MISSOURI, USA — Missouri State Epidemiologist George Turabelidze, facing mounting pressure from health experts to be more transparent while investigating the state's first bird flu case, recently gave an exclusive interview with the Washington Post.
Turabelidze shared numerous facts about the case previously unknown to the public at large, including when experts will know whether the world's first-ever person-to-person transmission of the virus took place in Missouri.
A total of six healthcare workers developed mild respiratory symptoms after interacting with the state's only confirmed bird flu case. The CDC had to wait at least three weeks after symptoms started to collect blood samples from the healthcare workers, which investigators will use to determine whether the workers were infected with bird flu, Turabelidze told the Washington Post.
The blood samples arrived at the CDC during the week of Sept. 30, the Washington Post said. Results are reportedly not expected until mid-October because scientists need to grow a new virus to match what was found in the confirmed infected patient to avoid a false negative test result.
According to the article, Turabelidze also confirmed that the state's only confirmed case was taken to a hospital in an agricultural area, rather than a heavily populated urban area like St. Louis or Kansas City.
“Everyone needs to be patient,” Turabelidze told the Washington Post. “Sometimes people jump to judgment without having enough information or enough patience. And we should know everything soon enough.”
Numerous public health experts throughout the state, and nation, have called on Turabelidze and the Missouri Department of Health to be more transparent in sharing information regarding the case.
“First and foremost, there needs to be transparent sharing from the CDC on exactly what’s taking place,” Lenny Jones, director of the Missouri section of Service Employees International Union Healthcare, told the Washington Post. “The sooner that we can be part of those conversations to know how we can help spread the message to our members, the better.”
