- Hi, Jeff - Info you should be aware of:
-
- Warning: Deadly H5N1 Type A Influenza Pandemic Likely
Coming
-
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the specter
of human-to-human transmission of deadly H5N1 avian influenza following
confirmation that two Vietnamese brothers had contracted the virus and
one had died. WHO confirmed that laboratory results had found the two brothers
from northern Vietnam had been infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
According to WHO, "All evidence to date suggests that isolated instances
of limited, unsustained human-to-human transmission can be expected from
avian influenza viruses in humans." Seven of Vietnam's total 27 H5N1-related
human deaths have occurred in the last three weeks (first 3 weeks of January
2005).
-
- http://www.boston.com/
-
- The H5N1 avian influenza has also spread to felines.
According to WHO there is evidence suggesting that H5N1 avian influenza
was expanding its range of mammal hosts, including captive tigers and experimentally
infected domestic cats.
-
- see
- http://www.boston.com/
-
- There is growing evidence that limited human-to-human
transmission of H5N1 is occurring.
-
- see
- http://www.recombinomics.com/
-
- H5N1 avian influenza is a single-stranded RNA negative-strand
virus in the Orthomyxoviridae family of viruses. H5N1 avian influenza virus
is considered to be a type of "Influenzavirus Type A."
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
-
- see
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
-
- Other strains of Influenzavirus Type A have made their
way into the human population from birds and/or intermediate species, e.g.,
swine, and have achieved sustained human-to-human transmission. More well
known examples of Type A flu pandemics in the human population include
the 1968 Hong Kong flu...
-
- see
- http://biology.about.com/
-
- see also
- http://biology.about.com/
-
-
- ...which killed 700,000 people worldwide. The most severe
influenza epidemic of recent times was the 1918 Spanish Influenza epidemic
which killed more than 20 million people worldwide and infected approximately
50% of the population of some countries, e.g., Switzerland at that time.
-
- see
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
-
-
- It has been estimated, based on the mortality rates of
those humans who have been infected with H5N1 avian influenza, that more
than 70% of infected individuals might die from a sustained human-to-human
H5N1 pandemic.
-
- see
- http://www.recombinomics.com/
-
- As of 5 January 2005, the H5N1 virus had caused 45 confirmed
human cases, of which 32 were fatal
-
- see
- http://www.recombinomics.com/
-
- or a little over 70% fatality. In comparison, SARS had
an initial fatality rate of approximately 13% and was very inefficiently
transmitted from one person to another when compared to influenza.
-
- Were a sustained global pandemic of H5N1 influenza to
develop, it is entirely possible that some billions - with a "B"
- of humans, certainly hundreds of millions, could die from the disease
worldwide. There is currently no vaccine for H5N1 influenza though efforts
are underway in different countries to develop a human vaccine.
-
- see
- http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/
-
- To consider the impact of a sustained H5N1 influenza
pandemic in the United States, it is reasonable to consider it possible
that 10s of millions of Americans might die from such an epidemic were
no vaccine available and quarantines employed. Even with a vaccine available,
if it is developed and effectively administered, it is reasonable to consider
an extremely conservative estimate of some few million US people killed
by a sustained H5N1 pandemic. In the 3rd world where health services are
fragile and inefficient, fatalities will surely exceed several hundred
million people.
-
- Clearly, it is only a matter of time until H5N1 Type
A influenza becomes a global pandemic with potentially catastrophic impact.
It is now time to pay attention to H5N1 Type A influenza.
-
- Thanks for your news service,
-
- Professor Robert E. Lee, M.S., M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
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