News Highlights
Author:
Maha Al-Azar,
Media Relations Officer,
Office of information and Public Relations,
ma110@aub.edu.lb
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Update on bird flu in Lebanon: Lab tests have come out negative
 | Prof Elie Barbour and Dr Maya Kahwaji
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AUB experts said on Tuesday January 24 that none of the samples of birds and poultry they have examined up till now have tested positive for bird flu.
In the second public lecture held at the University since the world started bracing itself for a bird flu epidemic, Animal Sciences Professor Elie Barbour and Dr Maya Kahwaji, a senior resident doctor at the family medicine department, presented an update on the kinds of things people and officials should watch out for in preparation of a potential spread of bird flu from neighboring countries.
"Now that several cases of bird flu have appeared in Turkey, Lebanon should consider itself within the sphere of danger," said Dr Kahwaji, to the 150 people filling up Auditorium B in West Hall beyond capacity. "And the best defense mechanism for fighting the disease is through knowledge, preparedness and an implementation strategy for the WHO recommendation on the disease." |
Dr Kahwaji said that a flu pandemic is now imminent, because "historically pandemics have begun when an Avian flu virus would have mutated in such a way to be able to infect humans."
Up till now 149 people have been infected with bird flu worldwide. Of those 80 died as a result of the infection, said Dr Kahwaji, quoting the latest scientific reports. In Turkey, there have been four confirmed cases of bird flu and two deaths. It's still unclear whether the avian flu has entered Syria, since no reports are coming out from that country, noted Dr Barbour. In general, all humans who contracted the disease had handled birds or poultry over a significant period of time. In other words, standing underneath a tree full of birds and watching birds flying does not expose an individual to the disease. People would have to touch bird droppings or the birds themselves in order to increase their risks of contracting the disease. Eating cooked eggs or chicken has not been shown to pose any risk to humans. |
 | So many people showed up for the lecture that some had to stand or sit on the window sills
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While the avian flu strain is supposed to infect only birds and to a lesser degree pigs and horses, recent studies have also shown that domestic cats and tigers have also been contracting the disease. That's why Dr Barbour posed the question to the AUB community: "In case bird flu enters Lebanon, how should AUB deal with all the cats available on campus?"
Drs Kahwaji and Barbour explained the differences between the three known strains of bird flu: H9, H7 and H5, the latter two being the ones that are causing the scare. |
What scientists are worried about is for the bird flu to mix with the regular flu strains and then mutate in such a way that it would become transmissible between humans, both experts warned.
Another concern is that certain animals, like ducks, can be asymptomatic, which means they could infect other animals while staying off the radar screens of scientists and public health officials. |
Dr Barbour also warned that vaccinating animals against bird flu does not stop the infection. It merely masks the symptoms, something which could complicate the work of scientists and officials monitoring the disease. "That's why I am urging the Lebanese government not to import the vaccine or recommend it to our farmers," he said. In any case, vaccinated birds are not meant to be eaten or traded, he added.
Moreover, Dr Kahwaji noted that Lebanon is not well-equipped at the healthcare level to deal with bird flu infections, should the case arise. "The Health Ministry has only stockpiled 5,000 boxes of the antiviral drug Tamiflu, whereas the WHO recommends that countries store enough antiviral drugs to cover the needs of 30 percent of the population," she said. |
Dr Barbour also urged officials to ensure that pig farms and poultry farms are kept separate and that all farms not keep wild birds and domestic birds together. In particular, the practice of feeding dead poultry to pigs should be stopped, he said. Any kind of interaction between animals should be minimized in all farms, he added. Moreover, mobile vendors of poultry, which are common in villages, should be asked to stop this practice.
As for measures that would help keep the country prepared, Dr Barbour said that Lebanese flocks should be continuously monitored, something which is currently not happening. Moreover, should any birds be found to be infected, officials should isolate the infected flock, properly destroy it all on site, and then conduct tests on the premises to make sure the virus has been cleared before allowing farmers to restock their farm with poultry. |
Dr Barbour challenged the Lebanese government to screen all poultry farms and come out with a message to the public on whether the existence of bird flu in Lebanon can be confidently ruled out at this point.
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