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CRS-2
and 1 billion were infected around the world. If an influenza pandemic were to occur
on the same scale as the Spanish flu, some estimate that between 30 million and 384
million people could die around the world,3 of which 1.9 million deaths could occur
in the United States.4
Global Prevalence
Since 1997, when the first human contracted H5N1 in Hong Kong, the virus has
resurfaced and spread to birds in fifteen countries, ten in Asia and five in Europe.5
In 2004, nine Asian countries reported H5N1 poultry outbreaks: Cambodia, China,
Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. By
August 2005, birds in Mongolia had become infected with the virus. Two months
later, in October, domestic birds in Russia and Kazakhstan had contracted H5N1
reportedly through contact with wild waterfowl at shared water sources. By late
October 2005, H5N1 had spread progressively westward to affect six other regions
in Russia, and had infected bird populations in Romania, Croatia, and Turkey.
Although human infection has not been reported outside Asia, health officials are
wary about infection among migratory birds, as the birds are currently acting as
vectors of the virus. Also, infection can potentially be controlled among domestic
birds, but not among wild ones. The chart below shows the latest number of
confirmed human H5N1 cases as reported by WHO as of December 30, 20056. The
map in the Annex (Chart 1) illustrates the human H5N1 cases.
Table 1. Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/H5N1
Indonesia Vietnam Thailand Cambodia China Turkey
Cases Deaths Cases Deaths Cases Deaths Cases Deaths Cases Deaths Cases Deaths
16 11 93 42 22 14 4 4 7 3 4 2
Total Cases = 146; Total Deaths = 763Osterholm, Michael, "Pandemic Influenza: A Harbinger of Things to Come." Presentation
at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, September 19, 2005.
[http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.item&newsid=145329]
4 HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan, November 2005, [http://www.hhs.gov/pandemicflu/plan/].
For more information on issues related to domestic efforts to address H5N1 and pandemic
influenza preparedness, see CRS Report RL33145, Pandemic Influenza: Domestic
Preparedness Efforts, by Sarah A. Lister.
5 To date, H5N1 has been identified among birds in Cambodia, China, Croatia, Indonesia,
Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, Thailand, Turkey,
and Vietnam. A bird in Britain was diagnosed with H5N1, however it was an isolated case
found in an imported bird that died in quarantine. World Organization for Animal Health
(OIE), "Update on Avian Influenza in Animals." December 21, 2005.
[http://www.oie.int/eng/enjindex.htm]
6 WHO, Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/H5N],
January 9, 2006. [http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian-influenza/country/en/]
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Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji & Chanlett-Avery, Emma. U.S. and International Responses to the Global Spread of Avian Flu: Issues for Congress, report, January 9, 2006; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8384/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.