China admits: first human fatality of avian flu already in 2003

[Ecthy]

http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/0,1518,430629,00.html

Chinesische Behörden haben zugegeben: Zwei Jahre früher als bislang angegeben starb der erste Chinese an Vogelgrippe. Dieses offizielle Eingeständnis folgt auf eine ebenso spektakuläre wie mysteriöse Enthüllung acht chinesischer Forscher.

"According to Chinese officials, the first Chinese man to die of avian flu did so 2 years before admitted so far. This news after a mysterious message of 8 Chinese researchers"

...according to which they asked to withdraw an article about to be published in New England Journal of Medicine.

To put it more fluently:

1. They were about to admit they had lied / been in the wrong for years, claiming the victim had died of SARS.

2. When some were to reveal it, they tried to cover it up another time and were only stopped by the fact the papers were already in print.

So China, once again, lied on the world. Of course it isn't clear at what point they learned of their error.

[MRT144]

which means maybe avian flu isnt as bad as everyone thought. if its 3 years later who cares?

[Ecthy]

The problem is with information policy. If they don't cooperate properly (after all they tried to cover this up), this will decrease chances of reacting in kind to any outbreak on any level.

[Lodi]

Ever hear of the swine flu scare in the 70s?

http://www.haverford.edu/biology/edw...arnervirus.htm

http://www.capitalcentury.com/1976.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_flu

[Ecthy]

Oh yeah, of course it's evil conspiracies.

Ever heard of the Spanish influenza? Hong Kong influenza? Influenza cycles?