This is a reiteration of how much of a public health threat bird flu really is. Sometimes it takes a human case or a suspected human case to raise the alarm, to remind us that...

Regardless of what happens in Turkey, the[Chinese] virus samples are still extremely important.

Chinese officials have acknowledged this and other challenges, and there is a commitment to improving the situation but change won’t occur overnight.

Because the formal investigative process is still under way, we are not issuing a formal conclusion right now, we are just saying that it is very probably that it will be declared as such.

It is entirely possible that more human cases will crop up now and then across China as outbreaks in poultry continue and as bird flu continues to be endemic in the environment.

To put it mildly, it’s a serious problem everywhere, not just in China.

There are still many questions.

They’re going to try to talk to the people affected,

It’s still early days in terms of human cases being found in China. There isn’t that much experience perhaps in dealing with possible human cases, and further support might be needed more now than perhaps...

Both were in critical condition, so it is not surprising that they have passed away.

It would not be surprising if the investigation can confirm that the boy is H5N1-positive.

They’ll probably seek to meet the patients or their families.

They will go back in time and review all the steps that have been taken, see if anything has been excluded or if any information that has been collected and not recognized as important.

Migratory birds are a pretty common reservoir of avian flu, although it would be hard to confirm the link,

They have taken the situation very seriously indeed — including the high profile visit by the prime minister, observation of thousands of people, enforcing bird culls and vaccinating poultry,

It is very possible that people will catch the bird flu virus.

The virus is of course entrenched in the environment, not only in China but in many other countries.

It’s not a surprise. It shows that China like other countries that have bird flu in poultry can have human cases.

Details and logistics still have to be finalized, but the commitment is there, and it is hoped that this sharing will serve as a template for a regular virus sharing mechanism for the future.

It certainly is a significant outbreak. It seems that they are extremely concerned about it.

As more outbreaks occur among poultry and animals around the world, and as more human cases occur, the virus has more chances to transmit more effectively from animals to humans, or possibly among humans as...

The important thing is how the authorities handle the outbreak, how swiftly it is addressed and how quickly birds are culled. China in that practice has plenty of experience, so we are confident from the...

If it’s just a few sporadic birds dying off, people are then exposed and then get sick and die — it means it’s a very difficult thing to stop when it’s on a small scale.

This is a way to drive home to all the people in China how dangerous bird flu is. We are certainly very encouraged that they are raising the alarm.

That was something that made China very upset indeed.

The latest outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry in China shows once again how entrenched this virus appears to be in the environment in this part of the world.

We’ve seen that happening in other cases as well, so it’s not surprising.

It’s certainly a situation where the viruses need to be shared and not only shared but shared in a timely and consistent manner.

I don’t think the ministry is trying to conceal the cases, … The cases occurred in a remote and isolated area, and the symptoms might be similar to many other diseases, so it’s not easy...

It means that there is a question mark that hangs over the progress of the virus in China. It’s perhaps more significant to get animal viruses, because this virus is still something that is primarily...

The latest deaths indicate that H5N1 is a particularly virulent pathogen, as we have seen in cases in other countries.

Every outbreak is a cause for concern,

It just shows you that anything can happen at any time. It’s a very unpredictable situation, whether on the human side or the animal side.

Although this is only a guess, there have been some examples in which human cases of bird flu were reported first and then the animal epidemic.

Doing tests of different sorts is something we would recommend … in any outbreak situation, especially in one of this scale,

If the animals in the area were sick and dying, and if they were dying in small numbers, it might have been very difficult to identify that as an outbreak.

This is a psychologically telling moment for a country that has never had bird flu cases in the past in humans.

In large parts of China, especially in the countryside, over the last 20 or 30 years, the health system has been crumbling. You’ve got problems in terms of being able to provide basic health care...