China could have more bird flu cases, warns WHO

China could have more bird flu cases, warns WHO
Despite the tough measures it has taken to crush the menace, China could face more outbreaks of bird flu in the ensuing winters, both in poultry and in humans. This warning by the World Health Organization came after China confirmed its first human deaths due to bird flu.

“We expect there will be more poultry outbreaks. In this cold weather, the virus can survive longer in the climate and therefore have a bigger chance to infect poultry. As long as there are poultry outbreaks, people will be exposed to the virus and we can expect that people might get infected.” said Henk Bekedam, the chief WHO representative in Beijing.

Bird flu has wreaked havoc on poultry in several countries of Southeast Asia since its outbreak in 2003. As many as 67 humans have fallen prey to the disease due to contact with infected birds. These deaths have been mainly in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. It is feared that the virus will soon mutate into a form that can spread from one human to another. The flu could take the form of a pandemic and kill millions of people.

Though it has been very difficult for China, with its 40 billion domestic poultry, to control the spread of the disease but its efforts have been commendable. According to Bekedam, China's response to the threat has been encouraging. “The Chinese government has taken a very responsible attitude,” he said. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao also sounded positive about fighting the severe pneumonia. “In 2003, we defeated SARS. That will inspire us to victory over bird flu,” he said.

Alerted by the outbreak in China, Hong Kong has decided to check the temperatures of people crossing the border using 11 infrared machines. People with higher temperatures will then be examined for bird flu.