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WHO: Bird Flu Threatens "Incalculable Misery"]
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 13:21:51 -0500
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: WHO: Bird Flu Threatens "Incalculable Misery" Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 12:56:10 -0500 From: Randall <rvh40 () insightbb com> To: Dave <dave () farber net> http://htdaw.blogsource.com/post.mhtml?post_id=29473WHO Meeting: Bird Flu Threatens "Incalculable Human Misery"
A dark outlook got even darker on Monday, when delegates to a meeting at World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva heard grim forecasts of the potential costs of an avian flu pandemic. The H5N1 strain has killed half of the 120 people it has infected; if it acquires the ability to pass directly from person to person it could kill millions and cause as much as $800 billion in economic damage across the world, experts warned. "It is only a matter of time before an avian influenza, most likely the H5N1 strain, acquires the ability to be transmitted human-to-human," warned WHO director-general Lee Jong-wook. "The signs are that it is coming." The H5N1 strain has already passed from Asia to Eastern Europe, and signs indicate that migratory waterfowl will soon carry it to Africa, which lacks the resources to contain it effectively. A Kenyan delegate estimated that her country would need $20 million in outside help to mount the measures proposed by Western governments. Bruce Gellin, director of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, warned that the economic toll could be enormous and suggested that even private businesses should develop a pandemic preparedness plan in case key personnel are lost to illness or absenteeism. "The threat of a pandemic is the most important public health issue today," he said. -- ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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