Bird flu threat grows in Europe and Africa

When, in early February, proof of the epidemic was found for the first time in the bodies of several dead swans on the German island of Rügen, the reaction of the authorities could only be described as negligent. Days passed before overburdened local officials were able to manage the collection and disposal of the dead creatures.

At the time, it was not known how many of the birds had succumbed to bird flu- the H5N1 pathogene that is also deadly for humans—and how many had died from cold, hunger or other causes. It appeared that no one in authority on Rügen or in Mecklenberg-Western Pomerania wished to provide an accurate account of the scale of the outbreak out of concern that the island’s tourism trade would suffer, causing yet another painful setback to the region’s extremely fragile economic situation.

It was not announced until February 14 that the hump-beaked swans, found dead on February 8, were suspected of having been infected with H5N1. Not until February 19, after criticism from political circles and the media, was a state of emergency proclaimed for the county of Rügen. Prompted the day before by an inquiry from federal Agricultural and Consumer Protection Minister Horst Seehofer, County Administrator Kerstin Kassner, a member of the Left Party, called a press conference to announce that she had the situation under control.

In view of the significance of the outbreak of H5N1, the response by the public authorities was entirely inadequate. For days, the location where the dead birds were found remained unquarantined, even though the carcasses could have carried “massive deposits of the virus,” according to a statement from Thomas Mettenleiter, president of the Friedrich Löffler Institute.

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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/mar2006/bflu-m13.shtml