# 376
According to this report, from Reuters, scientists from around the world are meeting in Beijing where they are discussing the bird flu threat, and one of their greatest concerns is `bird flu fatigue'.
China meeting warns of bird flu mutation risk
30 Jan 2007 02:45:12 GMT
Source: Reuters
BEIJING, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The deadly H5N1 form of the bird flu virus is rapidly mutating and the world must be on guard even though the disease has yet to be transmitted between humans, experts told a meeting in Beijing, Chinese media said on Tuesday.
The closed door conference, attended by experts from the Chinese and U.S. centres for disease control and the World Health Organisation among others, opened on Monday, the official newspaper of the Chinese Health Ministry reported.
"The experts said that despite there being no evidence yet of human-to-human transmission of bird flu, the highly pathogenic H5N1 form of the virus is continuing to rapidly mutate, and human infections keep happening," the Health News reported.
"H5N1 is a virus that has the potential for mass transmission, and people cannot slacken off in their control efforts," it added in a front-page story.
The report provided no other details, except that the meeting will discuss bird flu vaccines.
The virus has killed 164 people since 2003, according to the WHO.
"These might not be large numbers but we cannot let that lull us into a false security," Henk Bekedam, the WHO's representative in China, said in a speech at the meeting, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Tuesday.
"Right now, a growing public health challenge is overcoming effects of 'bird flu fatigue'," he said.
"Just because an avian influenza pandemic has not hit, or because there is lower media coverage at times, does not mean the very real and ongoing threat of one has gone away," Bekedam added.
Chinese New Year this year is on February 18th, and marks the largest human migration of the year. Millions of Chinese will travel to their homes and rural villages for their annual reunions. After days of celebration, these people will return to the cities.
Undoubtedly, this is one of the risk factors on the minds of Chinese officials as they strategize on how to deal with the H5N1 virus. While reported cases of human bird flu infections have been, thus far, rare in China, they have occurred.
February and March will, therefore, be a time of close scrutiny for new cases on the Chinese mainland.
While it would be nice to have more detail as to what went on behind closed doors, it is encouraging to see that the lines of communication between the Chinese, the WHO, and the CDC appear to remain open.
