Bird Flu Has Infected 186 People Of Which 105 Have Died

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Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Article Date: 25 Mar 2006 - 15:00 PDT

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Since 2003 186 people have become infected with bird flu (avian flu), specifically, the H5N1 virus strain. 105 of them have died. Here is a list of the countries:

Azerbajan
Cases - 7
Deaths - 5

Cambodia
Cases - 5
Deaths - 5

China
Cases - 16
Deaths - 11

Indonesia
Cases - 29
Deaths - 22

Iraq
Cases - 2
Deaths - 2

Thailand
Cases - 22
Deaths - 14

Turkey
Cases - 12
Deaths - 4

Vietnam
Cases - 93
Deaths - 42

Total
Cases - 186
Deaths - 105

A recent study may explain why so few humans have become infected, when compared to birds. The H5N1 virus needs to get deep down into the lungs in order to make the human ill. For a human to become infected he/she needs to be in constant contact with sick birds so that a cluster of viruses can build up. Even when a human does get ill, the infection is so deep within the lungs that hardly any viruses are expelled when the patient coughs - making it much harder to infect other humans.

Hundreds of millions of birds have died of H5N1 infection since 2003.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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