Who
is most at risk from bird flu?
Conventional
wisdom dictates that those most at risk from traditional flu
viruses i.e. the elderly, children under 2 years, pregnant
women, people with diabetes, anaemia, or other condition where
treatments that suppress the immune system have been prescribed.
Obviously medical professionals who come into contact with
infected parties are also at high risk.
The
1918 flu pandemic
was a little different. I killed more people in the age group
20-40years, a group least at risk from traditional flu. I
was particularly lethal for pregnant women of whom around
55% who caught the virus died.
Currently
the only people at risk are those working or living in close
proximity to infected birds. So which groups would a pandemic
attack were it ever to materialize? Obviously healthcare workers
are at a higher risk as they would be at risk of being infected
by their patients. People with weakened immune systems and
pregnant women are likely to be at risk. Also possibly those
with asthma or other respiratory problems may have an increased
risk.
Unfortunately
the contraindications of the 1918 Spanish Flu and regular
influenza really do not give us any clue as to which population
segment will be most at risk. The elderly may actually have
some immunity compared to the rest of the population as they
have been through many flu epidemics in the past. |
