Zhejiang Province – Credit Wikipedia
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For the second day in a row we are notified of a new H7N9 case in China, this time in Zhejiang Province affecting a 34-year-old woman from the city of Zhuji. She was diagnosed yesterday (Jan 4th) and is listed in critical condition at a hospital in a local hospital.
This uptick in the number of avian flu cases was widely expected once cooler temperatures – which are conducive for the transmission of the virus – set in. A quick look at the forecast for the coming week in Zhuji shows crisp, cool temperatures.
Credit The Weather Channel
First, the brief Xinhua News report, followed by the Hong Kong CHP notification.
China reports new human H7N9 case
English.news.cn 2014-01-05 19:49:55
HANGZHOU, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- A human case of H7N9 was reported in east China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday, the provincial health and family planning commission said in a statement.
The patient is a 34-year-old woman surnamed Cai, who is from the city of Zhuji. She was confirmed to be infected with the bird flu virus on Saturday.
By 1 p.m. on Sunday, she was still in critical condition at a local hospital, the statement said.
This is the first case to be reported in Zhejiang this year. In November, two cases were reported in the province.
It is the second case to be reported in China this year.
The following is an excerpt from the HK CHP notification statement, follow the link below to read it in its entirety.
Additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Zhejiang notified by NHFPC
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) received notification today (January 5) from the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of an additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Zhejiang affecting a woman aged 34.
The patient had onset of symptoms on December 29, 2013 and was admitted to a local hospital for treatment on January 2. Her specimen tested positive for avian influenza A(H7N9) virus by the relevant health authority of Zhejiang Province on January 4. Her current condition is critical.
To date, a total of 146 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (52 cases), Shanghai (34 cases), Jiangsu (28 cases), Guangdong (six cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Fujian (five cases), Anhui (four cases), Henan (four cases), Beijing (two cases), Hunan (two cases), Shandong (two cases) and Hebei (one case).
The CHP will follow up with the Mainland health authorities for more case details.
<SNIP precautions>
(Continue . . . ) Ends/Sunday, January 5, 2014 ssued at HKT 16:26
While we’ve not seen any large outbreaks with the H7N9 virus, and no signs of efficient or sustained human-to-human transmission, recent cases cropping up in Shanghai, Guangdong Province, and Zhejiang Province suggest the virus remains endemic (probably in poultry) and well distributed along the eastern provinces of mainland China.
Which means we shall probably continue to see sporadic cases of H7N9 infection pop up across a wide expanse of China in the coming months, and that public health authorities outside of mainland China must be alert to the possibility of seeing exported cases.
