First North American death from bird flu (Canada)

The Telegraph ^ | 1-9-2014 | (Unclear)

[Sir Napsalot]

The first fatal case of bird flu in North America has been reported in Canada.

Officials in Canada said the victim, who was from Alberta, had just returned from Beijing.

The unnamed victim, who was not identified, died on January 3, having been admitted to hospital on Jan 1.

Four days earlier the victim, whose sex was not disclosed, had complained of a headache and fever.

Rona Ambrose, the Canadian health minister, insisted this was an isolated case, although officials are trying to contact others on the flight.

[Sir Napsalot]

bird flu ping

[txhurl]

bttt

[canuck_conservative]

Another February, another outbreak in Southern China.

SARS, bird flu, it doesn’t stop ....

[null and void]

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

[Crazieman]

But I’m not dead yet!

[null and void]

You’ll be dead by morning...

[Gay State Conservative]

Anyone who’s been to China...even recently...knows how dirty that country is.The only reason I can think of to explain the fact that the “natives” don’t die by the tens of millions from bacteria and viruses contracted in those filthy surroundings is that their immune systems are so accustomed to it that they can survive conditions that would kill folks from civilized countries within 12 hours.

[vetvetdoug]

I've had one strain of the influenza already this year. I had a splitting headache for three days before the respiratory symptoms appeared. The Great H1N1 Influenza of 1918 started out with a disabling headache and then fulminant respiratory symptoms resulting in death within 48 hours.

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping....

[rstrahan]

We’ve had several deaths in our county alone due to Bird Flu. One health man in his mid-20’s died when mis-diagnosed with bronchitis instead of the flu, developed pneumonia and died in 4 days.

If you’re in your 60’s you were probably exposed to it in the 50’s and relatively safe, but this stuff is deadly if no previous exposure, no flu shot, and especially if an underlying condition.

[grania]

Is it the bird flu or the pneumonia that's killing people? If one were getting a vaccination of some kind, wouldn't one for pneumonia make more sense?

I'm convinced that dairy products cause pneumonia to get worse. I'm avoiding dairy, especially the fat, and have been since getting pneumonia four years ago.

[Ditter]

I was 15 in 1955 and I had the worst case of the flu that I have ever had and I have had many cases of flu since then.

I always wondered if it was Bird Flu or one of the others. Not so much was said about it in the news back then. I remember feeling that I was not totally there. My mother would come in to the room and talk to me and I wouldn't answer her, I'd just look at her. It was a very strange feeling that I have never had again.

[21twelve]

In our local hospital (Seattle suburb)they had four deaths last week from H1N1 flu - ages 30 to 54. Saw on the new a 5-year old died in Oregon. So is this one in Canada something different? If not - it wasn’t the first by a long shot.

[21twelve]

Oops - after reading the article the “bird flu” they are talking about is H5N1 (what is going around here is H1N1).

[exDemMom]

Is it the bird flu or the pneumonia that's killing people? If one were getting a vaccination of some kind, wouldn't one for pneumonia make more sense?

When a person gets the flu, it weakens their immune system, leaving them vulnerable to opportunistic infections. They probably would not get pneumonia if they did not already have the flu.

There are several different viruses and bacteria that cause pneumonia. There are not vaccines for all of them.

[Smokin' Joe]

There are a number of variants of Bird Flu, the one in the article being the H5N1 variant. It is notable in that it is relatively difficult to transmit from human to human, preferring the warmer temperatures of the deep lung, unlike the more ordinary variants which thrive in the upper respiratory passages where it is cooler, and where it is easier to cough the virus out, transmitting it to others.

The reason this particular variant has garnered attention, however, is the very high mortality rate--about 60% of confirmed cases do not survive.

Keep in mind that those stats may be skewed by misdiagnosis, absence of diagnosis, or survivors who never sought medical attention, generally confined as the virus has been to Eastern Asia, and some parts of the Middle East.

This is a first confirmed death for this variant in North America, and note the plane originated in Beijing.

[AppyPappy]

More info. Pretty nasty stuff

http://emergency.cdc.gov/HAN/han00360.asp

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping to data in AppyPappy’s link (Thanks, Pappy!)

[trisham]

I’ve never been to China, but I’ve been to the restrooms of Chinese restaurants.