Correspondence To the Editors: Avian influenza

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Avian flu
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.430.8989; http://www.sljol.info/index.php/CMJ/article/viewFile/1364/1212/

Due to media publicity, much public awareness has been created regarding avian flu. It would be therefore appropriate to focus on the potential problems facing Sri Lanka. In April–June 1998 Sri Lanka was ravaged by an island-wide epidemic of viral fever [1]. During a period of 12 days 37 000 patients were treated as out-patients in government hospitals alone and over 5500 patients were admitted for inpatient care. During this 12-day period over 500 patients were admitted for inpatient care at Lady Ridgeway Hospital; there were 18 deaths. There was human-to-human transmission during this epidemic. Many children developed multi-organ failure including a Reye-like syndrome [1]. The virus isolated during this epidemic by the University of Hong Kong was influenza A H N. In 1997 during an avian influenza 3 2 out break in Hong Kong the influenza A H N virus was