The Wall Street Journal
July 5, 2012,
By JAMES HOOKWAY
International health officials investigating the
outbreak of an unidentified disease in Cambodia that has killed more
than 60 children since early April say it is unlikely to be a form of
influenza, but they still face a long struggle to identify the precise
nature of the illness.
Describing the initial finding as "positive," World Health
Organization physician and public-health specialist Nima Asgari said the
mystery illness "doesn't look like any kind of influenza."
"There doesn't seem to be any kind of
transmission taking place between patients who were placed next to each
other in hospitals, nor has there been any transmission to medical
staff," Dr. Asgari said.
Cambodia for years has been on the front lines of the fight against
avian influenza, which has killed over 600 people across Southeast Asia
and East Asia in recent years. In February, Cambodian authorities were
dealt a grim reminder of the threat when a mother and child contracted
the H5N1 bird-flu virus after coming into contact with sick poultry at a
family farm. Both died. Cambodian health officials say another child,
who was 10 years old, also died from H5N1 influenza in May.
International health specialists have long warned that new pandemics
could emerge in places with limited health infrastructure such as
Cambodia and then gain traction before medical experts realize what is
happening. Their specific fear is that the H5N1 virus could one day
mutate into a more dangerous, more easily communicable form, but that
doesn't appear to be happening in the case of this new, unidentified
illness.
In addition, health policy experts say Cambodia has improved disease
surveillance with the help of the international community in recent
years.
Reuters
A woman waits with her child for free medical treatment at Kantha Bopha Hospital in Phnom Penh.
Investigators remain perplexed by the
latest disease, though, which has garnered broad international attention
in part because many world leaders, including U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, are scheduled to gather in Cambodia later this month
for a regional security conference.
So far, only one of 62 children admitted to hospitals suffering
symptoms from the unknown respiratory disease has survived. Health
officials say the illness begins with a high fever followed by
respiratory or neurological problems and then a rapid deterioration of
respiratory functions.
Authorities were alerted to the illness by physicians working at a
children's hospital in Phnom Penh. Many of the cases originated in the
country's south, but officials say that so far there is no evidence of
any clustering of cases, which is often a sign that the illness is
contagious.
Dr. Asgari at WHO said the illness is proving to be a complex case.
"We have to look at a whole host of potential pathogens on the
laboratory front. We can't ignore anything, or ignore any combination of
other factors which could be causing this," he said. "We also need to
support the case data with empirical data from the field. Only then can
we start seeing a comprehensive picture, but now it is very difficult to
say whether it is caused by 'x', 'y' or 'z'."
Write to James Hookway at james.hookway@wsj.com
No comments:
Post a Comment