No bird flu patients in Lanka
 

Lakmini RODRIGO

COLOMBO: Epidemiological sources yesterday confirmed that no patient suffering from the deadly avian flu virus had been discovered in Sri Lanka.

Random deaths of birds reported in various parts of the country were due to normal phenomenon and not the virus, they said.

Despite the fact that the country was not at high risk of the H5N1 virus that causes avian flu, the Government has taken action to improve the health services and laboratory facilities in 20 hospitals in 20 districts to cater to suspected cases of the disease, under the directive of Health and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.

The hospitals will be supplied with modern equipment, diagnostic facilities, intensive care facilities and protective gear for the staff to combat an outbreak successfully.

The Avian Influenza group of viruses that causes bird flu disease is normally found in wild birds' intestines but can be highly pathogenic to domestic birds and humans.

It causes a flu-like respiratory disease in humans with symptoms like sudden fever, cough and shortness of breath for which no vaccine has been discovered yet.

The anti-viral drug Tamiflu is the current treatment for the disease which is being used as prophylaxis as well as the cure. The Health Ministry has taken already action to store drugs sufficient to treat a large number of patients at once, said Health and Nutrition Ministry sources.

The Epidemiological Unit source allayed fears of bird deaths in Sri Lanka being due to the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus saying that had the H5N1 virus infected a flock of birds it would kill nearly 50 to 80 per cent of birds within 48 hours and such cases had not been reported from Sri Lanka so far.