H5N1 is now harder to detect in humans
August 28, 2006 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Is this proof that H5N1 is adapting to a oseltamivir-rich lung environment?
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry revealed that H5N1 has become much harder to detect in the most recent cases of bird flu this year. According to Dr. Paijit Warachit, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, the laboratories have failed to detect the virus in the upper respiratory tracts of the patients because there was not enough viral sample in that area.
“[Medical staff] took swabs in that area, yet as it turned out there was not enough of the virus to enable them to detect it,” he said. “The virus was deeper in the respiratory passage.”
It had also just been learnt that with these two cases it was found the bird-flu virus had been buried even further into the respiratory tract than the influenza virus, Paijit said. In order to get a complete specimen for testing, health workers were told to probe deeper with their equipment.
To further complicate the situation, Bangkok is concerned that some physicials may be underreporting a suspected case for fear that it could scare patients.
[Source: The Nation Multimedia]
Tags: avian influenza, H5N1, surveillance, Tamiflu, oseltamivir, public health
