[a class="koyubaslik"]'If H5N1 Mutates, We Should Prepare Mass Burials'[/a]
By Anadolu News Agency (aa), LONDON
Published: Sunday, April 02, 2006
[a href="http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20060402&hn=31583"]http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20060402&hn=31583[/a]
[p style="lineh-eight: 115%; font-weight: bold;"] A confidential British report noted that if the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus mutates into a form transmissible to humans, 320,000 people could die in Britain and mass graves might have to be buried.[/p]The British Sunday Times newspaper claimed that they reached the British Interior Minister's March 22, 2006 dated classified report, titled "To deal with mass deaths in case of a bird flu epidemic." [/p] [/p]According to the news, the report recalls the painful memories of the great epidemic of 1665 and warns that an epidemic could cause a delay of up to 17 weeks for burial or cremation. [/p] [/p]The report claims that in case of a 15-week epidemic, Britain and Wales could face 48,000 deaths. The Interior Ministry Spokesman was quoted as saying, "The government takes serious the threat caused by the possibility of a mutation in the bird flu virus." [/p]