Many health experts worldwide believe that the H5N1 strains of bird flu could mutate into a further form, one which can easily infect and pass from human to human resulting in a pandemic unparallel by anything seen historically.



One bird flu expert in China, Zhong Nanshan, said, "When avian flu is around and human flu appears, this will raise the chances of avian flu turning into a human flu. We have to be very alert and careful in March."

He further said, "People who were killed by bird flu last year and this year were too poor to seek treatment. If you happen to have high fever and pneumonia, you must seek treatment fast." He is the director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases in the southern province of China named as Guangdong, which has its base close to what can only be described as ground zero for the bird flu strain of the virus.

The H5NI strain of the influenza virus, commonly referred to as Avian flu or bird flu, has claimed three human lives in China so far this year. The death of these people has been linked directly to the viral infection by leading experts and would have been contracted either from close contact or by ingesting infected birds. The World Health Organization ruled out any human transmission of infection among these cases. Its spokesman said, "Mutations occur in influenza viruses. Separately from that, the (bird flu) virus continues to be deadly. But there is no new jump in deadliness."

However, there were some contrasting views from China, where Zhong said, "The bird flu virus has shown signs of mutation. If infected people don’t get treatment in a timely manner, they can die easily."

Impact of bird flu in the Hong Kong

Hong Kong lies in the south of China and is at the peak of a seasonal flu infection. The flu infection broke out among children in many schools. The authorities reported the death of a 3 year old girl due to human H3N2 flu. They have ordered the schools to conduct fever check ups among children.

One 7 year old boy was also reported to have died. It forced the government to shut the school ahead of the Easter holidays. The causes of death are being probed but the authorities said that boy was admitted to hospital with flu symptoms.

Ever since its first outbreak in 2003, H5N1 virus has infected 372 people worldwide out of which 235 has died.