The United Nations health agency sought to restrain fears of bird
flu. WHO is ready to hunt for a bird flu vaccine. Prototypes will be
supplied to...
The United Nations health agency sought to restrain fears of bird
flu, which is striking large numbers of people.
"I think it's very important at this stage that we remain calm about
worst-case scenarios," said Mike Ryan, head of the global epidemic
response network at the World Health Organization "What we're dealing
with at the moment is small number of cases associated with exposure
to poultry."
Health officials say the strain of bird flu striking Taiwan and
Pakistan is milder and is not considered a serious threat to humans.
Cases in humans have been reported only in Vietnam and Thailand.
"What we're saying is that we're not dealing with an imminent threat
to public health, but we are dealing with a potential threat to
public health," Ryan said.
Health officials say destroying infected birds, if safely carried
out, is the best way to control the disease, but the mass slaughter
and import bans have harmed Asia's poultry industry.
WHO officials have said people who eat poultry are not at risk from
bird flu but that import restrictions on live birds are needed to
stop the spread of the disease among farm flocks.
WHO also is ready to hunt for a bird flu vaccine. Ryan said
prototypes developed by the agency will shortly be supplied to
pharmaceutical companies so they can begin research on a useable
vaccine, which experts expect to be ready within months.
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No panic over bird flu （对待禽流感勿需恐慌） 
