An expert has issued a warning that the avian influenza virus could mutate into a strain that is transmissible from human to human if a person infected with AIDS contracts avian influenza.
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AIDS Virus |
Professor Robert Webster stated that the body of a person with AIDS (who has a weakened immune system) would serve as an ideal refuge and training ground for the avian influenza virus to combat the human immune system.
Mr. Webster mentioned that evidence from the hospital where he works shows that cancer patients with weakened immune systems are not only unable to fight off common flu but also serve as environments for the replication of many flu viruses. A similar phenomenon could apply to AIDS patients and the avian influenza virus.
This statement was made by Mr. Webster at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He indicated that the risk of the avian influenza virus easily spreading from person to person becomes significant once the virus reaches East Africa, a region with a very high rate of HIV/AIDS infection.
Currently, the avian influenza virus has not yet reached East Africa, but this area is expected to be the final destination for migratory bird flocks. Experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will be heading to this region as soon as possible.
KINH LUÂN (According to BBC NEWS)