November 22, 2005

Australian government launches bird flu information website
 

The Australian government launched a website Tuesday to inform the public about bird flu, and give tips on how to prepare for a possible human flu pandemic.

The site gave news about the spread of the virus among bird flocks around the world and the number and locations of human victims of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

It also had updates on medical innovations and advice for businesses on how to prepare for the possibility that bird flu could mutate into a form that could be transmitted easily between humans, sparking a flu pandemic.

Health Minister Tony Abbott said the site, run by the government's Health Services Australia Group, was intended to help clear up misconceptions about bird flu.

"There is a lot of misinformation around, there are a lot of misunderstandings around," Abbott told reporters.

The site's overseer, travel health expert Dr. John Gheradin, said the risk of an Australian contracting bird flu on a trip overseas "is extremely low."

"The risk in Australia is clearly zero," Gheradin told reporters. Australia has had no recorded cases of bird flu.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least 67 people in Asia since 2003. Almost all of them came into close contact with infected birds.