Q&A: Bird Flu in Humans

March 13, 2006 — -- Following are questions regarding bird flu in humans, along with responses from Drs. William Schaffner and Pascal James Imperato. Schaffner is chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and an infectious-disease consultant for the World Health Organization. Imperato is chair of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and former New York City health commissioner.

Q: Why have so many people died from bird flu in the past few weeks? H5N1 seems now to be exploding in many countries at once -- Sharon, Beckenham, Kent London

A:

There are likely several contributing reasons: 1) Public health authorities around the world are looking harder for bird flu -- and, the harder you look, the more you will find. 2) Bird flu has spread to more countries both by migratory birds [mostly water fowl] as well as human activities [smuggling contaminated poultry, selling contaminated manure for fertilizer, etc.].

Please recall that most of the reports have been of infected birds and poultry, not humans. Even though transmission to humans is quite unusual, the more infected birds there are, the greater the chance of an occasional transmission event to a person. -- answered by Schaffner

Q: My doctors tell me bird flu is nothing to worry about, but clearly the experts are concerned. … People look for sound advice from their doctors and I am afraid the wrong message is being sent out. What is being done to help doctors spread the correct message about H5N1 and a possible pandemic? -- T.R., Tennessee

A:

As one of the concerned experts, I hope that clear messages are getting out. Actually, your doctors were right on target -- they were trying to convey that bird flu is NOT here in the U.S. and still is NOT capable of being transmitted easily from person to person. Thus, please keep things in perspective. Indeed, the annual visitation of "regular" influenza actually causes, on average, the death of 36,000 persons in the U.S. each year, not to mention 200,000 hospitalizations. My strong recommendation, therefore, is for all to take advantage of the protection provided by yearly influenza vaccination. Please make sure that you -- and all in your family -- are protected each winter/spring influenza season. -- answered by Schaffner