# 1786
Government officials and local scientists are reassuring the public that Hong Kong's recent surge in flu cases, and the deaths of three children suffering from flu-like symptoms, are the result of seasonal influenza, and are not caused by SARS or bird flu.
This report from The Wall Street Journal. A hat tip to DemFromCt on the Flu Wiki for this link.
Researcher Seeks to Ease Worries Over Flu Outbreak in Hong Kong
By NICHOLAS ZAMISKA
March 13, 2008 4:16 a.m.
HONG KONG -- Despite the government's drastic closure of Hong Kong's primary schools and kindergartens for two weeks, there are no signs that the outbreak of influenza that has killed three children here is anything other than a normal outbreak of seasonal flu, according to the lead Hong Kong scientist investigating the outbreak and other health experts following the situation.
Yuen Kwok-yung, the government's lead researcher on the outbreak and chair of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong, described the infections as "just a bad outbreak" caused by genetic variation in normal influenza viruses.
"There are no signs of SARS or bird flu," he said, referring to the severe respiratory disease that gripped Hong Kong in 2003 and to avian influenza, which could cause a pandemic if it ever became readily transmissible among people. H5N1, the strain of bird flu likeliest to spark a pandemic, was ruled out in the deaths of the three Hong Kong children, who had no underlying disease, Dr. Yuen said.
A not-so-gentle reminder that seasonal flu can, and does, kill thousands of people each year.
Including, occasionally, young healthy children.
