12.18.07
Deadly bird flu jumps to Pakistan
According to this article:
- ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — International health experts have been dispatched to Pakistan to help investigate the cause of South Asia’s first outbreak of bird flu in people and determine if the virus could have been transmitted through human contact, officials said Sunday.
Four brothers — two of whom died — and two cousins from Abbotabad, a small city about 30 miles north of Islamabad, were suspected of being infected by the H5N1 virus, said WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl in Geneva.
A man and his niece from the same area who had slaughtered chickens were also suspected of having the virus.
The H5N1 virus has killed at least 208 people worldwide, mostly in Southeast Asia and China, since it began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with sick birds.
Crystal Clear said,
December 18, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Very sad to see people suffer like that. My heart goes out to them.
The scientists need to step up on the research needed to better understand the pathology concerning this strain of virus and strive to work towards vaccines and other preventive measures to combat this disease.
Lets hope there is sufficient funding available to finance any further attempts with research concerning such healt issues.