Avian Influenza in Vietnam: Chicken‐Hearted Consumers?

This study, based on quantitative and qualitative surveys conducted from July 2004 to September 2005, examines the perceptions of Hanoi consumers and their reactions to the Avian Influenza epizootic (H5N1). Hanoi consumers clearly link the risk of human contamination by the virus to the preparation and ingestion of poultry. During the first crisis, consumers reacted quickly and intensely (74% of them had already stopped eating poultry in January 2004). Nevertheless, once the crisis abated, they quickly resumed their consumption of poultry. This behavior corresponds to the pattern described by empirical studies of other crises, such as BSE. What is more surprising is the speed with which the different steps of this common pattern succeeded one another. It may be explained by a rapid decrease in risk anxiety. A logit model shows that, soon after the beginning of the crisis, AI risk anxiety was tempered by confidence in the information and recommendations issued by the government concerning AI and, in the long term, by a high perceived self-efficiency to deal with AI. Indeed, not only has poultry consumption been affected in terms of the quantity consumed, but alternative ways of selecting and preparing poultry have also been adopted as anti-risk practices. Risk communication strategies should take this into account, and rely on a previous assessment of consumer practices adopted to deal with the risk.     

中西药物结合抗甲型流感病毒作用的实验研究

目的探讨中西药物结合抗实验鼠甲型流感病毒的作用。方法小鼠随机分为6组，病毒感染后分别给予各种药物，并设对照组以肺指数与肺指数抑制率为评价指标，观察各组药物抗甲型流感病毒作用的效果。结果用药各组小鼠的死亡率、肺指数均降低，尤以中西医药物结合组最为明显。结论中西药物结合组具有良好的抗甲型流感病毒的作用。     

Spanish Influenza Mortality of Ethnic Minorities in Norway 1918–1919

Previous studies into SpanishInfluenza mortality have reported thatindigenous populations were the prime victims.The explanations put forward in those studieswere not convincing, however, as no controlshad been made for possibly confounding factors.The multivariate analysis in this paper showsthat areas of Norway with high shares of theSami population (Laps) had high SpanishInfluenza mortality, net of such confoundingfactors as wealth, poverty, crowding, and occupationalstructure. The cause is probably a lack ofinherited and acquired immunity againstinfluenza among the Sami. Another ethnicminority, Kven (Finnish immigrants and theirdescendants), however, did not differsignificantly from the ethnic Norwegianmajority population with respect to SpanishInfluenza mortality. This is explained by arelatively high degree of economic and culturalassimilation of the Kven in the Norwegiansociety, as opposed to the Sami in the late1910s.     

Relative Contributions of Four Exposure Pathways to Influenza Infection Risk

The relative contribution of four influenza virus exposure pathways—(1) virus-contaminated hand contact with facial membranes, (2) inhalation of respirable cough particles, (3) inhalation of inspirable cough particles, and (4) spray of cough droplets onto facial membranes—must be quantified to determine the potential efficacy of nonpharmaceutical interventions of transmission. We used a mathematical model to estimate the relative contributions of the four pathways to infection risk in the context of a person attending a bed-ridden family member ill with influenza. Considering the uncertainties in the sparse human subject influenza dose-response data, we assumed alternative ratios of 3,200:1 and 1:1 for the infectivity of inhaled respirable virus to intranasally instilled virus. For the 3,200:1 ratio, pathways (1), (2), and (4) contribute substantially to influenza risk: at a virus saliva concentration of 10⁶ mL⁻¹, pathways (1), (2), (3), and (4) contribute, respectively, 31%, 17%, 0.52%, and 52% of the infection risk. With increasing virus concentrations, pathway (2) increases in importance, while pathway (4) decreases in importance. In contrast, for the 1:1 infectivity ratio, pathway (1) is the most important overall: at a virus saliva concentration of 10⁶ mL⁻¹, pathways (1), (2), (3), and (4) contribute, respectively, 93%, 0.037%, 3.3%, and 3.7% of the infection risk. With increasing virus concentrations, pathway (3) increases in importance, while pathway (4) decreases in importance. Given the sparse knowledge concerning influenza dose and infectivity via different exposure pathways, nonpharmaceutical interventions for influenza should simultaneously address potential exposure via hand contact to the face, inhalation, and droplet spray.     

关于人、鹰、鸡关系的沉思——再评人口乐观论

本文首先对美国经济学家乔治·亨利等人的人口乐观论进行了分析和研究;并在此基础上,对人口越多越好的观点提出了质疑和批评;最后,本文提出了自己的三个观点。     

从"猪流感"到"甲型H1N1流感"——谈汉语引进术语的科学性和民族性

目前世界上正在流行的流感,最初被称为“猪流感”,又有多种命名,后来被称为“A（H1N1）”,汉语用“甲型H1N1”去指称。汉语对这一学科术语的引入具有科学性,又具有民族性,具有中文、英文合璧的意味。     

The Effect of Mask Use on the Spread of Influenza During a Pandemic

Face masks have traditionally been used in general infection control, but their efficacy at the population level in preventing transmission of influenza viruses has not been studied in detail. Data from published clinical studies indicate that the infectivity of influenza A virus is probably very high, so that transmission of infection may involve low doses of virus. At low doses, the relation between dose and the probability of infection is approximately linear, so that the reduction in infection risk is proportional to the reduction in exposure due to particle retention of the mask. A population transmission model was set up to explore the impact of population‐wide mask use, allowing estimation of the effects of mask efficacy and coverage (fraction of the population wearing masks) on the basic reproduction number and the infection attack rate. We conclude that population‐wide use of face masks could make an important contribution in delaying an influenza pandemic. Mask use also reduces the reproduction number, possibly even to levels sufficient for containing an influenza outbreak.     

禽流感的公共卫生意义

流感是由A型流感病毒引起的急性高度接触性传染病,特别是鸡对禽流感有较高的易感性。A型禽流感病毒历来被认为是人类流感的最大基因库,是人流感病毒发生变异的新基因来源。国际兽医局已将其列为A类烈性传染病之一,并被列入国际生物武器公约动物类传染病名单。为此,通过对禽流感在世界流行情况,人流感大流行及与禽流感病毒的关系,A型流感病毒的存在、传播及其演化等内容的介绍,阐明禽流感公共卫生意义,增强对A型禽流感的认识。     

世界卫生组织《大流行性流感防范框架》及我国能力建设应对策略

世界卫生组织于2011年颁布实施的《大流行性流感防范框架》从病毒共享、疫苗分担和惠益共享等层面就未来全球各国如何应对和防范大流行性流感进行了全面、详细规定。中国既是大流行性流感病毒的受害国,又是大流行性病毒疫苗潜在生产国。现阶段中国应着重从实验室、疫苗、试剂和药品生产能力建设方面入手,以应对《大流行性流感防范框架》实施给中国带来的影响。