Zhejiang Province – Credit Wikipedia
# 7065
My thanks to Ironorehopper for the link to this Centre for Health Protection announcement regarding the two newly diagnosed H7N9 cases I reported on earlier today (see Media Reporting Two New H7N9 Cases).
The question remains unanswered as to how these patients, spread across a fairly broad area of Eastern China (encompassing Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang) contracted the virus.
While it isn’t clear how much (if any) testing for this H7 virus in livestock has been done, today China’s Minister of Agriculture is quoted by state media as saying `that epidemiological investigations have found no H7N9 bird flu infections in animals.’
This from Hong Kong’s CHP.
Two human cases of Influenza A (H7N9) in Zhejiang verified by NHFPC
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) tonight (April 3) verified with the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) two confirmed human cases of Influenza A (H7N9) in Zhejiang, involving two men, aged 38 and 67 respectively. The 38-year-old man has passed away.
Laboratory tests on the patients' specimens by the Mainland health authorities yielded positive results for H7N9.
According to the Department of Health of Zhejiang, no epidemiological links were identified among the two cases at this stage. So far, the 183 close contacts of the two patients are asymptomatic.
A spokesman for DH stressed that the CHP is closely monitoring the situation, will continue to maintain close liaison with the Mainland health authorities for more case information as well as keep a close eye on the advice from the World Health Organization.
The spokesman also advised travellers especially those returning from Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang with respiratory symptoms to wear facial masks and seek medical attention and reveal their travel histories to doctors. Health-care professionals should also pay special attention to those travellers who might have contact with birds or poultry in the four places.
