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June 27, 2006
Surveillance update: Laboratory-confirmed human-to-human avian flu transmission.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported the first laboratory-confirmed case of human-to-human avian flu transmission. Last month, the Indonesian government reported that 7 people within the same family died from H5N1 infection. While human-to-human transmission was suspected in this disease cluster, genetic testing has now proven a chain of transmission - in this case 3 persons long. A 37 year old Sumatran woman passed the virus to six family members, including her 10 year old nephew. This boy in turn infected his father. The virus samples taken from the boy and his father indicate a slight genetic mutation in the virus. It is believed that this mutation will not significantly affect the virus’s pathology or its ease of transmission.
References
- "Human Bird Flu Transmission Is Proven in Indonesia." Bloomberg. June 23rd
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=a_g3QljBkLwE&refer=asia
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