Influenza A (H7N9), the new bird flu virus that’s suddenly killing people in China. On April 1st the death reports started to come in, and all of a sudden health experts began to sound panic.
Although the virus has infected a very small number of people, it’s killed or critically sickened a high proportion of them.
The toll is rising daily, with new cases and deaths reported on the World Health Organization’s Disease Outbreak News site. As of today, 18 cases were laboratory confirmed, but of those infected, six have died and four are in critical condition.
A Genetic Threat
The virulence of the H7N9 virus is not the only reason health officials around the world are scurrying to figure out the scope of the danger it poses. Genetic evaluation of the H7N9 virus shows it has the ability to mutate readily. Here’s how the World Health Organization (WHO) put it in a statement released yesterday: “analysis of the genes of these viruses suggests that although they have evolved from avian (bird) viruses, they show signs of adaptation to growth in mammalian species.”
Should We Worry About Catching the H7N9 Avian Flu?
All the cases have been in China, either in Shanghai or the nearby provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui. The latest cases in Shanghai and Anhui brought the total number of confirmed H7N9 cases across the nation to 21 - ten in Shanghai, six in Jiangsu, three in Zhejiang and two in Anhui. Four patients in Shanghai and two in Zhejiang have died. Hong Kong's government said it could not rule out the possibility of an outbreak in the city.
So far, H7N9 has not been found to be transmissable from human to human. All those who’ve contracted it have had contact with poultry. Both pigeons and chickens have tested positive for the virus.
As Forbes.com’s Russell Flannery reported yesterday, all poultry markets in Shanghai were closed yesterday as Chinese officials try to stop the spread of infection. Poultry dealers also began killing chickens from markets where birds had tested positive for the virus.
However, that could change. According to the CDC, however, this type of virus has “the potential to become a pandemic if it changed to become easily and sustainably spread from person to person.” Yesterday the CDC issued an official public health advisory on H7N9 under the auspices of emergency preparedness and response.
The CDC advises clinicians to be on the lookout for H7N9 in “patients with respiratory illness and an appropriate travel or exposure history.” In other words, if you come down with severe flu symptoms and you’ve recently been to China, let your doctor know right away.
There’s also the issue of the virus travelling with people who are already infected. Six possible cases of H7N9 were reported in Taiwan. All were tested; four were found not to be H7N9 and two have yet to be confirmed.
Know the Signs of Avian (Bird) Flu H7N9
Most of the people identified with the new bird flu have had symptoms of severe pneumonia such as chest congestion, difficulty breathing, fever, and severe cough. However the case reports are so recent that experts don’t believe they have a full picture of all possible symptoms.
Yesterday the CDC began issuing guidance to public health clinics and hospitals in the U.S. on how to test for the H7N9 virus. In a teleconference yesterday afternoon, CDC officials said they have already developed a diagnostic test that’s available for use on “travelers with suspicious illnesses.”
How is Bird Flu H7N9 Treated?
The good news is that like other influenza A viruses, H7N9 appears to respond to the antiviral drugs Tamiflu (oseltamivir), made by Genentech (Roche), andGlaxoSmithKline‘s Relenza (zanamivir). Both Tamiflu and Relenza have been used to combat past bird flu outbreaks. However, there has also been concern that widespread use of Tamiflu could spur the development of drug-resistantviral strains.
The primary concern is the H7N9 flu getting out of China. Therefore, passengers leaving China and arriving in other countries are being asked to report flu or flu-like symptoms. In Japan, signs have gone up in airports asking passengers disembarking from China to seek medical attention if they have suspicious symptoms. On flights in and out of Hong Kong, announcements asked passengers who were feeling sick to notify airport personnel or flight attendants.
65hostel advise everyone to be caution of the new virus especially those who are currently staying at China region. Personal hygiene played a very important role to prevent the spread of the hygiene. Be clean, be safe and be healthy. Lets pray for those people who got infected to get well soon.
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