H7N9 resurges in China
Only a couple of day, Chinese people will celebrate Chinese New Year but it is not a good celebration for people especially in China. In recent weeks, China has worried about H7N9 infections as the country celebrates the Lunar New Year this week. The first case was reported in Shanghai in February 2013 and it has affected 246 in mainland China. According to World Health Organization, 56 have died from the disease.
Like other’s flu disease, H7N9 cases increase during colder months. In this January, there’s 19 deaths and 96 human cases have been record from the Chinese Center for Disease Control. The cases have also been reported in Taiwan and in Hong Kong, and on Tuesday, there’s 20,000 chicken has been culling after sample of live chicken imported from mainland China tested positive for H7 viruses.
| WHAT IS H7N9 |
WHO said that most of the human cases were exposed to the virus through contact with poultry or contaminated environments, such as live bird markets. The H7N9 virus appears deadlier than the seasonal flu, but less virulent than another bird flu strain, H5N1 with a crude 30% mortality rate. Dr. Kwok Yung Yuen, chair of infectous diseases at the University of Hong Kong said that the key is to implement sanitation measures at the live poultry markets. He drew parallels of the current situastion in China with the first case of H5N1 in Hong Kong.
Not all H7N9 patients have had close contact with live birds. Infection of health care workers is closely watched because it might indicate human-to-human transmission in a medical setting. However, H7N9 does not appear to transmit easily among humans according to the WHO.
Source :- Edition CNN