ペルー沖で中国船員ナゾのウイルスに死す

ペルーCalao沖にて、中国漁船の中国人船員２名がインフルエンザとおぼしきウイルス感染症で亡くなっています。

ペルー紙La Republicaの報道によれば「ナゾの突然変異ウイルス」による死亡で、船は沖合１２キロの海上で留め置き、ペルー海軍の監視下、２２名の乗組員は隔離され検疫中です。

検査結果はまだ公表されていません。

ソースはProMedですが、専門家の「ペルー側の過剰反応もあるかもしれない。インフルエンザの潜伏期２～５日を考えると中国本土で感染したとは考えにくい」とのコメントがくっついています。

気性激しきラテンの民のカラ騒ぎ・・・で終わればよいのですが。

ソースは４月３０日付ProMed.　コメントともどもペースト↓
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:51:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promed.isid.harvard.edu>
Subject: PRO/EDR> Undiagnosed deaths, Chinese fishermen - Peru (Callao)

UNDIAGNOSED DEATHS, CHINESE FISHERMEN - PERU (CALLAO)
*****************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: 19 Apr 2008
From: Mirian M. De Moura <mirianmoura@uol.com.br>
Source: G1 [in Portuguese, trans. Mod.JW, edited]
<http://g1.globo.com:80/Noticias/Mundo/0,,MUL418593-5602,00-SUSPEITA+DE+VIRUS+MO
RTAL+FAZ+PERU+ISOLAR+NAVIO+CHINES.html>


2 people died on board a vessel with suspected flu virus.
Ship stranded on the high seas near the port of Callao, Peru.

Peruvian health authorities declared an epidemic alert and quarantined 
at sea the crew of a fishing vessel in which 2 Chinese people died,  
apparently due to a type of influenza virus, the newspaper "La 
Republica" reported this Saturday [19 Apr 2008].

The alert forced the Peruvian Navy to isolate the 22 crew members of 
the ship on the high seas and 30 Peruvians, among sailors and health 
staff, who entered the ship when the death of the cook and a fisherman 
was reported, 9 Apr 2008.

According to "La Republica", "a strange mutant virus was the cause of 
the agonizing death of 2 Chinese crew of the fishing vessel 'Chan An 
168', who died on 9 Apr 2008, off the coast of the port of Callao."

The vessel was isolated 12 km off the main Peruvian port and is 
guarded by the Navy, while Peruvian sailors and medical personnel are 
being observed to see if they have been infected.

- --
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

[There is no mention of any lab tests confirming the diagnosis of any 
type of influenza virus etiology, let alone "a strange mutant virus".  
I suspect the fact that these were apparently sudden deaths of Chinese 
led to a perhaps understandable over-reaction by Peruvian health 
authorities, fearing bird flu.  It must have taken the fishing vessel 
a number of days to reach the Peruvian coast from China, and the 
incubation period of human influenza is 2-5 days.  Assuming the same 
holds for bird flu, the fatal illness was probably not contracted in 
China.  Perhaps the cook prepared a meal from stored chicken that had 
been infected with bird flu before freezing, although I'd always 
thought that fishermen lived on fish.  A violent attack of food 
poisoning could have been the cause.  We would like to hear about the 
lab results. - Mod.JW]