The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been circulating in Asia since late 2003 and
has spread to parts of Europe and Africa. Experts believe it could mutate into a
form that is easily spread among humans, sparking the next flu pandemic.
The World Health Organization has recorded 154 human deaths worldwide from
H5N1, and most of those victims came into direct contact with infected birds.
Leavitt said the United States has formally accepted the WHO's revised
International Health Regulations on preventing and responding to infectious
disease threats. While the regulations are to take effect June 2007, many
countries - including the US - have adopted them effective immediately.
The revised list adds and prioritizes smallpox, polio, SARS and new strains
of human influenza, while the original list applied to cholera, yellow fever and
plague.
Last week, Leavitt went to a village in the central province of Hunan to
visit a 9-year-old girl who recovered after being infected with H5N1, and talked
to local leaders and doctors who diagnosed and treated her - all rare access for
a foreigner.
One of the doctors had a computer that allowed him to update a national
database on communicable disease, Leavitt said. That allowed them to see where
cases of TB were occurring and track on a daily basis the number of AIDS cases
being diagnosed, he said.
"What each of those tell me is that they are placing a great deal of
importance on infectious disease control and prevention," Leavitt said.
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