The Philippine Online Chronicles

The United Nations (UN) has warned of a new strain of avian (bird flu) influenza virus, H5N1-2.3.2.1, which is spreading in Asia and is said to be resistant to the existing vaccine being used against the virus.

The new strain, with cases reported in China and Vietnam, has killed eight in Cambodia this year. The new disease could be fatal to up to 60% or 6 out 10 patients infected. Unlike H1N1 which is spread through human-to-human transmission, this new strain can be transferred from an animal to human.

“Wild birds may introduce the virus, but people's actions in poultry production and marketing also spread it,” said UN's Food and Agriculture Organization official Juan Lubroth.

Department of Health (DOH) National Epidemiology Center director Dr. Eric Tayag said that the country is “still bird flu-free. The problem is on the poultry.”

However, the threat still exists due to the possible entry of smuggled livestock in the Philippines despite the ban on poultry products from countries affected by the virus.

“Pwedeng mahawa 'yung mga pumapatay ng hayop, nag-aalaga ng hayop at nagtatanggal ng balahibo, dahil droplets ang virus na ito,” Tayag said.

DOH Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases program manager Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy advised the public to “strengthen their resistance and immune system so that they can fight off infection. They should always observe cough manners and proper handwashing.”

H5N1, of which the new strain is a subtype of, has infected 565 people with 331 deaths since 2003, forcing the culling of more than 400 million domestic poultry, and resulted in 20 billion dollars economic damage, the Times Live reported. The report added that H5N1 still prevails in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

CBS News noted that avian (bird flu) influenza virus can lead to eye infections and severe respiratory problems such as pneumonia. Symptoms may also include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, and conjunctivitis.