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Europe

Tests confirm Turkey's bird flu deaths, WHO urges calm

2006-01-07

This is worrying. There are reports of 20 to 30 people hospitalized with bird flu symptoms, in addition to the 3 lab confirmed cases. This is a large number in a short period of time - less than a week.

To get these kinds of numbers, either the virus has got better at jumping from chickens or it has got better at transmitting between humans. The family clusters - 4 in one family and apparently 10 in another strongly indicates it has become better at transmitting between humans.

If the numbers continue to grow over the next week or so, then we may well have the start of a pandemic on our hands.

And BTW, when the WHO says 'don't panic' which it has, then that is the time to panic.

Posted by:phil_b

#3 although the surgical gloves, masks, purell might come in handy if you ride public mass transit or are a has-been popstar with an affinity for "sleeping" with other people's children. So you've got that going for you...which is nice

Posted by: Frank G 2006-01-07 21:20

#2 "The Kocyigit family comes from the impoverished remote town of Dogubeyazit where many families depend on poultry breeding for their livelihoods and live close to the animals."

"The Kocyigit children were hospitalised last week after coming into contact with ill chickens living in their house."

"The children's uncle Hasan Kocyigit told the Anatolia news agency that the children had cut and eaten a sick chicken themselves, thus exposing themselves to infection."

No evidence of human-to-human transfer, and victims are routinely in close contact with birds.

Posted by: Darrell 2006-01-07 21:04

#1 My pantry and freezer have been stocked for months, I've got plenty of Purell, dust masks, and surgical gloves on hand, and we just got a second computer and set up the house for wireless. So we're good to go if you're right, phil b -- Mr. Wife can telecommute while the trailing daughters do their homework, and we can be housebound for a while if necessary. And in need, we can always learn to snare squirrels for dinner until td#1 learns to use her target bow well enough to kill the garden-eating deer for dinner. ;-)

Posted by: trailing wife 2006-01-07 20:39

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