Marian Strandenius was diagnosed with bird flu while on holiday with her family in Beijing in 2018. In Finland, the transmission of avian influenza to humans has been a particular concern this summer.
It was a new year 2018.
At a restaurant dinner, Strandenius felt unwell. At the hotel, he developed a fever.
– I had the feeling that I was getting really sick. I went to bed thinking hopefully that everything would be fine in the morning, but I woke up several times during the night vomiting. It was just awful.
The next morning, Strandenius was in even worse shape: the fever was high, followed by colic, and suddenly all the airways were full of mucus.
– It was scary when on the other side of the planet you get a terrible disease.
The situation was complicated by the fact that he did not know how the local medical care works. Google didn’t work and neither did SMS or Whatsapp.
Strandenius’ parents got worried and went to find a doctor.
– I usually don’t go to the doctor easily because of a basic flu, but then I was completely out of the game, in rough shape, Strandenius recalls.
The doctor was found with the help of the hotel reception. He came to the family’s hotel room, measured Strandenius’ fever over 40 degrees, took a throat culture and tests.
The attending nurse gave the samples to the messenger, who took them to the hospital’s laboratory.
According to the doctor, Strandenius had bird flu.
He prescribed the flu medicine Tamiflu and Chinese medicines made with centuries-old recipes. The medicines were retrieved from the trunk of the car.
– They asked if I only wanted Western medicines or if I could also use traditional Chinese medicines. At that point, there was a feeling that everything would be fine.
Virus circulating for years
The spread of bird flu to humans is now being talked about more than usual due to the mass deaths of birds and infections in fur farms. Of particular concern is the transformation of the virus from one mammal to another.
So far, no H5N1 bird flu infection has been detected in humans in Finland. However, people around the world have had them since 2004.
According to the WHO, the disease picture of bird flu has varied from a mild flu or eye infection to a serious respiratory infection or death.
Some of the patients may also have intestinal symptoms or neurological symptoms.
The risk of infection is low
So far, about 300 people have been exposed to bird flu, half of whom have been tested.
According to Järvinen, the currently used test tells immediately whether it is influenza. It takes a couple of days to confirm a bird flu infection.
Järvinen urges those who have been exposed to get tested even if they have mild flu symptoms, as a mild illness may go unnoticed.
Practices as in corona
Finnish hospitals have prepared for bird flu. Since it is a new disease, we are especially careful in the welfare areas.
Suspected bird flu is tested and patients are treated in isolation.
For example, in Central Ostrobothnia’s welfare region Soite, the isolation and protection practices are similar to the treatment of corona.
Tailored vaccine
It is now tailored from the previous bird flu vaccine to better respond to the currently circulating bird flu viruses.
However, the customized vaccine still requires the approval of the European Union before it can be introduced.
The seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against bird flu infection, but based on antibody studies, it can be assumed that the vaccine provides partial cross-protection against bird flu as well.
“Terribly bad, but effective”
Marian Strandenius remembers how life started to win four days after she got sick.
Traditional Chinese medicines work well for removing mucus. Especially the cough medicine from the time of the emperor, says Strandenius.
– It was some kind of herbal Chinese herbalism, which was terribly bad, but effective.
On the fifth day of her illness, Marian Strandenius was already at the Great Wall of China:
– I was sweating, but I was no longer terminally ill. On the way home I was already completely healthy.