Article from the "Seattle Post Intelligencer"
A fairly long article that says that the Bird Flu (H5N1) may not be as severe as original thought because only the really sick people are being reported. Other people are getting it and recovering without getting reported to the medical authorities.
The link to "China View" listed below is a little less cluttered with quotes from authoritative figures...
Bird flu may be more common, less deadly By LINDSEY TANNER
AP MEDICAL WRITER
Monday, January 9, 2006
CHICAGO -- As bird flu cases rise at a disturbing pace in Turkey, new research offers a bit of hope - it's likely that many people who get it don't become seriously ill and quickly recover.
Although not definitive, the new study suggests the virus is more widespread than thought. But it also probably doesn't kill half its victims, a fear based solely on flu cases that have been officially confirmed.
"The results suggest that the symptoms most often are relatively mild and that close contact is needed for transmission to humans," wrote Dr. Anna Thorson of Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm and colleagues who conducted the study. It was published in Monday's edition of Archives of Internal Medicine.
So far, the bird flu deaths in Turkey involved children playing with dead chickens.
.... rest of article deleted for brevity and copyright issues
[color:"red"] (Note to self:
Don't play with dead chickens) [/color]
Also reported in:
China View BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Hundreds to thousands of people may be infected with bird flu,
but have mild symptoms and do not get admitted to hospital, thereby failing to appear in official figures, Swedish researchers reported Monday......
Also in
Time Online [color:"blue"] Edit with additional information: [/color]
JAMA - Archives of Internal Medicine
Is Exposure to Sick or Dead Poultry Associated With Flulike Illness?
A Population-Based Study From a Rural Area in Vietnam With Outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Anna Thorson, MD, PhD; Max Petzold, PhD; Nguyen Thi Kim Chuc, PhD; Karl Ekdahl, MD, PhD
Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:119-123.
Background The verified human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Vietnam may represent only a selection of the most severely ill patients. The study objective was to analyze the association between flulike illness, defined as cough and fever, and exposure to sick or dead poultry.
Abstract of study YMMV,
Ben
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