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May 24, 2006
Bird flu spreading in Burkina Faso
Several new outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu have been confirmed in Burkina Faso, in the capital Ouagadougou, the second city of Bobo-Dioulasso, and Sabou, a town 100km west of Ouaga. The first case was discovered last month.
No human cases have yet been identified, but the inadequate health infrastructure could mean they are simply going undetected. Close contact of a large part of the population with the handling of poultry increases the possibility of transmission to humans. The estimated cost of dealing with the bird flu in Burkina Faso is $10 million, a challenge for the third poorest country in the world, even with help from France and China.
One cause for hope is the report that wild birds may not, as previously believed, play a major role in spreading the virus, and that this may explain why the disease has not spread as quickly as feared.
Tags: africa burkina burkina faso h5n1 bird flu sahel disease health
Posted by Keith at May 24, 2006 09:21 AM
