August 31, 2009

An AH1N1 outbreak in turkeys in Chile raises fears the new virus could combine with bird flu and mutate into a more dangerous disease, the Food and Agriculture Organisation warned Thursday (Aug 27).

The FAO expressed concern other poultry farms around the world could become infected with the AH1N1 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...which is far more deadly but harder to pass along among humans," it said.

The FAO noted Chile doesn't have bird flu.

However, it said, "In Southeast Asia where there is a lot of the bird virus circulating in poultry, the introduction of H1N1 in these populations would be of a greater concern."

Chilean authorities announced last week they had discovered an AH1N1 outbreak in two turkey farms in the Valparaiso region, 160 kilometres 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 flu virus strains capable of affecting humans and domestic animals remains a broader, more general concern that is being closely monitored by FAO, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Health Organisation," it said.