Bird Flu (cont.)
Medical Author:
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhDDr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications. Medical Author:
Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP
Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACPMary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University. Medical Editor:
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical EditorMelissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology. IN THIS ARTICLE
Bird Flu PrognosisThe prognosis (outcomes) for bird flu continues to be poor with the death rate reaching about 60%. Although only about 16 infections with six deaths have been reported with N7H9 strain of bird flu, there is no reason to believe it too may have a high death rate. Prevention (see above) is the key to a good outcome. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the CDC have banned the import of certain birds from many Asian countries affected by the H5N1 virus strain because of the potential that infected birds could infect humans. This ban includes both live and dead birds and their eggs. This ban is likely to be modified to include H7N9. Although it is possible that highly pathogenic bird flu may mutate and spread widely to people, it is encouraging that this has not happened in the 16 years since the first human case was identified. The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to monitor public-health reports for clusters of people with symptoms that might suggest a flu virus is moving from human to human (and not just from birds to humans). Next Page: Must Read Articles Related to Bird Flu
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