H5N1 virus can be transmitted from mother to fetus

A new study published said that the H5N1 avian influenza virus can be transmitted from pregnant women to the fetus through the placenta.

The Peking University research team in Beijing examined tissue samples taken from two Chinese H5N1 patients, including a 24-year-old pregnant woman and a 35-year-old man.

They found evidence that doctors were still suspicious, that the H5N1 flu virus not only infects the lungs but also travels throughout the body, such as the intestines, brain, liver and blood cells.

A 4-month-old fetus was found to be infected with the mother and also infected with the virus. This case was published in the Lancet Medical Journal.

The H5N1 influenza virus that causes acute respiratory distress syndrome (SARS) broke out for the first time in China in 2003 and killed many people. The world is still concerned that it could become a pandemic capable of killing millions of people.

" Now we understand why people infected with H5N1 are at high risk of death, " said the head of the study, Dr Lan Lipkin. People infected with H5N1 not only suffer from lung damage but also suffer from other direct or indirect injuries throughout the body. H5N1 has the ability to overcome, disable, and even destroy the immune system.

This study concluded that one previously thought that it could not happen, that flu could be passed from pregnant women to the fetus. ' Simply because they don't have enough information, ' said Dr Lipkin.

Thuan An