Hong Kong Confirms City’s First Human Case of Bird Flu Hong Kong reported its first case of a form of bird flu that killed 45 people in China this year, suggesting the virus is spreading further south in poultry. A 36-year-old Indonesian domestic helper is in critical condition after being infected with the new H7N9 flu strain, Hong Kong’s government said yesterday. She’d traveled to the neighboring mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen, where she bought and slaughtered a chicken, according to a statement. Enlarge image H7N9 in China Human cases of H7N9 were first reported in China in February and rose in April before agriculture authorities temporarily closed live poultry markets to limit human exposure. Photographer: Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images Human cases of H7N9 in China date back to February and surged in April before agriculture authorities temporarily closed live poultry markets and quarantined farms to limit human exposure. The Geneva-based World Health Organization counted 137 laboratory-confirmed cases as of Oct. 25. “Respiratory viruses do their own thing; they don’t respect boundaries,” said Ian Mackay, an associate professor of clinical virology at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, in a telephone interview. “It does seems that it’s continuing to add to provinces and regions, rather than reappear in all the old places it started in back in February and March.” H7N9 has previously turned up outside mainland China. In late April, officials in Taiwan reported a case in a 53-year-old man who had just returned to Taiwan via Shanghai after a business trip to the eastern city of Suzhou. Lethal Legacy Even though H7N9 hasn’t mutated to become as contagious as seasonal flu, strains that emerge in China are of special interest to researchers. The 1957-58 Asian Flu and 1968-69 Hong Kong Flu pandemics were first identified in the world’s most populous nation, and an earlier bird flu strain known as H5N1 is thought to have come from the southern province of Guangdong in 1996. Years later, a new seasonal flu was found in neighboring Fujian and triggered epidemics worldwide. Chinas Deadly Bird Flu Hong Kong increased the response level under its influenza pandemic preparedness plan to “serious,” requiring hospitals to step up infection controls and limit visiting hours, the government said yesterday. Officials will visit poultry farms and live chicken stalls in markets to ensure rule compliance. The city’s government said it has notified mainland health authorities and WHO about the confirmed infection. Test results on people who had close contact with the patient may be available as early as today, said Ko Wing-man, the city’s health secretary, in the statement.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 01:52:54 +0000
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