# 6585
Earlier this morning I mentioned 5 patients in isolation, and being tested for the coronavirus, in Denmark (see Morning Coronavirus Roundup). We now have word that they, in fact, are suffering from influenza B, not the novel coronavirus.
While FluTrackers has had the report from the Danish papers for more than an hour, AFP has just released an English Language report.
Patients in Denmark not suffering from new virus: hospital
September 26, 2012
Five people in isolation in a Danish hospital are suffering from a typical influenza strain and not a new SARS-like respiratory illness as feared, the Odense University Hospital said Wednesday.
The story goes on to say these patients will be released tomorrow.
As I wrote this morning, this is an inevitable, albeit sometimes disconcerting, part of the investigative process.
Just as we’ve seen with suspected bird flu cases in Indonesia and Egypt, most end up having something far less exotic, like seasonal flu.
That said, it is only prudent to treat each patient that meets the WHO’s Case Definition for testing for the coronavirus as being positive, until proven otherwise.
With hundreds of thousands of people expected to pour into Mecca over the next month for the Hajj, and no lack of seasonal respiratory viruses in circulation, we can probably expect to see a lot of false alarms in the coming months.
