Bird Flu Death Raises Concerns Of Outbreak In China

A 19-year-old woman in Beijing, China has died of the avian flu, the first human case in the country since February 2008, according to various press reports.

The World Health Organization released a statement that the woman likely became infected while preparing poultry. She died Monday morning of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, according to the Beijing health bureau.

A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Health said the government has forecast an increase in the amount of birds carrying the virus this year, making it possible more people in the country will become infected, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Avian influenza viruses typically don't infect humans, according to WHO's website. When they do, they cause severe respiratory problems. In most cases of human infection, the person has come into contact with contaminated poultry or with objects that came into contact with its feces.

Nine Asian countries have reported outbreaks of avian flu since 2003, and the virus has spread to parts of Europe, the Russian Federation and parts of neighboring Kazakhstan and Ukraine, according to WHO.

There were 115 human infections of H5N1 in 2006. Seventy nine of those were fatal. In 2008, there were 40 reported infections, 30 of those were fatal.

Tamiflu-Resistant Flu Strain Circulating the U.S.

A flu strain resistant to Tamiflu, the most frequently prescribed treatment for influenza, has become the most commonly circulated form of the illness in the U.S.

The inhaled powdered drug Relenza is effective in treating the H1N1 strain, but is not recommended for children under 7-years-old or with patients with lung disease.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending doctors treat H1N1 with a combination of Tamiflu, and an older flu drug, Flumadine, which the strain is not resistant to.

Since this combination does work in treating the strain, and because this year's flu season is slow compared to other years, health officials say they don't see a reason to panic. They believe Tamiflu lost its effectiveness against the strain because of its increased use worldwide to treat upper respiratory illnesses, the Washington Post reported.

The CDC also said that all strains of the flu circulating the United States are preventable if people received the flu vaccine.