CLSA estimates bird flu has cost Asia $8-12 bln

	Tweet

The bird flu outbreak in Asia has already cost the region about US$8-12 billion and is intensifying pressure for tighter biosecurity, a report by investment bank CLSA says.

In the report, entitled “One flu over the chicken’s nest: Is a killer bird flu pandemic upon us?”, CLSA noted that investors had not focused on the disease even though it had devastated the agri-industries of several Asian countries.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza, which can jump from birds to humans, has killed 49 people since 2003, 16 since the disease erupted anew in December.

The World Health Organisation has issued repeated warnings in recent months about the increasing risk of a global influenza pandemic emerging from the bird flu crisis in Asia.

CLSA said it was difficult to assign a probability or timetable for a pandemic but the epicentre would likely be Thailand, Vietnam or China.

The economies of Hong Kong, Singapore and China would be hit hardest initially by a pandemic, based on healthcare expenditure and tourist arrivals per capita and total trade divided by gross domestic product.

However, as those countries had greater resources to combat the disease they may suffer fewer fatalities than poorer areas, the report said.

“It is presumed that the economic consequences for Asia and the rest of the world will be more severe if the epicentre for the initial outbreaks were in southern China as opposed to Vietnam or Thailand,” the report said.

The report was commissioned by U.S.-based Bio Economic Research Associates.

The spread of the virus among poultry has proved extremely difficult to stamp out in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

North Korea recently reported cases among poultry, prompting China and South Korea to tighten quarantine controls on their borders with the Stalinist state.

More than 140 million birds have died or been culled in Asia because of the disease, significantly disrupting poultry production and trade. CLSA said that would accelerate the shift of poultry production from small farms to large-scale operations, which have been most successful in containing the disease. 

RELATED STORIES:
North Korea contains bird flu outbreak, U.N. says   Brits to trial bird flu vaccine on humans   Sweden confirms first cases of H5N1 bird flu   Vietnam finds new case of human bird flu   Flu kills 27 in Britain, spreading in Europe   Swedish theory suggests treatment for Avian Influenza Infection   Access to Drug Samples May Influence Prescribing Habits   Signs of Tamiflu resistance no cause for alarm   Cats infected with bird flu in Iraq   Officials Face Off on European Flu Vaccine   Second test shows no H5N1 in German farm bird   Bird flu viruses carry unique genes, study finds

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]