Is H5N1 Really Highly Lethal?

Abstract

Medicine for Policymakers is a Journal column that provides decision makers with brief explanations of the meaning and implications for biosecurity of clinical issues. The articles describe, for a nonmedical audience, hospital practices, medical challenges, healthcare delivery issues, and other topics of current interest. Readers may submit ideas to the column's editor, Amesh A. Adalja, MD, through the Journal's editorial office at jfox@upmc-biosecurity.org .

Assessment of Serosurveys for H5N1

“…In addition, a number of seroepidemiologic studies have been conducted over the last 15 years. These studies have recently been reviewed by several groups, including by 2 of the authors of this paper [1,7,8]. Although there was considerable overlap, the studies included in these reviews were not identical; however, all 3 recent reviews and prior reviews [9] have found that most serosurveys reported no specimens showing antibody evidence of H5N1 infection and that of those serosurveys that did have positive findings and followed WHO criteria for serologic testing of patients with prior infection, the rates of positives were <3%.…”