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<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#f4faff"><td class="heading_txt" height="20">Media can limit impact of disease outbreaks</td> </tr> <tr> <td>
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</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="small_txt" height="20">By Shahina Maqbool
11/26/2007</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="small_txt">Islamabad
Responsible journalism can play a significant role in limiting the impact of disease outbreaks. Health journalists should refrain from being overwhelmed. They should tailor their response so that it is closest to reality, rather than being an exaggerated account that alarms the public and results in economic losses.
This concern was communicated to health journalists at a ?Media Retreat on Bird Flu Prevention and Control,? held at Bhurban. Organised by the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Unicef and the World Health Organisation, the one-day retreat was attended by a considerably large contingent of journalists representing the print, electronic and broadcast media.
The objective of the activity was to improve the participants? knowledge about bird flu so that the panic caused by erroneous and uninformed reporting can be avoided. The session was marked by free flow of ideas in a pleasant atmosphere, far removed from the barbed wire city of Islamabad.
The executive director of the National Institute of Health, Major General (r) Masood Anwar, opened the session with an informative talk focusing on various aspects of bird flu. Of the few Avian Influenza viruses that have infected humans, H5N1 has caused the largest number of detected cases of severe disease and death in humans. ?Avian Influenza is basically a disease of poultry; what?s the concern then,? Masood Anwar asked, and then responded by informing that the H5N1 visus has the capability to modify itself and enter into a secondary host (a human being), for which it becomes as much pathogenic.
The executive director said, direct contact with infected poultry, or surfaces and objects contaminated by their faeces and secretion/excretions is the main route of human infection. He said, human cases of H5N1 can happen any time in Pakistan, particularly in rural or peri-urban areas where people keep small poultry flocks, pigeons and peacocks which often roam freely, sometimes entering homes or sharing outdoor areas where children play. ?Such birds must be vaccinated,? Masood Anwar said.
As infected birds shed large quantities of virus in their faeces, opportunities for exposure to infected droppings or to environments contaminated by the virus are abundant under such conditions. Moreover, because numerous households depend on poultry for income and food, many families sell or slaughter and consume birds when signs of illness appear in a flock, and this practice has proved difficult to change. Exposure is considered most likely during slaughter, defeathering, butchering and preparation of poultry for cooking.
The only way to protect oneself from Bird Flu is to protect birds. ?If the birds eat less, lay fewer eggs, and are lethargic and sick, they should immediately be tested. Should they test positive, the entire flock should be culled and properly buried.
Masood Anwar emphasised the need to overcome existing gaps in the government?s policy of offering compensation to poultry farmers, because unless that is done, they will prefer not to report an outbreak for fear of losses. ?It is important not to create so much panic that farmers start hiding outbreaks for fear of losses,? he advised journalists reporting on disease outbreaks.
The in-charge of the Epidemic Cell at NIH Dr. Jaleel Kamran told the participants that Pakistan has reported 76 outbreaks of Bird Flu in 2007, the latest being on November 22 at Mansehra. Of these, 56 outbreaks involved commercial and backyard poultry and 20 outbreaks were reported in wild birds, mostly crows. There has not been a single suspected human case in 2007. Last year, 14 people were hospitalized and all tested negative for H5N1.
Symptoms of Avian Influenza in humans have ranged from typical human influenza-like symptoms (e.g. fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches) to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases (such as acute respiratory distress), and other severe and life-threatening complications.
Globally, Dr. Jaleel told, there have been 335 cases worldwide in 12 countries, with 2006 deaths. He also shared details of the measures being taken by the Ministry of Health in the areas of rapid response, surveillance, preparedness, laboratory strengthening, and capacity-building of health personnel.
Dr. Fawad from WHO explained how Bird Flu spreads among poultry. ?It can spread through respiratory secretions and faeces, and from farm-to-farm by mechanical means such as contaminated equipment, vehicles, feed, cages or clothing. Stringent sanitary measures on farms can provide a reliable degree of protection,? he said.
The WHO official explained that the concern about Bird Flu is high because the number of Avian and human cases are increasing; a majority of the human population has no immunity against the disease; it has a high fatality rate of 70 percent, which is three time more than the fatality rate of SARS; and because human influenza viruses are circulating in Asian countries.
Referring to treatment, Dr. Fawad said if treatment with anti-viral drug Temi-Flu is started within three days of the onset of symptoms, the medicine may help reduce the severity and duration of illness caused by Avian Influenza. The highest priority from the public health point of view is the rapid detection of cases in order to initiate timely treatment, if needed, and to start follow-up of close contacts to determine the occurrence of human-to-human transmission of H5N1. Early detection of human cases and early hospitalisation and treatment with anti-viral medication has been shown to be effective in reducing illness and preventing fatalities.
?You cannot get Bird Flu by eating cooked and canned chicken and other poultry,? he dispelled the commonly held misconception. The H5N1 virus is sensitive to heat. Normal temperatures used for cooking (70oC in all parts of the food) will kill the virus. Consumers need to be sure that all parts of the poultry are fully cooked (no ?pink? parts) and that eggs too are properly cooked (no ?runny? yolks).
Dr. Fawad suggested that contact with poultry in the farm or market should be avoided during an outbreak. ?You should protect your nose, mouth and eyes if you must go to an open bazaar where poultry is being sold,? he advised. WHO has identified the culling of H5N1 infected or exposed poultry as the major line of defense for preventing further human cases and for averting the emergence of new influenza virus among humans.
Atiya Qazi from Unicef shared some of the bird flu communication response and material developed so far, and other that is in the publication pipeline. The activity was ably conducted by health education advisor Mazhar Nisar, whose friendly presence turned the retreat into a memorable occasion. In the end, certificates were presented to all health journalists attending the session.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=82905
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11/26/2007</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="small_txt">Islamabad
Responsible journalism can play a significant role in limiting the impact of disease outbreaks. Health journalists should refrain from being overwhelmed. They should tailor their response so that it is closest to reality, rather than being an exaggerated account that alarms the public and results in economic losses.
This concern was communicated to health journalists at a ?Media Retreat on Bird Flu Prevention and Control,? held at Bhurban. Organised by the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Unicef and the World Health Organisation, the one-day retreat was attended by a considerably large contingent of journalists representing the print, electronic and broadcast media.
The objective of the activity was to improve the participants? knowledge about bird flu so that the panic caused by erroneous and uninformed reporting can be avoided. The session was marked by free flow of ideas in a pleasant atmosphere, far removed from the barbed wire city of Islamabad.
The executive director of the National Institute of Health, Major General (r) Masood Anwar, opened the session with an informative talk focusing on various aspects of bird flu. Of the few Avian Influenza viruses that have infected humans, H5N1 has caused the largest number of detected cases of severe disease and death in humans. ?Avian Influenza is basically a disease of poultry; what?s the concern then,? Masood Anwar asked, and then responded by informing that the H5N1 visus has the capability to modify itself and enter into a secondary host (a human being), for which it becomes as much pathogenic.
The executive director said, direct contact with infected poultry, or surfaces and objects contaminated by their faeces and secretion/excretions is the main route of human infection. He said, human cases of H5N1 can happen any time in Pakistan, particularly in rural or peri-urban areas where people keep small poultry flocks, pigeons and peacocks which often roam freely, sometimes entering homes or sharing outdoor areas where children play. ?Such birds must be vaccinated,? Masood Anwar said.
As infected birds shed large quantities of virus in their faeces, opportunities for exposure to infected droppings or to environments contaminated by the virus are abundant under such conditions. Moreover, because numerous households depend on poultry for income and food, many families sell or slaughter and consume birds when signs of illness appear in a flock, and this practice has proved difficult to change. Exposure is considered most likely during slaughter, defeathering, butchering and preparation of poultry for cooking.
The only way to protect oneself from Bird Flu is to protect birds. ?If the birds eat less, lay fewer eggs, and are lethargic and sick, they should immediately be tested. Should they test positive, the entire flock should be culled and properly buried.
Masood Anwar emphasised the need to overcome existing gaps in the government?s policy of offering compensation to poultry farmers, because unless that is done, they will prefer not to report an outbreak for fear of losses. ?It is important not to create so much panic that farmers start hiding outbreaks for fear of losses,? he advised journalists reporting on disease outbreaks.
The in-charge of the Epidemic Cell at NIH Dr. Jaleel Kamran told the participants that Pakistan has reported 76 outbreaks of Bird Flu in 2007, the latest being on November 22 at Mansehra. Of these, 56 outbreaks involved commercial and backyard poultry and 20 outbreaks were reported in wild birds, mostly crows. There has not been a single suspected human case in 2007. Last year, 14 people were hospitalized and all tested negative for H5N1.
Symptoms of Avian Influenza in humans have ranged from typical human influenza-like symptoms (e.g. fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches) to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases (such as acute respiratory distress), and other severe and life-threatening complications.
Globally, Dr. Jaleel told, there have been 335 cases worldwide in 12 countries, with 2006 deaths. He also shared details of the measures being taken by the Ministry of Health in the areas of rapid response, surveillance, preparedness, laboratory strengthening, and capacity-building of health personnel.
Dr. Fawad from WHO explained how Bird Flu spreads among poultry. ?It can spread through respiratory secretions and faeces, and from farm-to-farm by mechanical means such as contaminated equipment, vehicles, feed, cages or clothing. Stringent sanitary measures on farms can provide a reliable degree of protection,? he said.
The WHO official explained that the concern about Bird Flu is high because the number of Avian and human cases are increasing; a majority of the human population has no immunity against the disease; it has a high fatality rate of 70 percent, which is three time more than the fatality rate of SARS; and because human influenza viruses are circulating in Asian countries.
Referring to treatment, Dr. Fawad said if treatment with anti-viral drug Temi-Flu is started within three days of the onset of symptoms, the medicine may help reduce the severity and duration of illness caused by Avian Influenza. The highest priority from the public health point of view is the rapid detection of cases in order to initiate timely treatment, if needed, and to start follow-up of close contacts to determine the occurrence of human-to-human transmission of H5N1. Early detection of human cases and early hospitalisation and treatment with anti-viral medication has been shown to be effective in reducing illness and preventing fatalities.
?You cannot get Bird Flu by eating cooked and canned chicken and other poultry,? he dispelled the commonly held misconception. The H5N1 virus is sensitive to heat. Normal temperatures used for cooking (70oC in all parts of the food) will kill the virus. Consumers need to be sure that all parts of the poultry are fully cooked (no ?pink? parts) and that eggs too are properly cooked (no ?runny? yolks).
Dr. Fawad suggested that contact with poultry in the farm or market should be avoided during an outbreak. ?You should protect your nose, mouth and eyes if you must go to an open bazaar where poultry is being sold,? he advised. WHO has identified the culling of H5N1 infected or exposed poultry as the major line of defense for preventing further human cases and for averting the emergence of new influenza virus among humans.
Atiya Qazi from Unicef shared some of the bird flu communication response and material developed so far, and other that is in the publication pipeline. The activity was ably conducted by health education advisor Mazhar Nisar, whose friendly presence turned the retreat into a memorable occasion. In the end, certificates were presented to all health journalists attending the session.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=82905
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