H7N9 Bird Flu Cases In China Top 100; Deaths Reach 20

[redqueen]

The number of confirmed H7N9 bird flu cases in China increased by five to 101 today, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Two new deaths were reported, bringing the total to 20.

The outbreak has been concentrated in eastern China. The two latest deaths were in Zhejiang Province, already one of the most-hit areas.

...

Beijing and major eastern Chinese cities have closed live poultry markets and are taking other precautions to limit the spread of the new virus. More than half of the victims have had no contact with poultry, state media reported this week. Chinese media has estimated that the poultry industry has lost 17 billion yuan, or $2.7 billion.

...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2013/04/21/h7n9-bird-flu-cases-in-china-top-100-deaths-reach-20/

[xchrom]

1. Du rec. Nt

[dballance]

2. A Possibility Much Scarier Then Iran and N. Korean Combined

They don't know how it's being transmitted yet. If it mutates and becomes easy to transmit human to human it could be really nasty. I'm surprised it's not the elderly and the really young too. Usually if some virus is particularly bad for the elderly it seems it's bad for the very young as well.

[FarCenter]

3. Elderly 'most at risk from H7N9 bird flu virus' (also rare human-human transmission)

New research has revealed the elderly are most at risk of contracting the H7N9 bird flu virus, but health officials are still uncertain how humans are becoming infected.

The study by the Joint Influenza Research Centre of Shantou University Medical College and the University of Hong Kong in Shantou, points out that the majority of severe cases have occurred in those aged over 60. Few of the children on the mainland who have contracted the virus have been seriously ill. This is in sharp contrast with the H5N1 strain, which caused a high proportion of severe cases and deaths in the young.
...

The findings come as the World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concern that more than half of those infected by the virus had not been in contact with poultry. The WHO also revealed details of three families who had shown possible human-to-human transmission.

But its China representative Michael O'Leary said it appeared human-to-human transmission was rare. "This is still an animal virus that occasionally infects humans," he said. "With rare exceptions, we know that people are not getting sick from other people. What we don't know is the size of the iceberg under this tip."

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1218765/elderly-most-risk-bird-flu-virus

[CountAllVotes]

4. You can probably assume more cases

You never get the real truth out of China, never. Probably more like 1,000+ cases would be my guess.

[janlyn]

5. human carrier

there was a news story this last week that they have found a 4 yr. old who is infected with the flu but is showing no signs of illness. And that several people who have the illness were in direct contact with him.But,the Chinese government says there is no proof that the flu can be passed from human to human contact. Sure!!!

[CountAllVotes]

6. and the lies begin ...

and on they will go until this turns into such an enormous epidemic with god only knows how many are dead before they will even dare to tell the public.

That's what you get in a communist county, everything but the truth.

[redqueen]

7. Yeah, last week they were saying there were hardly any cases without direct contact with poultry

then suddenly it was around 40% had no contact with poultry.

Worrisome to say the least. One positive is it doesn't appear to be spreading too fast.