U.S. experts call for improved global bird flu surveillance system

Walter Boyce, an avian influenza expert at the University of California, Davis,,in the latest issue of the British journal Nature thatthe current global bird flu surveillance system is still inadequate and requires improvements by governmentsandresearchers to prevent a possible outbreak of avian influenzaIn an op-ed entitled "Vigilance alone is not enough", MrBoyce said global surveillance systems are critical to identifying,tracking potential,prevalence of avian influenza viruses, such as the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virusThe current surveillance of wild birds is sporadic and is likely to miss out on some important viral hosts or virus subtypesBoyce said the international scientific community is still not enough to track potentially,the bird flu virus that could cause larger outbreaksHe believes that scientists should plan ahead and improve in the , expand the scope of surveillance of the avian influenza virus In the case of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, for example, surveillance is currently concentrated in Europe and North America, where the number of wild birds infected with avian influenza is limited To truly understand the role of wild birds in the spread of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, it is important to focus on monitoring the virus in parts of Asia where the avian influenza outbreak is heavily affected 2 Samples of all types of avian influenza virus collected should be studied and identified in detail The focus of researchers is now on the of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, could ignore other types of viruses that could trigger a pandemic 3 National researchers should share avian influenza virus samples and data as soon as possible, this will help health institutions to investigate the virus and develop preventive plans , a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of California, Davis, and is also one of the leaders of the Rapid Influenza Surveillance and Research Center in the United States
whose main research interests include tracking the spread of the virus in wild birds in the United States and Asia