Young girl dies of bird flu
Hanoi (AsiaNews) World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman, Bob Dietz, confirmed today that a five-year old girl died of the avian H5N1 influenza. The girl, from the Ha Tay province southwest of Hanoi, showed symptoms of the disease on Jan. 11. She checked into the National Pediatric Hospital of Hanoi on Jan. 15.
In recent days the situation has been getting more serious and an increasing number of persons are being taken to hospital in Hanoi, suspected of having contracted the disease. To date there are 18 suspected cases of infection and 13 avian flu related deaths. According the WHO, if the virus were to mutate and the contagion transmitted by humans, this new health crisis would be more serious than that of Sars.
The situation seems under control in Hong Kong. Dr. Guan Yi, professor of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong, says there are no traces of the H5N1 virus, but only of the weaker strain, H9N2. According to Paul Chan Kai-Sheung, microbiologist at the Chinese University, the best solution is to keep humans away from live chickens, rather than cull them or limit their sale to certain markets. President of Hong Kong's World Poultry Science Association, Peter Wong Chun-kow, believes the government should put into effect measures to resolve the problem at its core, by changing the dosage of aflatoxin, a food additive which weakens the immune system. (MR)
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