Second Thai Binh Nurse With Bird Flu Symptoms Hospitalized
Recombinomics Commentary
March 12, 2005
>> Dao Trong Bich, deputy director of the medical center in Thai Thuy District in northern Thai Binh province said the 41-year-old woman had cared for a 21-year-old man who tested positive for the H5N1 virus and remains in critical condition.
The nurse was admitted to Hanoi's Bach Mai Hospital Thursday with a high fever, coughing and a lung infection - typical bird flu symptoms, a doctor there said on condition of anonymity. Test results to confirm if she has bird flu are expected next week, the doctor said. <<
This is another apparent case of human-to-human transmission of bird flu in Thai Binh, although it is unclear if it is from the H5N1 positive 21 year-old-patient, or the 26-year-old H5N1 positive nurse. However, since the 21 year-old developed symptoms Feb 14, his sister Feb 21, and the first nurse Feb 26, it is more likely that the H5N1 transmission chain was extended from nurse to nurse, if the second nurse developed symptoms recently.
However, if she developed symptoms earlier, and was transfered to Hanoi, or remained at home with symptoms, the transmission could have been directly from the patient, who transferred to Hanoi on Feb 20.
In either event, H5N1 appears to have become more efficient at human-to-human transmission, which is cause for concern.
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