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Suspect Fatal Familial Clusters of H5N1 in Azerbaijan Grow
Recombinomics Commentary
March 6, 2006
Two girls from the village Daikyand (Azerbaijan) died possibly from the bird influenza (although the official diagnosis was pneumonia), Khatira Abbasova (17 years) passed away on 24 February, Nabat Askerova (20 years) - on 2 March.
Both girls had the high temperature, antibiotics did not work. There are now 9 people from this region, in whom suspect bird flu. Three of them are hospitalized into the infectious department of the hospital Salyanskeyeo region, 6 - in Baku.
Dead girls and patients - the members not of one, but two families - Askerovykh and Abbasovykh.
In the beginning of the 20th days of February in Baku was extended the rumor, that on Pirallakhi island (it is located in the hour of ride from the capital) boy perished from the bird influenza and two additional children fell ill. It was indicated that the children the football by head some of dead wild bird.
The above translation indicates the size of suspected H5N1 bird flu clusters in Azerbaijan is increasing. There appear to be 11 members of two families who have died or are hospitalized with suspected bird flu. It also appears that there was an additional unrelated death and two additional people have symptoms.
These descriptions of patients in Azerbaijan sound remarkably like the large clusters reported in eastern Turkey. The index case was linked to S227N in Turkey. Although WHO has indicated that this change has not become fixed, the large nearby clusters in Azerbaijan and Iraq are cause for concern.
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