US treats bird flu as inevitable: USDA's Johanns
Reuters
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1724242
BERLIN - The U.S. government is treating avian flu as a scourge that will inevitably reach the United States and is preparing for the arrival of the deadly virus, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said on Tuesday.
"We are preparing in the United States like it will happen because that's the best way to be prepared. Government-wide, we have held significant planning sessions, preparation sessions. At the USDA we've held tabletop exercises," Johanns told reporters at a briefing at the U.S. embassy.
He also sought to assure Americans that the arrival of bird flu in North America would not be cause for panic.
"The fact that we identify a case of avian influenza first and foremost -- and I want to signal to citizens -- does not indicate that there is a pandemic," Johanns said.
So far the outbreak of the disease has been limited to the Eurasian continent and Africa. However, scientists fear it is spreading fast.
Johanns said the H5N1 virus was "spreading from bird to bird very efficiently and from bird to human very inefficiently."
"What it takes to have a pandemic is not there," he said.
However, he said it was always possible the virus could mutate into a form that would spread efficiently between birds and humans. Some scientists say that it is only a matter of time before this happens.
"We know from the history of mankind that you do get pandemics and you need to be prepared," Johanns said.
He said there would be no need to reduce poultry consumption in the United States if there were a confirmed case of avian flu. Rather, he encouraged consumers to cook poultry thoroughly.
"Poultry properly prepared is safe to eat. Cooking kills the virus," Johanns said.
Avian flu was thought to have claimed another three lives in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, local health officials said, taking the global death toll from the virus beyond 100.
Copyright 2006 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright ? 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures
Reuters
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1724242
BERLIN - The U.S. government is treating avian flu as a scourge that will inevitably reach the United States and is preparing for the arrival of the deadly virus, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said on Tuesday.
"We are preparing in the United States like it will happen because that's the best way to be prepared. Government-wide, we have held significant planning sessions, preparation sessions. At the USDA we've held tabletop exercises," Johanns told reporters at a briefing at the U.S. embassy.
He also sought to assure Americans that the arrival of bird flu in North America would not be cause for panic.
"The fact that we identify a case of avian influenza first and foremost -- and I want to signal to citizens -- does not indicate that there is a pandemic," Johanns said.
So far the outbreak of the disease has been limited to the Eurasian continent and Africa. However, scientists fear it is spreading fast.
Johanns said the H5N1 virus was "spreading from bird to bird very efficiently and from bird to human very inefficiently."
"What it takes to have a pandemic is not there," he said.
However, he said it was always possible the virus could mutate into a form that would spread efficiently between birds and humans. Some scientists say that it is only a matter of time before this happens.
"We know from the history of mankind that you do get pandemics and you need to be prepared," Johanns said.
He said there would be no need to reduce poultry consumption in the United States if there were a confirmed case of avian flu. Rather, he encouraged consumers to cook poultry thoroughly.
"Poultry properly prepared is safe to eat. Cooking kills the virus," Johanns said.
Avian flu was thought to have claimed another three lives in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, local health officials said, taking the global death toll from the virus beyond 100.
Copyright 2006 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright ? 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures