The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called for hospitals to determine whether any patient hospitalized for flu has Avian flu within 24 hours of being admitted. Currently it can take days to know if a patient had seasonal flu or the Avian flu variety. Most hospitals rely on public health laboratories for such tests and they often wait to send samples in bulk every few days. The new CDC guidelines come in response to the rising number of humans infected with Avian Flu. Most individuals infected have been farmworkers with exposure to sick animals. However, three Americans and one Canadian cases had no known source of exposure, which is part of the reason for the new CDC guidance. The accelerated testing allow health officials to more quickly investigate the source of infection and who else may have been infected. This information will allow physicians to provide more timely care to patients and any of their close contacts who were also infected.
The virus continues to spread uncontrolled among some wild and domesticated animal populations, including poultry birds and dairy cows. Experts warn that continued outbreaks among animals and people raise the risk that the virus will evolve into a greater threat to humans. Recent analyses of the virus have shown that it is one mutation away from being potentially more dangerous to people. The immediate threat to public health is low and the potential for Avian Flu to cause a pandemic in the future is moderate.
For more information, see: Time Magazine, CNN
