H7N9 Bird Flu Jumps from 3 to 33 Cases in Just 10 Days

In the last 10 days, H7N9 bird flu cases have jumped from 3 cases to 33, and fatalities from 2 to 9. Tamiflu doesn't work and there's no vaccine. The virus doesn't look like it's passing from human-to-human. Yet. But it's sure getting around. The latest news says it's coming from a mix between wild birds from east Asia and chickens from east China. ...Flu season should be over in North America but it's still cold and flu viruses like cold - and the 2009 pandemic started in May. So who knows?

On Wednesday, health authorities in Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces reported five new H7N9 avian influenza infections, updating Tuesday's tally of H7N9 infections to 33 nationwide.

The World Health Organization has said there is no evidence H7N9 is passing from person to person.

9 dead of H7N9 bird flu in China

Top Chinese lab reveals H7N9 source

BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- A top Chinese biology lab has ascribed the H7N9 avian influenza to genetic reassortment of wild birds from east Asia and chickens from east China.

Already under attack from H5N1 bird flu, Vietnam is prepping for H7N9 outbreaks - expected to be much worse. H7N9 virus more virulent than H5N1, ministry says

if not this flu bug, there will be one sooner or later
it turns out the 1918 flu that killed so many started from flu vaccines on a US army base...

can't wait for that vaccine......

I am waiting to hear about quarantined areas before I get too worried. I understand that this bird flu strain isn't something to take lightly, but until there is confirmed human to human transmission I think it will remain a localized issue.

reply to post by Danbones


I know. Reporting new diseases is kinda like saying the weather is changing. ...Of course it is.

And yeppers - the 1918 pandemic started on a US army base, while the H1N1 swine flu responsible for the 2009 pandemic first surfaced in Wisconsin in 1998. But who cares about pesky little details?

Its not a matter of if but when.

Man kind has faced plagues many times, just because we have gotten better at dealing with and preventing them does not mean it wont happen. In fact the more we fight these bugs the more likely we are creating a super bug simply through natural selection.

OK that does it!!!!! Cluck Cluck, my pet chicken is sleeping outside until this blows over.....Great visual for those who read that, no? Weak joke sorry....

Where did you hear about the pandemic starting from the flu shot in 1918? First I heard of that? Let us all hope we never have something like that again.

...This is going to spiral out of control...this flu or the next it's going to mutate into something a lot worse than we've seen...can it now be transferred to mammals now I read it somewhere?...

Must be all those damn antibiotics they feed the chickens having such a virus build up it's defences...

Originally posted by Danbones
if not this flu bug, there will be one sooner or later
it turns out the 1918 flu that killed so many started from flu vaccines on a US army base...

can't wait for that vaccine......

Wow, I did not know that!

Is this the same H7N9 that the Chinese Government has ALREADY attributed as being constructed and deployed from the U.S.? So, apparently this is a very virulent and fatal strain of flu, when do the Chinese expect to start importing it to other countries, like maybe South Korea? or say Japan? Since it's a U.S. 'manufactured virus, how did they manage to get they're hands on a very potent biological weapon? And when the Lords & Ladies in DC start saying, there's going to be an investigation, does that mean like Benghazi investigation, or like an ACTUAL investigation? Anyway, where's our guys telling the Chinese to get off the whole 'It was manufactured in the U.S. schtick! Nowhere that's were !

After watching the movie Contagion and hearing this, I will be taping my hands to my waist and waddling around like a duck.
Its really scary to think about how easily germs spread, and how many people do not care for personal hygiene..


Can you get this potential bug from eating chicken? Probably a stupid question, or do you need to be around the birds to get this?

reply to post by RooskiZombi

Can you get this potential bug from eating chicken? Probably a stupid question, or do you need to be around the birds to get this?

Yes - not a stupid question. Trick is, viruses and other bugs die with enough heat. So handle ALL meat with care, preferably surgical gloves, then wash thoroughly in HOT water or discard gloves - cook meat thoroughly.

...Authorities say they have not confirmed the source of spread - likely it's through contact with bodily fluids from infected birds or people. Doesn't look like it's airborne yet but at least one cluster is suspicious.

"At this point, there is no evidence of sustained human to human transmission," he said, adding that there are some "suspected but not yet confirmed cases of perhaps very limited transmission between close family members."

"They are still being investigated," he said.

.....further investigations are still needed to make sure whether that's a human to human transmission between constant and close contacts or an infection with virus from the same environmental source.

I watched a report On the abc a few days ago and it all looked under control until the reporter stated.. There is no need to panic.

That was when I got to thinking......

Originally posted by Danbones
if not this flu bug, there will be one sooner or later
it turns out the 1918 flu that killed so many started from flu vaccines on a US army base...

can't wait for that vaccine......

I just looked that up. There are a few articles out there on that. I guess it may be true, logic does prevail on this. I can't take a flu shot, I get very sick within an hour. My one daughter and her kids also have severe reactions. Our bodies fight things strongly. My daughters kids get bad reactions to a lot of things, I told her to quit giving them foods that build their immune systems, antioxidants are the worst things to use. If they get sick then feed them antioxidants so they don't have a cyklotine storm. Here is just one of the articles I read. holistic-helper.com...

reply to post by SpaDe_


True - quarantine seems like the biggest threat. But it probably isn't... The real problem with pandemics is not the fatalities, even if the rate is high - the biggest danger is that survivors become debilitated and disabled, but do NOT die. Meaning we're looking at overwhelming healthcare and social support costs, coupled with lowered GDP's. Already happening with the chronic disease pandemic - a flu pandemic could push us over the edge.

Check out this old thread.

Bird Flu and Beyond: Assisted Suicide Instead of Prevention

Fatalities from H5N1 Bird Flu are projected to be 50%, but more to the point, many infected survivors will suffer chronic debilitation and disability. Chronic disease already is epidemic world wide, creating a heavy economic burden for most nations. A prevention strategy for animal-to-human diseases was outlined long ago but never supported, although microbiologists and other scientists have been warning world leaders for decades about the dangers. The last attempt to gain international support for prevention failed at the emergency Bird Flu meeting in Ottawa on October 23. On Monday, October 31, Canada's Parliament discussed Bill C-407. This proposed legislation will legalize assisted suicide, specifically targeted to people who are chronically ill. Bill C-407 is scheduled for a second review and vote at the end of November. "Bill C-407 is a direct threat to the lives of the people with disabilities, people with chronic physical and mental pain and other vulnerable Canadians. If Parliament supports this Bill in any form it is placing the lives of vulnerable Canadians at material risk," says Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC). In the USA, Patrick Trueman, Senior Legal Counsel for Family Research Council (FRC) says Supreme Court Judges Justices Souter, Ginsberg, and Stevens have indicated their receptivity to arguments for legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide.

So far there's 60 reported cases (I would guess there are more, unreported cases) with 16 deaths I believe. I do read news articles but for the most part I get my information from FluTrackers and ProMed Mail, two sources that I trust because it seems to leave out the majority of the sensational journalism-plus things are explained scientifically/with facts and the like, something I can appreciate. I suggest everyone else look at these sources as well.

I'm not terribly concerned, more watchful at this point-what can I do but be watchful of the going-ons? It doesn't do anyone any good to panic or worry at this point. Besides, panic and fear just leads to bad decisions. Soficrow, thanks a bunch for your posting of this and the information you provide. I always like reading your posts here and will be keeping an eye on this thread. Let's all keep sharing information to help each other out/stay informed.

reply to post by Sundowner


Thanks Sundowner

...Reported cases jumped from 33 to 60 in the last 4 days - infections spread to Beijing AND Central China (Henan Province) from Eastern China - and deaths jumped to 13 (22% death rate). Researchers say H7N9 is highly virulent and mutates fast - but no way to tell yet if it's going to get worse or become relatively benign. At least one scientist says this is NOT a bird flu, although the official word is that it's spreading in wild birds.

The H7N9 Bird Flu is Highly Virulent, Mutates Fast, Research Suggests

According to scientists, the flu virus is able to mutate rapidly, and to infect people without great difficulty. ...New research shows that H7N9 can change rapidly, potentially producing mutations that make it more infectious. ...Scientists in Shenzhen found that a protein that binds H7N9 to its host’s cells could be mutating up to eight times faster than in a typical flu virus.

...“We don’t know whether it will evolve into something harmless or dangerous,” Dr. He added. “Our samples are too limited. But the authorities should definitely be alarmed and get prepared for the worst-case scenario.”

....Dutch virologist Ron Fouchier told CNN that this mutation in mice makes the disease up to 1,000 times more virulent. He believes that several other mutations present mean that the virus is not actually a bird flu. “Known normal bird viruses have to adapt substantially to infect people, but not these,” he said.

China bird flu: Reported H7N9 cases rise to 60
China has reported 11 fresh cases of bird flu, with the virus now appearing in the central province of Henan and the capital Beijing.

The new cases of the H7N9 strain bring the total number of reported cases to 60. Two more people have now died.

Authorities believe the virus is being spread through direct contact with infected poultry.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said there was no evidence yet of human-to-human transmission.

H7N9 bird flu spreads to central China

...Among the 11 new cases are the first two cases in central China’s Henan Province, according to Xinhua.

...Except for the three cases reported in Beijing and Henan, the other 52 cases reported since March 31 were detected in the eastern provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang and in Shanghai.

The death toll from the outbreak in China stands at 13, with most of the other cases considered to be severe.

UPDATE: China's now at 64 cases and 14 deaths - the latest case is a 4 year-old boy without symptoms. Some say the risk of H7N9 bird flu going pandemic is increasing.

The Good News:
* There may be many more asymptomatic cases - meaning the H7N9 bird flu virus is probably less deadly than it first appeared to be.
* Unlike with H5N1 bird flu, critical symptoms and deaths seem to be occurring in the elderly and very young, not in healthy youth and adults.

The Bad News:
* Anti-virals aren't working well for late stage treatment; early treatment can be successful, but if and when symptoms do appear they seem to become quickly life-threatening.

…symptoms …included encephalopathy (inflammation of the brain), septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome and rhabdomyolysis, which is a breakdown of muscle tissue.

"Some of them had multi-organ failure," said Uyeki. "This is very, very severe disease, and rapidly progressive. And it's similar to H5N1 [bird flu], …

* Vaccines remain the established first/best line of defense for flu - but - vaccines do not work well for H7 strains.

References:

Symptom-Free Bird Flu Case Suggests Wider H7N9 Spread

Bird flu was found in a 4-year-old Beijing boy who has no symptoms of the infection, health authorities said, suggesting more people may be catching the H7N9 influenza virus than reported. … The case suggests some H7N9 infections may be going unrecorded because of a lack of obvious symptoms. Almost all of the 64 people diagnosed with the virus so far have been extremely unwell, with complications extending to brain damage, multi-organ failure and muscle breakdown.

“With asymptomatic cases around, I think everything changes,” said Ian Mackay, an associate professor of clinical virology at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, in a telephone interview today. “There has been a spike in pneumonia cases that have drawn the health officials’ attention, but the virus may have been going around as a normal cold.”

…“The risk of this becoming a pandemic is increasing,” Yin [CEO, Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (SVA)] said in an interview at the company’s headquarters in the Chinese capital, where a second H7N9 infection was reported today.

Also see: New Beijing H7N9 case adds to bird flu puzzle

Vaccine development for H7N9 flu problematic: Viruses in H7 family prove resistant to vaccines developed so far

…clinical trials of vaccines made to protect against other viruses in the H7 family have shown the vaccines don't induce much of an immune response, even when people are given what would be considered very large doses.

"In all cases where these vaccines were trialed, it was found that the vaccines were poorly immunogenic," said Nancy Cox, the virologist who heads the influenza branch at the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control in Atlanta.

…Countries with standing pandemic flu vaccine contracts are holding off on making a decision about whether to order H7N9 vaccine, watching how the outbreak unfolds. Meanwhile, vaccine manufacturing facilities are still tied up with the production of regular vaccine for the 2013-14 Northern Hemisphere flu season.

A surge in bird flu cases in China increases the pandemic potential of the H7N9 strain, according to a Beijing-based supplier of influenza vaccines to the Chinese government.

To date, 64 H7N9 cases have been reported across China: 24 in Shanghai, 17 in Jiangsu, 16 in Zhejiang, 3 in Anhui, 2 in Henan and 2 in Beijing.

Today, CIDRAP published one of the most comprehensive updates.

China reports 3 new H7N9 cases, 64 total, 14 deaths

…The H7N9 outbreak is likely to expand to other part of China, and possibly neighboring countries, over the coming weeks, the ECDC said. It added that Europe could see isolated imported cases and that countries should get ready to detect and diagnose the disease.

Two key developments that would prompt the ECDC to change its risk assessment would be evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of the new virus or its detection in European bird populations.

…the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently spelled out the conditions required for handing the novel H7N9 virus.

The groups said in an Apr 10 statement that work with live cultures must be conducted in biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) containment. It recommended that all work with positive human samples be conducted at the National Microbiological Laboratory and that all experiments with positive animal samples be done at the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease.

The two groups also said studies growing the H7N9 virus should not be done in labs that culture human influenza viruses and that personnel shouldn't have contact with susceptible animals for 5 days after handling H7N9 samples, as outlined in standard foreign animal disease protocols.

It seems to be spreading but no efficient human-to-human transmission.

H7N9 Bird Flu Illnesses In China Climb By Eight To 71 Cases

The number of confirmed H7N9 bird flu cases in China increased by eight to 71 today, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The number of deaths was unchanged at 14.

reply to post by soficrow


Glad you created this thread this newer virus has been on the back burner of my thoughts, so clarity is helpful. Why are they having so much trouble with their chicken farms in China? Could it be the sanitation, the food they feed them? What can we learn from them to keep our flocks safe?