Why only a very small number of people infected with avian influenza?

As of April 2006, and death and destruction of tens of millions of poultry feathers that my compared to human infection of H5N1 avian influenza occurs only 18 cases, of which 12 have been fatal. The Ministry of agriculture, livestock and poultry diseases key laboratory experts, academician Liu Xiu-Vatican today in the academicians of the General Assembly on the above data for comparison, and a detailed explanation why only a very small number of human infection with avian influenza viruses.

Liu Xiu-Vatican said that in March 2006, has two independent research teams in the Nature and the Science of published articles, well the answer to this question: the human upper respiratory tract (from the nasal cavity to bronchial) mucosal epithelial cells without medicine avian influenza viruses of α-2, 3-GAL receptor, with only a combination of human influenza virus in α-2, 6-Galactose receptor.

Liu Xiu-Vatican said that the H5N1 subtype as by gene mutations, or to get to be combined with upper respiratory epithelium α-2, 6-Galactose receptor capacity, you have the possibility of human infection is greatly enhanced.

In his view, the treatment of human infection with avian influenza, there should be a scientific and rational manner. Now the H5N1 subtype viruses cannot infect the vast majority of the population exposed to very few people could be infected, but does not infect other people. Now the H5N1 avian influenza virus, when changes to-human transmission of pandemic influenza virus, its severity, are unpredictable. Human beings have to do is to minimize the occurrence of human pandemic influenza, and in this kind of dangerous preparations before the arrival.

Liu Xiu-Vatican also stressed that, in the last ten years, almost all humans are sources of new infectious diseases in animals, repository, almost 60% of the human pathogens as zoonotic pathogens, 75% of emerging human diseases as zoonosis. Therefore, control of important animal diseases, control of human disease have important public health significance.