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Avian Flu Update – February 3 2009

February 3rd, 2009 | Comments Off

China appears to be the focal point for avian flu [H5N1] cases so far in 2009. Of 9 reported cases, 7 are from China. Nearly all are reported to have had contact with poultry. In Third World nations, especially rural regions, when livestock become sick, the rush is to slaughter them and perhaps use them before they die. Since H5N1 is primarily transmitted through contact with infected poultry, this means that every sick bird is a tiny hotspot of infection. Here are the latest two reports from China. WHO update 3 27 January 2009 — The Ministry of Health in China has announced three new confirmed human cases of H5N1 infection. The first, a 31-year-old female from Urumqi, Xinjiang Autonomous Region had onset of symptoms on 10 January. She received treatment in hospital … Read entire article »

Filed under: Avian Flu, Commentary, Medicine, Original writing

Avian Flu Update for 1-21-2009

January 20th, 2009 | Comments Off

A Facebook conversation prompts me to examine the current situation with the A type H5N1 influenza virus, known as “bird flu” or “avian flu”. Birds suffer from several types of influenza, however, and most are not contagious for humans. The terms “bird flu” and “avian flu” are, thus, very non-specific. A)H5N1 is the influenza virus that was discovered in Scotland, in birds, in 1959. It was first seen in humans in 1997, after 1996-97 outbreaks in birds in China and Hong Kong. To date, the World Health Organization is reporting 397 cases, of which 249 were fatalities. 63% of the reported cases were fatal. Indonesia has had the most cases and one of the highest death rates at 81%. Vietnam runs second, and its death rate is 49%. 12 countries in Asia and … Read entire article »

Filed under: Avian Flu, Commentary, Medicine, Original writing, Pandemic

Bird Flu Update

January 7th, 2009 | Comments Off

Bird Flu Update

WHO table for all cases through January 7, 2009 China The Ministry of Health in China has reported a new case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case is a 19-year old female from Chaoyang District, Beijing. She developed symptoms on 24 Dec 2008, was hospitalized, and died on 5 January 2009. The case was confirmed by the national laboratory. The case had contact with poultry prior to her illness. All contacts have … Read entire article »

Filed under: Avian Flu, Medicine