Avian flu: case fatality up 50% on 2005:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The global case-fatality rate of H5N1 avian flu infections, as laboratory-confirmed by the World Health Organization, is 50% higher than in 2005. So far this year (August 7), 89 confirmed cases have resulted in 59 deaths, a rate of 66%. In 2005, 95 cases resulted in 41 deaths (43%). In 2004, the ratio was 69.5%, with 32 deaths out of 46 cases. The global total stands at 233 cases, with 135 deaths (58% case-fatality). The WHO's statistics do not include an unconfirmed cluster being investigated in Indonesia.