Pakistan: Human H5N1 Cluster December 2007

[hawkeye]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Good Work CDC!!

 

[Niko]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

"A third brother who lives in the United States but was visiting Manshera at the time also tested positive for bird flu, but survived and has since returned to the US, Akhtar told dpa."

Could we expect the CDC to be all over this brother and getting his
antibodies?????

Full article:

<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tbody><tr><td>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Pakistan may have had human-to-human bird flu transmission - Summary [/FONT]</td> </tr> <tr> <td><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="83%">[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Posted on : 2007-12-14 | Author : DPA
News Category : Health[/FONT]</td> <td valign="bottom" width="17%">
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[/FONT] <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="100%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Islamabad - Health officials on Friday were investigating a possible human-to-human transmission of bird flu among four brothers in north-west Pakistan, two of whom later died.

Khushnood Akhtar, secretary in Pakistan's Ministry of Health, said the bird flu cases occurred last month in Manshera, North-West Frontier Province, when a man contracted the H5N1 virus while working on a poultry farm and helping to cull sick birds.

Human-to-human transmissions are extremely rare, with only 3 previous cases in Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The Pakistani man, who has not been identified, survived the virus, but may have infected three of his brothers, none of whom had ever been to the farm or were believed to have been in contact with sick birds, Akhtar told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. Two of the brothers died from pneumonia-like symptoms but were buried by family members before health officials could take blood samples to test for the virus. A third brother who lives in the United States but was visiting Manshera at the time also tested positive for bird flu, but survived and has since returned to the US, Akhtar told dpa.

"The two brothers died and we suspect that they might have died because of the human transmission of the H5N1 virus," he said. "We have requested the World Health Organization (WHO) send a team to the area so we can find out exactly what happened there."WHO officials in Islamabad could not be reached for comment.

Globally, bird flu has killed at least 208 people worldwide out of 339 cases since 2003. Most human cases of H5N1 are linked to contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus might mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, potentially sparking a pandemic that could kill millions of people.

The two Pakistani brothers who survived are the first confirmed people in Pakistan to contract the virus, while health officials are not sure whether they will be able to confirm that the two who died succumbed to bird flu.

There have been outbreaks of bird flu within the country's commercial poultry population, prompting culls of around 50,000 birds.

The latest reports contradict earlier claims by a health official at a hospital in Peshawar, the capital of North-West Frontier Province, who erroneously said the two victims had worked on a poultry farm and died earlier this month. He also did not have any information about the two brothers who survived. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/158727.html

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[sharon sanders]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

I have called my contact back. He is not an official spokesman. I am lucky he talks to me.

He said the county that handled the situation was Nassau County.

This is what I have been told.

 

[Commonground]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

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[Niko]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

I have called my contact back. He is not an official spokesman. I am lucky he talks to me.

He said the county that handled the situation was Nassau County.

This is what I have been told.

Nassau County, Florida, I presume?

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

"Long Island".

 

[vinny]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

is there anyway despite him testing negative he may have shed the virus,to other passengers,i mean there have been plenty of false negatives from these tests havent there.

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

is there anyway despite him testing negative he may have shed the virus,to other passengers,i mean there have been plenty of false negatives from these tests havent there.

The H5N1 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are highly specific: there is the case that happens a false positive rather than a false negative. Into a emergency situation it is at least improbable that such as false negative results don't requires a validation.

 

[Blue]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

I am happy that they jumped on this right away, the Nassau people
that is. So the question is, was he really positive? What are the
chances, four brothers, two of them dead...The vet was a survivor,
and this brother? Kind of strange for him to be the only negative.

 

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

I am happy that they jumped on this right away, the Nassau people
that is. So the question is, was he really positive? What are the
chances, four brothers, two of them dead...The vet was a survivor,
and this brother? Kind of strange for him to be the only negative.

He was negative in the US (he was positive in Pakistan).

 

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

I am happy that they jumped on this right away, the Nassau people
that is. So the question is, was he really positive? What are the
chances, four brothers, two of them dead...The vet was a survivor,
and this brother? Kind of strange for him to be the only negative.

It is worth noting that there may in fact be THREE clusters. One of three (vet and two dead brothers - one tested positive). One of two (positive culler and hospitalized daughter). One of four (recent series which included recovered brother who flew to US and two brothers who died, untested).

 

[Blue]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

It is worth noting that there may in fact be THREE clusters. One of three (vet and two dead brothers - one tested positive). One of two (positive culler and hospitalized daughter). One of four (recent series which included recovered brother who flew to US and two brothers who died, untested).

So, the US person is not related to the vet and his brothers? He is part
of the third, and most recent cluster, and his two brothers died? And,
he must have been given Tamiflu, and presto chango, he is now negative.
But, did they look for antibodies?

I am getting a headache...

 

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

So, the US person is not related to the vet and his brothers? He is part
of the third, and most recent cluster, and his two brothers died? And,
he must have been given Tamiflu, and presto chango, he is now negative.
But, did they look for antibodies?

I am getting a headache...

There is no reason to look for antibodies. The questions was about H5N1. That test was negative in the US, indicating he had recovered and cleared the virus. He already tested positive in Pakistan, so antibodies would just confirm the earlier positive result.

 

[Blue]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

There is no reason to look for antibodies. The questions was about H5N1. That test was negative in the US, indicating he had recovered and cleared the virus. He already tested positive in Pakistan, so antibodies would just confirm the earlier positive result.

I guess, what I was questioning was the earlier positive result, not that
he was cleared of virus now. Proof that anyone recovers, I would think
is important, but maybe it is not. Could the antibodies of recovered
patients be of use? Sorry to be so dense, but I am not a scientist.

 

[HenryN]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

I guess, what I was questioning was the earlier positive result, not that
he was cleared of virus now. Proof that anyone recovers, I would think
is important, but maybe it is not. Could the antibodies of recovered
patients be of use? Sorry to be so dense, but I am not a scientist.

One brother was positive and two brothers died. There is no reason to assume that the positive on the fourth brother was false.

 

[Snowy Owl]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

From the people that I have talked to on this matter, altought they are not stating the following as if it was hard cement facts,
it was understood the brother that left US left to attend the funerals of his brother.

The CDC knew he was coming back and they took charge of it.

Snowy with all acuity

 

[Snowy Owl]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

He was a little bit sick in Pakistan and got a positive on Influenza A.

 

[Snowy Owl]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

More to come,

I mean I am on the phone

 

[Snowy Owl]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

There is now a conference and shall come back in hour, they will brief.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

Re: Pakistan: Bird Flu claims 2 lives; more suspects

I just spoke to someone at the CDC. They are making a press release on this event for distribution. When we get it, we will post it. Hopefully soon.