Critical importance of poultry meat and eggs in human nutrition and the extent to which avian influenza is jeopardizing supply especially in poorer countries is vastly underestimated. This was the message delivered by Juan Lubroth a senior official with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at the 13th International Congress on Infectious Diseases held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 19-22 June 2008 and reported by Associated Press (AP) and USA Today.
Message coming from the meeting was that worst of bird flu may be over but the fight to eliminate the chicken disease from poultry is weak and could worsen the ongoing global food crisis. "The peak is over, but we are still dealing with many outbreaks, small outbreaks," said Juan Lubroth "It's like a boiling pot, and we need to keep the lid on that before it gets worse.
Sixty countries have recorded H5N1 HPAI since the December 2003 outbreak in South Korea. While a number of countries have successfully dealt with isolated outbreaks, the disease remains active in at least a dozen countries. The ‘hottest’ bird flu spots are Indonesia, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan and Vietnam.
Lubroth who is head of the FAO's Emergency Prevention System claimed "drawbacks and weaknesses" remain in the ongoing battle to beat bird flu and eradicate the virus from poultry. He focussed heavily on plight of the world’s poorer countries. Death of poultry from bird flu or government decreed slaughter is a particular blow, because no less than 80 per cent of people in these countries own poultry. The birds may number no more than a dozen per household but are absolutely essential to the very existence of their owners. Poultry is an important and inexpensive source of protein for such people who Lubroth says have to ask themselves "what are we going to have for dinner tonight or what will be available for tomorrow?"
He proceeded to warn how failure to protect food sources in the developing world could worsen the global food crisis, already acute due to rocketing prices of rice, maize and other staples. Lubroth estimates 240 million birds have died or been slaughtered so far, leaving millions of people's livelihoods and lives in tatters all because of this one virus disease.
Veterinary services must be bolstered and more experts trained said Lubroth. All countries must focus on surveillance and implement policies that will deal with the virus and its disease in poultry. Reporting needs to be more transparent he claimed perhaps with the current Indonesian situation in mind. "We fail to see that political commitment," said Lubroth.
H5N1 HPAI started to scythe through Asian poultry in January 2004 and it was only a matter of weeks before human infections appeared with fatalities in their wake. Once human cases started appearing the world’s view and focus on the disease switched from the chicken industry to the human dimension. That said the number of people infected and dying from H5N1 HPAI is miniscule compared with other human diseases including malaria, dengue fever, tuberculosis and even seasonal influenza.
