Editorial: Getting ready for bird flu

Friday, April 28, 2006 | 7:33 a.m.

The manager of emergency operations at the Southern Nevada Health District says Hurricane Katrina illustrated a critical lesson - don't depend on the federal government in the event of a disaster.

Jim O'Brien, who appeared this week as a guest on "Face to Face With Jon Ralston," said, "We kind of had our dose of reality with Katrina. Advanced preparations are the things that really need to happen so that people are in a position to handle the situation."

We were glad to hear him say that, particularly since many scientists are saying that North America could see its first cases of bird flu this summer. If we do catch a break this summer, migratory birds infected with the disease will almost inevitably arrive in the United States within a year or two.

O'Brien spoke to that likely scenario. "We have a migratory pattern every springtime and every summer of birds that are coming from Siberia to Alaska and down to North America," he said. "Chances are that they are going to be infected."

Since bird flu emerged in Hong Kong in 1997, it has infected 204 people and killed 113, according to the latest figures released by the World Health Organization. And according to the World Organization for Animal Health, the flu has spread to 46 countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

At present, the danger exists mostly for people who come into contact with infected birds. But scientists say that the nature of a virus is to mutate into other forms, possibly one that would spread from person to person. If that ever happens with the bird flu virus, and scientists fear that it will one day, a worldwide pandemic is a likelihood.

A Los Angeles Times story last month quoted a flu expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Each morning I sit down at the computer ... there's another country, another outbreak or another human case," the expert said.

Several years ago, countries and international health agencies thought they could control the flu by killing millions of chickens, ducks and other fowl where the virus had struck. But thoughts of control are now vanishing. The Times article also quoted a virologist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. "We cannot contain this thing anymore," he said. "Nature is in control."

It is reassuring that the Health District here is aware of its responsibility. It has run through many exercises in dispensing medications, setting up quarantine centers, informing the public about necessary precautions and coordinating with other agencies on the procedure for making critical decisions, such as shutting down the airport or schools. While none of this may be necessary, it is best to be prepared for the worst.