# 511
Zhong Nanshan has, on more than one occassion, ruffled the feathers of the Chinese government with his warnings over a possible pandemic.
Today, Chinese officials are trying to `spin' comments he recently made regarding the increased risk of an outbreak in the next couple of months.
Medical experts try to downplay bird flu warning from leading researcher
Shanghai. February 27. INTERFAX-CHINA - An expert from the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease today said local media 'misunderstood' a statement from a leading medical authority warning a peak danger period is approaching for the possible human-to-human transmission of bird flu.
In a widely published report from China's official news agency Xinhua, Zhong Nanshan, a leading Chinese expert on respiratory diseases and also the chief of Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases, warned that Guangzhou will experience a peak danger period of a possible flu outbreak in the following two months. The reported quoted Zhong as saying that the potential large-scale influenza outbreak also increased the danger of a mutation leading to human to human transmission of bird flu.
"As the peak influenza season approaches, there will be possibilities for the crossover and mutation between the two flu virus' (human influenza and bird flu), and it will create potential possibilities for human to human transmission of bird flu," Zhong was cited as saying by the report. Zhong also was quoted as saying that the higher than usual temperatures currently will delay the traditional flu season.
Health experts in Guangzhou want to downplay the alarmist tone of the report, saying that Zhong was 'misunderstood' by the reporters.
"Professor Zhong didn't mean that," Zhong's former student, Chen Rongchang, and now the vice chief of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases told Interfax. Chen then said "it is not necessary to explain to media what was wrong with the report."
Another medical expert, a Ms Liu with the medical affairs department of Guangzhou's No.2 People's Hospital also expressed doubts on the possibility of "bird flu human to human transmission" during the coming peak period for influenza.
"Since the SARS outbreak, hospitals in Guangdong all closely monitor flu epidemics, but so far, there are no statistics at the hospital to indicate an obvious rise in the flu incidence rate in February," Liu said, and added that she has read the report carefully.
"Zhong Nanshan is quite a renowned name in the academic field of respiratory diseases, our hospital will pay special attention to flu patients," Liu said.
Ok, I got it. Professor Zhong was misunderstood. No, we won't explain why or how. He just was.
