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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 2004;291:813.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Worried about the spread of avian influenza in Asia and the potential for a human pandemic, United Nations agencies called on the international community for funds and technical assistance to contain the threat

As of February 2, there had been 14 confirmed human cases of H5N1 avian influenza in Thailand and Vietnam, including 11 deaths. A growing number of Asian countries have confirmed the disease in poultry; and thousands of birds have been slaughtered.

Most cases of avian flu in humans, including those during a Hong Kong outbreak in 1997, have been linked to contact with diseased chickens and their feces. However, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said that limited human transmission "is one possible explanation" for infection of two sisters, who may have contracted the virus from their brother.

"At present, no evidence indicates that efficient human-to-human transmission is occurring," the WHO said. However, health experts . . . [Full Text of this Article]