It's Time to Worry About the New Chinese Bird Flu - At the Edge. A vender holds a chicken at a chicken market on in Shanghai, China. At least 17 people have died from a lesser-known strain of bird flu in the country. It's time for the world's public health officials to pay very close attention to the new bird flu outbreak in China first detected in March. To put it bluntly, there are now some seriously dangerous developments occurring around the new disease outbreak in China that infectious disease specialists and international public health specialists need to track closely. [PHOTOS: Bird Flu Cases Increase in China] Let's start with three new developments reported on earlier this week by Jason Koebler, U.S.
"The situation remains complex and difficult and evolving. Chinese officials – and public health officials around the world – had hoped that this potentially virulent and deadly bird flu strain (H7N9) could be contained inside China and that it would not progress or mutate to the point where humans could transmit the strain to other humans. H7N9: Doctors left baffled by another case of bird flu in Chinese boy, 4, who displayed no symptoms. Beijing boy tested positive for H7N9 after coming into contact with girl, 7She was confirmed as Chinese capital's first case of it over the weekendNew strain of avian flu has now killed 14 among 63 known to be infected By Mark Duell Published: 01:00 GMT, 17 April 2013 | Updated: 06:44 GMT, 17 April 2013 Another case of bird flu in a Beijing child who displayed no symptoms is causing more confusion for doctors, health officials have admitted. The 4-year-old boy tested positive for H7N9 after he was in a group of people who had contact with a 7-year-old girl confirmed as the Chinese capital’s first case of the deadly virus over the weekend.
The boy has been placed under observation by health officials to see if he displays any symptoms, with the new strain of avian flu now having killed 14 among 63 people known to have been infected. Growing problem: A chicken slaughter employee cleans broilers at ShengHua chicken slaughter in a suburb of Shanghai, China. Zhong Dongpo, Beijing Health Bureau. What You Need To Know About The New Bird Flu. There have been some new developments in China's struggle with bird flu over the past two days, including another confirmed death and a scientific report from Chinese researchers about the first three victims to die. Here's what else you'll want to know: What is it? The disease is a bird flu (a virus that originated from one adapted to attack birds) of particular type, called H7N9. This is the first time an H7N9 virus has been found to infect people. How many has it affected? H7N9 has infected 43 people in China, but hasn't spread outside of China. How does it work?
What are the effects? In an opinion piece accompanying the Chinese report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists wrote that genetic features in the current H7N9 virus suggest that it wouldn't cause severe symptoms in birds, so it may spread in a flock without anyone noticing. Chinese scientists have posted the genome sequence of the virus, so it's freely available to scientists all over the world.
Hong Kong on alert as Chinese officials begin chicken cull after tenth person dies of new bird flu strain. Officials in an area of Zhejiang province have begun culling chickens H7N9 virus claimed its tenth life yesterday as a 74-year-old man diedThere are now 38 confirmed cases of the new strain in ChinaWHO says there is no evidence of human-to-human transmissionHong Kong is testing batches of chickens imported from mainland ChinaCarrier pigeons have been grounded and sales of racing pigeons bannedUS scientists have begun work on creating a vaccine for the strainTechniques learned in the swine flu outbreak have given them a head startBut it could still be five to six months before a vaccine is available By Steve Nolan Published: 09:49 GMT, 12 April 2013 | Updated: 20:46 GMT, 12 April 2013 Research into three bird flu victims in China has raised grim fears that the 11 deaths so far are just the tip of the iceberg.
Scientists found that the vicious new strain has the potential to pass more easily into humans and remain undetected until it is at an advanced stage. Dr. Then came a live test. New strain of bird flu which has never been seen in humans before kills two people in China. Victims were infected in Shanghai and were aged 87 and 27Third person is critically ill in hospital after contracting virus in nearby province By Daily Mail Reporter Published: 11:12 GMT, 31 March 2013 | Updated: 11:33 GMT, 31 March 2013 Two people in China have died from a strain of the bird flu virus never previously passed to humans. The victims, two men aged 87 and 27, became sick in Shanghai, one of the country's largest cities, in late February and died earlier this month. Another woman in nearby Anhui province also contracted the virus in March and is in a critical condition.
Deadly: A new strain of avian flu has killed two people in China. Worry: The two victims were infected in the city of Shanghai, one of the biggest in China The strain of the bird flu virus found in all three people was identified as H7N9, which had not been transmitted to humans before, according the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission. It is still unclear they were infected.