China, Vietnam and Egypt avian flu outbreaks trigger WHO surveillance warnings
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Outbreaks of avian flu in China, Vietnam and Egypt have taken the number of officially-confirmed cases past the 400 mark. So far this year, at the time of going to press (March 4), China has reported seven cases and four deaths; Egypt, five, with no deaths; and Vietnam, two fatal cases. In Vietnam, where at least five provinces had reported avian flu in poultry, concerns were raised last month when some 100 people reportedly stole around 1,000 chickens due to be culled. The WHO has called for tighter surveillance, particularly in Vietnam, amid warnings of a growing risk of human-to-human transmission. The 409 cases confirmed to date globally since 2003, include 256 deaths.