Credit Wikipedia
# 7148
Shanghai is reporting 1 recent and five retrospective diagnoses of H7N9 infection stemming from late March (three apparently recovered, 2 died) in an announcement on their Department of Health website today.
In typical machine-translated fashion we get a kludgy, yet mostly readable narrative with a bit of a surprise about testing methods.
First, the least ambiguous part describes a new patient named Zhang, age 46, who fell ill on April 10th and was hospitalized with pneumonia on the 14th.
Four other (unnamed) patients are described as having been retrospectively diagnosed (2) based on serum antibody tests (unexpected, since last I heard, it was still in the works), and 2 presumably PCR testing.
A sixth case, that of a child (recovered) was also apparently retrospectively detected.
I suspect that as more retrospective testing is completed, we will see more of this backfilling of missed cases from March, or even earlier.
From Xinhua News, this summary:
New avian flu in 77 cases, experts say the number of cases is likely to continue to increase
April 16, 2013 23:31:31
Source: XinhuaXinhua Beijing, April 16 (reporter Lvnuo Sun Tiexiang) Health and Family Planning Commission of China's State announced on the evening of 16, as of now, the country reported a total of 77 cases of human infection of H7N9 avian influenza confirmed cases, of which 16 people died.
According to the briefing, at 6 p.m. on the 15th at 8:00 p.m. on the 16th, the new report on the country in 14 cases, including six cases of Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, three cases of human infection confirmed cases of the H7N9 avian flu. Currently, the cases were distributed in Beijing (1) Shanghai (30 cases, 11 deaths), Jiangsu (20 cases and 2 deaths), Zhejiang (21 cases and 2 deaths), Anhui (3 cases, 1 death) , Henan (two cases), 6 provinces and cities. The cases in the dissemination of the state, has not yet found evidence of human-to-human transmission.
With the 8 other cases reported earlier today (see here) this increases the running total by 14 today to 77 cases (plus 1 asymptomatic case in Beijing), and 16 deaths.
From the Shanghai Health Department website, some more details.
City new confirmed cases of human infection of H7N9 avian influenza cases, retrospective diagnosis of five cases of human infection with the H7N9 avian influenza confirmed cases.
As of today (April 16) 17:00, Shanghai were found in 30 cases of human infection of H7N9 avian influenza confirmed cases, including 11 deaths, 15 cases are being treated in isolation, four patients have been discharged.
The new confirmed cases are as follows:
Patients Zhang, male, 47 years old, the people of Shanghai. The patients body aches, fatigue, fever, April 10 and self-medication. Symptoms and no relief to the April 11 City Hospital for treatment, April 15, was diagnosed with pneumonia and admitted to hospital. April 15, City CDC test results for the H7N9 avian influenza virus nucleic acid positive. Organization of municipal clinical expert group in accordance with the relevant requirements, the City Health and Family Planning Commission to discuss the cases, the diagnosis of the cases of human infection of H7N9 avian influenza confirmed cases. Patients are under active treatment. After investigation, the close contacts of cases of a total of 21 people, have been implemented under medical observation, up to now, were not unusual.
The retrospective diagnosis confirmed cases are as follows:
On April 15, the City Health and Family Planning Commission, then the national CDC letter informed case samples submitted to the national CDC Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital in late March, detected four cases of human infection with the H7N9 avian influenza virus-positive cases. Isolated from samples of which 2 cases of human infection with the H7N9 avian influenza virus, 2 cases of convalescent serum antibody titers were more than four times higher.
City Health and Family Planning Organization of municipal clinical expert group to discuss these cases, the diagnosis of human infection confirmed cases of the H7N9 avian flu. In these four cases, two patients died, two patients have been cured. After investigation, the close contacts of the confirmed cases of 34 people, according to epidemiological retrospective survey were not unusual.
April 15, the City-guard Planning Commission for a letter from the health department of Hunan Province Bulletin, March 16, a child with his parents from Shanghai to Changsha City, Hunan Province, March 17 flu-like symptoms, and treatment at a local hospital and sampling send the national CDC detect the results of human infection with the H7N9 avian influenza virus nucleic acid positive.
Clinical expert group organized by the local health administrative departments to discuss the cases, the diagnosis of the cases of human infection of H7N9 avian influenza confirmed cases. The children took place on March 19 to return to Shanghai with his parents and has recovered.
Notification of pick Hunan Province, the Shanghai Health and Family Planning Organization experts to discuss, confirm that the cases for the city retrospective of confirmed cases of the H7N9 avian influenza virus infection. After investigation, the close contacts of the confirmed cases, according to the epidemiological retrospective survey, were not unusual.
These machine translations are admittedly tough sledding - but as with the mention of antibody testing -they can sometimes yield additional important detail.
