Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-30-Speech-3-159"
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"en.20051130.15.3-159"2
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".
Mr President, avian flu is clearly a major fatal threat to birds and humans. Millions of avian deaths have recently been caused by the virus responsible and many human conditions are being attributed directly to the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, HPAI.
However, avian flu is not a new disease. In fact, it is thought to have been around ever since viruses themselves were discovered and it is most likely to be just as old as the common flu virus itself, i.e. probably many thousands of years old.
The threat to humans is not new either. Studies using molecular biology techniques indicate that the influenza pandemic which erupted at the end of the First World War was in fact caused by an avian flu virus. That pandemic killed approximately 50 million people.
It is of interest that, as with most influenza pandemics, the 1918 flu pandemic only lasted for about one year and gradually disappeared in the subsequent period. This happened without the use of antiviral agents, vaccines or radical measures having been taken in poultry farming, but thanks to the most effective means of disease defence called natural resistance. This should perhaps cause us to carefully consider how drastic our precautionary measures should be. This is why I agree with both the Commissioner and the rapporteur that a balanced approach is the most rational to take.
I feel that any measures we take should be in accordance with nature’s defence mechanisms and not in opposition to them. It is therefore my view that close scientific monitoring of the epidemiology and molecular biology of the avian flu virus is essential. I believe that massive culling of LPAI-infected holdings is not strictly necessary – let us remind ourselves that we have been eating scrapie-infected sheep and goats for over 200 years and no human has yet died from scrapie infections. I am also of the opinion that vaccinations of flocks are costly, cumbersome and perhaps of dubious significance – rather, we should aim at researching and promoting the breeding of naturally-resistant birds. In addition, assistance should be given to developing countries to improve primitive holdings conditions and poultry food hygiene, which is very important. Lastly, the panic-stocking of antiviral drugs of doubtful effectiveness and without proper scrutiny of their sometimes lethal side-effects is not wise. It deprives much-needed resources from healthcare systems and mainly helps further to enrich pharmaceutical companies."@en1
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