Expert Wants Brazil to Take Urgent Measures Against Bird Flu

Ricardo de Melo Martins, professor of medicine at the University of BrasÀ­lia (UnB), in the Brazilian capital, recommends that the Brazilian Bird Flu Containment Plan be fully implemented after Carnaval in order to prevent the disease from entering the country.

"Things are calm now. If bird flu arrives, it will be in the winter, during the months of July and August." That is why he thinks it is so important to act right away.

Martins, who contributed to the plan as an outside expert, said that greater intensity is needed in getting information out to the population and the press.

"The distribution of pamphlets to tourists and the installation of barriers in ports and airports can also help keep the disease from entering Brazil," he observed.

According to the professor, the country has a natural "safety shield" against the disease. The migratory birds potentially infected by the H5N1 virus come from Asia and Europe and first pass through North America. Most of them will die before arriving in Brazilian territory.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Agriculture has installed surveillance posts in the regions where migratory birds usually enter the country, and the Ministry of Health has transferred US$ 1.451 million (3.1 million reais) to the Butantã Institute to manufacture vaccines against the virus.

Bird flu is a severely contagious disease transmitted by one of the most virulent subtypes of the influenza virus, the H5N1. 83 of the 152 human victims of the disease have already died.

The incidence has been greatest in Asia. Up to now there has been no evidence of transmission among humans. Transmission has been limited to avian vectors, among birds and from birds to humans.

Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

Pope Meets Brazilian Indians and Vows to Help Protect Their Land

Brazilian Indians Jacir José de Souza and Pierângela Nascimento da Cunha from the Makuxi ...

Brazil’s Embraer Sells Its First E-Jets to a Brazilian Airline

Brazilian airline BRA Transportes Aéreos signed a contract with Brazil's Embraer to buy 20 ...

Brazil Hopeful Lower Interest Rates Will Create More Jobs

At yesterday’s, January 18, presentation of the General Register of Employment and Unemployment (CAGED), ...

Reality Check: Life in Brazil Through the Eyes of a Foreigner – An Excerpt

‘Reality Check: Life in Brazil through the eyes of a foreigner’ was published last ...

Brazil Calls Artisans to Create Souvenirs for the Pan-American Games

The project Panorama Carioca – Rio de Janeiro Central for Creation of Objects, developed ...

Brazilian cattle at pasture

The World Needs to Eat and Brazil Has the Food

The main consumers of cattle beef in years to come will be developing countries. ...

Uruguay Has 10,000 Tons of Milk Waiting a License to Enter Brazil

Given Brazil's long delay in extending import licenses for Uruguayan dairy produce Uruguay is ...

China and Middle East Top Brazilian Poultry Buyers

Cooperativa Mista Rondon (Copagril), a cooperative from the city of Marechal Cândido Rondon, in ...

Chinese pencils, garlic, fans… Brazil Bars This and Much More

China suffers the largest number of trade protection measures applied by Brazil. 12 of ...

Brazil and Argentina: Two Neighbors Who Can’t Get Along

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been badly wounded by the corruption ...

WordPress database error: [Table './brazzil3_live/wp_wfHits' is marked as crashed and last (automatic?) repair failed]
SHOW FULL COLUMNS FROM `wp_wfHits`