As I recall, an Asian avian flu virus was shown to have spread between humans in an earlier outbreak, also there were some fatalities; can you confirm or debunk my recollection?
Bird flu started to affect humans only a few years ago. In May 1997, in Hong Kong, the first case of the disease in humans was reported following a widespread epidemic of bird flu among chickens.
Apparently, a strain of the virus (H5N1) mutated and started to infect humans. By the time the outbreak was contained in early 1998 — through the mass destruction of 1.5 million chickens, the thorough cleansing of the markets and chicken stalls, etc. — a total of 18 human cases that resulted in six deaths had been recorded.
There have been other outbreaks of bird flu in Asia since, but most had been caused by the less lethal H5N2 and other benign strains of the avian influenza type A virus.
In any case, very few human cases and deaths from the disease have been reported — till this year.
This year, an avian influenza epidemic has raged in Asia — specifically Thailand, Vietnam and China. To date, the epidemic has already resulted in the death of millions of chicken and at least 30 humans.
Practically all the confirmed human infections with the avian influenza have been acquired via direct contact with — most probably, the feces of — infected birds.
The possibility of a pandemic of avian influenza among humans cropped-up last month when
Thailand announced that it has a confirmed case of person-to-person transmission of the disease.
Evidently, a Thai mother got sick and eventually died from avian influenza after acquiring the virus from her sick child.
Actually, this is not the first occurrence of person-to-person transmission of bird flu. Several had occurred in the past, but none had resulted in a sustained transmission of the disease.
Experts are optimistic that this current case of person-to-person transmission will not result in a sustained transmission of the disease, either.