Countries must boost global health measures to avoid repeat of bird flu outbreak- United Nations News Centre, 01/29/2013
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44022&Cr=influenza&Cr1=#.URb0S2eDmSo
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports that the world remains at risk for outbreaks of deadly avian influenza and that nations and organizations need to step up monitoring and prevention efforts. The global economic downturn experienced since the frightening 2006 H5N1 'bird flu' outbreaks in southeast Asia, Turkey and Nigeria is indicated as a major contributing factor to the shortfalls of recent efforts.
H5N1 first entered human populations from avian hosts in 2003. Although transmission from bird-to-human and human-to-human is not easy, those who do become infected experience a whopping 60% mortality rate. Since 2003, more than 500 people have been infected and of those, more than 300 died. 400,000,000 domestic poultry animals were culled in the 2006 outbreak and the economic costs were estimated at $20 billion. Large reservoirs of H5N1 persist in many nations across southeast Asia and the Middle East.
The report also draws attention to the ongoing spread of PPR (Pestes de Petits Ruminants). This is a highly contagious and deadly disease that affects sheep and goats, threatening the food chain of southern Africa. It is currently confined to sub-Saharan regions, causing particular damage to flocks in DR Congo. Although an effective vaccine exists, it is not being employed.
Analysis
This report highlights the ways that infectious diseases can impact multiple sociological spheres, including public health, economic well-being and food security among large populations of people. Although it is not explicitly discussed in the article, global trade is also heavily impacted by diseases like avian flu. Few nations would be willing to import infected poultry from countries where H5N1 is present. Poultry and livestock farmers, who tend to live in poor conditions in most developing nations, can easily lose all their potential income from an unchecked disease outbreak, especially if there is no government support to help mitigate their losses. Ongoing sluggish economic growth is also limiting the resources that might be available to poorer nations in dealing with the threats of infectious diseases among food animals and humans.
Beyond the considerations of confined economic losses and threats to regional food supplies lies the specter of a full-blown, global flu pandemic. The economic, social and security impacts of the widespread occurrence of a new flu strain could become incalculable. Current systems of rapid transport and global interaction lend themselves very well to this very real potential.
*As an anecdote, I will include a personal story. My maternal grandmother was born in 1918, the year of the "Spanish Flu" that killed millions of people worldwide. She told tales she heard from her mother about what a grim year that was. It happened to coincide with a particularly cold winter in North Carolina. The dead could not be buried until spring because the ground was frozen too hard. Rows and rows of coffins could be seen lining cemeteries, lots of funeral homes and church yards. Entire families were killed. This is a scene I would not care to witness in my lifetime.
Antony Cochran
SOC 202-02
02/10/2012 10:45
The report also draws attention to the ongoing spread of PPR (Pestes de Petits Ruminants). This is a highly contagious and deadly disease that affects sheep and goats, threatening the food chain of southern Africa. It is currently confined to sub-Saharan regions, causing particular damage to flocks in DR Congo. Although an effective vaccine exists, it is not being employed.
Analysis
This report highlights the ways that infectious diseases can impact multiple sociological spheres, including public health, economic well-being and food security among large populations of people. Although it is not explicitly discussed in the article, global trade is also heavily impacted by diseases like avian flu. Few nations would be willing to import infected poultry from countries where H5N1 is present. Poultry and livestock farmers, who tend to live in poor conditions in most developing nations, can easily lose all their potential income from an unchecked disease outbreak, especially if there is no government support to help mitigate their losses. Ongoing sluggish economic growth is also limiting the resources that might be available to poorer nations in dealing with the threats of infectious diseases among food animals and humans.
Beyond the considerations of confined economic losses and threats to regional food supplies lies the specter of a full-blown, global flu pandemic. The economic, social and security impacts of the widespread occurrence of a new flu strain could become incalculable. Current systems of rapid transport and global interaction lend themselves very well to this very real potential.
*As an anecdote, I will include a personal story. My maternal grandmother was born in 1918, the year of the "Spanish Flu" that killed millions of people worldwide. She told tales she heard from her mother about what a grim year that was. It happened to coincide with a particularly cold winter in North Carolina. The dead could not be buried until spring because the ground was frozen too hard. Rows and rows of coffins could be seen lining cemeteries, lots of funeral homes and church yards. Entire families were killed. This is a scene I would not care to witness in my lifetime.
Antony Cochran
SOC 202-02
02/10/2012 10:45
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