The following, if true, indicates that the transmission of bird flu to humans has to date been relatively limited. It may just simply be wiping out most of those easily susceptible to catching the disease from birds with, at this date, very few cases of suspected human-human transmission.
But as in other endeavours, the opponent only has to be successful once. The upswing in the number of avian deaths suggests that there are more opportunities for humans to come into contact with infected birds, hence the Chinese push to try to stop the virus from jumping from wild into domestic birds.
The situation still bears watching.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050526/325/fjsnq.html
From Reuters:
Thursday May 26, 05:35 AM
China hails bird flu vaccine amid prophesies of doom
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has developed vaccines that block the spread of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu among birds and mammals, Xinhua news agency reported, as scientists in the west warned of a possible global pandemic killing millions.
Scientists fear that avian flu, which is infectious in birds but does not spread easily among humans, could mutate into a form more capable of passing from animals to people.
The H5N1 strain first surfaced in poultry in Hong Kong and China eight years ago and has killed 37 people in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand and four in Cambodia.
(snip)
China's Ministry of Agriculture had given its approval, and a sales permit, for the vaccines, Xinhua said, without mentioning whether the treatments had been evaluated outside the country.
The agency said supplies of the new vaccines had already been sent to far-flung western Qinghai province, where China has been scrambling to contain its first breakout since late 2004 after 178 geese were found dead of the H5N1 virus on May 4.
(snip)
Local departments were being told how to dispose of bird droppings and hospitals in the affected county had opened separate departments for screening patients with fever and to observe people who had close contact with the birds.
"All hospitals have been told to set up a task force and put aside medication and facilities for the treatment of any avian flu cases that might be detected," Ai said.
(snip)
"Time is running out to prepare for the next pandemic," said Michael Osterholm, of the University of Minnesota, on Wednesday in a special section of the journal Nature devoted to avian flu.
"There is a critical need for comprehensive medical and non-medical pandemic planning at the ground level that goes beyond what has been considered so far."
(snip)