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WHO hopes bird flu will do less harm this winter

The risk of a flu pandemic remains high despite possible public fatigue with the issue, but the WHO is hopeful the bird flu virus will do less damage than in past years during Asia's upcoming colder months, an official said yesterday.

"The virus seems to be very embedded in the environment and, in our view, the risk of a pandemic continues unabated," Richard Nesbit, WHO's acting regional director for the Western Pacific, told reporters prior to a weeklong meeting in Auckland, New Zealand.

"Recently, we've seen new outbreaks in poultry in Cambodia and also in Thailand, besides seeing continuing outbreaks in Indonesia," he said.

Bird flu is expected to be one of the top items discussed for the third straight year at the annual WHO regional meeting, which helps set the organization's strategic agenda. The H5N1 virus has killed at least 144 people since it began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003, and experts worry more fatalities will emerge as the cooler months approach.

Nesbit said he was encouraged by the progress Vietnam has made in beating back the virus.

Vietnam has recorded the second-highest number of fatalities after Indonesia, but has not detected a human case since last November. Vietnam has credited its success to a mass vaccination campaign of poultry and strong political will.

"I think that we've made a lot of effort in building up capacity in other countries, so I'm also hopeful that we will see a much improved situation [and] that we will not get human cases," he said of the cooler weather, when bird flu outbreaks and human cases are often logged.

Bird flu remains hard for humans to catch, but Nesbit said the public should not lower its guard even though the warning has now become somewhat old.

"The scientists are telling us that the risk is just as present as ever ... We are seeing continuing evolution of these viruses and that's been very well documented now both in humans but as well also in poultry," he said.

The WHO meeting in New Zealand will also address a number of other major health issues affecting the region, including heart disease, diabetes, AIDS and tuberculosis.
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