‘ONE of the most lethal” of its kind and is more easily transmissible to humans than an e arlier strain that has killed hundreds around the world since 2003. That’s the assessment of the World Health Organization (WHO) on the new strain of bird flu that has killed 82 people in China.
“To date, the mortality rate is 21 percent, but since many of the patients with confirmed virus infection remain critically ill, we suspect that the mortality may increase,” Chinese health officials wrote in their study, which was published online by the “New England Journal of Medicine.”
The H7N9 virus was first detected in March, according to the Geneva-based WHO. “Since this H7N9 virus appears to have emerged recently to infect humans, population immunity is expected to be low, and persons of any age may be susceptible to infection,” the Chinese health officials admitted.
Karen Kaplan, in an article which appeared in Los Angeles Times, reported: “The 82 confirmed patients ranged in age from 2 to 89 years old, but most were at the higher end of that range and 46 percent were at least 65. Seventy percent of patients were men and 84 percent lived in urban areas.”
The Chinese health officials strongly suspect that most of the patients became sick through contact with infected but healthy-looking animals, mainly in live poultry markets.
Dr. Kwok-Yung Yuen of the University of Hong Kong, who led the study, said controlling the disease in the poultry markets and in these birds should be a priority. “Aggressive intervention to block further animal-to-person transmission in live poultry markets, as has previously been done in Hong Kong, should be considered,” he told the Lancet.
“The evidence…suggests it is a pure poultry-to-human transmission and that controling [infections in people] will, therefore, depend on controling the epidemic in poultry,” Kwok-Yung assured.
However, an international team of experts led by the WHO and the Chinese government said they were no closer to determining whether the virus could become transmissible between people.
“The situation remains complex and difficult and evolving,” said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s assistant director general for health security. “When we look at influenza viruses, this is an unusually dangerous virus for humans.”
Besides the initial cases of H7N9 in and around Shanghai, others have been detected in Beijing and five Chinese provinces.
Samples from chickens, ducks and pigeons from poultry makets have tested positive for the H7N9 virus, but those from migratory birds have not, said Dr. Nancy Cox, director of the influenza division at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “At least we can now understand the likely source of infection is poultry,” she added.
But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, cautioned that authorities needed to be ready for the possibility of the virus mutating and spreading between humans.
“It’s unpredictable as are all the influenza. One of the things we need to be concerned about is this might gain the capability of going human to human, which, up to this point has not happened and is somewhat encouraging news,” Fauci said. “But we still need to be very prepared for the event quality of that happening.
Every year, throughout the world, widespread outbreaks of flu happen. It occurs in epidemics, in which many people get sick all at once. In each epi demic, usually only one strain of flu virus is responsible for the disease. Strains are often named after the first location (for example, Hong Kong flu) or animal (for instance, swine flu) in which it was found.
Flu is a notorious killer. Hippocrates described fly in 412 BC and the first well-described pandemic of flu-like disease occurred in 1580. Since that time, 31 such possible flu pandemics have been documented, with three occurring in the 20th century: in 1918, 1957 and 1968. The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic killed some 20 million to 50 million throughout the world.
In 1976, just when health experts globally were ready to close the chapter of the early 1900 plague, an American soldier mysteriously died of flu. He s uffered lung bleeding and died after five days. Health officials were all shocked when autopsy reports show that he died from the same virus that killed millions 58 years ago.
In 1988 the avian flu killed fi ve Hong Kong locals and infected hundreds of residents, prompting health officials here to dig deeper on the real cause a nd activity of the bird flu virus. No concrete information was obtained. At the same year, 27 people and 1,406 were infected by an unknown strain of pneumonia in Missouri, US. Experts suspected that it was direct descendant of the 1918 flu virus.
Flu is noted for being an efficient infector. All it takes is one sneeze—and a person will ha ve it. “The Merck Manual of Medical Information” explains: “The virus is spread by inhaling infected droplets that have been coughed or sneezed out by an infected person or by having direct contact with an infected person’s secretions. Handling infected household articles may sometimes be responsible.”
Jane Brody in her book, Jane Brody’s Cold and Flu Fighter, writes: “[Flu] spreads like a cold, primarily moving from person to person via virus-contaminated airborne droplets released by coughs, sneezes and even normal conversation. Moreover, like colds, flu can be transmitted by people who have not yet developed symptoms. The incubation period is one to three days, and during that time you can unknowingly spread the virus to someone else. Once flu symptoms develop, you remain contagious for another three to five days.”
In most instances, flu is dismissed as common cold. But both differ. The Merck manual informs: “Flu is caused by a different virus and produces symptoms that are more severe. Also, flu affects cells much deeper down in the respiratory tract.”
Symptoms of flu start 24 to 48 hours after infection and can begin suddenly. The first clue that a person has flu is the chilly sensation. Fever is common during the first few days, and the temperature may rise to 102 to 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you have a cold, you may feel you can carry on. But with flu, you will probably want to go to bed. “Many people feel sufficiently ill to remain in bed,” the Merck manual notes. He will experience aches and pains throughout his body, most pronounced in the back and legs. Headache is often severe, with aching around and behind the eyes. Bright light may make your headache worse.
According to the Merck manual, the respiratory symptoms at first may be relatively mild, with a scratchy sore throat, a burning sensation in the chest , a dry cough and a runny nose. Later on, the cough can become severe and bring up sputum. The skin may be warm and flushed, especially on the face. The mouth and throat may redden, the eyes may water and the whites of the eyes may be mildly inflamed. A child experiencing flu may suffer from nausea and vomiting.
After two or three days, most symptoms disappear rapidly, and the fever usually ends—although fever sometimes last up to five days. However, bronchitis and coughing may persist for 10 days or longer, and c hanges in the airways may take six to eight weeks to completely resolve. Weakness and fatigue may persist for several days or occasionally for weeks.
If a person is healthy, flu usually isn’t serious. But if he’s very young or very old, or having a heart, lung or nervous system disease, flu can lead to life—threatening complications. Viral pneumonia is said to be the most severe complication; it can progress rapidly and cause death in as early as 48 hours, according to the Merck manual.
The main treatment for flu is to take a complete rest in a warm, well-ventilated room until the disease clears up. Staying home also avoids spreading the infection. Drinking plenty of fluids—but do not take alcohol—may help.
The best way to avoid contracting flu is through vaccination . “Flu vaccines contain inactivated flu virus or pieces of the virus,” the Merck manual explains. “Modern vaccines protect against three different strains of flu virus. Different vaccines may be given every year to keep up with changes in the virus.”
The flu vaccine’s most common side effect is soreness at the vaccination site for up to two days. Some people may experience postshot fever, malaise, sore muscles and other symptoms resembling the flu that can last for one to two days.