REVIEW
Bird flu: if or when? Planning for the next pandemic
Pandemic Influenza Office, Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, Colindale, London, UK
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Chloe Sellwood
Pandemic Influenza Office, Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK; chloe.sellwood{at}hpa.org.uk
Avian influenza or "bird flu" is causing increasing concern across the world as experts prepare for the possible occurrence of the next human influenza pandemic. Only influenza A has ever been shown to have the capacity to cause pandemics. Currently A/H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, is of particular concern. Outbreaks of this disease in birds, especially domestic poultry, have been detected across Southeast Asia at regular intervals since 2003, and have now affected parts of Africa and Europe. Many unaffected countries across the world are preparing for the possible arrival of HPAI A/H5N1 in wild birds and poultry within their territories. All such countries need to prepare for the rare possibility of a small number of human cases of HPAI A/H5N1, imported through foreign travel. Although it is by no means certain that HPAI A/H5N1 will be the source of the next pandemic, many countries are also preparing for the inevitable occurrence of human pandemic influenza.
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