Fear of bird flu in China

Avian flu deaths arouse fears of the Chinese population

01.04.2013

In China, there is a fear of a new variant of bird flu. In the social networks, the Chinese population was currently very worried about the death of two deceased persons in view of the evidence of the previously unknown bird flu variant H7N9. Many are reminded of the SARS epidemic ten years ago, triggered by hitherto unknown coronaviruses.

Two men, aged 27 years and 87, seem to have died from an infection with the avian influenza virus H7N9 in early March, the news agency reports „dpa“ citing the Chinese Ministry of Health. An additional 35-year-old patient was also found to be infected with the virus and is currently being hospitalized in nearby Anhui Province because of her critical condition.

Renewed fear of a pandemic
Ten years ago, the SARS pandemic had caused quite a stir worldwide in the short term. Although the effects of the wave of infection, which began in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, remained well behind the fears at that time. But the fear has apparently not disappeared from the minds of the people, as the entries of Chinese users in social networks show. Since the authorities can make so far only little information on the H7N9 pathogen, the speculation is currently, however, little to counter.

Unknown bird flu pathogen cause of deaths
First of all, more information about the hitherto little-known avian influenza virus has to be obtained, according to the Chinese health authorities. The news agency „dpa“ Quotes the expert of the Center for Prevention and Control of Diseases of Jiansu Province, Tang Fenyang, with the words: „Because the pathogen is new to us, we do not yet have much data about its behavior and its mode of action. Therefore, we do not yet know if it is contagious.“

Path of infection so far unclear
So far, the authorities have also been unable to provide much information on the patient's symptoms. The two deceased men had already in February nonspecific symptoms, such as fever, cough and body aches shown. Subsequently, they developed severe pneumonia. The affected patient has also suffered from a similar disease, but the infection was only diagnosed on 9 March. The H7N9 virus was detected in all three patients during the laboratory tests. Of particular interest at present is the identification of possible infection routes. Although the authorities initially assumed that transmission of the pathogens from person to person is impossible, two family members of the 87-year-old deceased were also hospitalized with pneumonia, according to media reports. This increases the fear of spreading the pathogens.

Safety instructions from Chinese health authorities
Although little is known about the routes of infection so far, the Chinese authorities have urged people to keep their distance from dead birds and to pay close attention to hygiene when they come into contact with poultry. This also expresses which risks are feared here. For years, virologists worldwide have warned about possible mutations of avian influenza agents and subsequent skipping on humans. If the viruses became human-to-human transmissible, a dramatic pandemic would be imminent. Even today, people around the world regularly contract infections with the bird flu virus H5N1, although there has always been a transmission of birds to humans.

Bird flu is already relatively widespread today?
According to official statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), 622 people have been infected with the avian influenza virus H5N1 since 2003 and 371 of them have died. However, these figures are only limited meaningful, because not every infection is detected worldwide. For example, US scientists from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York had a year ago in the specialist magazine „Science“ published a study that estimates that millions of people worldwide have been infected with the bird flu virus. According to her studies, bird flu is more prevalent than expected. This speaks on the one hand for a much higher transmission rate, on the other hand, however, also for a much lower lethality, than the WHO identified around 60 percent. As a rule, only the most severe infections are registered, especially in the developing countries, whereby the likelihood of a fatal course is much higher here than in the case of a less severe course of the disease, so the conclusion of the US scientists. Nevertheless, the risk of a human-to-human transmissible variant of the avian influenza virus should not be underestimated. (Fp)

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Picture: Aka