Fed: Bird flu could affect 30 per cent of Australians says study

AAP General News (Australia)
02-17-2006
Fed: Bird flu could affect 30 per cent of Australians says study

Australian experts have made chilling predictions about the devastating impact a serious
outbreak of bird flu could have on Australia.

They say such a pandemic would infect about 30 per cent of Australians .. and kill
214 thousand people .. while globally .. up to 140 million people would die in such an
outbreak.

Experts say in a study .. even a mild bird flu pandemic would have a major impact on
the world economy .. costing nearly four and a half THOUSAND BILLION dollars.

The experts say Australia would lose almost 11 per cent of its economic output as the
global economy shrinks by almost 13 per cent.



The study's been co-authored by Professor WARWICK MCKIBBIN .. one of the world's leading
economic modellers .. and Dr ALEXANDRA SIDORENKO .. a health expert at Australian National
University.

AAP RTV tr/was/wz/bart/psm/

KEYWORD: FLU AUST (SYDNEY)

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