Silent carriers: possible culprits in avian flu transmission?

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

April 12, 2005 (CIDRAP News) – Although an 8-year-old Cambodian girl's death was caused by the H5N1 virus, it's not clear how she developed avian flu.

She had been in contact with infected chickens in February, "but the exposure period is too long," said Megge Miller, a World Health Organization (WHO) official in Cambodia, in an Agence France-Presse (AFP) story. The girl became sick on Mar 29 and died on Apr 7, news reports said.

Follow-up evaluation of people who had contact with the girl during her illness showed that none of the 13 tested for H5N1 had contracted the virus.

"Human-to-human transmission as a source of the girl's infection appears unlikely, as none of her known contacts were sick with similar symptoms before she became ill," a WHO news release said today.

Ducks may have caused her illness, Miller said.

"We're looking at the potential of the role of ducks as asymptomatic carriers," Miller told AFP in a story yesterday. Ducks are known as silent carriers of H5N1 because they may carry and spread large amounts of the virus without appearing sick.

Department of animal health officials were considering whether to cull all poultry within 3 miles of the girl's home in Kampot province, AFP reported.

Elsewhere in Asia, officials in Hong Kong and southern China announced today that the culling of 8,000 chickens in Shenzhen was not due to avian flu, news outlets reported.

The chickens, which were culled and buried after suffering "abnormal health conditions" were part of a flock of 100,000 in Shenzhen, which provides chickens for Hong Kong, according to an AFP story.

"A report was received from the State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, which confirmed that some of the chickens in the farm had been found to have respiratory tract disease," according to a statement reported today by AFP. "Initial tests on the avian influenza virus were conducted on other live chickens in the farm and all results were negative," the statement noted.

 

See also:

Today's WHO news release on avian flu: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2005_04_12/en/

This week's top reads

  1. Vietnam reports H5N1 avian flu case with encephalitis

    Tests on respiratory samples were negative, but results were positive for the cerebrospinal fluid sample.

    Lisa Schnirring
    ICU monitors

  2. Studies detail high rates of long COVID among healthcare, dental workers

    The most common symptom reported by healthcare workers was fatigue.

    Stephanie Soucheray
    health worker in mask

  3. Top virologists urge world leaders to act on rising avian flu threat

    Global Virus Network scientists highlight the need for robust surveillance, enhanced biosecurity, and readiness for potential human-to-human viral transmission.

    Mary Van Beusekom

  4. CIDRAP launches Vaccine Integrity Project to help safeguard US vaccine use

    The steering committee will make recommendations on how non-governmental groups can help ensure that vaccine use is evidence-based.

    Mary Van Beusekom
    MMR vaccine vial on table

  5. Tick-borne meat allergy may be related to urbanization in mid-Atlantic US

    The study identified open-space development and low population density as risk factors for Alpha-gal syndrome. 

    Mary Van Beusekom
    Lone star tick

  6. US measles cases climb higher, approach 900

    Thirty states have cases, and 83% of infections are part of outbreaks, the largest centered  in West Texas.

    Lisa Schnirring
    young boy with measles

  7. USDA withdraws proposal to reduce Salmonella in poultry

    The Biden-era rule would have prevented the sale of raw chicken or turkey with certain levels or strains of Salmonella.

    Chris Dall
    Raw poultry in processing plant

  8. New agreement geared toward universal avian flu vaccine

    The mRNA vaccine targets all major clades of the H5 avian flu subtype.

    Stephanie Soucheray

  9. Quick takes: Mpox outbreak in Malawi, more H5N1 in Idaho and California dairy cows

    The cases in Malawi bring the number of African countries affected by mpox to 23.

    Lisa Schnirring

  10. Measles cases in Europe, the Americas skyrocket

    Almost 90% of the European cases were reported in Romania.

    Stephanie Soucheray
    measles vax

Our underwriters