FAO urges continued vigilance to safeguard poultry and livelihoods
Transported poultry undergoing a routine inspection by animal health authorities in Thailand: an example of good biosecurity practices. |
Rome -
A recently-emerged
strain of avian influenza virus in poultry in Southeast Asia known as A(H5N6)
represents a new threat to animal health and livelihoods and must be closely
monitored, FAO said Sept. 22.
Chinese
authorities first reported the influenza A(H5N6) virus in poultry in April
2014. Since then, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Viet Nam have
also detected the H5N6 virus in poultry.
“Influenza
viruses are constantly mixing and recombining to form new threats,” said FAO's chief
veterinary officer, Juan Lubroth. “However, H5N6 is particularly worrisome,
since it has been detected in several places so far from one another, and
because it is so highly pathogenic, meaning infected poultry quickly become
sick and, within 72 hours, death rates are very high.”
The
fact that the virus is highly virulent in chickens and geese and potentially
spread across a large part of Southeast Asia translates into a real threat to
poultry-related livelihoods. Poultry contributes to the incomes of hundreds of
millions of people throughout the sub-region.
The
World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), which works together with FAO and
the World Health Organization (WHO) to support countries' responses to animal
and human disease threats, is also monitoring the situation closely.
“An
effective surveillance and an early detection of animal disease at source are
two main keys to reduce the risk of dissemination and to ensure safe trade. The
OIE calls on its 180 member countries to respect their commitment and to immediately
notify on WAHIS any outbreak detected on their territory,” said OIE
Director-General Bernard Vallat.
Limited
threat to human health
Only one case of H5N6 has been reported in humans after contact with
exposure to poultry shortly after its detection in China. The person later
died. There have been no other human cases. Though the scientific
community is still in the process of understanding the dynamics of this new
strain, it is unlikely that H5N6 represents an immediate and significant threat
to human health.
“Current
evidence suggests H5N6 poses a limited threat to human health at this stage,”
said WHO epidemiologist Elizabeth Mumford. “It's been detected in multiple
places in poultry, yet we only have one human infection reported. This suggests
that the virus does not easily jump from animals to humans. Of course, we still
need to remain vigilant, because prevalence in poultry and therefore human
exposure could increase during the winter.”
Even
if the public health risks posed by H5N6 currently appears to be low, other
pathogens, including other subtypes of influenza viruses such as H5N1 and H7N9,
still can present cause for concern. FAO and WHO recommend consumers follow
appropriate hygiene, food preparation and food safety guidelines. These
include: washing hands often, cleaning utensils and surfaces used during food
preparation, and eating only well-cooked poultry meat products. People should
also avoid handling sick birds or those that have died of illness.
FAO
and WHO are stressing that at this time it is critical for countries in
Southeast and East Asia—especially those with links to poultry production and
trade—to ramp up efforts to detect and report influenza viruses in poultry and
monitor for any human infections.
All
human infections with non-seasonal influenza viruses are reportable under the
2005 WHO International Health Regulations. It is critical that influenza
viruses from animals and people are fully characterized in appropriate animal
or human health influenza reference laboratories.
FAO
urges continued vigilance, preparedness
An H5N6 outbreak or outbreaks could potentially overwhelm animal
health systems in Southeast Asia. An earlier strain of the virus, H5N1, has
already impacted the livelihoods of millions of people and caused billions of
dollars of damage.
FAO
is urging countries to remain vigilant in the face of this new viral threat to
animal health. In order to prevent its further spread, the Organization is
recommending that governments support poultry producers in following essential
biosecurity measures and standard hygiene precautions. In collaboration with
OIE, priority actions need to be focused on prevention, early detection,
immediate reporting and rapid response.
FAO
influenza programs have been supporting preparedness in countries throughout
Asia and the world since 2004. With resources for this work dwindling, the Organization continues to call for funds to ensure
international and regional cooperation and strengthen the global response to
avian influenza as a threat to animal health, public health and vulnerable
livelihoods. (FAO)
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