ROME: A swine flu outbreak in turkeys in Chile raises fears that the new virus could combine with avian influenza and mutate into a more dangerous disease, a UN agency warned Thursday.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expressed concern that other poultry farms around the world could become infected with the A(H1N1) virus, which had until now only been detected in humans and pigs.
“The current H1N1 virus strain is a mixture of human, pig and bird genes and has proved to be very contagious but no more deadly than common seasonal flu viruses, the Rome-based agency said in a statement.
“However, it could theoretically become more dangerous if it adds virulence by combining with H5N1, commonly known as avian flu, which is far more deadly but harder to pass along among humans, it said.
The FAO noted that Chile does not have avian influenza, also known as bird flu.
However, it added, “In South-East Asia where there is a lot of the (avian) virus circulating in poultry, the introduction of H1N1 in these populations would be of a greater concern.
Chilean authorities announced last week that they had discovered a swine flu outbreak in two turkey farms in the Valparaiso region, 160 kilometers west of Santiago, and that it was transmitted by humans.
The FAO called for better monitoring of the health of animals and for farms to follow good farming practice guidelines, “including protecting farm workers if animals are sick and not allowing sick workers near animals.
“The emergence of new influenza virus strains capable of affecting humans and domestic animals remains a broader, more general concern that is being closely monitored by FAO, the World Organization for Animal Health and the World Health Organization, it said. -AFP
