H5N1 virus can be transmitted from mother to fetus

Chinese scientists have published a study showing that pregnant women infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus can transmit the disease to their babies.

The team conducted experiments on the tissue of a 24-year-old pregnant woman who died from bird flu and found that the virus has infected the fetus through the placenta. H5N1 virus is found in the fetal lungs and liver and in the brain, blood cells, and windpipe of both mothers and children.

However, Gu Jiang, director of the medical school at Beijing University (China), who led the study, said that the H5N1 virus could not be transmitted from mother to fetus. A pandemic of bird flu will occur globally."Until now, there have not been any cases of human-to-human transmission detected. The development of avian influenza depends largely on the transformation of the virus."

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said the H5N1 infection from mother to fetus is not considered a human-to-human form of infection, because a fetus is not yet fully functioning as a living organism.

According to Mr. Gu, from this study it is possible to see that blood and feces of people infected with the virus need to be controlled to avoid spreading the disease.

(Photo: Newscientist.com)