________________________________________________________________________
Hong Kong experts race against time in fighting bird flu virus
Copyright ) 1998 Nando.net
Copyright ) 1998 Reuters
HONG KONG (January 8, 1998 12:18 p.m. EST http://www.nando.net) -
Medical experts said on Thursday that Hong Kong must stamp out a deadly
new "bird flu" virus before its peak influenza season begins in March,
increasing the likelihood that it could mutate into a more easily
transmitted human strain.
"The potential exists for influenza viruses to mix with one another to
exchange their genes," said Malik Peiris, associate professor of
microbiology at the University of Hong Kong.
"There is a possibility that the genes of this avian H5 virus might mix
with one of the existing human viruses, like the H3 virus, and you might
have a virus that is more efficiently transmitted person to person," he
said in a radio interview.
John Tam, a virologist professor at the Chinese University, said the
strain needed to be eradicated before March.
"If the H5 virus hangs around until March, there is a chance that a
person will be infected by the human flu virus and the H5 virus," he
said in the South China Morning Post.
With such a combination, Tam said: "You'd have a new virus which would
have the ability to spread among humans easily."
The H5N1 avian virus, not known to affect humans until last year, has
killed four people in Hong Kong and infected at least 12. Two are
suspected to be infected.
It is unclear how the virus infected people but experts say it was
probably transmitted directly from birds to humans.
There is no vaccine against the H5N1, which can cause multiple-organ
failure, and few humans have antibodies against it.
Peiris said tests must be done on all types of poultry to see if they
could be responsible for passing the virus.
Hong Kong slaughtered 1.4 chickens and other poultry this month in a bid
to contain the disease and banned live chicken imports from China, which
used to supply three-quarters of the territory's consumption.
The virus has spooked countries across Asia and Europe that still harbor
vivid memories of a "Hong Kong flu" pandemic in 1968 that killed 46,500
people worldwide.
A number of countries have banned imports of live chickens from China.
Switzerland has banned poultry feathers from China.
The Hong Kong government bowed to pressure on Wednesday from angry
poultry workers and raised compensation payouts to between $2.33 and
$4.92 for each chicken killed, depending on the size.
The government of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa is facing one of its
toughest challenges since Britain ceded the territory to communist China
in July, ending 156 years of colonial rule.
Pro-Beijing politicians and opposition parties alike have sharply
criticized the handling of the flu scare by Tung's administration.
If the bird flu scare continues, it could become an election issue as
Hong Kong heads into its first legislative polls since the handover in
May.
By TAN EE LYN, Reuters
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Apr 13 2001 - 12:59:15 PDT