Human to Human Transmission of Bird Flu in Dong Thap?
Recombinomics Commentary
January 27, 2005
>A 10-year-old girl from Long An province and a 13-year-old girl from Dong Thap province tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, said Phan Van Tu, chief virologist at the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City.
Both girls were in critical condition and breathing on respirators, said a doctor at Pediatric Hospital No. 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, where they were being treated. <<
The two girls reported above are among six children with suspected bird flu in southern Vietnam. They are the only confirmed H5N1 avian influenza cases in the south that have not died this season.
The mother (35F) of the 13F was the 9th fatal case of bird flu. At the time of her death media reports indicated that none of the family members that ate the duck developed symptoms. It is unclear why the 13 year old daughter was not mentioned. If she did not have symptoms at the time of her mother's death, then her later symptoms are a strong indication of human to human transmission.
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