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ROME (AP) — The United Nations warned Monday of a possible
resurgence of the deadly bird flu virus, saying wild bird
migrations had brought it back to previously virus-free countries
and that a mutant strain was spreading in Asia.
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A mutant strain of H5N1, which can apparently sidestep defenses of
existing vaccines, is spreading in China and Vietnam, Tthe U.N.
Food and Agriculture Organization said in a statement Monday. It
urged greater surveillance to ensure that any outbreaks are
contained.
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Last week, the World Health Organization reported that a 6-year-old
Cambodian girl had died Aug. 14 from bird flu, the eighth person to
die from H5N1 avian influenza this year in Cambodia.
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Vietnam suspended its springtime poultry vaccination this year, FAO
said. Most of the northern and central parts of the country where
the virus is endemic have been invaded by the new
strain.
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Elsewhere, FAO says bird migrations over the past two years have
brought H5N1 to countries that had been virus-free for several
years, including Israel, the Palestinian territories, Bulgaria,
Romania, Nepal and Mongolia.
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“Wild birds may introduce the virus, but people’s actions in
poultry production and marketing spread it,” said FAO’s chief
veterinary office Juan Lubroth in urging greater preparedness and
surveillance.
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WHO says globally there have been 331 human deaths from 565
confirmed bird flu cases since 2003 when it was first
detected.
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The virus was eliminated from most of the 63 countries infected at
its peak in 2006, but it remained endemic in six countries:
Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
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The number of outbreaks in poultry and wild bird populations shrank
from a high of 4000 to 302 in mid-2008, but outbreaks have risen
progressively since, with almost 800 cases reported in 2010-2011,
FAO said.
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“The general departure from the progressive decline in 2004-2008
could mean that there will be a flare-up of H5N1 this fall and
winter, with people unexpectedly finding the virus in their
backyard,” Lubroth said in a statement.
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