FAO warns of risk of new avian flu pandemic in the world

A new pandemic of avian influenza can be installed in the world if countries do not invest in surveillance and control. In a statement released on Tuesday (29), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that a possible reduction of investments in these areas due to the global economic crisis can reproduce the scenario of 2006, when the disease affected more than 60 countries.

In arguing for strict surveillance of the disease, the veterinary director of FAO, Juan Lubroth, noted that some Asian countries still report the occurrence of influenza H5N1. According to him, investment in prevention is the most appropriate way to avoid the loss of a large-scale pandemic. But Lubroth recognizes that the crisis affecting the economies of most developed countries can threaten both the budget and the governments of international organizations.

In a statement, the FAO points out that between 2003 and 2011, the disease led to the death or slaughter of more than 400 million chickens and domestic ducks, totaling a loss of about $ 20 billion. The H5N1 virus can also be transmitted to humans. In the same period, the virus has infected more than 500 people and killed more than 300, according to the UN body.

According to the FAO, 63 countries most affected by the pandemic of 2006, as Turkey, Hong Kong, Thailand and Nigeria, are free of viruses, and Indonesia has made substantial progress in combating the disease as a result of many years of hard work and commitment of international finance.

The organization also warns other growing threats such as peste des petits ruminants (PPR), a highly contagious disease that can decimate flocks of sheep and goats. According to the note, the disease is expanding in Sub-Saharan Africa, threatening countries such as Congo, and begins to spread in South Africa.

According to FAO, there is an effective vaccine for PPR, but few people were immunized.

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