Case-control study of risk factors for avian influenza A (H5N1) disease, Hong Kong, 1997

Academic Article

Abstract

  • In May 1997, a 3-year-old boy in Hong Kong died of a respiratory illness related to influenza A (HSN1) virus infection, the first known human case of disease from this virus. An additional 17 cases followed in November and December. A case-control study of 15 of these patients hospitalized for influenza A (HSN1) disease was conducted using controls matched by age, sex, and neighborhood to determine risk factors for disease. Exposure to live poultry (by visiting either a retail poultry stall or a market selling live poultry) in the week before illness began was significantly associated with HSN1 disease (64% of cases vs. 29% of controls, odds ratio, 4.5, P = .045). By contrast, travel, eating or preparing poultry products, recent exposure to persons with respiratory illness, including persons with known influenza A (H5N1) infection, were not associated with HSN1 disease.
  • Authors

    Published In

    Digital Object Identifier (doi)

    Author List

  • Mounts AW; Kwong H; Izurieta HS; Ho YY; Au TK; Lee M; Bridges CB; Williams SW; Mak KH; Katz JM
  • Start Page

  • 505
  • End Page

  • 508
  • Volume

  • 180
  • Issue

  • 2