H5N1, path of a virus that has circled the Earth – Libération

Epidemiology

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Since it was discovered in Hong Kong in 1997, “bird plague” has decimated entire bird populations, both due to their movements and human activities. If the strain has evolved to become more virulent, human-to-human transmission remains impossible.

Like an air of déjà vu, it is the story of a virus spotted in China that is spreading across the planet. In 1997, a “bird plague” affected thousands of poultry and 18 people, including children, in Hong Kong. In total there will be six human deaths and one and a half million chickens will be slaughtered. The disease is caused by a type A influenza virus identified in a goose farm. Very soon it was called H5N1, after two proteins present on its surface: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). At the time, the World Health Organization (WHO) explained that “prior to May 1997, the H5N1 virus was thought to infect only various species of birds, including chickens and ducks.”

The first human victims observed warning specialists around the world. “The issue is taken very seriously. Most of the infected people were young and healthy, recalls Sylvie Van der Werf, professor of virology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Massive animal massacres are carried out in Hong Kong.” A measure decreed to prevent the virus from spreading too quickly. This will slow the spread of the virus by six years.

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In 2003, H5N1 – enf

2024-01-21 20:53:16
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