Bird flu claims ninth victim

 

A total of 28 cases of the H7N9 virus in humans had been detected since the strain emerged, the Health Ministry was quoted as saying by state-run television.

 

All cases, including the latest fatality late Tuesday, were reported in and around the eastern coastal city of Shanghai.

 

The World Health Organisation and China’s health ministry on Monday said they found no evidence of human-to-human transmission of H7N9, which has not been reported outside China.

 

China's National Health and Family Planning Commission on April 9 notified WHO of an additional three laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with influenza A(H7N9) virus.

 

The latest laboratory-confirmed cases include two patients from Jiangsu – an 85 -year-old man who became ill on  March 27 and a 25-year-old pregnant woman who became ill on March 30. Both are in severe condition. The third patient is a 64-year-old man from Shanghai who became ill on April 1, and died on April 7.

 

As of April 9, a total of 24 cases have been laboratory confirmed with influenza A(H7N9) virus in China, including seven deaths, 14 severe cases and three mild cases.

 

More than 600 close contacts of the confirmed cases are being closely monitored. In Jiangsu, investigation is ongoing into a contact of an earlier confirmed case who developed symptoms of illness.

 

WHO said that at this time there is no evidence of ongoing human-to-human transmission. It does not advise special screening at points of entry with regard to this event, nor does it recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied.

 

On www.WHO.org, 1. the influenza A(H7N9) virus is described as a group of influenza viruses that normally circulate among birds. The influenza A(H7N9) virus is one subgroup among the larger group of H7 viruses. Although some H7 viruses (H7N2, H7N3 and H7N7) have occasionally been found to infect humans, no human infections with H7N9 viruses have been reported until recent reports from China.

 

Most patients with this infection thus far have had severe pneumonia. Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. However, information is still limited about the full spectrum of disease that infection with influenza A(H7N9) virus might cause.

From 1996 to 2012, human infections with H7 influenza viruses (H7N2, H7N3, and H7N7) were reported in the Netherlands, Italy, Canada, United States of America, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Most of these infections occurred in association with poultry outbreaks. The infections mainly resulted in conjunctivitis and mild upper respiratory symptoms, with the exception of one death, which occurred in the Netherlands. Until now, no human infections with H7 influenza viruses have been reported in China.