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Avian flu update: lull in new H7N9 cases
</HGROUP>Epidemic has spread to three more Chinese provinces, but no new cases reported since 7 May.
Declan Butler
<TIME pubdate="" datetime="2013-05-14">14 May 201
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An update to Nature's exclusive map of the H7N9 avian influenza shows how the virus expanded its geographical range in mainland China in late April...
...What's striking is that daily reports of new cases, which flooded in during April, slowed near the end of the month ? and just four new cases have been reported since the start of May. No new cases have been reported from Shanghai province, the epicentre of the epidemic, since 20 April.
It is unknown whether, and to what extent, the drop-off may have been caused by the closing of live-bird markets and other control measures. Another possibility is seasonality. Past avian flu virus outbreaks have often tended to show seasonal patterns of occurrence, with most outbreaks occuring during the colder months of the years and fewer in the warmer months. But after just a week-long lull, is too soon to speculate on what turn the epidemic of H7N9 flu will take next.
Full text:
http://www.nature.com/news/avian-flu-update-lull-in-new-h7n9-cases-1.12910
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</HGROUP>Epidemic has spread to three more Chinese provinces, but no new cases reported since 7 May.
Declan Butler
<TIME pubdate="" datetime="2013-05-14">14 May 201
</ASIDE>
An update to Nature's exclusive map of the H7N9 avian influenza shows how the virus expanded its geographical range in mainland China in late April...
...What's striking is that daily reports of new cases, which flooded in during April, slowed near the end of the month ? and just four new cases have been reported since the start of May. No new cases have been reported from Shanghai province, the epicentre of the epidemic, since 20 April.
It is unknown whether, and to what extent, the drop-off may have been caused by the closing of live-bird markets and other control measures. Another possibility is seasonality. Past avian flu virus outbreaks have often tended to show seasonal patterns of occurrence, with most outbreaks occuring during the colder months of the years and fewer in the warmer months. But after just a week-long lull, is too soon to speculate on what turn the epidemic of H7N9 flu will take next.
Full text:
http://www.nature.com/news/avian-flu-update-lull-in-new-h7n9-cases-1.12910
</SECTION>