Friday, February 21, 2014

H7N9 Moves North, Guangdong Reports New Cases

image 

Dr. Ian Mackay’s latest H7N9 Hotspot Map adds Jilin province

 

# 8320

 

Dr. Ian Mackay has already blogged the story, and updated his map this morning, on the most northern report of H7N9 to date in China – that of a 50 year-old male poultry farmer from Jilin  Province who is reportedly isolated and in stable condition. 

 

It is worth noting that Jilin province lies adjacent to North Korea, a closed society that rarely reports on any public health situations.

 

While there are a number of media reports on this case (see FluTrackers thread here), thus far I’ve not found any official statement from the Jilin Provincial authorities. The following (machine translated) report comes from Xinhua News.

 

Jilin confirmed its first case of human infection with the H7N9 avian flu

At 20:04 on February 21, 2014
Source:
Legal Network

0 People involved 0 Comment

Xinhua Changchun February 21 (Reporter Yao Youming) 21, the Jilin Provincial Government Information Office announced that the H7N9 bird flu found in Changchun City's first confirmed case of human infection, which is also confirmed cases of H7N9 bird flu first case of human infection in Jilin .

It is understood that the patient was a 50-year-old man surnamed Liang, currently residing in net Development Zone in Changchun, poultry farming, currently implemented in the hospital for isolation and treatment, the condition is more stable. After investigation of the epidemiological investigation of close contacts of patients have been implemented under medical observation, did not reveal any abnormalities.

Jilin Provincial Government Information Office official microblogging "Jilin release," said the Changchun City CDC received reports of 19 May, the First Hospital of Jilin University, admitted to a pneumonia patient with history of exposure to dead poultry. Changchun City CDC immediately organize relevant personnel to carry out epidemiological surveys and collect patient specimens for testing, the results of human infection of H7N9 avian influenza virus positive by the Jilin Provincial CDC complex, the results are positive. 21 am Chinese CDC review the results as positive feedback.

Jilin Provincial Government has launched the emergency response. Changchun City is fully deployed to implement the emergency response and control measures.

 


Additionally, Shiloh on FluTrackers has picked up the report of three more H7N9 cases from Guangdong province.

 

Guangdong Province reported three new cases of human infection with H7N9 bird flu virus


2014-02-21 14:01:48 / Ministry of Health and Family Planning Commission

Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province on February 21 briefing, Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Jiangmen City 3 3 new cases of human infection of H7N9 avian influenza confirmed cases.

The first case is a female, 46 years old, currently residing in Zhaoqing Sihui. Confirmed on February 19, currently treated in a hospital.

The second case is a male, 64 years old, currently residing in Haizhu District of Guangzhou. Died on February 18. Retrospectively confirmed on February 19.

The third case is a male, 69 years old, currently residing in Jiangmen, Kaiping City. Confirmed on February 20, currently treated at a local hospital.

An earlier Shenzhen case, confirmed on January 30, one in Tangmou and one in Zhaoqing City, confirmed on February 7, recovered.

 

Sharon Sanders on Flutrackers has already added these four cases to her terrific H7N9 Case Line List, without which I’d never be able to keep these cases straight.

#362 - Woman, 46, Zhaoqing Sihui. Confirmed on February 19, currently treated in a hospital. Guangdong province


#363 - Man, 64, Haizhu District of Guangzhou. Died on February 18. Retrospectively confirmed on February 19. Guangdong province Death


#364 - Man, 69, Jiangmen, Kaiping City. Confirmed on February 20, currently treated at a local hospital. Guangdong province


#365 - Man, 50, engaged in poultry farming. Currently treated in isolation at hospital, in stable condition, hospitalized on Feb 19, confirmed on Feb 21. Jilin Province
 

 

One of the remarkable things about this ad hoc collective we call Flublogia is that there is almost always a volunteer on watch somewhere in the world, 24 hours a day.  While I’m sleeping I know that Crof on the West Coast of Canada is up, and blogging, and that 16 time zones ahead of me, Dr. Ian Mackay is keeping a watchful eye from Australia.

 

Similarly, newshounds like Ironorehopper  and Tetano in Italy,  Gert van der Hoek in The Netherlands, Biological in Ireland (and others, too numerous to mention) are on watch around the globe, posting their finds on FluTrackers and the Flu Wiki (for more on this, see Newshounds: They Cover The Pandemic Front).

 

Lest anyone think that this blog is a solitary endeavor, much of what appears here on AFD would be impossible were it not for their hard work and generous support.