Re: Nepal: Multiple outbreaks of "viral fever" and other unidentified illnesses, August 1, 2012+
It is unfortunate that there is no identification of 'viral fever'; from the report above, it distinguishes typhoid from 'viral fever', so this suggests that typhoid diangostics are carried out. Therefore the description 'viral fever' likely excludes typhoid cases.
Some reports indicate pneumonia as well as fever and headache and the pattern of spread sounds as if a primary causative agent could be flu or similar respiratory virus. It would be helpful if they ruled flu in or out in the area and made a positive ID of the pathogen, so it can be subtyped and if necessary, genetically characterised to make sure we dont have something new that is transmitting well between humans given the rate of spread and high described attack rates.
The form of H3N2 that has circulated this season in Australia is antigenically different to the vaccine strain and seasonal H3N2 strains that have circulated in previous years, and so could be a good candidate.
It is unfortunate that there is no identification of 'viral fever'; from the report above, it distinguishes typhoid from 'viral fever', so this suggests that typhoid diangostics are carried out. Therefore the description 'viral fever' likely excludes typhoid cases.
Some reports indicate pneumonia as well as fever and headache and the pattern of spread sounds as if a primary causative agent could be flu or similar respiratory virus. It would be helpful if they ruled flu in or out in the area and made a positive ID of the pathogen, so it can be subtyped and if necessary, genetically characterised to make sure we dont have something new that is transmitting well between humans given the rate of spread and high described attack rates.
The form of H3N2 that has circulated this season in Australia is antigenically different to the vaccine strain and seasonal H3N2 strains that have circulated in previous years, and so could be a good candidate.
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