Monday, December 31, 2007 WHO: No human-to-human transmission of bird flu virus By Albert B. Lacanlale
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has clarified recent reports that there was confirmed human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 avian influenza or bird flu in Pakistan.
In its December 27, 2007 health update, WHO, through its website www.who.int, explained that the first case of human infection with the influenza has been confirmed in Pakistan.
However, WHO pointed out that the preliminary risk assessment found no evidence of sustained or community human-to-human transmission of the virus.
Sun.Star Pampanga ran a story about the Philippines' continued freedom from the avian influenza and quoted reports that there were confirmed human-to-human transmission of the virus in Pakistan.
The WHO statement only narrated about the laboratory tests conducted by the WHO H5 Reference Laboratory in Cairo, Egypt and WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza, in London, United Kingdom which have confirmed the presence of avian influenza virus strain in samples collected from one case in an affected family in Pakistan.
The H5N1 positive case was a 25-year-old male from the Peshawar area, who developed febrile respiratory illness on November 21, was hospitalized on November 23 and died on November 28.
Additional laboratory analysis, including gene sequencing, is ongoing, WHO said.
At the request of the Pakistan government, the WHO team traveled to Pakistan to participate with national authorities in the ongoing investigations of several suspected cases of human H5N1 infections.
All identified close contacts including the other members of the affected family and involved health care workers remain symptomatic and have been removed from close medical observation.
The Ministry of Health in Pakistan has taken timely steps to investigate and contain this event including case isolation, contact tracing and monitoring, detailed epidemiological investigations, increasing the availability of personal protective equipment, dedicating hospital facilities for any new suspected cases, and other infection control measures.
In addition, agricultural authorities, including the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock and FAO, have been active technical partners for the effective control of this limited outbreak.
