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re: horrendous outcome predicted Governments across the globe are heeding advice from the World Health Organization to guard against a possible deadly spread of a bird flu virus that Asian countries have been fighting for several months.

England is one of several nations to recently begin stepping up poultry inspection. The governments also want drug companies to speed up efforts to disseminate a virus.

In the wake of the December 2004 announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) that bird flu will set off an international pandemic, the latest issue of the 'New England Journal of Medicine' warns the world to begin setting up safeguards now.



WHO spokesperson Klaus Stohr stated, "the emergence of human cases of avian influenza A [H5N1] virus infection in Asia is an unprecedented warning and has given the world more time to prepare than anyone might have expected."

British government health authorities are considering plans which would involve the preparation of inflatable mortuaries, quarantine facilities and large-scale evacuation plans.

A major concern for health officials revolve around the fear that bird flu could infect someone who is already ill with the human form of flu causing a deadly mutation.

If this were to occur the virus would become highly infectious which could lead to a world-wide pandemic.
As the avian flu virus spread through 10 Asian countries 12 people in Thailand have died and another 29 have died in Vietnam.

The World Health Organization is urging countries and drug companies to speed development and production of a vaccine and then stockpile the drug when it comes onto the market.

Dr. Viroj Tangcharoensathien, a Thai Health Ministry official and an executive delegate to the WHO conference in Geneva suggested adding a clause to any resolutions which would allow poor countries to ignore any drug patent laws during an outbreak and purchase less expensive generic drugs not unlike similar programs undertaken by poorer countries hard hit by HIV/AIDS.

But American delegates to the conference would not agree to such a clause citing pharmaceutical companies would be hurt by fewer profits in the event that generic manufacturers would be more interested in profit than humanitarian efforts.