Chinese Doctor Questions Official H1N1 Death Toll

The H1N1 flu virus has claimed thousands of lives around the world. In China, the worlds most populous country, the regimes official death toll is 53.

But Dr. Zhong Nanshan says he doubts this figure released by the Chinese regimes Ministry of Health.

[Dr. Zhong Nanshan, Director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases]:
"I don't believe the official confirmation of these numbers because even in the United States, the (U.S. Centers of Disease Control) said the actual number is much higher in the U.S. than the reported cases. How high? It will be 140 times higher. So I think China will be the same."

Dr. Zhong says local health officials are underreporting the number of H1N1 deaths, because a high death toll reflects badly on them.

[Dr. Zhong Nanshan, Director of Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases]:
"Some of the local healthcare authorities are reluctant, unwilling to test those patients with severe pneumonia because there's some latent rule that's to say the more deaths by the H1N1 flu, the less the achievement of your control work and prevention work in your area."

On Wednesday, Chinese state media reported a genetic mutation has been found in eight H1N1 flu cases in the mainland.

Dr. Zhong says the deaths should be reported accurately to see if theres any sudden increase that would indicate mutations in the H1N1 flu strain.

[Dr. Zhong Nanshan, Director of Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases]:
"If there is really a re-assortment between the H1N1 and H5N1 that would be a disaster. So this is something we need to monitor, the mutation of the virus. This is why I think we should be, in reporting the death rate, it should be done in a transparent way.

Three cases of mutation of the virus have been reported in Norway. Its being investigated by the World Health Organization.

Category:

News & Politics

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• pneumonia
• H5N1

[ukgreaterlondon]

@hAhan17

CHINESE PEOPLE HAVE DONE BETTER THAN US WESTERNERS AT HEALTH TREATMENTS .

chinese doctors take away health disorders .

i love chinese people , they are magical and gentle .

us westerners all we want is to fight the muslims and tell ladies they are never good enough .

hahan17 you are one piglet for sure .

[hAhan17]

china only care about money and the image of their regime... even if thosands died, more china piglets will be borned... so the govt wont care much

[noncompliant2]

The reassortment of H1N1... just a matter of time?

[videochemist]

thank you NTD for using the word 'regime'.

if there is a much wider spread of n1h1 in china and it's being covered up by the regime, people wont be able to protest, or ever know the full truth. remember what happened with the HIV epidemic in Henan, when officials covered up that they were reusing needles during the massive blood drive in the region and tried to prevent any mention of HIV until it had spead to thousands of people. then when people became aware, officials sent in the army!