AlaskaDenise
In Memoriam
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200606/21/eng20060621_276032.html
We can not predict when bird flu will evolve into a human pandemic but at present there is no evidence to show the current avian influenza virus H5N1 can be spread among humans, according to a Chinese expert.
Suspected cases of human-to-human transmission in Indonesia have set off international alarm bells. Six family members from a remote farming village on Sumatra died after testing positive for the bird flu virus - the world's largest reported family cluster.
Shu Yuelong, director of the National Influenza Center under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said suspected cases of human-to-human transmission have also been reported in Vietnam, Thailand and other countries in the past.
But there has been no conclusive evidence showing that the H5N1 virus has evolved into a human-to-human transmission virus, Shu was quoted by China Population News as saying.
Not only epidemiological but also aetiological evidence is needed to determine whether a virus can be transmitted between humans, Shu said.
During its evolution, the H5N1 virus has acquired the ability to infect and kill mammals. But the number of human infection cases is still small, Shu said.
He said that the research of the National Influenza Center showed that the gene of the virus extracted from Chinese bird flu patients is different from those of human cases in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.
No trace of human influenza has been found in the gene of the virus extracted from Chinese patients of bird flu, Shu added.
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We can not predict when bird flu will evolve into a human pandemic but at present there is no evidence to show the current avian influenza virus H5N1 can be spread among humans, according to a Chinese expert.
Suspected cases of human-to-human transmission in Indonesia have set off international alarm bells. Six family members from a remote farming village on Sumatra died after testing positive for the bird flu virus - the world's largest reported family cluster.
Shu Yuelong, director of the National Influenza Center under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said suspected cases of human-to-human transmission have also been reported in Vietnam, Thailand and other countries in the past.
But there has been no conclusive evidence showing that the H5N1 virus has evolved into a human-to-human transmission virus, Shu was quoted by China Population News as saying.
Not only epidemiological but also aetiological evidence is needed to determine whether a virus can be transmitted between humans, Shu said.
During its evolution, the H5N1 virus has acquired the ability to infect and kill mammals. But the number of human infection cases is still small, Shu said.
He said that the research of the National Influenza Center showed that the gene of the virus extracted from Chinese bird flu patients is different from those of human cases in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.
No trace of human influenza has been found in the gene of the virus extracted from Chinese patients of bird flu, Shu added.
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