# Bird Flu Strain Is Contageous Between Humans. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 31, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-strain-is-contageous-between-humans/378638 "2006-10-31T20:49:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-strain-is-contageous-between-humans/378638/1 "2006-10-31T20:49:32Z")
We’re too late. > **[tollbit-host.com](https://tollbit-host.com/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2006%2F10%2F31%2Fnflu31.xml&xml=%2Fnews%2F2006%2F10%2F31%2Fnflu31.xml)** > > Find information, resources and relevant links for tollbit-host.com. This domain may be for sale. > [@](#): > > A previously unknown and dangerous strain of the H5N1 bird flu has emerged from southern China and has spread from birds to people in South-east Asia, marking a third wave of avian flu and rekindling fears of a global pandemic. > > Although the H5N1 avian influenza mostly affects birds and infects people only sporadically, the new strain will once again raise fears that it may mutate or combine with a human virus to form a mutant or hybrid capable of passing from person to person, triggering a pandemic where millions of lives may be lost. > > “The implications of this study are that current control measures, as generally practised to control avian influenza, are ineffective,” said Prof Yi Guan of the University of Hong Kong, leader of a large team that describes the virus today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Now it _will_ happen. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-strain-is-contageous-between-humans/378638/2 "2006-10-31T20:59:49Z")
I read this article earler today (honest-to-God, my first thought was, “I bet **Bosda** will post about this”). I don’t really see how this is any different from the other times they’ve said this. . .and I couldn’t find anywhere in the article that said that H2H transmission was regularly occurring. . .but, to be fair, I could have missed it. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-strain-is-contageous-between-humans/378638/3 "2006-10-31T21:05:08Z")
How do you get from > [@](#): > > The new strain will once again raise fears that it **may** mutate or combine with a human virus to [QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Now it _will_ happen. [/QUOTE] :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-strain-is-contageous-between-humans/378638/4 "2006-10-31T21:15:13Z")
All this means is that the virus mutated again. Not surprising, since it’s a flu virus and that’s pretty much what they do. Yes, eventually a mutation might arise which allows the virus to spread between humans, but it’s not like each mutation and new strain we hear about is _leading to_ that eventuality. It’ll happen when and if it happens. There’s also a chance that other mutations will come along in the meantime to make it less virulent. No sense in panicking too early. Yes, we need a flu-control program, and we should all be prepared in case it the big bad flu pandemic does happen. In the meantime, wash your hands a lot, get your flu shot, and read scary news articles carefully. ---
**Author:** ![uglybeech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/82dd89/32.png) [@uglybeech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uglybeech)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-strain-is-contageous-between-humans/378638/5 "2006-10-31T21:26:41Z")
There was nothing there about human-to-human transmission. This was mainly about spread of a new vaccine-resistant strain among _birds_. Your take-home message here is: oh crap, another setback in controlling the H5N1 epidemic in Asia…among _birds_. As a side-note this particular strain is also occasionally transmitted to humans…from _birds_. It might have been a bright spot if the new strain had shown no affinity for humans. FYI there have already been a couple of cases of probable (though not definite) human to human transmission. But these have been between family members and have not spread further. The thinking is that these are likely to be cases of transmission between people who are both particularly genetically susceptible to the disease and not so much the disease becoming more dangerous.