China confirms two human cases of bird flu - Health
officials report one death; government to vaccinate billions
of birds
BEIJING - China confirmed its first two human
cases of bird flu on the mainland Wednesday, including at
least one fatality, as the government raced to vaccinate billions
of chickens, ducks and other poultry in a massive effort to
stop the spread of the virus. The government suspected a third
case of bird flu in a 12-year-old girl who died, but her body
was cremated before it could be tested. more
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Instances
of Avian Influenza Infections in Humans -- Confirmed
instances of avian influenza viruses infecting humans
since 1997 include:
H5N1,
Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, 1997:
Highly
pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) infections occurred
in both poultry and humans. This was the first time
an avian influenza A virus transmission directly from
birds to humans had been found. During this outbreak,
18 people were hospitalized and six of them died. To
control the outbreak, authorities killed about 1.5 million
chickens to remove the source of the virus. Scientists
determined that the virus spread primarily from birds
to humans, though rare person-to-person infection was
noted.
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H9N2,
China and Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region, 1999:
Low
pathogenic avian influenza A (H9N2) virus infection was confirmed
in two children and resulted in uncomplicated influenza-like
illness. Both patients recovered, and no additional cases
were confirmed. The source is unknown, but the evidence suggested
that poultry was the source of infection and the main mode
of transmission was from bird to human. However, the possibility
of person-to-person transmission could not be ruled out. Several
additional human H9N2 infections were reported from China
in 1998-99.
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H7N2, Virginia , 2002:
Following
an outbreak of H7N2 among poultry in the Shenandoah Valley
poultry production area, one person was found to have serologic
evidence of infection with H7N2.
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H5N1, China and Hong Kong, Special Administrative
Region, 2003:
Two
cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) infection
occurred among members of a Hong Kong family that had traveled
to China . One person recovered, the other died. How or where
these two family members were infected was not determined.
Another family member died of a respiratory illness in China
, but no testing was done.
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H7N7, Netherlands, 2003:
The
Netherlands reported outbreaks of influenza A (H7N7) in poultry
on several farms. Later, infections were reported among pigs
and humans. In total, 89 people were confirmed to have H7N7
influenza virus infection associated with this poultry outbreak.
These cases occurred mostly among poultry workers. H7N7-associated
illness included 78 cases of conjunctivitis (eye infections)
only; 5 cases of conjunctivitis and influenza-like illnesses
with cough, fever, and muscle aches; 2 cases of influenza-like
illness only; and 4 cases that were classified as “other.”
There was one death among the 89 total cases. It occurred
in a veterinarian who visited one of the affected farms and
developed acute respiratory distress syndrome and complications
related to H7N7 infection. The majority of these cases occurred
as a result of direct contact with infected poultry; however,
Dutch authorities reported three possible instances of transmission
from poultry workers to family members. Since then, no other
instances of H7N7 infection among humans have been reported.
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H9N2, Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region, 2003:
Low
pathogenic avian influenza A (H9N2) infection was confirmed
in a child in Hong Kong . The child was hospitalized and recovered.
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H7N2, New York , 2003:
In
November 2003, a patient with serious underlying medical conditions
was admitted to a hospital in New York with respiratory symptoms.
One of the initial laboratory tests identified an influenza
A virus that was thought to be H1N1. The patient recovered
and went home after a few weeks. Subsequent confirmatory tests
conducted in March 2004 showed that the patient had been infected
with avian influenza A (H7N2) virus.
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H7N3 in Canada, 2004:
In
February 2004, human infections of highly pathogenic avian
influenza A (H7N3) among poultry workers were associated with
an H7N3 outbreak among poultry. The H7N3-associated, mild
illnesses consisted of eye infections.
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H5N1, Thailand and Vietnam, 2004, and other outbreaks
in Asia during 2004 and 2005:
In January
2004, outbreaks of highly pathogenic influenza A (H5N1) in
Asia were first reported by the World Health Organization.
Visit the Avian Influenza section of the World Health Organization
Web site for more information and updates.
Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov
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