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April 07, 2006

Comparing bird flu in Britain and Burkina Faso

What are the challenges of finding bird flu in Britain, as compared with Burkina Faso, as both have done this week?

Reuters reports: "When it comes to avian influenza we know early detection and rapid response to the outbreak is crucial to getting rid of it, and when we say early response we mean hours that can make all the difference" said OIE spokesperson Maria Zampaglione. "To do that you need a chain that is working very well, that can detect the disease rapidly and act quickly afterwards."

"For an epidemic to be contained control measures including disinfection, movement controls and widespread culling of poultry and wild birds should be enacted within 48 hours of the outbreak."

So how do Britain and Burkina compare?

Bird flu in Britain
In Britain, according to the BBC, the dead swan is a danger because the virus might spread from wild birds to poultry, and thus devastate the industry. But risk to people is low because few people get close enough to birds to touch them, which is necessary for transmission of the disease, as things stand.

At the same time, there are extensive protective measures in place, poultry is being closely monitored, and information is rapidly analysed and processed. Spread of the virus to poultry is reduced because of the isolated conditions of most poultry from wild birds.

For the worst case scenario, of the virus mutating and spreading among humans, the UK government has stockpiled the anti-viral drug Tamiflu, and plans to buy a supply of H5N1 vaccine to give to groups such as health-workers.

Bird flu in Burkina Faso
In Burkina, however, it is a different story. The virus is already found in poultry, and most people, including children, have close contact with chickens.

Most people are very isolated with their own few chickens out in the yard. Structures for diseminating information, and for detection and prevention measures are simply inadequate to the task. Thus, there was a delay of 1 month between the death of the birds and them being sent for test. The government has started culling birds around the yard where the virus was found, and has instigated a 3km isolation zone, but the delay will potentially have allowed the virus to already spread further.

Financially, too, this is a heavy burden. The Burkina Faso government estimated in February that a national prevention plan would alone cost £2 million, of which they have only £100 000. On top of that is the cost of compensation for dead birds. The government has offered up to £1.50 per bird.

Burkina has asked for £1.5 million from international donors to help with the bird flu crisis.

And this is for the third poorest country in the world, still coping with the long-term fall-out from the 2004 food crisis, and all on top of dealing with a meningitis outbreak that has killed over 750 people this year.

Please continue to pray for Burkina.

Tags: africa burkina burkina faso travel famine bird flu sahel disease health avian flu h5n1

Posted by Keith at April 7, 2006 09:44 AM