UN urges strict hygiene to avoid spread of H7N9 virus

The United Nations presented a list of recommendations, including a strict hygiene culture and keeping different breeds of animals apart, to try to curb the spreading of the H7N9 flu virus which has killed people in China. “With the virus harder to detect, good biosecurity measures become even more essential to reducing the risk of virus transmission to humans and animals,” said Juan Lubroth, the chief veterinary officer of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Among the precautions, the FAO recommended farmers and other livestock handlers to regularly wash their hands and keep animals separate from living areas, warning that “close contact with infected animals can put people at risk”. The organisation also said people should avoid eating sick animals and that they should not be fed to other animals. It recommended keeping different types of animals and species apart and to cull infected animals “if the human threat is confirmed as animal...