Teachers and students at a school in Wales are being offered anti-bird flu drugs after being in contact with a child suspected of contracting H7N2 virus.
The school staff is being treated with antiviral medication as a precaution, the National Public Health Service (NPHS) said in a statement. 12 persons have so far been reported infected with the strain.
Dr Marion Lyons of the NPHS fears,
Person-to-person spread would be very unusual but limited spread of this type has been seen elsewhere in the past in some cases of bird flu. As a precautionary measure the NPHS is continuing to offer people who have had contact with individuals with this illness antiviral medication to minimize the risk of spread. Experience of this particular bird flu virus in humans is limited so we are actively managing the public health response.
Authorities confirmed an outbreak of bird flu among chickens at a farm in North Wales last week. Fortunately, the virus has been identified as the low pathogenic H7N2 strain of bird flu, not the H5N1 strain, which is potentially deadly to humans and has caused scares everywhere around the globe.
Earlier this year, Europe‘s biggest turkey producer Bernard Matthews was forced to scull 160,000 turkeys because of an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in England. Since then, Britain has been on the watch for bird disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says a total of 186 people have died of the deadly bird flu since 2003. The virus has since spread throughout Asia, sporadic parts of Europe, and the Middle East and Africa.
But since it is a low pathogenic strain that has shown its face in Britain, it should not be treated lightly. Every necessary precaution must be taken to ensure safety of the people.
Via:Reuters