Credit FAO
# 7950
One of the things that sets the H7N9 virus apart from H5N1 is that it doesn’t cause illness or death in poultry – making it an LPAI (Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza) in birds – and very difficult to detect. In people, however, it can produce severe, even life threatening symptoms.
While the assumption is that people are being infected from contact with infected poultry, in actual fact, we don’t have a lot of direct evidence of that.
Roughly 140 human cases identified (and many more are estimated to have occurred see Lancet: Clinical Severity Of Human H7N9 Infection), yet very few birds have tested positive for the virus. Still, the closing of live-bird markets appears to have quickly stifled the spread of the virus last spring – giving considerable weight to the `contact with poultry’ transmission argument.
Understandably, Hong Kong – which imports a great deal of poultry from Mainland China – would like to put a halt to chicken imports from regions where human cases of H7N9 have recently been reported, believing that poultry there are likely the source of the infection.
Poultry producers argue that until their birds test positive for the virus, no such restrictions are warranted.
Details over this, as yet, unresolved debate come from the Hong Kong Standard.
No flu deal on live chicken, Ko admits
Eddie Luk
Friday, November 08, 2013Hong Kong and mainland health experts have yet to agree over whether Chinese poultry farms should stop exporting chickens to the SAR once a human case of H7N9 avian flu is found, the health chief said.
The admission came after the territory's health experts voiced concern that Dongguan poultry farms are still supplying live chickens to the SAR after a three-year-old boy there was diagnosed with the potentially deadly bird flu.
Ko Wing-man said the consensus between Hong Kong and mainland experts on imposing a ban on poultry imports was limited to situations in which H7N9 was found in poultry.
When asked if Hong Kong could unilaterally block poultry imports from regions with recent human H7N9 cases, Dr. Ko Wing-man stated, `The live poultry import chain is not run solely by the Hong Kong side. We are in close cooperation with the mainland."
Hong Kong will reportedly send inspection teams to inspect poultry near Dongguon, where Guongdong Provinces’ latest H7N9 case was identified (see WHO Update On Two Recent H7N9 Cases). But for now, Hong Kong’s much vaunted H7N9 surveillance and prevention program must live with a potential hole in their defenses.
In other H7N9-related news, the Hong Kong government did announce some general progress coming out of a 2-day meeting between Guangdong, Macau, and Hong Kong Health officials on the control of infectious diseases.
Consensus reached at Tripartite Meeting on Communicable Diseases
8 November 2013
Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong's health authorities have agreed to further strengthen mutual communication and co-operation in combating communicable diseases. The consensus was reached at the 13th Tripartite Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases held in Hong Kong yesterday and today (November 7 and 8).
During the two-day meeting, public health and medical experts of the three places reviewed their collaboration in the prevention and control of communicable diseases and the notification system. The participants had in-depth discussions and experience-sharing on the overall situation of communicable diseases in the three places, human infection by avian influenza A(H7N9), prevention and control of dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis, the latest situation of various major infectious diseases and emergency response to communicable diseases
After thorough discussions, the meeting reached the following consensus:
- to continue stepping up communication and co-operation in the preparedness and response to human infection by avian influenza A(H7N9) to minimise the public health risk in the three places.
- to foster co-operation in scientific researches on infectious diseases, including human infection by avian influenza A(H7N9) and mosquito-borne infections.
- to continue implementing thoroughly the agreement of co-operation in public health emergencies in the three places.
- to continue refining the notification system.
- to continue co-operation on exchanges and training of health care professionals in disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, field epidemiology, contingency management, laboratory testing, infection control and clinical management.
Members agreed that the Health Bureau of Macau SAR would organise the 14th Tripartite Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases.
Participating at the meeting were the Deputy Director General of the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, Mr Chen Zhusheng; the Deputy Director of the Health Bureau of Macau SAR, Dr Cheang Seng Ip; the Director of Health of Hong Kong SAR, Dr Constance Chan and about 60 experts in communicable diseases from the three places.Ends/Friday, November 8, 2013
