# 383
Depending on the time of day you check the news wires, the test results on the Nigerian 14 are either a) Negative b) Inconclusive c) being reviewed. For more background on this story, I blogged on it here and here.
The latest version is below, where the verbiage "reports had not confirmed that deaths occurred as a result of bird flu" now enters the story.
Nigeria sends bird flu test reports on human samples to Europe
January 31, 2007
2006. Nigeria has sent the reports of tests conducted on 14 human samples for suspected bird flu to experts in Britain and Italy, officials said.
Nigeria has sent the reports of tests conducted on 14 human samples for suspected bird flu to experts in Britain and Italy, officials said.
"The samples are being cross-checked in London and Rome," and final reports are being expected in Nigeria Wednesday or Thursday, Information Minister Frank Nweke told told reporters.
The samples include blood or tissue from at least two people who died after suffering flu-like symptoms.
Nweke said preliminary reports had not confirmed that deaths occurred as a result of bird flu.
"They had respiratory system problems and were treated for pneumonia. We are exploring the possibility they may have had contact with poultry," the acting health commissioner for Lagos state, Jide Idris, said.
It's a bit sobering to realize that the first `suspect' patient in this group died on January 4th, 28 days ago, and we still have no answers.
While there is, as yet, no proof any of these patients are infected with the H5N1 virus, or that there has been any expansion or spread of the disease, were those circumstances different, a delay of nearly a month would be disastrous. Any hopes of containment requires swift intervention.
It would be unfair to single out Nigeria alone as having surveillance problems when it comes to detecting emerging infectious diseases. They are not alone. It is a problem with many developing nations. Embattled as they are with numerous other problems, higher priorities, and scarce resources to fight them, it's understandable how it happens.
Understandable. But hardly comforting.
