Two Deaths From H7N9 Bird Flu In China

Three cases of human infection of H7N9 have been found in China, the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission said Sunday.

AsianScientist (Apr. 1, 2013) – Three cases of human infection of the H7N9 bird flu virus, the first time this subtype has been shown to be transmitted to human beings, have been found in China, the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission said Sunday.

Two of the three cases of human infection with the H7N9 avian influenza were detected in Shanghai, both fatal. An 87-year-old man fell sick on Feb. 19 and died on March 4, while a 27-year-old man who became ill on Feb. 27 died on March 10.

In the third case, a 35-year-old woman in Chuzhou City of Anhui fell sick on March 9 and is now in a critical condition.

All three showed initial symptoms of fever and coughs which developed into severe pneumonia and difficult breathing in later stages, according to the state-run Xinhua agency.

On Friday, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Preservation separated the H7N9 bird flu virus from body samples of the patients. Based on clinical observation, laboratory tests, and epidemiological surveys, an expert team confirmed on Saturday that the three cases were human infection with H7N9 avian influenza.

The commission said that it is unclear how the three were infected, and that there no mutual infections were discovered among them.

The H7N9 bird flu virus subtype has not been seen in humans before. According to the commission, the virus shows no signs of being highly contagious among humans, since none of the victims’ 88 close contacts were infected.

The expert team is now studying the toxicity and human-infection capacity of the virus. There are currently no available vaccines against the H7N9 bird flu virus.

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