# Avian flu nightmare

- Author: Joichi Ito
- Date: 2005-07-06T17:57:09Z


I was just reading an email from the ProMED medical mailing list I'm on. It was a monthly report on Avian flu outbreaks in Eastern Asia. Part of the report reads:
Source of outbreaks:
- introduction of new animals/animal products;
- illegal movement of animals.

Control measures

A. Undertaken:
- quarantine;
- movement control inside the country;
- disinfection of infected premises/establishment(s).

B. To be undertaken:
- partial stamping out;
- vaccination.

Treatment of affected animals: no.I read in the Wall Street Journal in the "We think this is sort of funny" section of the front page the other day, abut some guy who had invented a mass chicken slaughtering machine that picked up chickens by their feet and dragged their heads through electrified water. The machine could kill tens of thousands of chickens and was in high demand in countries where slaughtering these chickens has become an enormous task necessary to try to contain the outbreak.

Then I remembered reading that scientists are really worried that this flu is going to mutate into a version that spreads between humans as rapidly as it is spreading between birds.

Start nightmare:

Source of outbreaks:
- introduction of new people;
- illegal movement of people.

Control measures

A. Undertaken:
- quarantine;
- movement control inside the country;
- disinfection of infected premises/establishment(s).

B. To be undertaken:
- partial stamping out;
- vaccination.

Treatment of affected people: no.

Scary thought. Sorry.





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