“With the potential ramifications of transmission to humans, along with the financial toll bird flu takes on the economy, this could be disastrous for the country and potentially the world – the WHO simply cannot take a chance of yet another deadly infectious disease crossing borders,” said AHF President Michael Weinstein.
“We urge Director-General Tedros and the WHO to be proactive in getting a team on the ground that can assess the situation firsthand.”
Several affected states in India have begun culling tens of thousands of birds in an attempt to contain the two virus sub-types.
While transmission among humans is relatively rare, the mortality rate is approximately 60%, according to WHO.
AHF India Cares has been working in the country since 2004 and currently provides HIV care and treatment to 2,643 clients.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.5 million clients in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe.
To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare
