First Human-to-human Transmission Of Bird Flu Claimed

[george]

Pakistan claims first human-to-human transmission of bird flu

ISLAMABAD: -- A man in northern Pakistan passed the deadly bird flu virus to two of his brothers, and the virus killed one of them, in the first known human-to-human transmission in Pakistan, a health official said Friday.

"It was definitely person-to-person. That is confirmed," said Maqbool Jan Abbasi, Ministry of Health joint secretary.

He said the World Health Organization confirmed by serological testing from a family in Peshawar, northwest of the capital Islamabad, three brothers had H5N1, the strain of avian influenza that can be deadly in humans.

"Two of the brothers had no contact with birds," Abbasi said.

One brother who did not have contact with birds died and was buried, and his blood could not be tested. For cultural reasons they did not exhume the body to test him for bird flu, Abbasi said. But he added they feel certain he died of bird flu.

"The other two brothers, including the one who culled birds, did have the virus. Now they are okay, clear of all symptoms," he said.

Theirs were the first human cases of bird flu in Pakistan and were reported in November 2007.

The human-to-human transmission of the virus raises the concern about the bird flu danger and the country will have to be more careful, Abbasi said.

Pakistan already has quarantine rooms ready for when people are suspected to have bird flu, he said.

"We will have to be more careful in the future," he said.

Pakistan's poultry population has seen multiple outbreaks of the H5N1 strain since 2006, but still only the one case of humans getting the virus.

The last outbreaks the Pakistani health officials reported was on three farms near the southern city of Karachi last February, they were limited only to fowl with no humans were infected.

Bird flu has killed at least 232 people worldwide from at least 366 cases since 2003. Scientists have long feared the virus may mutate into a form more easily transmissible among humans, possibly killing millions.

-- dpa 2008-04-04

[londonthai]

"We will have to be more careful in the future," he said.

very straith advice in the face of the looming pandemic

[Ijustwannateach]

S***!!!

[Monroe]

Well, there's the moment everyone's been waiting for. I wonder if they could somehow stop this in its tracks or if the world will be facing an epidemic. Imagine what would happen to society if this thing got out of control.

[dee123]

....i don't want to cause controvasy but if disease can mutate and change cannot ideas follow?......when we are looking out for one disease another disease might be round the corner (sorry i'm on scrumpy)...the thing you gotta worry about is having nothing to worry about,....if you get my drift ....for instance ;,....say we went round the world publicising the aids epedemic but realistically it was not as dangerous as malaria (for reason of argument)...would not that be plain "daft",..?

Edited April 4, 2008 by dee123

[moldy]

....i don't want to cause controvasy but if disease can mutate and change cannot ideas follow?......when we are looking out for one disease another disease might be round the corner (sorry i'm on scrumpy)...the thing you gotta worry about is having nothing to worry about,....if you get my drift ....for instance ;,....say we went round the world publicising the aids epedemic but realistically it was not as dangerous as malaria (for reason of argument)...would not that be plain "daft",..?

still anecdotal, rather than scientific. Bit of a worry though.

More real than AIDS pandemic for instance.

[cclub75]

Theirs were the first human cases of bird flu in Pakistan and were reported in November 2007.

So much for the transparency !

5 months !

It's a scandal.

Remember with the SARS ?

It's the good old way : confronted to a problem... better to stay quiet.

[Sheryl]

5 months is not such a long time given the complexity of the blood tests required. Culturing viruses is no simple or quick matter.

If the presence of H5N1 was confirmed in one brother who could only have contacted it from human-human transmission, the lack of blood testing in the deceased brother is not that important. One or twocases, same difference: a strain apparently capable of human-human trasmission has potetially been identified.

I'm sure that CDC, WHO etc have descended upon the place and thatwork is uderway to examine the virus to confirm whether or not it has mutated and if so how.

Worrisome news, but long expected.

[moldy]

5 months is not such a long time given the complexity of the blood tests required. Culturing viruses is no simple or quick matter.

If the presence of H5N1 was confirmed in one brother who could only have contacted it from human-human transmission, the lack of blood testing in the deceased brother is not that important. One or twocases, same difference: a strain apparently capable of human-human trasmission has potetially been identified.

I'm sure that CDC, WHO etc have descended upon the place and thatwork is uderway to examine the virus to confirm whether or not it has mutated and if so how.

Worrisome news, but long expected.

Sheryl, you write 'the lack of blood testing in the deceased brother is not that important'.

Scientifically, surely it is essential. This is not just being pedantic.

But yes, no doubt about it, this is a real threat, and one wonders if it is just a matter of time before a real pandemic emerges.

[freitag1]

Seriously uncool!

[Sheryl]

Sheryl, you write 'the lack of blood testing in the deceased brother is not that important'.

Scientifically, surely it is essential. This is not just being pedantic.

But yes, no doubt about it, this is a real threat, and one wonders if it is just a matter of time before a real pandemic emerges.

Scientifically, the issue is: has the virus (as it was long anticipated it would) mutated to a form that is transmissable from human to huan?

Testing done on one brother answered that in the affirmative (apparently). That being the case, whether the human-human transmission affected one both brothers doesn't make any practical difference.

Next question is how far hasthis mutated form spreadto date. It goes without saying that everyone in the referencefamily and theirclose associates have been affected, the question is whether and how far beyond the immediate family it has already travelled...And, of course, how bes tto contain its further spread

[cathyy]

Hasn't human-to-human transmission already been documented in Indonesia? I recall reading that it has, but it wasn't highly transmissible. The question is one of how lethal a mutated virus will be, and how easily transmitted it will be. If this one has mutated to human-to human transmission and kept a 50% mortality rate we are all in some deep kimchee. I guess we now need to be concerned about the route of transmission. If it's airborne we're hosed.

[BigSnake]

Scary, lord help us all, if there is an ourbreak.

[dumball]

....i don't want to cause controvasy but if disease can mutate and change cannot ideas follow?......when we are looking out for one disease another disease might be round the corner (sorry i'm on scrumpy)...the thing you gotta worry about is having nothing to worry about,....if you get my drift ....for instance ;,....say we went round the world publicising the aids epedemic but realistically it was not as dangerous as malaria (for reason of argument)...would not that be plain "daft",..?

SCRUMPY ? haven't heard that used in a long time , "Thar bin zumerzet zider , biner ?