UPDATED:
Xinhua News is now carrying the following report:
H7N9 virus detected from pigeons in Shanghai
English.news.cn 2013-04-04 21:44:08
BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China's agricultural authorities said Thursday the infectious H7N9 avian flu virus has been detected from pigeon samples collected at a marketplace in Shanghai, as the country reported its fourth death from H7N9 infection.
The samples were collected at a marketplace selling agricultural products in the Songjiang District of Shanghai and tested H7N9 positive by the national avian flu reference laboratory, according to a statement by the Ministry of Agriculture.
After gene sequence analysis, the national avian flu reference laboratory concluded that the strain of the H7N9 virus found on pigeons was highly congenetic with those found on persons infected with H7N9 virus.
The ministry has ordered beefed-up monitoring of H7N9 bird flu virus in more areas.
Also on Thursday, three more suspected H7N9 cases were reported in Shanghai, where three H7N9 human infection cases have been confirmed.
China has thus far confirmed 11 human cases of H7N9 infections.
China's health authorities have promised transparency and cooperation to the World Health Organization (WHO) in regards to human infections of the new strain of bird flu.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that no human-to-human transmission of H7N9 has been discovered and no epidemiological connection between these cases has been found.
# 7071
A report appearing on China’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) website this morning has Twitter, and much of Flublogia abuzz this morning, as it indicates that at least one pigeon in Shanghai has tested positive for the emerging H7N9 virus.
While certainly an intriguing (and potentially important) development, this is simply another clue in this outbreak.
The somewhat garbled machine translation from China’s MOA follows (h/t Treyfish & Ronan Kelley on FluTrackers).
Ministry of Agriculture, Songjiang District, a market monitoring to the positive samples of the H7N9 avian influenza
Date :2013 -04-04 19:16 Author: Source: Information Office of the Ministry of Agriculture
NEEDHAM, Massachusetts, the Ministry of Agriculture Information Office of the April 4 release, recent occurrence of human infection of H7N9 avian influenza in some provinces, the Ministry of Agriculture, rapid deployment, centralized monitoring of animal influenza organize. April 4, agricultural and sideline products wholesale markets for inspection by the National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory, Shanghai Songjiang District, Shanghai Huai pigeons samples detected the H7N9 avian influenza virus gene sequence analysis showed that the strains of low pathogenicity avian The influenza virus is highly homologous with the H7N9 avian influenza virus isolates.
In view of the fact that the virus is a threat to the safety of human life, the Ministry of Agriculture decided to animals infected with the H7N9 bird flu virus temporarily into an animal disease management. Requirements of the relevant market in Shanghai to take strict measures for the prevention and control of animal diseases. Department of Agriculture requires the expansion of the H7N9 avian flu virus monitoring range, according to the monitoring results, to take further precautions.
While this may indeed be a `smoking pigeon’, in truth we don’t know the mode of transmission to – or from – this bird – or how many other birds may be infected.
These are still early days, and one shouldn’t invest too heavily onto any one theory or scenario - no matter how plausible it may sound.
That said, a connection to live-bird markets might help explain the sudden, and fairly widespread emergence of the H7N9 virus in Eastern China.
Stay tuned.
