# 9765
Unlike last winter, day-to-day reporting of H7N9 cases from much of Mainland China has been slow, although it isn’t entirely clear how much of this is due to an actual reduction in cases and how much is due to a change in the way some provinces are reporting.
We’ve seen some case announcements turn up belatedly in Provincial EOM epidemiological reports.
Earlier this week the World Health Organization, in their most recent Antigenic and genetic characteristics of zoonotic influenza viruses and candidate vaccine viruses developed for potential use in human vaccines, described this year’s H7N9 activity and virus evolution as:
Influenza A(H7N9) activity from 24 September 2014 to 23 February 2015
During this period, 148 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) virus infection were reported to WHO, bringing the total number of cases to 602 with 227 deaths reported4. All human cases were detected in China, or in travelers who visited China (2 in Canada). Increased genetic heterogeneity of HA and NA gene sequences was observed among recent viruses from humans, poultry and environmental samples. Comparison of these viruses using haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays showed that the majority remained antigenically similar to the CVVs derived from A/Anhui/1/2013-like viruses.
`Increased genetic heterogeneity of HA and NA gene sequences’ is evidence that the H7N9 virus continues to evolve, something we’ve looked at previously in Eurosurveillance: Genetic Tuning Of Avian H7N9 During Interspecies Transmission & EID Journal: H7N9 As A Work In Progress.
Two reports this morning courtesy of Hong Kong’s CHP.
HP notified of additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Guangdong
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (February 27) closely monitoring an additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Guangdong notified by the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province (GDHFPC), and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
According to the GDHFPC, a male patient aged 80 in Shantou was hospitalised for treatment in critical condition.To date, 589 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been reported by the Mainland health authorities in Guangdong (176 cases), Zhejiang (156 cases), Jiangsu (70 cases), Fujian (58 cases), Shanghai (45 cases), Hunan (24 cases), Anhui (19 cases), Xinjiang (10 cases), Jiangxi (nine cases), Shandong (six cases), Beijing (five cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Jilin (two cases), Guizhou (one case) and Hebei (one case).
After not having reported any H7N9 cases this winter, Anhui Province – which reported two cases on February 25th (see CHP closely monitors three additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Mainland) – has apparently notified Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection of two more cases (1 from Anqing City and the other from Tongling).
HP closely monitors two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Mainland
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH)is today (February 28) closely monitoring two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in the Mainland, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
According to the Health and Family Planning Commission of Anhui Province, a male patient and a female patient, both aged 58 with poultry exposure before onset, were hospitalised for management. They were in critical condition.
To date, 591 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been reported by the Mainland health authorities in Guangdong (176 cases), Zhejiang (156 cases), Jiangsu (70 cases), Fujian (58 cases), Shanghai (45 cases), Hunan (24 cases), Anhui (21 cases), Xinjiang (10 cases), Jiangxi (nine cases), Shandong (six cases), Beijing (five cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Jilin (two cases), Guizhou (one case) and Hebei (one case).
