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WHO: Bird flu becoming more infectious between humans

Infection Control Monitor, May 20, 2005

The World Health Organization (WHO) believes the bird flu is becoming more capable of human-to-human transmission and hospitals worldwide should prepare for the potential of a pandemic, reports The Associated Press.

WHO suggested an evolution of infections of the H5N1 strain at a recent meeting in Manila. While human contact with sick poultry accounts for the majority of the transmission since the strain was first detected in 1997, the United Nations health agency says human-to-human transmission is strengthening.

Health officials fear a deadlier strain of the flu might spread around the world, igniting a wide-scale pandemic that would claim thousands if not millions of lives.

The report in Manila called for immediate steps to boost monitoring for the bird flu in countries affected by H5N1 in birds. It also recommended that all countries move forward with plans to respond to global spread of the disease.

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