#12,332
Hong Kong's CHP has published their latest weekly avian influenza report, which adds 22 H7N9 cases from the Mainland - nearly all of which were part of the batch reported last Friday by the NHFPC (see Hong Kong CHP Notified Of 21 Addtional H7N9 Cases From The Mainland).
Hong Kong now reports 523 Mainland cases since the start of this 5th wave (plus 5 in Hong Kong, 2 in Macao & 1 in Taiwan).
Since only those those ill enough to be hospitalized are generally tested, the actual number of infections is believed to be considerably greater than officially reported (see Beneath The H7N9 Pyramid).
While we consistently see a skewing towards older males with this flu, this week that trend is particularly pronounced, with 20 of 22 cases (90%) listed as male. Only two of 22 cases were under the age of 40 (38 & 33), producing a median age of just under 54 years.
While individual onset dates are not provided, Friday's report stated that onsets ranged from February 28 to March 13. Four cases are listed as having fatal outcomes, while 10 more are listed with `Severe Pneumonia'.
The full report (which runs 9 pages) is well worth downloading and reading, as it contains updates not only on avian flu activity in Mainland China, but around the world. While it still doesn't show it, we are aware of at least 2 H5N1 cases (1 fatal) in Egypt this year.
Avian Influenza Report
Avian Influenza Report is a weekly report produced by the Respiratory Disease Office, Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health. This report highlights global avian influenza activity in humans and birds.
VOLUME 13, NUMBER 11
Reporting period: March 12, 2017 – March 18, 2017 (Week 11)
(Published on March 21, 2017)
Summary
1. Since the previous issue of Avian Influenza Report (AIR), there were 22 new human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) reported by Mainland China health authorities in Guangxi (6 cases), Hunan (5 cases), Guangdong (3 cases), Guizhou (3 cases), Henan (2 cases), Chongqing (1 case), Fujian (1 case) and Jiangxi (1 case). Since March 2013 (as of March 18, 2017), there were a total of 1329 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) reported globally. Since October 2016 (as of March 18, 2017), 523 cases have been recorded in Mainland China.
2. Since the previous issue of AIR, there were no new human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6). Since 2014 (as of March 18, 2017), 16 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) were reported globally and all occurred in Mainland China. The latest case was reported on December 1, 2016.
3. There were no new human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017. From 2011 to 2015, 32 to 145 confirmed human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) were reported to WHO annually (according to onset date). In 2016, there have been 10 cases in Egypt.*
