Check out the FAQ,Terms of Service & Disclaimers by clicking the
link. Please register
to be able to post. By viewing this site you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Acknowledge our Disclaimers.
FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster.
The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website.
By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.
Soldier With Mild Confirmed H5N1 Raises Pandemic Concerns
Recombinomics Commentary 15:08
April 22, 2008
Tests have shown that the virus detected in the patient's body was an H5 strain, according to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It will take up to three weeks for a lab to confirm whether or not the strain is the deadly H5N1 strain, which has caused massive outbreaks in the Jeolla region since April 1.
The young corporal, identified only by his family name Cho, was sent to help kill infected chickens and ducks on Friday and Saturday. He suffered from high fever and was transported to an army hospital Sunday.
Authorities said his sickness was not related to the bird flu and that his condition has improved.
The above comments provide more detail on the H5N1 infected soldier in South Korea. The ?H5? designation for the soldier is similar to comments on the H5 infected birds in South Korea. There is no data supporting anything other than H5N1 for the outbreaks in South Korea. In the OIE report, some were H5N1 confirmed while others were HPAI H5 confirmed at the time of filing. No H5 had been confirmed to be low path H5.
The rapid recovery could have been due to both antibiotic and Tamiflu treatment, if the patient had secondary bacterial pneumonia. However, the bacterial infection does not invalidate the H5 detection.
More detail on how the soldier was infected would be useful. Pictures of culling operations showed cullers in PPE?s from head to toe. Moreover, cullers are usually on prophylactic Tamiflu (oseltamivir).
The denial of the associated of bird flu symptoms with H5N1 infections raise concerns of additional H5N1 patients that are not considered H5N1 infections because of arbitrary and capricious definitions. The infected culler also raises concerns about infected farmers who have not used PPE?s or Tamiflu.
The H5 positive result raises concerns of widespread mild H5N1 patients in South Korea as well as Bangladesh and India. The passage of H5N1 through human hosts increases the likelihood of human adaptation and efficient transmission.
More information on the patient, PPE?s and prophylaxis would be useful.
<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 width=516 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Soldier May Be Korea's 1st Human Bird Flu Case <!!--titleend--> <!!--subtitlestart--><!!--subtitleend--> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=news01 vAlign=top><!!--bodystart-->Health authorities in Korea are on high alert in the wake of what could be the country's first human case of bird flu. A soldier who had been involved in the culling process of infected poultry is showing symptoms of the deadly disease.
Reportedly suffering from a high fever after destroying avian influenza affected poultry last week, a Korean soldier has been hospitalized in a quarantine ward. The soldier, whose family name is Cho, allegedly had body temperatures of up to 39.8 degrees Celsius, and was in and out of a coma. The high fever dissipated after he was treated with antibiotic and anti-viral drugs.
The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention says while Cho's symptoms are those of avian influenza, it's also possible that he might be affected with bacterial pneumonia.
The center added that it would take up to three weeks for them to see what the soldier is suffering from. The center will dose everyone who had contact with Cho in the last couple of days with antiviral drugs and closely monitor them for the next 10 days. In related news, government officials are discussing ways to prevent the spread of avian influenza to humans. They agreed to speed up the reporting system as immediate quarantine of patients is considered the first priority. Officials also agreed to expand the procurement of Tamiflu, an antiviral drug used for treating AI. At present, the amount available can treat 1.2 million people, only 2 percent of Korea's total population. Arirang News
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
You may agree that '60 per cent CFR' is a MEAN value, and it has a relative value. Variables to keep into account: - cases from geographical distinct areas; - infections due to different H5N1 lineages with distinct antigenic and genetic features; - cases detected for several years. Data is not part of an uniform set and should be careful evaluated.
It is also to be noted that recently Pakistani patients were confirmed positive by serology in presence of atypical H5N1 clinical presentation.
In Egypt in the spring of 2007, only one in 17 confirmed H5N1 cases was fatal, and most who were infected did NOT develop pneumonia (but were positive by PCR, virus isolation, and virus sequence).
South Korean soldier may have contracted bird flu
By Ashley Rowland and Hwang Hae-rym, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, April 24, 2008
SEOUL ? A 22-year-old South Korean soldier who helped kill chickens infected with avian flu remained in stable condition Tuesday afternoon, two days after he reported having possible symptoms of the deadly virus.
The Special Forces corporal, identified only by his last name, Cho, is being quarantined and treated with antibiotics in a South Korean military hospital in Bundang, a suburb of Seoul, according to a spokesman for South Korea?s Ministry of National Defense.
If testing shows he has the disease, he will be the first in South Korea.
?It?s a big deal,? said Lt. Col. Eric Lund, a preventive medicine consultant for 18th Medical Command. ?All of Korea is waiting to see, did this happen or not.?
Officials won?t know for one to three weeks if Cho has bird flu because his symptoms could be caused by bacterial pneumonia, according to a statement from the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs.
Cho complained of a fever and breathing problems on Sunday, after helping cull H5N1-infected birds on Friday and Saturday. The spokesman said his condition is improving and his fever is gone.
South Korea raised its avian flu alert to orange last week, the second-highest level in its four-tier alert system, after outbreaks spread to poultry farms across the country. Officials have destroyed more than 3.7 million poultry and 30 million eggs during this outbreak, Lund said.
Nearly 2,000 other South Korean soldiers have culled chickens and ducks since April 17. Those soldiers are being monitored every morning and evening for signs of H5N1, and are taking a 10-day course of Tamiflu, a flu treatment drug, the MND spokesman said.
The soldiers were given human influenza vaccinations before the culling, as well as protective uniforms, gloves and masks, which were destroyed after use.
South Korea has not asked the U.S. military for help with the culling and isn?t expected to make a request, 8th Army spokesman Lt. Col. B.J. Bailey said.
Lund said humans rarely catch the avian flu virus from birds, unless they work closely with them at farms or slaughterhouses. Humans rarely transmit it to each other, though experts expect that to change.
?We all think it?s a matter of when, not a matter of if, this bug gets wings and is able to be transmitted from human to human,? Lund said. ?That?s the pandemic that everyone?s preparing for.?
Migrating water fowl typically spread the disease to domestic chickens, ducks and other fowl. Birds carry the virus in their saliva and feces, spread it easily to each other and die rapidly, usually within 48 hours of contracting the disease.
Ninety to 100 percent of birds infected with the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 die from it, Lund said. Sixty percent of humans who catch avian flu die from it, he said.
Of the 381 confirmed human cases of bird flu, 240 have died. Most of those cases were in Indonesia, China, Egypt, Vietnam and Thailand.
Visit a doctor if you show these symptoms and have been around dead or live birds, or someone with avian flu, said Lt. Col. Eric Lund, preventive medicine consultant with 18th Medical Command in Seoul, South Korea. Humans who contract avian flu are hospitalized and isolated from other patients, and treated with antimicrobials.
Recombinomics Commentary 19:42
April 22, 2008
The confirmation of mild H5N1 in a soldier in South Korea raises serious transparency issues. The concerns in South Korea were increased as government agencies issued statements splitting hairs between H5N1 confirmed and HPAI H5 confirmed poultry outbreaks. HPAI H5 is confirmed with a sequence of the HA cleavage site, which for all practical purposes confirms H5N1. The sequences of the HPAI H5 and H5N1 would be virtually identical removing virtually all doubt that the H5 positive cases are H5N1 positive cases.
Now the government is using the same hair splitting approach to delay confirming that the soldier is H5N1 positive with the same H5N1 detected in the birds being culled. The number of infected farms is approximately 50, indicating the H5N1 is easily passed from farm to farm, and these connections are likely linked to migratory birds (see satellite map). The infection of a soldier/culler, who had PPE?s and prophylactic Tamiflu would once again suggest that transmission to humans was efficient. The status of the other hospitalized patients is unclear, but if they are on Tamiflu, the likelihood that they will test negative is high, because Tamiflu lowers viral load to an undetectable level. Moreover, government comments that bird flu symptoms in an H5N1 infected patient are not due to the H5N1 raises serious credibility issues.
Unfortunately, such issues are not limited to South Korea. Japan has announced the implementation of a pre-pandemic vaccine program, even though they have not reported H5N1 since early 2004. The similarity between the H5N1 in South Korea in 2003/2004 and Japan in 2004 strongly suggests that there was H5N1 in Japan in 2006/2007 and 2007/2008, when South Korea reported large poultry outbreaks. Closely related H5N1 was also found in fecal samples from site frequented by migratory bird, which migrate from H5N1 confirmed areas in Mongolia. Thus, the lack of any H5N1 reports in Japan for this season or last season remains suspect.
The level of suspicion is even higher for India, which has reported its largest outbreak to date in West Bengal and Tripura. In both countries, the initial denials of H5N1 infections and suggestions that the dead birds had died from Newcastle Disease was not credible since the dead birds had been vaccinated against Newcastle Disease and dogs, cats, and jackals died after eating the infected birds. In the outbreaks in West Bengal the deaths of resident and migratory birds in proximity to the H5N1 poultry was noted. However, India has never reported an H5N1 case in anything other than poultry, even though migratory birds that winter in India spend the spring and summer in H5N1 positive nature reserves in China and Mongolia.
Moreover, films of dead birds and villagers in West Bengal left little doubt that there were human H5N1 infections. The villagers had no PPE?s and many had eaten the H5N1 positive birds. When these villagers developed symptoms, they were not tested for H5N1, raising concerns of significant levels of mild infections.
The same situation exists in Bangladesh. Migratory birds also fly into Bangladesh because of the Ganges Delta, which is shared with India. Although Bangladesh has confirmed H5N1 in wild birds falling from trees and populating metropolitan areas, Bangladesh has never reported H5N1 in a migratory bird or human. These detection / reporting issues also raise concerns about Bangladesh.
Similarly, Pakistan has acknowledged human to human transmission of H5N1, but reports were withheld for six weeks and released only after two brothers had died and two other brothers had developed pneumonia over an extended time frame. Initially, only one positive was confirmed by WHO because of sample degradation.
Sequences from earlier outbreaks in South Korea, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are all clade 2.2.3. The human cases in Pakistan and South Korea suggest all of these countries have had human cases, although only Pakistan has reported a WHO confirmed case.
The H5N1 outbreaks in the above countries have almost certainly caused human infections that have not been reported or confirmed. Many of these cases may have been mild, which increases the likelihood of transmission to humans and the associated adaptation to humans.
Thus, H5N1 is clearly evolving below the radar in these countries and there is little reason to believe that such mild cases are not widespread as was seen last season in Egypt.
.
"The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation
<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 width=516 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Soldier May Be Korea's 1st Human Bird Flu Case <!!--titleend--> <!!--subtitlestart--><!!--subtitleend--> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=news01 vAlign=top><!!--bodystart-->Health authorities in Korea are on high alert in the wake of what could be the country's first human case of bird flu. A soldier who had been involved in the culling process of infected poultry is showing symptoms of the deadly disease.
Reportedly suffering from a high fever after destroying avian influenza affected poultry last week, a Korean soldier has been hospitalized in a quarantine ward. The soldier, whose family name is Cho, allegedly had body temperatures of up to 39.8 degrees Celsius, and was in and out of a coma. The high fever dissipated after he was treated with antibiotic and anti-viral drugs.
The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention says while Cho's symptoms are those of avian influenza, it's also possible that he might be affected with bacterial pneumonia.
The center added that it would take up to three weeks for them to see what the soldier is suffering from. The center will dose everyone who had contact with Cho in the last couple of days with antiviral drugs and closely monitor them for the next 10 days. In related news, government officials are discussing ways to prevent the spread of avian influenza to humans. They agreed to speed up the reporting system as immediate quarantine of patients is considered the first priority. Officials also agreed to expand the procurement of Tamiflu, an antiviral drug used for treating AI. At present, the amount available can treat 1.2 million people, only 2 percent of Korea's total population. Arirang News <!!--bodyend-->
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left>Still current at: 23 April 2008
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Updated: 22 April 2008
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> This advice has been reviewed and reissued with an amendment to the Health (Avian Influenza) section (outbreaks in April 2008 in North Jolla, South Jolla and Gyenonggi Provinces) . The overall level of the advice has not changed.
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
There have been outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) in domestic poultry in South Korea. Since the most recent outbreak of Avian Influenza was reported on 1 April 2008, 23 cases of the H5N1 virus and 18 cases of non-H5N1 strains of Avian Influenza have been confirmed in North and South Jolla provinces (approximately 260km south-west of Seoul). On 16 April 2008 a suspected outbreak in Gyenonggi Province (60km from Seoul) was confirmed as H5N1. The Korean authorities have established a poultry quarantine zone and movement controls in order to prevent the spread of the virus. The Korean authorities are on the alert for any further outbreaks. No human infections or deaths have been reported.
The risk to humans from Avian Influenza is believed to be very low. As a precaution you should avoid visiting live animal markets, poultry farms and other places where you may come into close contact with domestic, caged or wild birds; and ensure poultry and egg dishes are thoroughly cooked.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of the possibility that the Avian Influenza outbreaks could lead at some point to a human flu pandemic, if a virus mutates to a form which is easily transmissible between people.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=headtitle height=40>AI no doubt in Tokyo patients' peace of mind ' </TD></TR><TR height=25><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 20px" height=25>
道, 살처분 참여자 일일이 조사
道, every survey participant salcheobun </TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-TOP: 0px" height=30>
[경기일보 2008-4-23]
[2008-4-23 game Ilbo] </TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #000000; PADDING-TOP: 20px"> gobyeongwonseong salcheobun poultry avian influenza (AI) occurred at the scene of the injected area soldier AI isolates uisimdwae treatment for the infection of target beneficiaries Gyeonggi gowiheomgun survey results did little to the present cases of suspected human infections have been relieved hwakindwae The sigh.
AI Gyeonggi Province on October 22, the health authorities are beyond the farm workers and Pyeongtaek balbyeonghan salcheobun participants, including 763 men defenses agents to conduct clinical observations and surveys, and more suspected patients infected with the human body to the present day, but did not identify the cause.
도
Health authorities are also salcheobun participants who administer immunizations and hangbayireoseuje, personal protective gear, such as payment for a precautionary measure to implement the AI virus is frequently exposed to a lot of farm workers, including 308 blood tests were gowiheomgun regularly, and set the state. So far, more than 38 are in the middle of looking at the same time symptoms of fever and cough 'suspected patients' blood tests are no more than symptoms appeared deungeseodo case is not explained.
But turning 30 gowiheomgun subjects of the phone lines were down due to the ongoing management mihwakindoen alert, as the tension in his state director.
Also said, "AI virus in the body associated with the disease invading 'hwakjin patients' disease do not know you are never reported, as expected, systematic inspections. Nagalgeot continuously," he explained. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Recombinomics Commentary 03:17
April 23, 2008 The soldier, whose family name is Cho, allegedly had body temperatures of up to 39.8 degrees Celsius, and was in and out of a coma. The high fever dissipated after he was treated with antibiotic and anti-viral drugs.
The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention says while Cho's symptoms are those of avian influenza, it's also possible that he might be affected with bacterial pneumonia.
The above comments by the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention raise serious credibility issues, since the patient has already tested positive for H5 by PCR and the test were done by the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the soldier developed symptoms after culling H5N1 positive chickens and ducks, a bacterial infection is of little consequence.
The patient and hospital contacts have been treated with Tamiflu, and the issue of bacterial pneumonia just serves to confuse.
This confusion is similar to earlier reports which tried to make distinctions between confirmed H5N1 and confirmed HPAI H5. The HPAI H5 will be H5N1 when the testing is completed because the sequence of the H5 is the same as the sequence of the H5N1.
These efforts to confuse raise serious credibility issues. Since the patient appears to have responded quickly to treatment, the case will likely be relatively mild. Therefore, detection of additional cases may be influenced by Tamiflu treatment. Such data can be easily affected by agencies that put out confusing statements and press releases.
These confusing statements remain a cause for concern.
AI suspicious blood tests soldiers' normal '… 24 days isolation Releases
Avian Influenza (AI) infection has uisimdwae soldiers for the special isolation room gyeokridwae measures are expected to be released on the 24th.
Disease management division has been given to the soldiers eumap treated in the isolation of his room suchideung blood test results are normal white blood cell recovery, as the 24th at 8 pm plans to release the quarantine measures yesterday.
다.
Show me the World Health (WHO) recommendations on the rules of antiviral drug treatment bokyonghan 5 days after symptoms disappear in a special isolation facility can be disabled. AI in the last 20 suspected soldiers received treatment for two days beginning almost disappeared from the symptoms of the disease control division.
Center for Disease Control said, "The primary care physician and the patient's condition, but as a result of the advisory committee meeting today, it is possible to turn off the quarantine, but the WHO criteria for judging follow quarantine for 24 days to release the plan," he said.
After isolation eumap disabled return to normal daily life omgilji room will be determined later.
This is a private operation salcheobun injected AI symptoms such as high fever after treatment have been received to show the isolation of virus-type H5 gene was detected in body fluids as possible answer gobyeongwonseong H5N1 infection.
Healing and the results of various tests, but when the soldiers mirwobol exposed to the AI virus, the disease did not occur, but the so-called `bulhyeonseong infection (不显性感染) 'estimated potential.
(서울=연합뉴스)
AI infection symptoms suspected belligerent soldier
Quarantine measures blood tests normal recovery plan Releases
작성 : 2008-04-23
Sunchang involved in a regional task salcheobun respiratory failure due to avian influenza (AI) infection in the hospital uisimdwae army corporal quarantine treatment for Moe Joe for 24 days quarantine measures are lifted.
Disease management headquarters 23 days "have been treated in hospital rooms to isolate eumap Corporal Joe's been given a blood test results are normal white blood cell levels and to recover 8:00 p.m. on the 24th to release plans to quarantine measures," he said.
해제할 수 있다.
Show me the World Health (WHO) recommendations, according to the rules of antiviral drug treatment bokyonghan five days after symptoms disappear, can be turned off in a special isolation facility.
Corporal Joe received treatment in the past two days, starting July 20 is almost disappeared from the symptoms of the disease control headquarters said.
But isolation is disabled eumap after the return to normal daily life depends omgilji room will be determined later.
Sunchang last 18 to 19 chickens from ducks for the AI to take action salcheobun Corporal Joe has been put into operation after troops back from 20th after the fever and showed symptoms of respiratory disorders such as AI isolates from the treatment received fluids' H5 ' Will the virus genes are detected as gobyeongwonseong 'H5N1' had raised the possibility of infection. http://66.102.9.104/translate_c?hl=e...6dt%3D20080424
<!!--subtitlestart--><!!--subtitleend--> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=news01 vAlign=top><!!--bodystart-->Health authorities in Korea are on high alert in the wake of what could be the country's first human case of bird flu. A soldier who had been involved in the culling process of infected poultry is showing symptoms of the deadly disease. 
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-...ta=health&pg=5
Tweet
Comment