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Bird Flu Fatal Cluster Suspected in Pakistan
Recombinomics Commentary
March 2, 2006
a cloth merchant died here of pneumonia manifesting bird flu-like symptoms at a local private hospital. Rashid Ali, 25, a resident of Gujranwala and the son of a cloth merchant, was admitted to a private hospital on February 26 where he was treated for two days, but died on February 28
During the last 11 days, Rashid Ali is the third person of the same family, who had died. On February 17, his 19-year-old brother Sajid Ali had died of acute pneumonia while their mother is said to have died of the same disease on February 24
The above descriptions appear to be of a fatal familial cluster linked to H5N1. Although H5N1 has not been reported in Guiranwala, it has been confirmed in nearby Charsadda and Abbottabad. Fatal cases in Pakistan would extend reports of human cases beyond Turkey, Iraq, and India. Cases in India have not been officially confirmed, but these three suspect cases in Pakistan increase the likelihood that human cases will be confirmed in India and Pakistan.
These latest data indicate that H5N1 is widespread in the region. More details on sequences of the H5N1 and presence or absence of S227N would be useful.
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