Cuba Preps for Bird Flu

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Cuba Preps for Bird Flu

Havana, Jun 24 (Prensa Latina) Cuba is stepping up surveillance on avian diseases through the application of preventive measures, while maintaining strict control to avoid the entrance of the fearful bird flu in the country.


The island's poultry is being vaccinated against diseases like Marek, New Castle, Gumboro and Avian smallpox, one of the most worrying ailments on an international scale, Granma newspaper reports Saturday.



The daily states that to avoid the entrance of avian flu it is strengthening all measures of bio-security on farms through a permanent research in risk zones.



Workers in direct contact with birds are also being vaccinated against common influenza, to help develop an immunologic system faced with any eventuality.

 

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Re: Cuba Preps for Bird Flu

Cuba Alert Against Bird Flu

Havana, July 21 - Cuban Deputy Health Minister Gonzalo Estevez said Friday that Cuba has in place a reinforced security system to quickly detect avian flu, a disease that has hit several countries in Southeast Asia.

Cuba relies on its highly qualified health personnel, who are trained to tackle a possible epidemic. The country has invested several million dollars in a program to detect and control the disease. This program also monitors the evolution of the pathology in the world.
Bird flu is a virus that affects birds and poultry, but other animals, including humans who had had contact with sick birds, have also contracted the disease. So far, 306 people have become infected with bird flu and 185 of them have died, mostly in Indonesia.

Although human-to-human infestation has not yet occurred, it is a latent threat due to a possible mutation of a strain. The Cuban health official said that all nations should be on the alert and have a contingency plan to face the social and economic consequences such an epidemic could bring.

http://www.periodico26.cu/english/news_cuba/bird-flu072107.htm