WHO reported some statistics of interest last week. Analysis of data in the Weekly Epidemiological Record includes 205 confirmed cases from December 2003 to 30 April 2006:
- Half of the cases occurred in people under the age of 20 years; 90% of cases occurred in people under the age of 40 years.
- The overall case-fatality rate was 56%. Case fatality was high in all age groups but was highest in persons aged 10 to 39 years.
- The overall case-fatality rate was highest in 2004 (73%), followed by 63% to date in 2006, and 43% in 2005.
- Cases have occurred all year round but have generally followed seasonal flu patterns, so an upsurge in cases could be anticipated starting in late 2006 or early 2007.
There were a lot of other interesting things that crossed my screen this week, but I’m working on a paper on the “roots of chemical and biological terrorism” and won’t be blogging much for at least the coming week. Later!
Tags: H5N1,avian influenza,WHO,pandemic
Filed under: H5N1 avian influenza
