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April 23, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Health Experts Fear Bird Flu Spread"

USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (04/22/03) P. 10D; Manning, Anita

A mysterious flu virus that has infected birds is spreading at an alarming rate, health officials say.  Over 11 million chickens in the Netherlands and 500,000 in Belgium have been destroyed as a result of the virus, and flu researchers like Richard Webby of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital fear the outbreak may only be in the beginning stages.  Heightening the anxiety is the recent death of a Dutch veterinarian who died from complications of the bird flu.  Dutch health officials have confirmed 82 cases of human infection with the H7N7 bird flu virus, which causes conjunctivitis and, in some people, flu-like illness.  Scientists are concerned that the human flu virus and the bird flu virus could meet in the human body or in another mammal and eventually mutate and create a pandemic situation in which a new virus would emerge and humans would have no immunity against it.

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