March 6, 2006
allAfrica.com

Africa And the Threat of the Pandemic Bird Flu
Abduali Bayratay, Concord Times (Freetown)

The avian flu is a real threat for third world or developing countries. Sierra Leone, one of the least developed countries in the world, is particularly at risk. Abduali Bayratay dissects the problem. As fears loom over threats of a global pandemic as a result of the avian influenza, also known as the bird flu, health experts and officials around the world have held and continue to hold series of conferences and workshops in order to strategize on how to handle this health hazard. As rich western countries stockpile temiflu, the drug commonly used in the event of an outbreak Canada for instance is working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) in consultation with international partners like the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control to monitor the safety of poultry products in order to ward off the spread of avian flu.