Relationships in Hau Giang?
Recombinomics Commentary
August 13, 2004
Media reports on H5N1 cases in Hau Giang province are somewhat contradictory, but may suggest additional related cases. The initial four cases were described in great detail, including patient's initials, date of death, and relationship. Other early reports indicated one of the fatalities was a high school student and that three of the four initial cases were related (brother, sister, and cousin). The cousin was from a neighboring location and may have been the high school student. Subsequent reports indicated the brother was 19 and the older sister was 23. All four cases, including an unrelated 24F died between July 29 and August 2.
Initial concerns were fueled by the fact that the older sister did not develop symptoms until the brother died and the cousin was from a nearby district. More recent reports describe a 25F who died August 6. She had a 19 year old brother who died, raising the possibility that there were 4 related deaths, a brother, two sisters, and a cousin. Moreover, other reports indicate that there is a 19 and/or 20 year old with symptoms at the same hospital (Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Center). The relationship between the one or two patients with symptoms and the earlier fatalities was not reported, nor was the relationship of another patient with symptoms at another hospital in southern Vietnam.
The presence of 5 or 6 patients at the same hospital, and the relationship between at least 3, raises questions about human to human transmission.
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