The bird flu in Hungary and in other countries

“ Bird flu: Hunting is prohibited."

EPIDEMIC: In Russia, the government has prohibited the hunting of the migratory birds, because they fear that the bird flu will spread more rapidly, if the wild animals eat the birds, which were shot down by the hunters. In Russia, the authorities have killed at least 1,5 million of domestic poultry, due to the avian flu since the beginning of February.”

This is a part of an article, what was published in the Metro (an international daily paper) in March 8, 2006. The bird flu has reached Hungary too, after three dead wild swans were found in Nagybaracska. The government announced after an extraordinary meeting in Parliament. The government said that there was no reason to worry or kill down poultry, because it cannot pass easily from the birds to humans. The bird flu is just an epidemic threatening animals.
Keepers have been advised to keep our birds away from wild birds and to feed and water them indoors. Under a newly passed EU directive, anyone with fifty or more birds has been obliged to add them to a national register by the end of February.
Some bird flu restrictions, imposed after a dead whooper swan at Callarydyke in Fife tested positive for a strain of the H5N1 virus, has been lifted. Tests since than have established that no further cases have been found. The final resrictions will only be lifted if there are no further positive tests for the virus. Vets now believe the swan which had the virus died before it could spread the disease. But the swan propted fears of a possible outbrake of bird flu in Scotland.
“ I think we all know the damage that can be done when people panic” said the First Minister, Jack McConnell. The avian flu is an international problem, but some hungarian expert found out something, what can stop the epidemic. The trial jab appears to protect humans and animals against the lethal H5N1 virus, preliminary result show. Experts fear the virus could mutate at some point in the future, and its new form trigger a flu pandemic, potentially putting millions of human lives at risk, and such trial vaccines may not work in there circumtances.
Experts say it is only a matter of time before the strain acquires this ability, causing a flu pandemic which could kill as many as 50000 people in the United Kingdom. The Hungary’s health minister, Jenő Rácz said: “The results are preliminary, but I can say with 99% certainty that the vaccine works.”
If the nations unite, they would wipe out this virus. The trial jab works, the governments ought to produce it more quickly. If we are rapid enough, we can prevent the bigger trouble.

Riedl Tamás