Bird flu

Important information

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has never recorded a case of bird flu virus transmission to humans from water.
• According to WHO, the bird flu virus is transmitted to humans mainly through the respiratory tract and, in some cases, the eyes.
• The information on the website of the Ministry of Health and the Government's pages devoted to bird flu is as follows:

"The contagion is transmitted by air, and is contracted especially by close, long lasting, and repeated contact with animals' infected secreta from the nose, or excreta, in confined spaces, both directly and indirectly (surfaces and/or hands soiled with excreta)."

• In the Czech Republic, drinking water goes through a process of treatment and hygienisation, which makes it possible to eliminate undesirable microorganisms. These include physical and chemical treatment processes, such as coagulation and filtration, and disinfection, i.e. chlorination; in some water treatment plants also ozonisation is applied. The resulting quality of the drinking water supplied meets the parameters laid down in Ministry of Health Public Notice No. 252/2004, as amended in Public Notice No. 187/2005, which sets out the requirements for drinking and hot water, and the scope and frequency of drinking water checks.
• The processes used in water treatment in all respects meet the hygienic recommendations of national and European authorities.
• The quality of the water supplied to you is checked at several levels of inspection; the checks are carried out by both the Veolia Voda Group water companies and public authorities (Regional Hygienic Stations, the National Health Institute).
• Whatever the origin of the water resources, the quality of these waters is continuously monitored. The treatment process is therefore continuously adjusted to the requirements for the quality of the drinking water supplied. The quality of raw water is monitored by both Povodí companies and each of the water companies.

1. Can I go on drinking tap water without risking bird flu?

Yes, you can go on drinking tap water.

In the Czech Republic, drinking water goes through a process of treatment and hygienisation, which makes it possible to eliminate undesirable microorganisms. These include physical and chemical treatment processes, such as coagulation (precipitation of impurities) and filtration, and disinfection, involving mainly chlorination or ozonisation; in some water treatment plants both of them. The resulting quality of the drinking water supplied complies with the laws and regulations in place in our country and in Europe, i.e. the parameters laid down in Public Notice No. 252/2004, as amended in Public Notice No. 187/2005, which sets out the requirements for drinking and hot water, and the scope and frequency of drinking water checks.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has never recorded a case of bird flue virus transmission to humans from water.

According to WHO, the bird flu virus is transmitted to humans mainly through the respiratory tract and, in some cases, the eyes.

The website of the Ministry of Health and the Government's pages devoted to bird flu offer the following information:

"The contagion is transmitted by air, and is contracted especially by close, long lasting, and repeated contact with animals' infected secreta from the nose, or excreta, in confined spaces, both directly and indirectly (surfaces and/or hands soiled with excreta)."

2. If tap water drinking does not pose a risk, is there a risk of contracting bird flu by contact with tap water, for example, when taking a bath or shower?

The safety of drinking water is ensured by the addition of chlorine. Drinking water is continuously subjected to stringent and regular controls as we have explained in the first question. It is not possible to contract this virus through the skin. According to the WHO, the virus is transmitted mainly through the respiratory tract and, in some cases, the eyes.

3. I have heard that you need to add a few drops of Savo to the water, that this will neutralise viruses; is this true?

No, please do not add Savo to drinking water. The safety of drinking water from public water mains is ensured with the addition of chlorine, which is also present in Savo, and the quantity of this chlorine is harmless to health while it makes drinking water safe. Please do not add any other disinfectants to drinking water.

4. Shall I boil water before using it?

No, this is not needed. The quality of the water supplied to you is checked by several controls, which are carried out by both the Veolia Voda Group water companies and public authorities (Regional Hygienic Stations, the National Health Institute).

5. Doesn't using hot water for personal hygiene pose a risk of infection through the respiratory tract from water vapour?

It does not. As we have noted, drinking water does not contain viruses and microorganisms, because chlorination makes it safe. Drinking water that meets the parameters laid down in Ministry of Health Public Notice No. 252/2004, as amended in Public Notice No. 187/2005, which sets out the requirements for drinking and hot water, and the scope and frequency of drinking water checks, is always distributed to the public water mains.

6. Are you sure that the procedures you use for drinking water treatment are really effective against this virus?

Yes, because the process of drinking water treatment and hygienisation in all respects meets the hygienic recommendations of national and European authorities. Important processes are chlorination and/or ozonisation, which make drinking water safe. Drinking water that complies with Ministry of Health Public Notice No. 252/2004 is supplied to the public water mains.

7. Heat helps to neutralise the virus; do you heat water, to be on the safe side?

No. Thermal treatment of drinking water is not a standard process we use. The current disinfecting mechanisms of our hygienisation methods (chlorination and/or ozonisation) are quite sufficient to neutralise viruses and make it possible to observe the hygienic quality criteria set out in the laws and regulations in place in the Czech Republic and Europe.

8. Are you sure about the quality of the raw water you treat to become drinking water?

The quality of raw water is carefully monitored. Quality checks are carried out by Povodí state-owned companies and the respective water company. Rainbow trout is also used for monitoring current toxicity; according to experts, it is the most suitable for this purpose. Rainbow trout has been selected as the organism that is the most sensitive to toxicants in the aqueous environment upon recommendations by the Halieutic and Hydrobiological Research Institute in Vodňany. Stock of rainbow trout fry, three months old and six months old, sized 4 - 6 cm, are placed in the tanks; by the end of the test the fish grows to 20 to 25 cm. The trout's behaviour is continuously monitored by cameras. The response to any abnormality is immediate: a decision to shut down the water supply plant. Consumers therefore need not have any concerns at all. In this way, together with the detailed physical, chemical, microbiological and biological analyses, the safety of the water supplied is fully ensured.

9. What are the symptoms of bird flu in birds?

The Czech Republic is running an information campaign on bird flu. Additional information is available at the following telephone number and websites: Tel. 800 100 415, www.ptaci-chripka.cz, www.svscr.cz, www.mze.cz, www.bezpecnostpotravin.cz. According to the information provided by the Government on this website, the symptoms in captive birds are as follows: loss of appetite, a dramatic drop in egg production, and difficult breathing.

10. What are the symptoms of bird flu in humans?

According to the information provided by the Ministry of Health the first symptoms of the bird flu virus are identical with those of the ordinary seasonal flu: increased temperature, headache, exhaustion, fatigue, coughing, and difficult breathing. Should the virus mutate, the intensity of the symptoms of this new virus may change, and additional symptoms may appear.