# 5804
Adding to the growing list of statements by public agencies in the wake of the FAO’s announcement earlier this week of the spread of new strain of bird flu (H5N1 Clade 2.3.2.1) in Vietnam and China, we have a 3-page risk assessment from the ECDC.
As with the OIE and the World Health Organization statements, today’s release from the ECDC seeks to reassure the public that there is no evidence that the threat to human health from this new strain has changed.
ECDC assessment on Avian flu outbreak in Southeast Asia indicates no change in risk to human health
01 Sep 2011
ECDC concludes in its rapid risk assessment that there is no evidence "of the virus A(H5N1) having become more adapted to humans" and the direct risk to the health of EU/EEA population is very low.
The risk assessment was prompted by a report from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization on a potential increase in A(H5N1). The FAO report highlights an outbreak of A(H5N1) in poultry and wild bird population in Southeast Asia "with unpredictable risks to human health".
Through consultations with various experts, ECDC recognises that any increase in outbreaks or changes of distribution of the outbreaks need to be monitored. However, in this particular case and from a human health perspective, the assessment is that "there are currently no indications of any significant change in the human epidemiology associated with the clade or strain of A(H5N1)."
You’ll find the earlier statements at the following links:
