethal disease that could spread among humans.
Viet Nam should cull sick birds, ban the transportation of birds from infected areas, strengthen its surveillance to detect the virus in humans, raise public awareness about affected areas and protect health-care workers and people working with birds to prevent that possibility, he suggested.
Omi said the WHO confirmed the virus could jump from birds to humans, but there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
Khiem thanked Omi for the information and his suggestions and applauded the WHO for combating the outbreak.
He said Viet Nam was fully aware of the danger of the outbreak and resolved to contain the spread of the virus. The Government was raising awareness about the bird flu and how to prevent it, a tactic it used to successfully control the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
He also asked the organisation for more technical and financial assistance.
Omi was attending on Wednesday an emergency meeting about the bird flu in Bangkok. He was expected to urge leaders to co-ordinate to contain the disease. Vietnamese officials were scheduled to attend the meeting.
The organisation has blamed the H5N1 virus for outbreaks in Cambodia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Viet Nam.
Health Minister Tran Thi Trung Chien sent a report on the bird flu to Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on Monday.
The report suggested 50 people in 14 of the country’s 64 provinces had contracted the bird flu since October 17, 2003. Eighteen people had died and seven tested positive for the H5N1 virus.
The ministry said human-to-human transmission remained a mystery. But the fact the more than one member of the same family died of the disease was a concern.
The best measure was to stamp out the outbreaks. The flu forced the Government to cull 3.7 million chickens in 28 provinces across the country, the ministry said.
It also suggested the Government set up a the steering board, headed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, to prevent outbreaks.
Nguyen Thanh Liem, director of Central Paediatrics Hospital, said on Tuesday the hospital was treating 12 children for bird flu. Three others had been discharged.
Thirteen adults were isolated at the Institute for Clinical Research in Tropical Medicine. Two of them were confirmed as having contacted H5N1 virus. Three were discharged.
Health Minister Tran Thi Trung Chien issued an announcement on Monday asking the health care sector to carry out measures to control the flu.
She asked doctors to work around the clock and steering committees in provinces and cities to raise awareness about how to prevent the flu. —
VNS
