CIDRAP: Pakistan human H5N1 cases....

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   Pakistan suspects first human H5N1 cases
Lisa Schnirring  Staff Writer

Dec 14, 2007 (CIDRAP News) â€“ Reports of suspected human H5N1 avian influenza cases among brothers in Pakistan are raising fresh fears in the global health community of human-to-human transmission of the virus, amid uncertainty about how a father-son pair in China contracted their H5N1 infections. 
Media outlets in Pakistan have been reporting on a possible family cluster in the northwestern part of the country over the past few days, but the sources of the information were often murky, and the details of the cases were confusing and often contradictory. And even though today's news reports flesh out more details about the suspected cases, they still contain contradictory statements. 
If the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms the Pakistani cases, they would represent the country's first reported appearance of the H5N1 virus in humans in Pakistan. 
Confusion, concern in Pakistan

Today an anonymous source in Pakistan's health ministry told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that authorities are testing samples from two poultry farm workers who died in a hospital isolation ward from suspected H5N1 infections. The ministry official said the brothers are from Mansehra district and were admitted to a hospital in Peshawar, in northern Pakistan, KUNA reported. 
"We have received their blood samples, and they have been sent to laboratory for clinical analysis," the ministry official told KUNA, adding that results are expected tomorrow. 
The Mansehra district where the men are from has experienced H5N1 in poultry, and thousands of birds have been culled in the area, the KUNA report said. 
Khushnood Akhtar, secretary of Pakistan's health ministry, said the cases occurred in November but said that four brothers are involved, Deutsche Presse-Argentur (DPA) reported today. One of the men, who worked on a poultry farm, may have contracted the H5N1 virus after he helped cull sick birds, Akhtar told DPA. 
The man survived but may have infected three of his brothers, none of whom had been at the farm or in contact with sick birds, Akhtar said in the DPA report. The DPA report appears to contradict the KUNA story, which said the two men in its report were farm workers. 
Akhtar told DPA that two of the brothers died of pneumonia-like symptoms but were buried before health officials could obtain blood samples, which appears to contradict what the anonymous health ministry official told KUNA. 
A third brother who lives in the United States and was visiting Mansehra also tested positive for the H5N1 virus, but survived and returned to his US home, Akhtar told DPA. 
"We have requested the WHO to send a team to the area so we can find out exactly what happened there," he said in the DPA report.
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Midas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: September 05 2006 Status: Offline Points: 295	Post Options Post Reply Quote Midas Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: CIDRAP: Pakistan human H5N1 cases.... Posted: December 14 2007 at 6:24pm
	Pakistan suspects first human H5N1 cases Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer Dec 14, 2007 (CIDRAP News) â€“ Reports of suspected human H5N1 avian influenza cases among brothers in Pakistan are raising fresh fears in the global health community of human-to-human transmission of the virus, amid uncertainty about how a father-son pair in China contracted their H5N1 infections. Media outlets in Pakistan have been reporting on a possible family cluster in the northwestern part of the country over the past few days, but the sources of the information were often murky, and the details of the cases were confusing and often contradictory. And even though today's news reports flesh out more details about the suspected cases, they still contain contradictory statements. If the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms the Pakistani cases, they would represent the country's first reported appearance of the H5N1 virus in humans in Pakistan. Confusion, concern in Pakistan Today an anonymous source in Pakistan's health ministry told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that authorities are testing samples from two poultry farm workers who died in a hospital isolation ward from suspected H5N1 infections. The ministry official said the brothers are from Mansehra district and were admitted to a hospital in Peshawar, in northern Pakistan, KUNA reported. "We have received their blood samples, and they have been sent to laboratory for clinical analysis," the ministry official told KUNA, adding that results are expected tomorrow. The Mansehra district where the men are from has experienced H5N1 in poultry, and thousands of birds have been culled in the area, the KUNA report said. Khushnood Akhtar, secretary of Pakistan's health ministry, said the cases occurred in November but said that four brothers are involved, Deutsche Presse-Argentur (DPA) reported today. One of the men, who worked on a poultry farm, may have contracted the H5N1 virus after he helped cull sick birds, Akhtar told DPA. The man survived but may have infected three of his brothers, none of whom had been at the farm or in contact with sick birds, Akhtar said in the DPA report. The DPA report appears to contradict the KUNA story, which said the two men in its report were farm workers. Akhtar told DPA that two of the brothers died of pneumonia-like symptoms but were buried before health officials could obtain blood samples, which appears to contradict what the anonymous health ministry official told KUNA. A third brother who lives in the United States and was visiting Mansehra also tested positive for the H5N1 virus, but survived and returned to his US home, Akhtar told DPA. "We have requested the WHO to send a team to the area so we can find out exactly what happened there," he said in the DPA report. Link