WHO: No travel warnings on bird flu hit areas

cctv.com 01-24-2004 15:19

The World Health Organization currently has no plans to issue a travel ban on countries hit by the bird flu outbreak in East Asia.

A senior WHO official said on Friday that there was no need at present for the kind of travel warnings WHO issued during the last year's SARS epidemic.

Head of the WHO influenza program Doctor Klaus Stohr said that no travel bans were under consideration because of no inter-human transmission discovered. He was confident that the disease could be controlled if people take effective measures, including killing all the infected chickens.

WHO also suggested that people infected with the disease be isolated from sufferers of regular influenza. Scientists said that a combination of the two viruses might accelerate the spread of the disease. At least five people have died from bird flu virus in Vietnam. A Thai man suspected of having the disease died on Friday and two boys in the country were reportedly sick with it.

Editor:Xiao  Source:CCTV.com