# 659
Nigeria is one of the countries we worry greatly about, because the H5N1 virus appears to be endemic in poultry, and surveillance for the disease in birds, and humans, is poor.
I'm frankly a bit mystified by this story from the VOA, which is dated today. Two months ago, there was talk about 11 people, contacts of the mother and daughter who died, who were being tested. We never got any straight answers at the time.
Were it not for the reference to the orginal case being two months ago, I'd assume this was some sort of recycled story. That seems unlikely, although in the world of news, anything's possible.
Here is the new article, then a look back at the original story.
Eleven People Tested for Suspected Bird Flu in Lagos
By Chinedu Offor
Washington
12 April 2007
Nigerian health authorities say they are testing nearly a dozen people in Lagos for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. This after they developed what experts say may be symptoms of the disease. VOA English to Africa Service reporter Chinedu Offor has the story:
“According to the director of special duties in the Nigerian Ministry of Health…tissues obtained from 11 people in the commercial city of Lagos are being tested for the H5N1strain of bird flu. He says the samples were collected from persons who had contact with a 22-year old woman who died of the disease two months ago. The unidentified woman, who was confirmed the country’s first human case of the disease, died after slaughtering a chicken without (wearing) gloves or a mask.”
Offor reports the ministry says it expects more cases of the disease and warns “people to take special precautions while handling or slaughtering birds.
If we go back to January 31st of this year, this was the big story of the day.
Dead Nigerian woman tests positive for bird flu
Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:25 PM GMT
LAGOS (Reuters) - A Nigerian woman who died of flu symptoms has tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus, Information Minister Frank Nweke said on Wednesday, the first reported death from the virus in the West African country.
The woman from Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos is the first confirmed human victim of bird flu in sub-Saharan Africa, after the deadly disease was first found in poultry in Nigeria a year ago.
"Last night our team of 13 scientists were able to conclusively identify the case of avian influenza in a 22-year-old female who died in Lagos," Nweke told a news conference.
The woman was one of 14 people, three of whom died, from whom samples were taken for tests that were concluded on Tuesday. Samples are now being sent to foreign laboratories for confirmation.
So, according to this report, there were 14 suspected cases, and 3 died. Leaving 11 people. The question is, are these the same 11 people referenced today? And if so, are they just now showing symptoms or is that something that happened two months ago?
Perhaps they simply are checking for antibody development, something which appears weeks after exposure? Granted, it would be great to have antibody studies done on contacts to a positive case. It is something that is rarely done. But it isn't clear if that is what is going on here.
Too many questions, and not enough information to go on with this story.
Hopefully, we'll hear more in the coming days.
