2007-03-03 03:03:54 · 5 answers · asked by jeel 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
166 confirmed deaths out of 272 confirmed cases.
Assuming china is telling the truth....
Check out this site for accurate information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2005/bird_flu/default.stm
2007-03-03 06:07:28 · answer #1 · answered by Bacteria Boy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The fatality rate varies a bit depending on the year and country since there are several strains. Unfortunately the strain that is spreading the most now is the most dangerous.
The fatality rate over the past six months has been 78%. Definitely not good.
Some people assume that since many of the infections have taken place in Asia that our "modern" health care system will lessen the fatailty rate when it arrives in the U.S.
That will probably not happen for several reasons.
First the patients who have been infected so far have had access to hospitals, and ventilators. When a pandemic hits us we will have millions of patients and we have no extra hospital beds. Our hospitals will be overwhelmed within days. So there will not be a higher level of care - no hospital beds or vents.
Second, right now in Asia the patients have access to anitviral medications. We do not have enough antiviral medications for our population. Right now we only have enough for about 3% of our population.
Third, we have antibiotics, but they don't work against viruses. The antibiotics would probably help against a secondary bacterial pneumonia, but the pneumonia causes by avian influenza is usually viral pneumonia which isn't cured by antibiotics.
Some people are saying that the fatailty rate will go down when the virus begins to be passed easily from person to person, but the World Health Orgainzation has said that this would not have to happen, and in fact, the fatality rate has increased over the past few years.
We will not have a vaccine for at least 6 to 9 months after the virus mutates to pass easily from person to person. At first there will be very small amounts - probably given to healthcare workers so that they can continue to care for ill patients, fire fighters, police men, etc.
2007-03-05 00:28:21 · answer #2 · answered by starlight 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to some of the latest statistics by the World Health Organization, the total number of deaths in humans infected with bird flu stood at 167 from a total of 273 people that had fallen ill. This is roughly 60%. The statistic was accurate on January 15th this year.
For more information on the matter check out http://www.bird-flu-center.com
2007-03-05 09:07:40 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can't give you an exact number there but I do know that in cases where subjects have had a weakened immune systen the fatality rate has been lower. In cases where the subject has had a normal healthy immune system the fatality rate has been close to 100% because H5N1 triggers an exaggerated immune system response which caused an inflammatory response in the lungs. Death occured from asphyxiation in a short period of time.
2007-03-03 11:15:22 · answer #4 · answered by synchronicity915 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yay i got 2 points for this
2007-03-07 06:01:57 · answer #5 · answered by Lord Jimothy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋