Predi%tion3 A %e)etary +urial )ig*t not +e possi+le for t*ose affe%ted 1it* t*e a&ian'flu, Plague Pits And

Mass Burials By Kate Walker Oxford, England (UPI) Apr !, " # Britain$s %ontingen%y plans for an a&ian'influen(a pande)i% in%lude t*e possi+le use of )ass gra&es, A -o)e Offi%e report entitled .Managing Ex%ess /eat*s in an Influen(a Pande)i%. predi%ts t*at as )any as 0" , people %ould die in a s*ort period of ti)e, o&er1*el)ing t*e %ountry$s )orgues and +urial fa%ilities, 2*e report reads3 .4o))on +urial )ig*t in&ol&e a large nu)+er of %offins +uried in t*e sa)e pla%e at t*e sa)e ti)e, in su%* a 1ay t*at allo1ed for indi&idual gra&es to +e )arked, .E&en 1it* ra)ping lo%al )anage)ent %apa%ity +y 5 per%ent, t*e prudent 1orst %ase of 0" , deat*s is pro6e%ted to lead to a delay of so)e 57 1eeks fro) deat* to +urial or %re)ation, .If t*e rate of deat* peaks at ",! per%ent, t*e )essage is si)ple '' no )atter 1*at e)ergen%y arrange)ents are put in pla%e t*ere are likely to +e su+stantially )ore deat*s t*an %an +e )anaged 1it*in t*e %urrent ti)es%ales,. If a pande)i% lasts 5! 1eeks, t*e *ealt* aut*orities in England and Wales %ould %ope 1it* 89, deat*s, less t*an " per%ent of t*e possi+le pro6e%ted total, Mean1*ile3 '' 2*e World -ealt* Organi(ation 2uesday %onfir)ed t*at four suspe%ted %ases of *u)an a&ian infe%tion in Egypt 1ere in fa%t -!:5, 2*e four %ases *ad all pre&iously +een identified as -!:5 +y t*e Egyptian Ministry of -ealt*; today$s W-O %onfir)ation 1as for t*e purposes of offi%ial figures, Of t*e four %ases, t1o *a&e fully re%o&ered fro) t*e disease, <a)ples fro) t*ree )ore suspe%ted %ases are %urrently +eing tested, ''2*e W-O Monday %onfir)ed t*at an 9'year'old Indonesian girl 1*o died last year 1as t*e %ountry$s "8t* &i%ti) of a&ian influen(a,

<a)ples taken fro) t*e girl *ad not +een sent to a W-O'affiliated la+oratory for testing, and results 1ere returned yesterday, =uni(ar =usin, Indonesia$s a&ian'flu %(ar, 1as >uoted +y Mail?@uardianOnline as saying, .Aollo1ing testing at t*e W-O la+oratory in -ong Kong, t*e results 1ere sent +a%k to us yesterday (Monday) and 1ere positi&e,. But a W-O representati&e in Bakarta said t*at s*e *ad +een gi&en no infor)ation relating to an in%reased deat* toll, nor *ad t*e organi(ation$s -ong Kong la+oratory re%ei&ed any fres* sa)ples for testing, .-o1e&er, 1e are no1 follo1ing up t*e &era%ity of t*e report,. s*e said, '' A&ian influen(a *as +een dete%ted on t*e outskirts of Ouagadougou, )aking Burkina Aaso t*e fift* Afri%an %ountry to fall &i%ti) to a&ian influen(a, 2ie)oko Konate, t*e %ountry$s li&esto%k )inister, said, .Aurt*er to deat*s noted in Ae+ruary a)ong poultry and 1ild +irds, #! spe%i)ens fro) &arious regions of t*e %ountry 1ere sent to referen%e la+oratories of t*e World Organi(ation for Ani)al -ealt* and t*e Aood and Agri%ulture Organi(ation,. Of t*e #! spe%i)ens tested, only one, fro) a )otel outside Ouagadougou, s*o1ed signs of -!:5 infe%tion, Burkina+e offi%ials *a&e set up a "')ile safety (one around t*e )otel and are in t*e pro%ess of %ulling poultry at t*e )otel and &a%%inating +irds 1it*in t*e safety (one, '' 2*e 4(e%* =epu+li% *as reported its se&ent* %ase of a&ian'influen(a infe%tion, t*is ti)e in a s1an found dead o&er t*e 1eekend, It *as +een %onfir)ed t*at t*e +ird 1as infe%ted 1it* an -! strain of a&ian influen(a, +ut furt*er tests are needed to deter)ine t*e su+type, '' 2*irty't1o 1ild s1ans in Poland found to +e infe%ted 1it* t*e -!:5 strain of a&ian influen(a *a&e +een %ulled, 2*e +irds, 1*i%* 1ere found in t*e nort*ern Polis* %ity of 2orun, 1ere %ulled late Monday, t*e Polis* Press Agen%y reported, '' An unna)ed Israeli go&ern)ent offi%ial *as +la)ed t*e spread of +ird flu in t*e %ountry on 6ournalists, AreeMarket:e1s,%o) 2uesday >uoted an unidentified Agri%ulture Ministry offi%ial as saying3 .It$s one of our 1orking *ypot*eses,

.Bird flu %an +e trans)itted on %lot*ing, foot1ear, t*e 1*eels of %ars, and e&en on %a)eras, 2*e 6ournalists 1*o %a)e to %o&er t*e out+reak ,,, 1ent +a%k to *o)es and offi%es a%ross t*e %ountry, E&en if t*e re>uired prote%ti&e )easures 1ere taken, it is i)possi+le to disinfe%t p*otograp*i% e>uip)ent 1it*out da)aging it,. <our%e3 United Press International