# 8294
As we’ve come to expect, Hong Kong’s Centre For Health Protection (CHP) has very quickly released an epidemiological update on yesterday’s announced imported H7N9 case, including details on contact tracing, testing, and quarantines.
Thursday, February 13, 2014 Issued at HKT 19:56
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (February 13) provided an update on the fifth confirmed human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) affecting a man aged 65.
"The epidemiological investigations, enhanced disease surveillance, port health measures and health education against avian influenza are all ongoing," a spokesman for the DH said.
As of 4pm today, six close contacts and 82 other contacts have been identified.
The close contacts are the five family members of the index patient in Hong Kong and a patient who had stayed in the same ward with the index patient in Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH).
The five family members have remained asymptomatic while the patient in KWH had onset of symptoms before contact with the index patient. Upon preliminary laboratory testing by Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), their respiratory specimens were all negative for Influenza A virus. They remain under observation.
Other contacts included the index patient's other family members, staff and patients of the private clinic which the patient attended, healthcare workers of relevant public hospitals and the officers at Lo Wu Boundary Control Point. Among them, two are symptomatic and their specimens were negative for Influenza A virus upon PMH's preliminary testing. They are all under medical surveillance.
"In view of human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) confirmed in Hong Kong and multiple cases notified by the Mainland, the activity of the virus is expected to be higher in the winter season. Those planning to travel outside Hong Kong should maintain good personal, environmental and food hygiene at all times," the spokesman urged.
Despite the large number (relative to other avian flu viruses) of human cases, and a handful of clusters, a year’s worth of contact tracing in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong has yet to turn up more than a small handful of infected cases – a pretty good sign that this virus is not yet ready for prime time.
The concern is that it may only take a small number of genetic changes to the virus to increase its transmissibility, and so extensive epidemiological investigations like this one not only help prevent the potential spread of the virus, they serve as an important early warning system as well.
