U.S. Citizen Services
Interview with Dr. Michael Vit, Czech Ministry of Health Chief Hygiene Official
We Take the Threat of Disease Very Seriously
Pravo, February 16, 2006, page 3
unofficial Embassy translation, for the original article please click here
Q: The avian flu has been found in dead swans in neighboring Austria and Germany. Do we have to be afraid of it here as well?
Vit: The risk is no higher than in the past days or years. The Czech Republic does not face imminent threat of the avian flu. People don’t need to be afraid of a spread of the virus to humans. And yet we take the threat of the avian flu very seriously.
Q: I understand your comforting words but people are concerned.
Vit: I repeat: No spread of H5N1 from a human to a human has been recorded yet. So far, a leap of the virus from an infected animal to a human has been recorded in South East Asia during very close mutual contact. The affected humans were all poultry tenders.
Q: Do you take any measures as a chief hygiene official now when the bird flu is at the door?
Vit: We do not take any specific hygienic measures. We have been consulting on the current situation within the European Union on a daily basis. Our colleagues in Austria and Germany have not yet taken any measures concerning the human population either. We have been finalizing our preparations for a worldwide pandemic.
Q: So, how should people act? They are afraid of the virus.
Vit: To minimize the risk it is necessary to immediately report the occurrence of a dead or sick bird to the veterinary office. Of course one should never touch the dead bird. It is equally important to cook your food at the minimum of 70 degrees Celsius, for at least five minutes, which will kill any viruses. This applies to both meat and eggs. I would like to make it clear that we do not import animals from areas with a bird flu occurrence.
Q: Do health officials check on the non-contagiousness of meat?
Vit: This is not what hygiene officials do; but the State Veterinary Office has taken very strict measures a long time ago. The meat on the Czech market is safe.
Q: Fine. But how can the bird flu virus spread? You said it can happen through a contact with a sick bird. But what about spreading through the air?
Vit: The virus will likely spread through drop infection, which means through the air. Therefore, I recommend to always use hygienic single-use tissues, to wash hands frequently, and, when you have a cold, to stay at home, to consult your doctor, and to not go to work or social events.
Q: But these are measures that are typical also for preventing the spread of seasonal flu that is currently under way here.
Vit: Yes, but these measures also apply to the bird flu. The more we comply with them the lesser the risk of spread.
Q: Many people travel abroad, including places where the bird flu and the spread to humans have occurred. How should they behave in such places?
Vit: First and foremost, they should avoid visiting poultry markets and farms; they should avoid places with high occurrence of bird deaths; they should eat only in restaurants not in the streets where you cannot be sure that the food is sufficiently cooked. It is necessary to avoid eating local food at market places; we recommend drinking only bottled water or water from clearly specified sources. If tourists comply with these recommendations and if they observe strict personal hygiene rules the risk of spread will be lower.
