SPOTLIGHT: WHO revises H5N1 estimates

In a significant reversal, the World Health Organization revised its estimate for the number of people who could die as a result of an avian flu outbreak to as many as 7.4 million. That number is far lower than earlier dire warnings which had suggested that up to 150 million lives could be lost in a global pandemic if the virus made the transition to a form capable of human-to-human transmission. The admission is particularly unusual, observers say, coming at a time when health officials are monitoring a potential outbreak of the disease in Indonesia. Article

Post a comment