WHO releases first data on human H5N1 cases from Vietnam

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, February 13, 2004

WHO releases first data on human H5N1 cases from Vietnam

The World Health Organization (WHO)on Thursday released the first clinical and epidemiological data on 10 human H5N1 cases in the Vietnam outbreak.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The World Health Organization (WHO)on Thursday released the first clinical and epidemiological data on 10 human H5N1 cases in the Vietnam outbreak.

Eight of the 10 patients died, one recovered and one remains incritical condition. The diagnosis of influenza A H5N1 was confirmed by viral culture or reverse transcriptase PCR with H5 and N1 specific primers.

The eight patients had a clear history of direct contact with poultry and there was no definitive evidence of human-to-human transmission.

Fever greater than 38 Celsius degree, shortness of breath and cough are the main presenting features. All patients showed significant lymphopenia and marked chest radiograph abnormalities.The chest X-ray abnormalities were non-specific and included diffuse, multifocal or patchy infiltrates.

Some cases showed segmental or lobular consolidation with air bronchogrammes. Crackles were frequently heard on auscultation. None of the patients reported sore throat, conjunctivitis, rash orrunny nose. Watery diarrhea or loose stools was noted in around half of the cases.

Based on data from six of the cases, the median time between exposure and onset of illness is three days (range two-four days).In these 10 patients, the mortality rate was high with death occurring a mean of 10 days after onset of illness.

However, these cases were identified by alert clinicians in tertiary care hospitals and cannot be taken to be representative of the full range of illness that H5N1 may cause, the WHO said.

The data have been compiled by Vietnamese clinicians, epidemiologists, and laboratory scientists involved in the first-hand treatment and investigation of cases.

Clinical information on five laboratory-confirmed cases in Thailand will be published on Friday morning, the WHO said.

Publication of clinical data for 15 cases in the present outbreak sheds important light on distinctive features of illness caused by H5N1 infection that should assist in worldwide surveillance and early detection of cases, the organization said.

Up to now, knowledge about H5N1 disease in humans was limited to clinical studies of the 18 cases in Hong Kong in 1997.

In that outbreak, patients, who ranged in age from 1 to 60 years, had gastrointestinal symptoms, hepatitis, renal failure, and pancytopenia.

These findings indicate that H5N1 infection affects more body organs and systems than normal influenza, where respiratory symptoms are dominant.

Also, unlike normal influenza, death in the six fatal cases occurred as a result of the primary viral infection rather than a secondary infection caused by bacteria.

Source: Xinhua

Questions?Comments? Click here

WHO gives testing result of H5N1 transmission in Vietnam

WHO issues chronology of key events in H5N1 infection

>> Full Coverage

Why Lai Changxing's appeal to Canadian court rejected? ( 6 Messages)

Japan decides to further cut back economic aid to China ( 30 Messages)

US media urge gov't not to surrender China market to EU ( 2 Messages)

Bird flu detected in US as virus wanes in Asia ( 2 Messages)

Handling Sino-Japan ties in an overall perspective ( 4 Messages)