Bird flu infection studies coming in

A report in last months New England Journal of Medicine has detailed a mystery regarding the known cases of avian flu in humans. The most glaring data in the report was the ages of people infected. The report looked at 41 confirmed cases and the ages of those infected ranged from 2 to 58. Of those cases, in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam the median age was 14, 22, and 14 respectively. The fatality rate in Thailand was 89 percent for children younger than 15. In total researchers have tallied 121 people being infected with bird flu in Southeast Asia and 62 have died. Children may be more highly susceptible to avian flu than adults.
posted on The Human Stain