H7N9 outbreak in China. The facts on the ground and only the facts.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the New England Journal of Medicine published the first epidemiological report of the H7N9 outbreak in China. To date, the new bird flu strain has sickened 108 people and killed 22; Taiwan has also reported the first case outside of mainland China, a 53-year-old man who recently visited Suzhou and Shanghai (both H7N9 hotspots).
The report covers up to April 17, at which point there were 82 confirmed cases and two suspected cases, and it is chock-full of numbers and statistics. Here are some of the highlights:
63 is the median age of confirmed cases. 73 per cent are male. 86 per cent live in urban areas.
76 per cent of patients have underlying medical conditions
59 patients -- 77 per cent of the total -- were recently exposed to animals: 76 per cent to chickens, 20 per cent to ducks, seven per cent to swine. Two reported exposures to cats and one to a dog; six said they encountered wild birds and one was exposed to a pet bird.
http://thestar.blogs.com/worlddaily/2013/04/bird-flu-by-the-numbers.html
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