H2H Birdflu
Wednesday, December 31st, 1969Heb ik COPD?
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Britse wetenschappers hebben aanwijzingen dat het dodelijke vogelgriepvirus H5N1 muteert. Een mutatie maakt de kans op besmettingen van mens tot mens (H2H) groter. In geval van een dergelijke wijziging in de genetische structuur, zou een wereldwijde epidemie mogelijk miljoenen mensenlevens kunnen kosten. Dat melden de Britse Medical Research Council en wereldgezondheidsorganisatie WHO.
The World Health Organization might soon convene an expert panel to decide whether an unprecedented human outbreak of bird flu in Indonesia should trigger a higher global alert for a possible pandemic, health officials said Wednesday. Why this concern? Suspected Human-To-Human (H2H) transmission of bird flu in 8 members of an Indonesia family got bird flu. Only 1 survived! A strain this lethal would exact a terrible toll if it mutates into a pandemic strain.
The virus continues to bubble away with more cases and now a different genetic pattern in China and a few new cases in Egypt. This new genetic pattern does not change the risk of a human pandemic. This virus can still do one of three things: 1) remain a virus of birds with very rare human-to-human transmission, 2) genetically combine with a 'normal' influenza virus so we have some immunological recognition and the chance of reduced virulence, or 3) mutate straight away to human-to-human (H2H) transmission.