POSSIBLE CASE OF BIRD FLU IN FRANCE (moved from ATSNN), page 1

considering all the latest information coming from the WHO about the world being long overdue for an epidemic of potentially devastating flu viruses, this is worrying news. The brief news article describes a case of Bird flu potentially having been found in a frenchman who recently visited the Asian region where this flu seems to be circulating into the human body from animals. This is very worrying as it now seems even travel to this area for a short period of time puts us at risk of contracting this avian influenze virus.

www.news24.com
Nancy - A 69-year-old Frenchman has been hospitalised in the eastern French city of Nancy after possibly coming down with bird flu, a hospital spokesperson said on Thursday.

The man, who was not identified, recently travelled in Asia, where the bird flu virus has forced the culling of more than 100 million birds and killed 32 people in Thailand and Vietnam this year.

The patient was admitted to the Nancy hospital on Wednesday, after being transferred from a less well-equipped hospital in the town of Bar-le-Duc.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

In my opinion I think we need to look very closely at the level of interaction between sites of possible contagion such as poultry farms and other wildlife sanctuaries. This Avian Influenza seems like a persistant threat to many in the Asia area as it is a particulalry virulent and deadly disease when it is transferred to humans.

Some strains of this virus have a higher mortality rate than many biological weaponised agents and every year we seem to come closer and closer to a point where this virus may become as easily transmissible as the common cold virus due to the gene swapping with normal human viruses.

This particular type of Avian flu has already shown how easily it can jump from species to species, with 83 Thai tigers, pigs, poultry and humans being infected more and more.

Related News Links:
www.news24.com
www.news24.com
www.who.int

[edit on 7-12-2004 by radiant_obsidian]