Avian Flu!

Current Event Log 2
Katie Houser

Avian Influenza in Indonesia and Around the World

On Wednesday, August 23rd the World Health Organization reported that the Indonesian Ministry of Health confirmed the countries sixtieth case of the avian influenza virus other wise known as H5N1 or bird flu. The six year old female was the country’s 60th confirmed case of infection in a human. She became sick around August 6 and was hospitalized on August 11th. The girl was from Bekasi, West Java Province. No cause of the infection has been located, but there is an ongoing investigation. The girl is still recovering in the hospital. Forty six of the sixty cases of avian influenza have been fatal.
The H5N1 or avian influenza virus is a very pathogenic one, which is the reason that there is global concern about it. Despite this, the media is not telling all the facts. Avian influenza is not transmittable through interpersonal contact yet, in other words people with avian influenza can not infect other people with virus. One can only get avian influenza from an infected bird. If the H5N1 virus infects a person who is carrying a human form of influenza and is able to swap DNA and mutate into a human strain. Then we would be facing a serious global pandemic. So far that has not happen yet. The Global medical community recognizes the danger of a human form of this virus and is working to develop a vaccine. Until they do, we should all remember that avian influenza is survivable. After all, the little Indonesian girl is recovering.

Source: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_08_23/en/print.html 8/24/2006.