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The World Health Organization says the appearance of bird flu
in domestic cats in Thailand is not likely to increase the current
risk to human health from the virus.
Bird flu has killed three house cats near the capital, Bangkok,
Thai officials reported on Friday. Veterinarians have urged residents
to stay away from their cats if there were chickens living nearby.
Chickens and ducks have been the main victims of bird flu.
Health experts are concerned that if bird flu sickens other animals,
it could mutate into a strain more easily passed on to humans.
Controlling bird flu is "quite a serious problem", UN Food and
Agriculture Organization Director General Jacques Diouf said.
"Unless we deal with it very seriously, there is the risk not
only of other birds contracting it but also other animals, and
naturally we have also seen the effect on humans."
In a report posted on its website, WHO has tried to quell concerns
that infections in cats by the H5N1 bird flu virus would increase
the risk to people.
"Should domestic cats prove to be easily infected with H5N1,
which is considered unlikely, their infection is not expected
to contribute in a significant way to the presence of H5N1 virus
in the environment," the statement said.
Although a number of mammals have been infected by purely avian
influenza viruses, "only the pig has significance for human health",
WHO said.
Pigs, which are genetically close to humans, can be infected
by both human and avian flu viruses and "can thus serve as the
'mixing vessel' for the mingling of genetic material," it said.
If this happens, a new bid flu virus subtype could emerge that
is dangerous to humans, it said.
"The very small number of human cases - despite abundant and
widespread opportunities for exposure and subsequent infection
- strongly suggests that transmission of H5N1 from birds to mammals,
including cats as well as humans, is a rare event."
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