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UN officials fear East Africa will be next bird flu target

Infection Control Monitor, October 21, 2005

As bird flu surges into the Balkan region of Eastern Europe, United Nations officials recently expressed that their greatest concern is that the virus is headed for East Africa, where the disease would be near impossible to contain, The New York Times reports.

In poorer African nations, people live in close proximity with animals. This would vastly increase the possibility of the virus gaining the ability to transmit between humans, spawning a global pandemic.

Preparedness plans across the world are mandating the immediate culling of infected birds, but it may be difficult to convince families to comply when chickens serve as a crucial source of food.

Health experts say the Middle East, North Africa, and East Africa are likely the next stops for bird flu.

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