World animal health body urges tighter bird flu controls after US death

More should be done to control the spread of bird flu among animals to avoid more cases in humans, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Wednesday, following the first death of a patient from the virus in the United States.

Avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has spread across the world in recent years, ravaging flocks, pushing up food prices, and raising concerns about a new pandemic.

"This situation really highlights the importance of managing risk at the animal source, which is really essential to prevent the spread of bird flu and its possible transmission to humans," WOAH Director General Emmanuelle Soubeyran told Reuters.

Soubeyran called for more investment in monitoring the virus in wild birds and animals to control what she said was an unprecedented outbreak due to its global reach and the number of species infected, notably dairy cattle in the United States.

"If there is a lack of awareness of the situation, people are more likely to become infected and the virus will be able to circulate between poultry, pigs, cows, and wild animals. This is where a mutation (of the virus) will happen and potentially create a pandemic," she said.

Bird flu is usually carried by migrating wild birds before being transmitted between farms and, in some cases, to humans, mostly farm workers.

Soubeyran also repeated calls for a wider use of vaccination, in addition to control measures, to avoid a spread of the virus.

"If used correctly, it will reduce viral circulation and therefore exposure to humans," she said.

Large exporters, except France, have been reluctant to vaccinate birds, fearing that other countries would interpret that as an admission of a problem and impose trade restrictions.