Bird flu drills in Hawaii

A drill designed to test responses to a bird flu emergency has been successfully carried out in Hawaii, involving a range individuals at various stages of the air travel process.

The test simulated a bird flu outbreak on board an airliner, seeking to assess the response of officials who would be called upon to handle the situation if a real emergency was to occur.

Participants in the drill included local healthcare workers, US customs officials and the military, working in collaboration to aid affected passengers and prevent the outbreak from spreading further.

Hawaii is the first sate to undergo practice for this kind of emergency ascertaining the efficiency with which an outbreak would be dealt with. Factors assessed in the drill included the use of personal protection equipment, which emergency workers would have to use in order to keep themselves safe.

'It's definitely the largest where we have both military and civil authorities side by side,' commented Joint Task Force Commander Lt. Colonel Ed Toy, according to KHNL.

Meanwhile, tests in the Czech Republic have confirmed H5N1 bird flu at two separate farms.

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