Bird Flu alert in Europe

Bird flu alert in Europe





ROME, April 20, 2013 - Avian flu: the EU agency for the prevention and control of diseases does not mean that there are individual human cases imported into Europe. The countries should be prepared for the detection and diagnosis of such cases. Screening people at airports to prevent the geographical spread of the virus

Very few talk about it, but the "Door of Rights" continues to spread the information on the dangerous spread of a virus classified as "H7N9" that even the European center for disease prevention and Control (ECDC) is keeping close monitoring. This time, the alarm bell is sounded for Europe. The EU agency does not exclude that there are individual human cases imported into Europe and for these reasons, the countries need to prepare for its detection and diagnosis. The critical factor is that the new virus is capable of infecting birds and men in Europe. Occurred on 'jump' from birds to humans, and it is feared that 'now the next step: the ability' to be transmitted from human to human. For experts of the 'ECDC once you learn the ability' to be transmitted from human to human, the virus H7N9 could expand rapidly on a global scale.

The avian influenza virus variant was identified March 31, 2013, when the Chinese health authorities announced that a virus had infected three patients classified H7N9. Since that date, eighty-seven 87 cases of human infection with influenza A (H7N9) were reported in six provinces in eastern China with a population of about 330 million. The onset of the disease was between February 19 and April 14, 2013 in Shanghai (32), (21) Jiangsu, Zhejiang (27), Anhui (3), Henan (3) and Beijing (1). The date of onset of the disease is currently unknown for sixteen patients. Most of the cases have developed serious respiratory diseases. Seventeen patients died. The average age is 64 years between the ages 4 to 89 years, 25 of the 82 patients are female. Chinese health authorities are responding to this public health event with enhanced surveillance, epidemiological and laboratory investigations with continuous analysis. The health sector has intensified investigations into the possible sources and reservoirs of the virus.

Authorities have reported the world organization for animal health (OIE) that the avian influenza A (H7N9) was detected in samples from pigeons, chickens and ducks and in environmental samples where live birds such as the markets in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang. The authorities have closed markets and slaughtered birds in the affected areas. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture said that 47,801 tests were carried out by taking samples of live animals in the markets, on farms and in slaughterhouses. Of these, only 39 samples were positive for the H7N9 avian influenza virus, of which 38 were in Shanghai, Anhui, and in the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. It was identified a specimen of wild pigeon positive in Jiangsu. The origin and mode of transmission have not yet been confirmed. The outbreak is caused by an avian influenza virus with low pathogenicity to birds, so it does not cause mass deaths.Genetic analysis of the isolates showed changes which suggest that the H7N9 virus may have a greater ability to infect mammalian species, including humans, compared to many other avian influenza virus. Pathogenicity for human beings seems to be high and l ' advanced age appears to be a risk factor for the disease. The most likely scenario is that the influenza A (H7N9) is that the spread unnoticed in the bird populations have occasionally infected humans who have close contact with poultry or poultry products, but this will have to be validated as will be available additional data..


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