#years #bird #flu #hit #Asia
20 years ago, avian flu caused by the A (H5N1) virus spread like wildfire in several Asian countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) was particularly concerned about its transmission to humans. Reports from our archives look back at the beginnings of this epidemic.
It was in 1997 in Hong Kong that the avian flu virus was spotted for the first time. Six people lost their lives.
The same virus resurfaced in April 2003, this time reaching 10 countries: China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, as well as Indonesia and Pakistan.
In this report from the show Discovery broadcast on February 15, 2004, host Charles Tisseyre explains the WHO’s concerns.
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Report by Mario Masson, narrated by Charles Tisseyre, about the beginnings of the avian flu virus in Asia at the end of the 1990s and its worrying resurgence in 2004. Host and narrator: Charles Tisseyre. Director: Chantal Théoret.
The new influenza virus, H5N1, is very scary, and the WHO is on alert. Originating from the chicken flu, which caused great harm in Hong Kong in 1997, the virus is spreading throughout Southeast Asia.
The WHO fears the virus could mutate, creating a highly deadly pandemic.
For now, it only spreads from birds to humans, but it would be a disaster if it passed from one human to another. A probability that increases as the number of infected chickens increases.
In early 2004, bird flu caused the destruction of millions of chickens and the death of 60 people in Asia.
The virus can be transmitted from birds to humans, particularly by handling raw meat.
On April 12, 2005, the journalist Sophie Langlois presents a report to TV news about the avian flu crisis which continues in Vietnam and other Asian countries causing 60% mortality among humans who contract the virus.
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Report by Sophie Langlois, about the avian flu crisis which continues in Vietnam and other Asian countries, causing 60% mortality among humans who contract the virus. Host: Bernard Derome.
As the journalist explains, in Asia, people often live with chickens, who come and go as they please in markets and houses.
It is also customary to buy chickens live.
In Canada, the first case occurred in March 2004 on a commercial chicken farm in British Columbia. The farm is immediately quarantined and the herd is slaughtered.
In 2014, avian flu claimed its first human victim in North America.
Au TV news on January 8, 2014, Daniel Thibeault presents a report on this first death in Alberta.
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Report by Daniel Thibeault on the first death in Canada in 2014 from avian flu, which occurred in Alberta. Host: Céline Galipeau.
It is about a person who returned from a trip.
Canada has experienced two episodes of avian flu, in 2004 in British Columbia and in 2015 in Ontario. A few isolated cases have also been recorded in the meantime.
According to Canada’s National Collaborating Center for Environmental Health (NCCEH), an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) caused by the A (H5N1) virus began towards the end of 2021.
In 2023, the virus has spread to an unprecedented extent among wild birds, poultry and mammals in Canada and elsewhere around the world.
Few human infections occurred during this period, and none in Canada. However, vigilance remains necessary to limit the possibility of passage into humans. (source: CCNSE)
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