# 1772
Doctor Zhong Nanshan has a long record of ruffling the feathers of the Chinese establishment, particularly on the issues of SARS and bird flu. He is also a world renowned expert on respiratory diseases.
Last year, he made statements about the threat of the bird flu virus that were `retracted for him' by official spokespeople.
You can read the account of their hamhanded attempt to silence Zhong Nanshan here.
The warning he gives this year is similar to the one he gave last year; The spring is a particularly dangerous time when bird flu and human flu's are circulating together in the environment.
This year, he adds a twist, however. A reference (not well explained in this story) that the H5N1 virus has somehow become more dangerous via a mutation. Whether this means it is becoming better adapted to humans is unclear.
Coming from Zhang Nanshan (assuming the quote is accurate), this is not a statement to be taken lightly.
Bird flu showing signs of mutation - expert
From correspondents in Hong Kong
March 11, 2008 03:24pm
Article from: Reuters
ONE of China's top doctors has disclosed that the H5N1 bird flu virus has shown signs of mutation and can kill human victims more easily if treatment is not given early enough, newspapers reported.
Zhong Nanshan, an expert on respiratory diseases, said vigilance should be kept up especially when H5N1 human cases are surfacing at a time when seasonal human influenza is at a peak.
"When avian flu is around and human flu appears, this will raise the chances of avian flu turning into a human flu. We have to be very alert and careful in March," Dr Zhong was quoted by the Ming Pao newspaper as saying.
"People who were killed by bird flu last year and this year were too poor to seek treatment. If you happen to have high fever and pneumonia, you must seek treatment fast."
