WHO: Only a matter of time before bird flu virus mutates

Japanese experts in Indonesia

In September, the head of the World Health Organisation, Dr Lee Jong-Wook, warned that more would have to be done to prevent the spread of bird flu. He said it is only a matter of time before the virus mutates, enabling it to spread between humans.

According to WHO, the Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed another human case of H5N1 avian influenza. The patient, a 21-year-old man from Lampung, Sumatra, developed symptoms on 20 September and was hospitalized on 24 September. He remains hospitalized in a stable condition.

Initial investigation has revealed that the man had direct exposure to diseased and dying chickens in his household shortly before the onset of illness. The man is the fifth laboratory-confirmed case of H5N1 infection in Indonesia. Three out of the five cases were fatal.

Japanese experts have concluded an investigation in Indonesia led by Dr Kiyosu Taniguchi, who heads the Intelligence and Policy Planning Office of Japan’s Infectious Disease Surveillance Centre. He says to NHK:

"Influenza is normally prevalent in temperate regions in the winter, and in tropical regions in the rainy season. There are more cases of bird flu in these periods, although we’re not sure why. When both human influenza and bird flu are present, there is a greater likelihood of them producing a new strain of influenza inside the human body, which means due care must be taken in the winter and during the rainy seasons."

The photo is from Alert Net, that is doing a great job investigating this possibly very serious outbreak.

Update: Today, the European Commission confirmed that the H5N1 virus from China and Russia has been found in Turkey and Romania. You can find press conference statements here (Oct. 13). More details on BBC here.

Bird flu previous.