Bahrain on alert over H5N1

Via the Gulf Daily News: Bahrain alert over bird flu. They're not dealing with an immediate problem, but they sound pretty prepared. Excerpt:

Bahrain has "re-activated" its health services over possible bird flu cases with the onset of winter, it was announced yesterday.

Health Ministry communicable diseases department head Dr Muna Al Mousawi said there was a greater risk of the virus coming to Bahrain in the winter with the increased migration of birds from colder countries.

"Bahrain traditionally receives a huge number of these winged visitors and that makes us a bit more cautious in these months," she told the GDN.

"The virus is also such that it thrives in the cold winter months."

Dr Al Mousawi said that Bahrain has been very well-prepared for several months.

"We have now sent out letters to all bodies, departments and organisations concerned to be ready in case there is a threat," she said.

The official said that it was very likely that Bahrain would remain free of the deadly virus.

"That is, however, no reason to be complacent," she added.

Dr Al Mousawi said a special ward, set up to receive possible bird flu patients, has remained open in the last few months, after it was established in March this year.

"The 18-bed isolation ward at the Salmaniya Medical Complex is staffed by four nurses, two chest physicians, two intravenous specialists and two intensive care specialists, who are on duty on a rotation basis," she said.

The ward is well-stocked with all the latest machines and state-of-the-art equipment to treat patients, added Dr Al Mousawi.

"We have also been in touch with the authorities at the Accident and Emergency Department to prevent any patient suspected of suffering from bird flu going into the main hospital through the department," she said.

This all sounds fine, but I would love to hear that Dr. Al Mousawi was also enroute to Vietnam and Indonesia to see how those countries are dealing with both B2B and human cases of H5N1. The airports of the hot-zone countries should be clogged with health experts from the rest of the world.