Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International - November 17, 2005
Speaking at a New York conference, Dr. Robert Webster of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis said because those with the HIV virus have depressed immune systems, the avian H5N1 virus would make them much more susceptible, and prime breeding grounds for a deadly adaptation of bird flu.
He told the BBC his experience with immune-compromised cancer patients at his hospital had showed they are unable to clear even the normal flu virus from their systems, and can shed copies of the virus for weeks.
Now, H5N1 does not pass easily from human to human. While it has so far infected around 125 people in Southeast Asia, most of these had close contact with infected birds.
There have been no reports of H5N1 in East Africa yet, but it is the final destination for many birds migrating from infected areas.
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