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Indonesian Family Cluster of Bird Flu Deaths Cause for Concern |
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Written by Staff
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Wednesday, 24 May 2006 |
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In the wake of confirming an additional death on Monday as the result of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus in Sumatra, the World Health Organization (W.H.O) is not ruling out the possibility that the avian flu virus has mutated to human-to-human transmission.
W.H.O. officials are however quick to point out that all confirmed cases in the Indonesia family cluster "can be directly linked to close and prolonged exposure to a patient during a phase of severe illness" and while not ruling out human-to-human transmission a "search for a possible alternative source of exposure is continuing."
A prominent Canadian infectious disease expert in an interview with CTV news, expressed concern that the World Health Organization has been unable to pinpoint any animal sources of infection in the Indonesian family cluster of deaths.
Dr. Donald Low, who is Head of the Department of Microbiology at the Toronto Medical Laboratories and Mount Sinai Hospital and is considered a recognized authority in microbiology and infectious diseases said that there is a possibility that the World Health Organization could raise its Avian Flu alert level from its current position of four, to three.
WHO uses a series of six phases of pandemic alert as a system for informing the world of the seriousness of the threat and of the need to launch progressively more intense preparedness activities. The current level three alert has been in place for several months. Level 3 translates to "a new influenza virus subtype is causing disease in humans, but is not yet spreading efficiently and sustainably among humans."
Level four alert = "evidence of increased hunam-to-human-transmission."
Level five alert = "evidence of significant human-to-human transmission".
Level six alert = "efficient and sustained human-to-human transmission". Level six is considered a pandemic. |
