Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
WHO urges China to watch for sustained spread of H7N9 among humans
Virus has mainly been passed by birds, but fears grow of more human-to-human transmission
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 25 February, 2017, 11:25pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 26 February, 2017, 12:50am
Zhuang Pinghui
The World Health Organisation has called for Beijing to monitor whether the fatal H7N9 bird flu virus gains the ability of sustained human-to-human transmission following reports of limited cases.
The virus so far has not spread among humans in most cases. From January 1 until February 23, 94 deaths from H7N9 have been reported on the mainland.
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?Authorities should be vigilant, and assess whether the virus gains the ability of sustained human-to-human spread,? said Bernhard Schwartl?nder, WHO?s representative in China.
David Kelvin, director of the immunology department at the International Institute of Infection and Immunity at Shantou University, also called for authorities to be vigilant.
Kelvin, who researched limited human-to-human transmission cases in Shantou in 2015, said he was alarmed by the rising number of such cases this season.
?We strongly believe H7N9 has the capacity for human-to-human transmission,? Kelvin said in an email, adding it was ?alarming? that the H7N9 virus continued to mutate.
...
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2074040/who-calls-beijing-vigilant-monitoring-h7n9-bird-virus
Virus has mainly been passed by birds, but fears grow of more human-to-human transmission
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 25 February, 2017, 11:25pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 26 February, 2017, 12:50am
Zhuang Pinghui
The World Health Organisation has called for Beijing to monitor whether the fatal H7N9 bird flu virus gains the ability of sustained human-to-human transmission following reports of limited cases.
The virus so far has not spread among humans in most cases. From January 1 until February 23, 94 deaths from H7N9 have been reported on the mainland.
...
?Authorities should be vigilant, and assess whether the virus gains the ability of sustained human-to-human spread,? said Bernhard Schwartl?nder, WHO?s representative in China.
David Kelvin, director of the immunology department at the International Institute of Infection and Immunity at Shantou University, also called for authorities to be vigilant.
Kelvin, who researched limited human-to-human transmission cases in Shantou in 2015, said he was alarmed by the rising number of such cases this season.
?We strongly believe H7N9 has the capacity for human-to-human transmission,? Kelvin said in an email, adding it was ?alarming? that the H7N9 virus continued to mutate.
...
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2074040/who-calls-beijing-vigilant-monitoring-h7n9-bird-virus