#12,260
With the ever present caveat that we are pretty much dependent upon whatever information the Chinese government chooses to divulge, today their NHFPC (National Health & Family Planning Commission) has announced an apparent slowdown in the number of H7N9 cases over the past 11 days.
This comes after three days of very high profile meetings with the Chinese Premier, the MOA, and the NHFPC (see here, here, and here), all vowing to contain the epidemic.The dissident press, located outside of Mainland China, continues to insist that cases are being concealed, and that the outbreak is far from under control. Claims that are almost impossible to verify.
They cite the upcoming `two sessions' - the very high profile annual meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC) which are held in early March - as reasons for slow-rolling the numbers.Slowdown or not, 35 cases in 11 days is still an elevated number. And once poultry markets re-open, those numbers could easily spike again. Cases generally peak during January-February, but usually continue into April and May, so a lull now is no guarantee the epidemic is waning.
This from the NHFPC.
Do a good job to further strengthen joint prevention and control of H7N9 epidemic prevention and control measures implemented to stabilize
Published: 2017-02-24
February 22, Comrade Premier Li Keqiang chaired a State Council executive meeting of the deployment H7N9 epidemic prevention and control work. The meeting pointed out that this year China H7N9 outbreak came earlier compared with previous years, the number of cases increases. Local and relevant departments in accordance with the State Council deployed effectively conduct joint prevention and control. The meeting urged all localities and departments concerned to continue to do H7N9 epidemic joint prevention and control, open and transparent timely release of authoritative information on the epidemic, strengthen epidemic source control, do the monitoring and early warning and treatment of cases, the implementation of "large-scale farming, centralized slaughtering, cold chain transport, ice listed fresh "new model, and effectively protect people's health and safety.
Deal with H7N9 joint prevention and control mechanism to conscientiously implement the State Council executive meeting, to further strengthen the H7N9 outbreak in accordance with joint prevention and control video conference agreed that matters, since February 23, the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the Ministry of Agriculture, SAIC, food and drug regulation Administration, FDA joint Steering group composed of seven, focusing on epidemic prevention and control of provinces to carry out supervision, to further promote the implementation of the measures. Recently, the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce Administration, Food and Drug Administration of the four departments will jointly issued a circular calling for the spirit of the State Council meeting to further strengthen and transporting live poultry farms supervision, strict implementation of live poultry markets were closed, disinfection and quarantine system, or detection of pathogen detection of cases of cities and counties to close the live bird markets as soon as possible to take measures such as culling according to regulations. At the same time, severely crack down on illegal transport, management, slaughter and other acts.
At present, all related to epidemic prevention and control work is solid and orderly progress, the early momentum of rapid increase epidemic has been effectively curbed. February 13, 2017 - 2 23, the Mainland of China reported a total of 11 days cases of 35 cases of H7N9, which killed seven people, the epidemic has stabilized.
Experts believe that the current H7N9 outbreak in a highly circulated, H7N9 virus transmission is still by birds to humans, contact with infected birds or exposure to live poultry market is an important risk factor for human infection. Experts predict that the most recent period, it is possible to continue our sporadic cases occur H7N9. Experts suggest that the public in their daily lives should avoid contact with dead birds, avoid direct contact with live poultry category; quarantine certificates should be purchased fresh, live and frozen poultry and poultry-related products; attention to food hygiene, food processing to do Health cooked separately; improve self-protection awareness, found that fever and respiratory symptoms should wear a mask, doctor as soon as possible.
