of Widespread Human Infections
Laptop Battery By Ron Corben
That cluster of deaths caused fears that the virus was mutating into a form that could be easily transmitted from human to human. However, experts later concluded that was not the case. In this latest outbreak, seven people from the village in the Karo district in Northern Sumatra province have been hospitalized with suspected bird flu, BBC News reported. Officials are waiting for test results to confirm that it is bird flu.
Thinkpad Scientists from Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture confirmed Saturday that the often-deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu virus had been found in pigs.
or "bird flu", is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. While all bird species are thought to be susceptible to infection, domestic poultry flocks are especially vulnerable to infections that can rapidly reach epidemic proportions. December 2003, a growing number of Asian countries have reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in chickens and ducks. Infections in several species of wild birds and in pigs have also been reported.
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Normally the avian bird flu viruses do not affect humans but since 1997 (when the first case of avian bird flu among humans appeared in Hong Kong), this kind of flu has infected and killed several humans in the South East Asian countries. While WHO does not recommend avoiding travels to these countries, it does advice staying away from live animal markets and poultry farms. This is because the droppings of infected birds generally carry large quantities of the virus.
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Influenza News Three Swans Dead Due to Bird Flu in Dorset, UK Jan 29, Posted in Influenza The first case of bird flu virus in the UK was recorded in April 2006 in Scotland. Extensive control was taken up at that time. A new case of bird flu in the UK was reported, as three wild swans in Dorset died due to the avian virus strain and a fourth one was tested positive......
Laptop Computer May 14, 2005 (AXcess News) Bangkok - Indonesia says a dangerous strain of avian flu virus has been found in pigs there - a possible step towards a new form of the virus that could pass easily among humans.Scientists from Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture confirmed Saturday that the often-deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu virus had been found in pigs on the densely populated island of Java.
This is the first case of a flock of German farm poultry contracting bird flu, the wire service reports, although several cases of the virus were found in wild birds in Germany this year. Health officials remain alert to the possibility that the avian flu virus could mutate and cause it to be transmitted from human to human. Although the World Health Organization puts the number of human deaths from avian flu at 190, none of them is ascribed to contagion between humans, the AP reports.
Desktop Computer Officials gave few details, saying only that specimens had been forwarded to Hong Kong for further tests.Since early 2004 the H5N1 virus has killed 52 people in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. Most or all of the deaths occurred after the victims came in close contact with infected poultry.
Notebooks However, the World Health Organization, has been worried that the virus might mutate into a form that can pass easily from one person to another. Because it is a new virus and humans have built up no immunity to it, the WHO says the mutated virus could become the agent of a world-wide flu pandemic.
Lenovo Peter Cordingley, the WHO spokesman for the Western Pacific, responded cautiously to the Indonesian announcement, saying his organization had not yet been formally notified.
Hard Drive Pigs have genetic similarities to humans, and can carry both human and animal viruses. Mr. Cordingley explained that if a pig became infected with both types of virus at the same time, it could act as a "mixing vessel," creating a new strain that could become a serious threat to humans.
Travelstar "The danger is heightened they will exchange genetic material and produce a completely new virus, based on H5N1 but with human elements - and that virus - and here's a very big 'if' - if that virus spreads to humans and became capable of transmitting easily between humans, then we would be approaching a pre-pandemic situation," said Peter Cordingley.
Gateway There were several lethal flu pandemics in the last century, including the so-called "Spanish Flu" in 1918 that killed an estimated 20 to 40 million people worldwide.
Laptop Parts The H5N1 virus first appeared in Hong Kong in 1997, necessitating the slaughter of more than a million chickens. Six people who contracted the virus died.The virus reappeared among chicken flocks in Southeast Asia in 2003, causing the culling tens of millions of birds, and the WHO has recently been warning of the potential for another deadly human pandemic.Saturday's report of bird flu in Indonesia came as two new cases of polio were reported there. That brought the number of victims in a recent polio outbreak to eight children.
Software The crippling disease has been all but wiped out worldwide, but the failure of some countries to continue with vaccinations has allowed it to make a partial comeback. Indonesia had been free of polio for 10 years.Authorities have vaccinated more than 5,000 children in West Java, with plans to cover 5,2 million across the country by month's end.
Hard Drives Source: Voice of America
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