Posted on 06/24/2006 2:15:05 AM PDT by neverdem
ROME, June 23 — An Indonesian who died after catching the A(H5N1) bird flu virus from his 10-year-old son represents the first confirmed case of human-to-human transmission of the disease, a World Health Organization investigation of an unusual family cluster has concluded, the agency said Friday.
The W.H.O. investigators also discovered that the virus had mutated slightly when the son had the disease, although not in any way that would allow the virus to pass more readily among people.
"Yes, it is slightly altered, but in a way that viruses commonly mutate," said Dick Thompson, a spokesman for the agency in Geneva. "But that didn't make it more transmissible or cause more severe disease."
The greater importance of the slightly modified virus is that it allowed researchers from the W.H.O. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States to document that the virus almost certainly was passed from person to person.
In previous cases where human-to-human transmission was suspected, researchers could not test samples from the patients, or the virus in the patients was the same as that in poultry in the area.
The genetics work vindicates some Internet flu watchers who had disputed statements by a W.H.O. official and the Indonesian Health Ministry soon after the cluster was reported, saying it was possible the whole family had been infected by a barbecued pig, poultry or chicken manure.
The independent flu watchers, relying on local Indonesian news media, had argued that the pattern of dates on which different family members fell ill suggested that the virus had jumped from human to human to human.
Scientists have long said the A(H5N1) virus, which has killed or led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds worldwide, does not spread easily to humans or among them.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I posted the CIDRAP article on this same thing last night. We don't have to rely on the NYT and their reputation--but it's interesting that they are reporting it.
I posted the CIDRAP article on this last night here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1654723/posts
They state that although it mutates, when H2H, that it doesn't indicate that it will be easier for people to catch it. Well, it did make it easier for several people to catch it.
And as far as it causing more severe illness, the only more severe it could get is it if killed people before they catch it!
[This report is all over early morning television news reports today. All of the Indonesian family members who contracted H5N1 in this chain died. That is a 100% death rate reported in this very small sample. These recent mutations in Asia now have at least a 65% death rate. The talking heads I saw this morning appeared to be distressed when they said the entire family of eight persons died. [More Reports Here] . . . There is little doubt now that H5N1 is being spread from person to person.]
Yep. No one wants to take this seriously. It is bad, but perhaps not as bad as you seem to think, although the mortality rate is very, very high. Time will tell. In any event, another pandemic will occur at some point in time, that's the way these things work.
How many have died from riding a motorcycle helmetless?
Now I have a reason to stand my ground on 'NO CHICKENS'.
While it apparently made the disease easier to catch, it still did not make it 'easy', as far as we know.
I believe there was one survivor in that cluster, so the kill rate was not 100%, but those are definitely poor odds of survival.
"The world will end on December 21, 2012."
I keep hearing this from the George Noorys of
the world Personally, I think the Mayan who
was doing the calendar said, "Well, I think that's
enough. Think I'll change medium and start making
crystal skulls."
Far fewer than have died from head injuries sustained in car wrecks.
Sir Issac Newton predicted the world will end the year 2060. I like the Mayan prediction better, no need to save for retirement.
Two days before my birthday. Hate that.
Here we go....
True, but if you figure miles travelled per death, it looks pretty bad for cycles in general and idiots in particular.
WHO: Bird flu spread among family members
"The experts were expected to discuss the large family cluster during the session. One of the remaining mysteries is why only blood relatives - not spouses - became infected.
"The WHO report theorizes the family shared a "common genetic predisposition to infection with H5N1 virus with severe and fatal outcomes." However, there is no evidence to support that."
Thanks for the links.
Not good.
Okay, I get it already.
You detest "uppity" Irish women, any woman who holds a position of power and bikers.
Sounds like a personal insecurity/inadequacy problem to me.
Now would you kindly go stalk somebody else for a while and leave me the hell alone?
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