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Article: `Bird flu' worries officials Mass. leaders keep eye on Hong Kong outbreak
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- December 28, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1997 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Massachusetts health officials are preparing to step up
surveillance of sick people arriving from out of the country and to
test for evidence of the mysterious Hong Kong "bird flu" should the
disease show signs of spreading among humans.
Thus far the virulent flu has not been detected outside of Hong
Kong, where the number of known victims has risen to 11, three of
whom have died.
While all the cases are believed to have been contracted from live
chickens, a state epidemiologist said the outbreak raises concern of
a potential global epidemic.
"At this point it's hard to accept the idea that there's no
person-to-person spread occurring," said Dr. Bela Matyas, medical
director of the state ...