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| Friday, 6 February 2004 |
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Measures to counter possible outbreak of bird flu here by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi A top Ministerial Committee headed by the Director General of Health Services Dr. Athula Kahandaliyange is meeting on a daily basis to finalise guidelines and activate precautionary measurers to counter a possible outbreak of bird flu fast spreading in Asia. "The Health Ministry is in the process of finalising" guidelines to counter a possible outbreak of bird flu," a Senior Health Ministry official told the Daily News. "However, it is difficult to set down strict guidelines for a situation which is not properly understood", he added. No bird flu case has been detected in Sri Lanka. "We are lucky that no bird flu case has been found here. But, we cannot be over complacent as this disease could fast spread with the increasing air travel," the official said. The Ministry has already imposed a ban on chick imports as a precautionary measure to safeguard the local poultry industry. "However, we are yet to find out the true picture and the nature of the transmission of the illness, he added. Officials said the guidelines will be based on experience of countries already fighting against this disease, opinion of local and foreign experts and WHO guidelines. "We are collecting all possible information, but the guidelines will be based on scientific findings," he added. Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva, Director of Health Ministry's Private Health Sector Development said once prepared, guidelines will be given to the private sector too for speedy action and prevent any possible outbreak of the disease. Meanwhile, a Manila datelined AFP report said the fallout from the outbreak had so far been limited to sectors like the poultry industries of certain countries, and the human death toll was still relatively small. Experts have warned a worldwide epidemic might result if the bird flu crisis escalates through human-to-human transmissions. The H5N1 bird flu virus has emerged in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, while Taiwan and Pakistan have reported weaker strains. |
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