Cb. Bridges et al., Risk of influenza A (H5N1) infection among health care workers exposed to patients with influenza A (H5N1), Hong Kong, J INFEC DIS, 181(1), 2000, pp. 344-348
The first outbreak of avian influenza A (H5N1) occurred among humans in Hon
g Kong in 1997, To estimate the risk of person-to-person transmission, a re
trospective cohort study was conducted to compare the prevalence of H5N1 an
tibody among health care workers (HCWs) exposed to H5N1 case-patients with
the prevalence among nonexposed HCWs, Information on H5N1 case-patient and
poultry exposures and blood samples for H5N1-specific antibody testing were
collected, Eight (3.7%) of 217 exposed and 2 (0.7%) of 309 nonexposed HCWs
were H5N1 seropositive (P = .01). The difference remained significant afte
r controlling for poultry exposure (P = .01). This study presents the first
epidemiologic evidence that H5N1 viruses were transmitted from patients to
HCWs, Human-to-human transmission of avian influenza may increase the chan
ces for the emergence of a novel influenza virus with pandemic potential.