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Serious consequences if misuse of flu drug not stopped: FAO
The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned there could be serious consequences for China and Asia if the government does not stamp out misuse of a bird flu drug. "If farmers here are provided with amantadine and the virus becomes resistant, that means if something happens to another country or within China, if people take amantadine against the flu, it would be useless," Noureddin Mona, the FAO's representative in China, told AFP on Wednesday. "We feel this situation is risky. We have to be very concerned about it and well prepared." Misuse of the anti-viral drug amantadine is at the centre of a health scare triggered by a Washington Post report citing experts saying Chinese farmers, with government backing, had widely used the drug to combat the deadly bird flu virus in poultry since the 1990s. Using the drug on animals could render it useless as it raises the chances of the virus becoming resistant to it, and resistance could easily develop in animals as it is more difficult to ensure proper dosage, experts said. The fear is that a resistant virus in animals could be easily transmitted to humans, in which case amantadine -- one of only a few anti-viral flu medicine available -- would be ineffective. China has denied it permitted farmers to use the drug, but comments by one official in the state media suggested some farmers may have used amantadine illegally to save their infected flocks, instead of culling them as recommended. The Chinese government has said it will investigate and punish those who misuse the drug, suggesting misuse has occurred. The FAO Wednesday was still awaiting information from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture on how widespread use of amantadine in poultry was. The World Health Organization has also requested details. "How many and where, we really don't know. It's the ministry's duty to really know how many, where and to stop them," Mona said. The Washington Post report said amantadine could be purchased cheaply and easily in China. "It should not be sold in markets, but by prescription only," Mona said, adding that it was crucial China stop farmers from using the drug. "It's not only about saving your flock for today or one month, but you are creating a very risky situation within China and outside of China," he said. "It's not just a matter for China, but a matter for the region." The consequences were not only in terms of health, but economics, Mona said. If farmers use amantadine instead of destroying infected flocks, that could lead to the spread of bird flu, which could devastate not only China's but other countries' poultry industry. "This type of disease is not just a matter of disease, it's a matter of economics. The consumers also will be affected, by shortage of supplies, meat. ... This will affect many countries, such as Thailand and Cambodia," Mona said. "China knows their responsibility as an emerging superpower in economic terms ... We trust they are fully aware of the consequences." So far bird flu is mainly transmitted between birds, but experts fear the H5N1 virus could be devastating to humans if it genetically mutates and develops the capacity to be transmitted from human to human. The WHO has warned that if this happens it could trigger a new human flu pandemic, potentially killing up to 50 million people worldwide. A total of 54 people have died from the H5N1 virus since the beginning of the
epidemic in 2003.
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