Asian Bird Flu...seriously fatal
Discussion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4270755.stm
Bird flu cases 'underestimated'
The virus is usually passed to humans from infected birds
The spread of the deadly bird flu virus may have been underestimated because of a misunderstanding of how it affects the body, British scientists have said.
Oxford University experts studying deaths in Vietnam suggest the disease can attack all parts of the body, not just the lungs as had been thought.
They told the New England Journal of Medicine they also believe humans could pass the virus on to each other.
So far, there have been 42 bird flu deaths, all in Asian countries.
But the Oxford University scientists say their findings suggests the number of cases of human infection with the virus may have been under-estimated.
When someone is suffering from any severe illness we should consider if avian flu might be the cause
Dr Menno de Jong
Q&A: Avian flu
The World Health Organization said it would change its definition of what constituted a bird flu infection.
So far, the WHO says there have been 55 confirmed cases of bird flu in humans, and 42 deaths.
However, experts believe millions could be at risk if the virus acquires the ability to jump from person to person by combining with a form of human flu to make a new, mutated, version.
The researchers examined the deaths of two young children - a brother and sister - who lived in a single room with their parents in southern Vietnam.
They were admitted to hospital suffering from gastro-enteritis and acute encephalitis, which are common ailments in the country.
Neither displayed respiratory problems, which have been considered typical in cases of avian flu.
Widespread attack
But analysis revealed the four-year-old boy had traces of the virus in his faeces, blood, nose and in the fluid around the brain.
AVIAN FLU
Cambodia - 1 case, 1 death
Thailand - 17 cases, 12 deaths
Vietnam - 37 cases, 29 deaths
This indicates the virus - known as H5N1 - can attack all parts of the body, not just the lungs.
It is suspected his nine-year-old sister, who died two weeks earlier in February last year, was also suffering from the virus.
The lead researcher is Dr Menno de Jong, a virologist at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit who is based at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh.
He said: "This illustrates that when someone is suffering from any severe illness we should consider if avian flu might be the cause.
"It may be possible to treat but you have to act in the early stages, so awareness of the whole spectrum of symptoms in an emerging disease like avian flu is vital.
"It appears this virus is progressively adapting to an increasing range of mammals in which it can cause infection, and the range of disease in humans is wide and clearly includes encephalitis."
Different manifestations
Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust's Vietnam unit, said: "This latest work underlines the possibility that avian influenza can present itself in different ways.
"The main focus has been on patients with respiratory illnesses but clearly that's not the only thing we should be looking for.
"Therefore the number of cases of H5N1 may have been underestimated."
Dr Farrar said the presence of the virus in the faeces suggested that it could be spread from person to person - especially where people are living in crowded conditions.
It is not believed that either of the children passed the virus on, but it is also not clear how they contracted it.
However, the girl often swam in a nearby canal which may have been contaminated by ducks carrying the virus.
Dick Thompson, of the World Health Organization, told the BBC the findings were significant.
He said: "It means the range of illnesses we have been looking for when considering a diagnosis of avian flu will now be expanded.
"We will have to change the way we conduct our investigations, the management of hospital patients and even the way we deal with their bodily secretions."
Look at those fatality rates - 76%! This will be a real problem if it did ever cobine with "normal" flu, as many people seem to be postulating.
Now where are those SARS masks again?!
Phil
Bird flu cases 'underestimated'
The virus is usually passed to humans from infected birds
The spread of the deadly bird flu virus may have been underestimated because of a misunderstanding of how it affects the body, British scientists have said.
Oxford University experts studying deaths in Vietnam suggest the disease can attack all parts of the body, not just the lungs as had been thought.
They told the New England Journal of Medicine they also believe humans could pass the virus on to each other.
So far, there have been 42 bird flu deaths, all in Asian countries.
But the Oxford University scientists say their findings suggests the number of cases of human infection with the virus may have been under-estimated.
When someone is suffering from any severe illness we should consider if avian flu might be the cause
Dr Menno de Jong
Q&A: Avian flu
The World Health Organization said it would change its definition of what constituted a bird flu infection.
So far, the WHO says there have been 55 confirmed cases of bird flu in humans, and 42 deaths.
However, experts believe millions could be at risk if the virus acquires the ability to jump from person to person by combining with a form of human flu to make a new, mutated, version.
The researchers examined the deaths of two young children - a brother and sister - who lived in a single room with their parents in southern Vietnam.
They were admitted to hospital suffering from gastro-enteritis and acute encephalitis, which are common ailments in the country.
Neither displayed respiratory problems, which have been considered typical in cases of avian flu.
Widespread attack
But analysis revealed the four-year-old boy had traces of the virus in his faeces, blood, nose and in the fluid around the brain.
AVIAN FLU
Cambodia - 1 case, 1 death
Thailand - 17 cases, 12 deaths
Vietnam - 37 cases, 29 deaths
This indicates the virus - known as H5N1 - can attack all parts of the body, not just the lungs.
It is suspected his nine-year-old sister, who died two weeks earlier in February last year, was also suffering from the virus.
The lead researcher is Dr Menno de Jong, a virologist at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit who is based at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh.
He said: "This illustrates that when someone is suffering from any severe illness we should consider if avian flu might be the cause.
"It may be possible to treat but you have to act in the early stages, so awareness of the whole spectrum of symptoms in an emerging disease like avian flu is vital.
"It appears this virus is progressively adapting to an increasing range of mammals in which it can cause infection, and the range of disease in humans is wide and clearly includes encephalitis."
Different manifestations
Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust's Vietnam unit, said: "This latest work underlines the possibility that avian influenza can present itself in different ways.
"The main focus has been on patients with respiratory illnesses but clearly that's not the only thing we should be looking for.
"Therefore the number of cases of H5N1 may have been underestimated."
Dr Farrar said the presence of the virus in the faeces suggested that it could be spread from person to person - especially where people are living in crowded conditions.
It is not believed that either of the children passed the virus on, but it is also not clear how they contracted it.
However, the girl often swam in a nearby canal which may have been contaminated by ducks carrying the virus.
Dick Thompson, of the World Health Organization, told the BBC the findings were significant.
He said: "It means the range of illnesses we have been looking for when considering a diagnosis of avian flu will now be expanded.
"We will have to change the way we conduct our investigations, the management of hospital patients and even the way we deal with their bodily secretions."
Look at those fatality rates - 76%! This will be a real problem if it did ever cobine with "normal" flu, as many people seem to be postulating.
Now where are those SARS masks again?!
Phil
had it for about a week - haven't got the strength to read through all those long worms - just off to make chicken soup......Isn't this a hygene issue that has caused the outbreak, a bit like the old 19th Century thypoid problem here?
The infected birds infecting open street cooking maybe and other similar instances of human animal interaction (carefull now).
>> Edited by FourWheelDrift on Thursday 17th February 12:16
The infected birds infecting open street cooking maybe and other similar instances of human animal interaction (carefull now).
>> Edited by FourWheelDrift on Thursday 17th February 12:16
The Flu pandemic is going to happen and this could be it. Remember that the 1918/19 flu killed more people in Europe than World War One. The answer is the antivirals Tamiflu and Relenza which work if taken on first symptoms and are effective against avian flu. The two problems are correctly identifying the symptoms and availability of the drugs. By the time you have a doctor's appointment you will be dead. The answer is to stock up with one of these drugs and keep it in your fridge at home. The World Health Organisation has told the UK government that we have an inadequate stockpile of such drugs for when the pandemic happens. You can buy them over the counter in many countries such as Spain, though not in the UK.
Yertis said:
So realistically, what precautions should I be taking?
1st before you do anything else! put on ur cycle helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, mouth guard then stretch an extra large condom over yourself for extra protection (preferably the thicker ones) then go to tescos and buy their whole stock of tinned food, build yourself an impenetrable underground bunker, fill with your stock of tinned food, close the door.
This is the only place you will be safe according to the goverment and half of society
ps - dont forget some good Motoring magazines & a PS2, could be a bit boring otherwise.
Nik
xm5er said:Because if H5N1 makes the jump from being a bird flu which you can only catch by coming onto contact with infected avians, into a variant that spreads human to human, the estimated 80% tranmission and 80% mortality rates would kill about 64% of the world's population in a rather short length of time.
Malaria kills 3000 people per day (over 1million per year).
Why on earth should we give a toss about this.
Malaria is a big problem, but since it isn't transmitted directly by normal human contact (ie just being in the same room as an infected person), then it isn't a threat. A major flu pandemic could seriously threaten the human species.
Sheepy
I wouldnt quite go as far as to say it threatens our species. even if it hit every single community with a 90% mortality rate, it would still leave about 600 million people world wide.
However it still has the potential to damage our civilisation to an extent we can bearly imagine
And what is our good for nothing government doing to protect us from it? Absolutly nothing
>> Edited by chief-0369 on Thursday 17th February 15:40
However it still has the potential to damage our civilisation to an extent we can bearly imagine
And what is our good for nothing government doing to protect us from it? Absolutly nothing
>> Edited by chief-0369 on Thursday 17th February 15:40
chief-0369 said:I don't think that there's much they can do. The flu has proven time and time agin to be a rather remarkable little bug that can mutate (and thus evade vaccines). Until a hybrid of a humanly-transmittable flu and H5N1 appears, there's little can be done. Research is ongoing to try to get a bird vaccine sorted out, but that is not a total solution. What you really need the goverment to sort out is some contingency planning for how to handle incoming victim isolation and/or complete shutdown of travel to affected areas. Those plans exist (and work).
And what is our good for nothing government doing to protect us from it? Absolutly nothing
Sheepy
sheepy said:
And what is our good for nothing government doing to protect us from it? Absolutly nothing
I don't think that there's much they can do. The flu has proven time and time agin to be a rather remarkable little bug that can mutate (and thus evade vaccines). Until a hybrid of a humanly-transmittable flu and H5N1 appears, there's little can be done. Research is ongoing to try to get a bird vaccine sorted out, but that is not a total solution. What you really need the goverment to sort out is some contingency planning for how to handle incoming victim isolation and/or complete shutdown of travel to affected areas. Those plans exist (and work).
Sheepy
SARS was different, by the time the outbreak is known about it will be too late, the price of immigration, it wont be so enriching to our country if this kicks off!
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