UN warns of bird flu resurgence, new Asian strain

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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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