Bird flu can cause intestinal illness

H5N1 virus can cause disease in humans through the intestines, not just through the respiratory tract, and sometimes diarrhea is a symptom of bird flu. This is a warning by microbiologist Menno De Jong, of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit.

According to Mr. De Jong, who has studied 18 cases of bird flu in Vietnam, in some cases, the only way of infection is that patients have eaten duck blood. This indicates that the intestinal tract may also be the first route of infection or the first route of infection. Preliminary tests in animals also yielded such results.

De Jong insists if the bird flu virus exists in the human body outside the lungs, some of the antiviral drugs used to treat bird flu, such as nasal spray Zanavimir, may not work. fruit.

Indonesian doctor treating a bird flu patient in Jakarta (Indonesia). On May 9, the North Sumatra Health Department announced five people and a family in Karo district in the province were suspected of being infected with bird flu, one died (Photo: AFP).

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