More Bird Flu Mutations Reported

Vietnam must ready itself for other outbreaks of the H5N1 bird flu virus

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture the bird flu virus (H5N1) has mutated into a form which makes it potentially far more dangerous. While this mutation is of serious concern to the world community, the Minister of Agriculture Mr. Cao Duc Phat did note that it is not so severe as to make the virus transmittable between humans easily.

At a special meeting of the Vietnamese bird flu central steering committee which convened earlier this week the Minister of Agriculture also said that Vietnam must ready itself for other outbreaks of the H5N1 bird flu virus as the weather was likely to get colder and cold weather is a favourable environment for the development of bird flu viruses.

The new mutation H5N1 bird flu virus does not mean that the vaccinations which have been carried out throughout the Vietnamese countryside are now rendered ineffective. The vaccine is still perfectly effective in all the birds that have been inoculated. Nevertheless the Health Minister stressed the importance of every single member of the population being vigilant to make sure that any bird flu outbreaks were immediately reported, that the transport of all poultry must be reported and that all regulations must be obeyed to the letter.

Since the beginning of May this year seven individuals have been infected with the deadly bird flu virus in different parts of the country.  Out of these people four of them passed away and three were saved when they used the bird flu medication Tamiflu. The new mutations of the bird flu virus while they do not pose an immediate threat to humans do show that the virus can change and is very likely to become a virus which will be easily transmittable between humans. When that does occur the world will have a panic on its hands and scientists will have to immediately start working on a vaccine to prevent it getting out of hand.