ALMOST THE WHOLE WORLD is bracing for the possible outbreak of a deadly pandemic of avian flu, more commonly known as bird flu. Since the H5N1 virus crossed from poultry to humans in 2003 in Southeast Asia, 67 deaths have occurred from 122 known cases. These deaths represent a high mortality rate of some 55 per cent. While so far the virus has spread only from birds to humans, the great fear now is that human-to-human transmission will emerge as the catalyst for the dreaded global spread of the deadly disease.
The Jamaican Government, through the ministries of Health and Agriculture, has been taking certain preparatory steps to deal with the eventuality of an outbreak of avian flu here. As part of these preparations a 10-point Avian Flu Preparedness Plan was tabled in Parliament last Tuesday. According to the Ministry Paper on the subject, if the World Health Organisation reports that transmission of the virus from person to person has occurred, the two major strategies to counter a pandemic threat will be containment and maintenance of essential services.
The plan, for which budgetary support is still pending, revolves essentially around strengthening surveillance systems, expanding laboratory capacity, and developing a communication programme involving key health personnel and the general public.
A significant risk factor, especially at this time of year, is the coming into the island of winter migratory birds, some of which could be infected with the avian flu virus. The Ministry of Agriculture has been asking that dead birds be reported. Local laboratories in collaboration with reference laboratories in the United States will move to quickly establish if the cause of death is avian flu.
The containment policy will involve restricting people's movement, isolating the sick, quarantining persons who may have come in contact with the virus, and using whatever anti-viral medication available to prevent transmission. Issues of human rights and freedoms will surface and the authorities should think these through very carefully and thoroughly in anticipation. Life-threatening epidemics have historically been regarded as legitimate reasons for restricting some freedoms in the public interest.
The Veterinary Services Division and the Quarantine Division of the Ministry of Agriculture have already activated their own Action Plan in conjunction with the Public Health Department and Customs to prevent any entry of the virus through imported poultry products.
That vital public education component of the bird flu contingency plan must kick in now. Everyone's informed cooperation is necessary in the effort to prevent entry and the fight for containment, should entry of the virus and human-to-human transmission occur. This is not the common cold; we are faced with the risk of a disease with a mortality rate of 55 per cent.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
