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| Credit CDC |
#12,029
The World Health Organization has released an update on last week's announced H7N9 case in Hong Kong and the NFHPC announcment of 106 cases during the month of December on the Chinese mainland.
While the line listings of years past are sorely missed, the WHO does highlight two potential two-person clusters. Clustering of cases among close contacts, while not unheard of, has been rare.
Additionally, 80 of the 106 mainland cases reported prior contact with poultry before falling ill (a known risk factor), while 26 did not. Beyond that, we learn the median age was 54, and at the time of this report, there were 35 deaths and 57 severe cases.
I've only posted excerpt, so follow the link to read it in its entirety.
Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – China
Disease outbreak news
17 January 2017
On 5 January 2017, the Department of Health, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) notified WHO of a case of laboratory-confirmed human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus and on 9 January 2017, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China (NHFPC) notified WHO of 106 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus.
Details of the cases
On 5 January 2017, a human case of infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) was reported from the Department of Health, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR). The case is a 62-year-old man with underlying illnesses, who travelled to Zengcheng, Guangzhou on 15 December 2016. He developed influenza-like symptoms on 1 January 2017 while he was in Guangzhou. He was admitted to a hospital in Dongguan on 2 January 2017 and returned to Hong Kong SAR on 3 January 2017, where he was admitted to hospital on 4 January 2017 for further treatment. His condition deteriorated and he was transferred to an intensive care unit for further management. He passed away on 6 January 2017. His samples tested positive for A(H7N9) by RT-PCR on 5 January 2017. The patient reported no recent exposure to poultry or live poultry markets. Contact tracing is underway.
On 9 January 2017, 106 human cases of infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) were reported from the NHFPC. The onset dates ranged from 22 November 2016 to 29 December 2016. Of these 106 cases, 36 are female. The median age is 54 years (age range among the cases is 23 to 91 years old). The cases are reported from Jiangsu (52), Zhejiang (21), Anhui (14), Guangdong (14), Shanghai (2), Fujian (2) and Hunan (1). At the time of notification, there were 35 deaths and 57 severe cases.
Eighty of the cases are reported to have had exposure to poultry or a live poultry market.
Two clusters were reported.
First cluster:
- A 66-year-old male from Suzhou city, Jiangsu province. He had symptom onset on 25 November 2016, was admitted to hospital on 28 November 2016 and died on 12 December 2016. He was exposed to a live poultry market.
- A 39-year-old female from Suzhou city, Jiangsu province. She had symptom onset on 8 December 2016 and was admitted to hospital on the same day. She is the daughter of the 66-year old male. At the time of report, she was suffering from severe pneumonia.
Human-to-human transmission between the 66-year-old male and the 39-year-old female cannot be ruled out.
Second cluster:
Human-to-human transmission between the 66-year-old male and the 62-year-old male cannot be ruled out.
- A 66-year-old male from Hefei city, Anhui province. He had symptom onset on 16 December 2016, and was admitted to hospital on 17 December 2016 and died on 20 December 2016. He was exposed to a live poultry market.
- A 62-year-old male from Hefei city, Anhui province. He had symptom onset on 22 December 2016. He was admitted in the same ward as the 66-year old male. His current condition is severe.
To date, a total of 916 laboratory-confirmed human infections with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus have been reported through IHR notification since early 2013.
(SNIP)
WHO risk assessment
Similar sudden increases in the number of human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) infection have been observed in previous years during this period of time (December-January). Nevertheless close monitoring of the epidemiological situation and further characterization of the most recent viruses are critical to assess associated risk and to make timely adjustments to risk management measures.
Most human cases are exposed to avian influenza A(H7N9) virus through contact with infected poultry or contaminated environments, including live poultry markets. Since the virus continues to be detected in animals and environments, further human cases can be expected. Although small clusters of human cases with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus have been reported including those involving healthcare workers, current epidemiological and virological evidence suggests that this virus has not acquired the ability of sustained transmission among humans. Based on available information we have, further community level spread is considered unlikely.
Human infections with the avian influenza A(H7N9) virus are unusual and because there is the potential for significant public health impact, it needs to be monitored closely.
