The cold waves coming from the Northern Areas during current weather conditions does not in any way bring the avian influenza virus of the type N5H1. This was indicated during a workshop held under the auspices of Pakistan Medical Society (PMS) on the topic of "Bird flu".
PMS chairman Dr Masood Sheikh said: "The bird flu is not a silent disease as the affected chicken with a severe forms are almost 100 per cent dead within 48 hours". If the chickens are kept for three days in the shops and are still healthy, it is a reasonably safe to say they are not affected by the serious form of the bird flu, which can endanger the human population, he said. The peoples associated with the poultry business should take precaution and use soaps and hot water to disinfect their hands or face on return from the poultry farms he added.
He was of the view that the bird flu virus affecting the human beings is still not capable of human to human transmission, so far there has not been a single case in which human to human transfer can be claimed with certainty.
The wild waterfowl are considered the natural reservoir of all influenza-A viruses, can introduce low pathogenic H5 and H7 viruses to poultry flocks, which then mutate to the highly pathogenic form, he said.
"Direct contact with infected poultry, or surfaces and objects contaminated by their feces, is presently considered the main route of human infection", Dr Masood added. To date, most human cases have occurred in rural or peripheral urban areas where many households keep small poultry flocks, which often roam freely, sometimes entering homes or sharing outdoor areas where children play.
Moreover, because many households in Asia 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, he added.
Dr Israr said that the consumers should also be aware of the risk of cross-contamination. Juices from raw poultry and poultry products should never be allowed, during food preparation, to touch or mix with items eaten raw. When handling raw poultry or raw poultry products, persons involved in food preparation should wash their hands thoroughly and clean and disinfect surfaces in contact with the poultry products.
Dr Fauzia said that unlike normal seasonal influenza, where infection causes only mild respiratory symptoms in most people, the disease caused by H5N1 follows an unusually aggressive clinical course, with rapid deterioration.