Another person has died, suspected to be due to avian influenza in Indonesia, bringing the total number of deaths related to bird flu in the country to 5.
Meanwhile, U.S. Health Secretary Michael Leavitt warned during his visit to Southeast Asia that the likelihood of an outbreak of human flu is very high.
The United States will provide Cambodia with experts and necessary funding to help the country cope with the avian influenza outbreak. This statement was made as Secretary Leavitt visited Cambodia yesterday.
His visit to Southeast Asian countries aims to discuss coordinated plans to respond to a potential flu pandemic, following President Bush’s announcement last month to establish an “international partnership for pandemic flu and avian influenza prevention.”
Previously, during his visit to Thailand, Michael Leavitt warned that the risk of a major human flu outbreak is very high.
Michael Leavitt stated: “The world has witnessed 3 flu pandemics in the past century, and the likelihood of a fourth flu pandemic is very high, although it remains unclear whether the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus can evolve into a fourth human flu pandemic“.
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| U.S. Health Secretary Michael Leavitt |
Currently, there have been no confirmed cases of H5N1 transmission from human to human. However, senior officials from the World Health Organization frequently warn that this virus could easily mutate to spread between people.
According to them, if such a pandemic occurs, it could claim the lives of at least 5 million people. Meanwhile, an official at Sulianti Saroso Hospital in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, announced another death suspected of being caused by the avian flu virus.
However, there has yet to be an official test result. Additionally, Indonesia has 2 confirmed cases of patients infected with avian influenza.
Today, Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari stated that they must learn from Vietnam on how to control avian flu.
When meeting with Vietnamese Health Minister Tran Thi Trung Chien, Siti remarked that Vietnam “also has limited resources like us, yet they have managed to contain avian flu.” Vietnam has reported no new human infections since July.
Nevertheless, WHO Hanoi continues to warn that the possibility of an avian flu outbreak remains a threat at any time.
U.S. Health Secretary Michael Leavitt urged countries to take their own control measures, as he stated that even the United States cannot produce enough vaccines for its entire population.
The avian influenza outbreak has killed at least 60 people in Southeast Asian countries.
