Credit NIAID
# 7110
Dr. Tara C. Smith, who also pens the terrific Aetiology blog, has an article appearing today in Slate on the emerging H7N9 virus that addresses the question:
Just how bad is the new bird flu?
One of the striking aspects of this new avian flu has been - that like H5N1 - it appears to produce unusually severe illness in humans (yet unlike H5N1, little or no illness in poultry).
Of 33 known human cases, 9 have died, 1 has recovered, and most of the rest are described as being in either serious or critical condition.
What we don’t yet know is how many undetected `mild’ or asymptomatic infections there might be from this virus.
For more on all this, follow the link to read:
Nature’s Bioterrorist Agents
Just how bad is the new bird flu?
By Tara C. Smith|Posted Wednesday, April 10, 2013
While it seems reasonable that there would be a substantial number of `mild’ undetected H5N1 cases out there, serological testing has produced (at best) `mixed’ results and a contentious debate (see The Great CFR Divide).
Of course, if there are a large number of `mild’ or asymptomatic H7N9 infections right now in China, it opens the possibility that the virus is being spread more easily (regardless of the source) than we currently believe.
All of which proves that - right now - we have far more questions than solid answers with this virus.
