Deadly Alabama Mystery Illness Solved - Experts Feared SARS, H7N9 Bird Flu Outbreak

The Alabama Department of Public Health announced that the mysterious respiratory illness found in seven individuals is a combination of multiple viruses.

Experts feared that the elusive illness could have been the new strain of bird flu, H7N9, or the novel SARS-like coronavirus that has had public health officials around the world on edge.

But the seven cases found in Alabama were deemed a combination of the common cold and a strain of influenza.

"The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and the Houston County Health Department have determined that the cause of a respiratory illness cluster in southeast Alabama was a combination of influenza A, rhinovirus, the virus associated with the common cold, and bacterial pneumonia," the health agency said in a press release.

"This is good news. Testing has ruled out avian flu and novel coronavirus," said State Health Officer Dr. Don Williamson.

Seven patients were hospitalized earlier this month with symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath and cough. But the cause of these patients' illnesses were not able to be immediately determined.

That is when health officials launched an investigation into the matter and conducted interviews with the infected individuals' families, as well as collected samples that were sent to the ADPH Bureau of Clinical Laboratories in Montgomery.

And when the results from the lab tests came in, experts found that six of the seven patients tested positive for either influenza A, rhinovirus or a combination of both illnesses, according to the health agency's press release. Three patients tested positive for bacterial pneumonia, while two out of the seven cases resulted in death.

And while the SARS-like coronavirus, and the just as equally feared avian influenza, have been ruled out as possibilities, health care professionals still emphasize the need for the industry to practice vigilance when patients arrive with respiratory symptoms.

"While enhanced surveillance associated with the cluster is no longer necessary, health care providers are encouraged to continue routine year-round influenza surveillance activities and submit specimens to the state for laboratory testing," said Dr. Mary McIntyre, assistant health officer for disease control and prevention.