Bird flu situation in Indonesia critical News / Information Releases from other Sources Posted by JimEdwards on Mar 18, 2008 - 06:54 PM High load of circulating virus could lead to mutation and a human influenza pandemic Source: [1]The prevalence of avian influenza in Indonesia remains serious despite containment efforts undertaken by national authorities and the international community, FAO warned today. Indonesia is the country worst hit by avian influenza. “The human mortality rate from bird flu in Indonesia is the highest in the world and there will be more human cases if we do not focus more on containing the disease at source in animals,” said FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech. “Furthermore, I am deeply concerned that the high level of virus circulation in birds in the country could create conditions for the virus to mutate and to finally cause a human influenza pandemic,” Domenech warned. “The avian influenza situation in Indonesia is grave – all international partners and national authorities need to step up their efforts for halting the spread of the disease in animals and making the fight against the virus a top priority.” Read more [2] ... This article is from World Veterinary Association   http://www.worldvet.org/ The URL for this story is:   http://www.worldvet.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=4097 Links in this article   [1] http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000813/index.html   [2] http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000813/index.html