updated 4:19 AM EDT, Wed April 24, 2013
Hong Kong (CNN) -- As the death toll from China's
bird flu outbreak rose to 22 with news of another victim in eastern
Zhejiang Province, the World Health Organization warned the H7N9 virus
was one of the most lethal that doctors and medical investigators had
faced in recent years.
"This is an unusually
dangerous virus for humans," Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant
director-general for health, security and the environment told a news
conference in Beijing Wednesday.
"We think this virus is
more easily transmitted from poultry to humans than H5N1," he added,
referring to the bird flu outbreak between 2004 and 2007 that claimed
332 lives.
http://cnn.com/2013/04/23/world/asia/china-bird-flu-elderly-risk/index.html - READ: Researchers: Elderly more at H7N9 risk
"This is definitely one of the most lethal influenza viruses that we have seen so far."
As investigations
continue into the possible sources of infection, Fukuda warned that
authorities were still struggling to understand the virus. The WHO said
China must brace for continued infections.
"I want to give you a
caveat, or give you a little bit of context. We really are at the
beginning of our understanding of this virus," Fukuda said. "(The
situation remains) complex, difficult and it is evolving."
So far there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission, the authorities say.
"We do want to note,
however, that if limited person-to-person transmission is demonstrated
in the future, this really will not be surprising," Fukuda warned,
adding that it was critical to remain vigilant, monitoring the virus's
spread and mutation.
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"We are not sure that
the clusters were caused by common exposure to a source of the virus or
were due to limited person-to-person transmission," he said. "Moreover
we have not seen sustained person-to-person transmission."
While some elements of
the outbreak have baffled investigators -- specifically why the virus
tends to target an elderly demographic and the fact that it is
asymptomatic or mild in some cases and lethal in others -- authorities
have claimed some significant victories in the fight against a pandemic.
Anne Kelso, the director
of a WHO-collaborating research center, said researchers had seen a
"dramatic slowdown" in human cases in Shanghai after the city's live
poultry market was shut on April 6. Describing the finding as "very
encouraging," she said evidence suggests the closure of live poultry
markets is an effective way to stop the spread of the virus.
This is an unusually dangerous virus for humans
Keiji Fukuda
The joint inspection
team from China's National Health and Family Planning Commission and the
World Health Organization also found that, so far, no migratory birds
have tested positive for the virus, taking another worrying route of
transmission out of the equation.
It said the H7N9 virus is only being found in chickens, ducks and pigeons at live poultry markets.
WHO officials said there
are already efforts underway in other countries to develop a vaccine
after Chinese officials admitted international help would be needed with
this.
Meanwhile, the National
Health and Family Planning Commission said in its daily update on H7N9
cases that a total of 108 H7N9 cases have been reported in China,
including 22 deaths. Most cases have been confined to Shanghai and
neighboring provinces in eastern China.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/24/world/asia/china-birdflu/index.html - http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/24/world/asia/china-birdflu/index.html