Flu Wiki Forum - Recent Comments

Correct link to the above:

Carol@SC — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:55:14 GMT

http://www.channelnewsasia.com...

(above article continued at link)

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:08:09 GMT

I'm going to have to quit posting for the day. My brain is fried!

Branswell: H7N9 virus closer to being human transmissible than other bird flu viruses

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:06:21 GMT

http://www.winnipegfreepress.c...

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

By: Helen Branswell, The Canadian Press

Posted: 05/23/2013 1:28 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 05/23/2013 4:30 PM

[This is Helen Branswell's article on the H7N9 study in ferrets and pigs. It is a long but excellent article best read at the source. I have rxcerpted only the first four paragraphs.]

TORONTO - The H7N9 bird flu virus responsible for this spring's explosive outbreak in China transmits well among ferrets and even sometimes spreads among them by the airborne route thought to be the way seasonal flu viruses transmit among people, a new study suggests.

While the airborne spread wasn't highly efficient, the work suggests this virus is more closely adapted to person-to-person spread than other bird flu viruses, the authors said.

"Under appropriate conditions human-to-human transmission of the H7N9 virus may be possible," the scientists - from China, Hong Kong, the United States and Toronto - say in a paper published Thursday in the journal Science.

They suggest China may need to rethink the management of live poultry markets, especially in urban areas, to prevent the virus from fully adapting to spread among people.

Nature; Declan Butler: Tensions linger over discovery of coronavirus

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:42:25 GMT

http://www.nature.com/news/ten...

Note: This article is from last January, but it covers the issue with the MERS virus that is under debate at the World Health Assembly at this time. Read at the site.

Declan Butler

14 January 2013 Corrected:15 January 2013

A continuing row pits researchers against authorities in Saudi Arabia, where deadly pathogen was first isolated.

Erasmus MC: No restrictions for public health research into MERS coronavirus

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:30:53 GMT

http://www.erasmusmc.nl/corp_h...

This is Eramsus' answer to the Saudi accusation:

The Viroscience Department of Erasmus MC strongly refutes all allegations concerning a presumed lack of willingness to cooperate in research into the new MERS coronavirus.

CoronavirusThe virus has already been sent free of charge to many public research and health institutions that can work with it safely and, like the Viroscience department, serve public health worldwide.

Rumours
It should be clear that a virus cannot be patented, only specific applications related to it, like vaccines and medicines. Rumours that the Viroscience department of Erasmus MC would hamper research into the MERS coronavirus are clearly wrong and not based on facts.

Transmissible
Erasmus MC was the first to identify the new coronavirus (MERS coronavirus). To date, more than 44 people have been infected with MERS coronavirus worldwide, 22 of whom have died. The virus could develop into a major public health threat if the new coronavirus becomes efficiently transmissible from human-to-human. Therefore a major research effort into MERS coronavirus and its properties is urgently needed.

Shipment
It is clear that all research institutions worldwide that want to carry out such research will receive the virus free of charge from Erasmus MC. For shipment of the virus it is mandatory that a material transfer agreement (MTA) is signed by the recipient institution, as is common practice when shipping viruses.

For more information, read the full press release.

Saudi MOH: MOH Statement Related to the Updates of the Novel Coronavirus Infection

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:22:59 GMT

http://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Minis...

[What we want are samples, human samples, and lots of them, sent to WHO, not more blah, blah, blah!]

Ministry News

24 May 2013
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced that no new confirmed Coronavirus cases have been recorded since the last statement two days ago, Allah be praised. Within the framework of the constant monitoring and the epidemiological surveillance of the competent committees, MOH has pointed out that 146 suspected samples have been laboratory analyzed during that period; where results proved negative.

Within the same vein, MOH has expounded that the national scientific committees keep on holding its meetings in the ministry's headquarter to follow up the latest developments about this virus, and they will keep everyone abreast with the updates in this regard.

Let's hope it doesn't get into school children

maryinhawaii — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:48:22 GMT

As a 28 year public school veteran teacher, I can assure you that the classroom situation affords as close contact as a family grouping. Therefore this scenario could apply

The disease was also transmitted to uninfected ferrets through direct contact with infected animals in the same cage, simulating what might happen among human family members living in the same home.

Children in crowded classrooms sneeze, cough and wipe body fluids on tables and doorknobs. They eat together and often share bites of food. Co-infection is a given, so the fact that this virus has the ability to infect via airborne transmission makes it an almost certainty that if/when it begins infecting children in a school situation it will certainly spread. Another similar area of concern would be military barracks, just like in the 1918 pandemic.

We are probably lucky that it began in older retired adults, where they generally did not have a lot of close contact with others except for family members. This gave us a heads up, a chance to get to know it a little better and get ready. Once it begins spreading to more hosts, it has more opportunities to continue its evolution to become more and more transmissible. So, continue to prepare seriously, IMO.

airline, bus and other mass transit travelers beware

maryinhawaii — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:24:23 GMT

The scientists showed that healthy ferrets caught the virus and began shedding it within three days of being caged with infected ferrets.By the sixth day, they were sneezing, coughing and had runny noses.
snip
In a separate experiment, three ferrets were caged 10 centimetres away from infected ones to test whether they could become infected through the aerosols produced by the coughs and sneezes of diseased animals. One of the three ferrets became infected, demonstrating that transmission is possible

If authorities are only checking passengers for fever or other obvious signs of illness, they are potentially going to miss those carriers who are already shedding the virus, and in an enclosed space may give the virus to nearby passengers, it would seem.

Saudi to send animal samples to US in coronavirus probe

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:10:36 GMT

http://www.newfluwiki2.com/pos...

Friday, 24 May 2013 17:53
Posted by Muhammad Iqbal

imageGENEVA: Saudi Arabia said on Friday it would send samples taken from animals possibly infected with a deadly SARS-like virus to the United States for testing in a bid to find the source of disease.

The Saudi health ministry has "collected large samples from bats and other animals, including camels, sheep and cats," said Saudi Deputy Health Minister Ziad Memish.

...

Memish told diplomats gathered in Geneva for the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, that his country until now had not been able to send samples from animals besides bats to the United States.

"But now... we've got an approval to move these samples and they will be shipped for testing," he said.

...

Scientists at the Erasmus medical centre in Rotterdam have determined that the virus appears to infect the body via a docking point in lung cells, suggesting bats may be a natural reservoir for it.
...

World Health Organization: Coronavirus research stalled by scientific red tape

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:06:42 GMT

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-20...

CBS/AP/ May 24, 2013, 10:37 AM

[Note: This is an excellent summary article that is best read at the site!]

Who to help Saudis probe coronavirus before Haj

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:59:21 GMT

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/...

• Reuters
• Published: 20:07 May 24, 2013

Geneva: The World Health Organisation (Who) said on Friday that it would help Saudi Arabia dig deeper into deadly outbreaks of a new Sars-like virus to draw up advice ahead of the annual Haj pilgrimage, which attracts millions of Muslims.
...
"Without that proper risk assessment, we cannot have clarity on the incubation period, on the signs and symptoms of the disease, on the proper clinical management and then, last but not least, on travel advice," Chan told the WHO's annual ministerial meeting in Geneva.

The WHO, which sent a first team to Saudi Arabia this month, will provide a fresh risk assessment ahead of this year's Haj, which takes place in October.

"We need to get the facts clear and get the appropriate advice to all your countries where your pilgrims want to go to Makkah. It is something quite urgent," Chan said.
Millions flock to the Muslim holy cities of Makkahand Madinah for the Haj, although pilgrims come and go all year round.

Saudi Arabia said on Friday that tighter controls had helped to stamped out a MERS-CoV outbreak in a hospital in the eastern region of al Ahsa, which infected 22 people, killing 10.

"Certain infection control measures were applied because we thought there was some transmission happening in the areas where the patients were clustered. These included the ICU [intensive care unit] and the haemo-dialysis unit," Saudi Arabia's Deputy Health Minister Ziad Memish told the Geneva talks.

The measures included separating patients or increasing the distance between them, and reduction of direct contact.

Many questions remain about how the new virus spreads and what the vector may be, ranging possibly from animals to surface contamination. Saudi and WHO officials say there has been some contagion between people, but only where contact has been close and prolonged.

[Note: I don't think the infection control measures they instituted in the hospital would be possible in any way during the Haaj. From what I've read the pilgrims are thronged together and stay in vast tent cities. ]

France: Novel coronavirus: always steady and serious condition for two French patients

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:43:58 GMT

original link: http://www.leparisien.fr/lille...
translated link: http://translate.googleusercon...

Published on 24.05.2013, 6:21 p.m.

The state of health of patients first two French novel coronavirus was always steady and serious Friday, according to a final point of Lille University Hospital, where they are hospitalized.

"There is absolutely no change (...), the state is still quite stationary for these two patients," he told AFP a spokesman for the hospital.

The two patients whose health is "still worrying" and shows no sign of improvement, both remain on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) to take over their lung function.

Although the situation is still "stable" health "is very worrying and very serious," said the spokesman.

The first patient was hospitalized on April 23 in Valenciennes (North), on his return from a trip to Dubai. Contamination by the new coronavirus was confirmed on May 7
Contamination of the second patient, a man in his fifties who had roommates first to Valenciennes from April 27 to 29, had been confirmed on the night of May 11 to 12

2009 H1N1 swine flu deadliest for those age 65 and younger

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:36:34 GMT

http://www.upi.com/Health_News...

2009 H1N1 swine flu deadliest for those age 65 and younger

Published: May 24, 2013 at 1:52 PM

IRVINE, Calif., May 24 (UPI) -- There were 53,692 pneumonia and influenza U.S. deaths in the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic and the hardest hit were those age 65 and younger, researchers say.

Study co-author Andrew Noymer, an associate professor of public health at the University of California, Irvine, said deaths from flu pandemics tend to skew younger than those from typical seasonal flu because of "antigenic recycling," the fact that some parts of flu viruses have already made the rounds among older people.

Between 1918 and 1957, all flu viruses in circulation fell into the H1N1 category, so in 2009, older adults had some protection stemming from their prior experience with viruses of this type, Noymer said.

"Excess death rates were highest among 25- to 64-year-olds," Noymer said in a statement.

...
October and November of 2009 had the highest flu death rates in those 25-34 since at least 1959, when computerized collection of population data began.

The novelty of the currently emerging H7N9 bird flu strain is noteworthy, because the virus has not been experienced before in anyone's lifetime, Noymer said.

The findings appear in the journal Plos One.

Low Population Immunity Predicted If New Bird Flu Virus H7N9 Escalates Into A Human Pandemic

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:27:40 GMT

http://www.medicalnewstoday.co...

Article Date: 24 May 2013 - 0:00 PDT

The level of immunity to the recently circulating H7N9 influenza virus in an urban and rural population in Vietnam is very low, according to the first population level study to examine human immunity to the virus, which was previously only found in birds. The findings have implications for planning the public health response to this pandemic threat.

The study used a new, high throughput method that allows blood samples to be analysed for antibodies to multiple human and animal influenza viruses at the same time and is easier to standardise than previous techniques. However, the assay is yet to be validated clinically for the H7N9 virus, and the researchers caution that the results must be interpreted with care.

[Interesting article...much more at site]

Scientists-worry-about-new-bird-flu-s-potential-mutate

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:22:33 GMT

http://www.htrnews.com/viewart...
/

May 23, 2013 6:05 PM |

Although Chinese officials appear to have stemmed the spread of a dangerous new bird flu, many scientists remain concerned.

The H7N9 bird flu appears to be evolving, and could be only a few mutations away from a form that could be passed easily from person to person, according to a new report.
World Health Organization officials say there have been no new cases since May 8, partly because Chinese authorities have culled the poultry spreading the virus. Some live bird markets have been closed, as well.

"It has given us a breather while we look more closely at this virus," says William Schaffner, an influenza expert and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

WHO officials say nearly everyone with the H7N9 virus contracted the flu from poultry, such as those sold at live markets.

But judging from a handful of cases, the new virus does seem capable of spreading from person to person within households, where people are in very close contact, says Arnold Monto, an influenza expert and professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
...
• With H1N1 swine flu, which struck in 2009, older people had some immunity from previous swine flu pandemics, Schaffner says.

But everyone on the planet would be susceptible to either bird flu, Schaffner says.

Humans have never experienced a virus like H7N9 before, says Monto, who was not involved in the new study. It's concerning, he says, that H7N9 is "semi-humanized," with a number of genetic changes that make it closer to spreading easily.

Taiwan's 1st H7N9 bird flu patient recovers

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:00:03 GMT

http://english.peopledaily.com...

(Xinhua)
16:49, May 24, 2013

TAIPEI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The first Taiwanese person to be infected with the H7N9 bird flu has recovered and left the hospital on Friday after 35 days of treatment, a spokesman for Taiwan University Hospital said on Friday.

The 53-year-old Taiwanese man, who had briefly stayed in east China's city of Suzhou, showed bird flu symptoms three days after returning to Taiwan via Shanghai on April 9.

The patient's health has improved significantly and the virus has not been detected in his upper and lower respiratory tracts, the hospital spokesman said at a press conference.

The patient, surnamed Lee, also attended the press conference. He has entrusted his family to express his gratitude for the medical team that helped him, as well as his apologies for causing panic on the island.

...

Study Identifies Risks of Human Spread of H7N9 Bird Flu

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:50:59 GMT

http://www.voanews.com/content...

Jessica Berman
May 24, 2013
...

To find out how efficiently the virus can be transmitted among humans, an international team of researchers, led by Chinese scientists, studied its contagion among ferrets. The small mammals can transmit infectious diseases through aerosols produced by sneezing and coughing, much like humans.

Richard Webby is a virologist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and a study co-author. Webby said the work seems to suggest humans would have to be in close contact to transmit this virus. "That's what our ferret studies would support. That potentially, if you have infected people very close to uninfected people, you might get transmission," he explained. "But it's not very efficient."

Chinese investigators swabbed the noses of a group of ferrets infected with the H7N9 virus taken from an infected human patient who had died. Researchers detected evidence of H7 through the nasal samples before the animals developed respiratory symptoms, suggesting more people may be carriers of the virus than is currently believed.

The disease was also transmitted to uninfected ferrets through direct contact with infected animals in the same cage, simulating what might happen among human family members living in the same home.

But when they were placed in a separate cage and exposed to diseased animals in another enclosure, only 1 of 3 healthy ferrets contracted H7N9. Researchers also found the virus did not transmit to pigs, another potential reservoir of influenza.

Experts believe both airborne and direct contact transmission is needed to ignite a pandemic.

Anthony Fauci is director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci said the findings of the Chinese study confirm what's already known about H7N9. "That it can be transmitted to mammals rarely and inefficiently, and it's not being transmitted in any way from person to person," he stated.

Meanwhile, in the first human population study of H7N9 influenza, researchers analyzed just over 1,700 blood samples for 5 different avian flu viruses in the H7 subtype, in both urban and rural areas in southern Vietnam, which neighbors China.

Investigators found low levels of H7 antibodies, markers of the human immune system's ability to defend against pathogens. The researchers say the low levels suggest that international measures to contain the H7N9 influenza, in the event of severe outbreak, will need to be targeted in Asia.
...

Their research is published in the journal Science Express.

UPDATE 1-New bird flu strain may be capable of spreading from human to human-study

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:29:48 GMT

http://www.reuters.com/article...

Fri May 24, 2013 7:25am EDT
(Adds comment from WHO)
By Lavinia Mo

...
"The findings suggest that the possibility of this virus evolving further to form the basis of a future pandemic threat cannot be excluded," said the research team, led by bird flu expert and microbiologist Yi Guan.

The team also found that some infected animals did not develop fever and other clinical signs, indicating that asymptomatic infections among humans are possible. That would make the virus harder to detect and control.
The virus can also infect pigs, but could not be transmitted from pig to pig or from pigs to other animals, the study showed, although the team urged authorities to maintain surveillance to ensure the virus did not mutate into a more serious one.

The WHO called the study a good one but cautioned that people "have to be very careful about what's going on the ground".

"Studies like that are really helpful for increasing general knowledge and it's really helpful to know that under lab conditions this thing could transfer from person to person," WHO chief spokesman Gregory Hartl told Reuters.

"We've already seen maybe a few limited instances of human to human transmission within close family range, within close contacts, so this is another piece of the puzzle," he said.
[continued]

Nature; Declan Butler: New avian flu readily transmits in key animal model

bgw in MT — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:16:05 GMT

http://www.nature.com/news/new...

Nature; Declan Butler: New avian flu readily transmits in key animal model

Emerging H7N9 virus easily jumps between ferrets even though there is no evidence for human-to-human transmission.

• Declan Butler
24 May 2013

...
A study on the novel H7N9 avian influenza that has killed 36 people in China finds that the virus is transmissible between ferrets. According to the authors, the findings suggest that H7N9 could become capable of passing from person to person - although thus far the virus has not shown any signs of doing so.

The researchers, from China, Canada and the United States, inoculated six ferrets and four pigs with H7N9 isolated from a fatal human case in Shanghai. All the animals became infected.
...[snip of study design]

Malik Peiris, a flu virologist at the University of Hong Kong and a co-author of the latest study, says that all flu viruses that spread easily between humans are also transmissible by air between ferrets. Flu infections that do not spread easily between humans, such as H5N1, do not transmit via the air between ferrets. What the latest work shows, he says, "is that this virus is closer to acquiring human-to-human transmission than other pandemic candidates out there, but not as transmissible as true seasonal [flu] viruses or pandemic 2009 H1N1".

The ferrets' flu symptoms were limited to sneezing, coughing, runny noses and mild lethargy, in contrast with the severe disease seen in humans. Although ferrets show many aspects of human flu infections, the animals are an "imperfect model" for flu virulence in humans, says Frederick Hayden, a flu virologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

"It's self-evident that the best study of human disease is the study of humans with the disease," but the ferret studies complement these, says Peiris. He also says that autopsy data from human H7N9 cases is scarce and often reflects late-stage infection, for example, and so it does not capture the early stages of the disease. Data from infected humans, from cultured human cells and from animal experiments "all provide important and different dimensions of the questions we want to address," Peiris says. "No one approach will give all the answers."

So - many also had no underlying conditions

Cathy M — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:27:57 GMT

many patients - in this case, 61% - had underlying medical conditions.

That statistic also says that a significant portion - 39% - were healthy adults with NO underlying medication conditions! That, to me, is as significant as the way they phrase it! How many health adults are killed by H1N1 annually? or any of the other flus? I'm glad this study finally got some details out.

CIDRAP: Study of H7N9 cases shows extent of severe disease

Carol@SC — Fri, 24 May 2013 07:19:17 GMT

May 22, 2013 (CIDRAP News) - Researchers from China today published a detailed clinical analysis of 111 patients sickened in the country's H7N9 influenza outbreak that showed how severe patients' illnesses have been, with 77% admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). The team reviewed the medical charts of 111 patients whose cases were lab-confirmed through May 10, publishing their analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Their latest work expands on an epidemiologic analysis of 82 confirmed H7N9 cases that appeared in the same journal on Apr 24.

So far the new virus has sickened at least 131 people, 36 of them fatally. One of the cases was reported from Taiwan, a man who had traveled for business to China's outbreak area.

Some of the findings echoed those from the earlier study. For example, 42% were 65 years old or older, males outnumbered females two to one, and many patients - in this case, 61% - had underlying medical conditions.

Fever and cough were the most common symptoms, and though conjunctivitis has been a hallmark in people infected with other H7 strains, none of the study patients had the symptom. As with other patients with avian influenza, those with H7N9 illnesses didn't report sore throat or runny nose. Infection with H7N9 went on to cause severe illness, including pneumonia in 108 patients (97%) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in 79 (71%). Eighty-five patients (77%) were admitted to ICUs.

Of the patients with ARDS, 65 required mechanical ventilation and, of those, 20 received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Other complications included shock, kidney injury, and rhabdomyolysis.

Among the patients included in the review, 30 (27%) died, 49 have been discharged after a median stay of 3 weeks, and 30 remained hospitalized as of May 10. The median time from illness onset to death was 14 days, and all of the patients who died had pneumonia and ARDS. One of the two pregnant women in the group has been discharged, and the other is still hospitalized in stable condition. Only 2 of the 111 patients were not hospitalized; 1 died 7 days after becoming sick, and the other has fully recovered.

Researchers were able to calculate incubation period based on data from 62 patients who had a definite date of exposure to live poultry. The team estimated an incubation period of 5 days. Continued: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidr...

Alabama mystery illness determined to be flu, cold or pneumonia

Carol@SC — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:55:22 GMT

Seven Alabama residents sickened by a mysterious illness this month that resulted in two deaths actually had cases of the flu, a cold virus or pneumonia, state health officials announced Thursday.

State and local authorities had been conducting laboratory tests from samples taken from the seven patients in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The lab samples revealed a combination of influenza A, rhinovirus (the virus associated with the common cold), and bacterial pneumonia. The news assuaged fears that the illnesses were caused by viruses that are behind recent overseas outbreaks.

"This is good news," state health officer Dr. Don Williamson said in a press release. "Testing has ruled out avian flu and novel coronavirus."

(Snip)

All seven Alabama patients were tested and six of the samples came back positive for either influenza A, rhinovirus or a combination of the two. Three patients were found to have bacterial pneumonia.

On Wednesday, the state health department had asked doctors to report cases of severe respiratory symptoms and take other precautions like wearing masks. Department spokesperson Dr. Mary McIntyre, assistant state health officer for disease control and prevention, said Thursday that after determining the cause of the infections, the enhanced surveillance has been called off. Continued: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-20...

(Note: The last count I saw was 10 cases and 2 deaths.)

Please post new news stories ...

AlohaOR — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:53:21 GMT

...to News Reports for May 24, 2013

Thank you!

China: No H7N9 virus found in poultry farms: MOA

Carol@SC — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:40:17 GMT

The H7N9 bird flu virus has not been detected in poultry farms, with positive samples mainly coming from live poultry markets, China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Thursday.

The MOA said it has "basically" finished collecting and testing 899,758 samples from across most parts of the country.

Of the total, 53 samples were found positive with H7N9. Fifty-one positive samples were from 18 live poultry markets in Shanghai, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Henan, Shandong, Guangdong, Jiangxi and Fujian, the MOA said in a statement. The other two positive samples were from wild pigeons in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province and domestic pigeons in Nantong, in Jiangsu Province.

Experts believe live poultry markets pose more danger and farms should step up efforts to guard against the virus (Snip). The H7N9 virus is not lethal to chicken and ducks (Snip). Also, no pigs were found to have caught the virus (Snip).

(Snip). http://www.china.org.cn/china/...

Bird flu virus is capable of human spread

Carol@SC — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:28:07 GMT

The bird flu virus that has killed 36 people in China is capable of human-to-human spread, scientists found in animal studies that highlight its pandemic potential.

Ferrets experimentally infected with the new H7N9 strain passed it to other ferrets occupying the same cage, indicating the virus's ability to spread via direct contact, said researchers at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing and the University of Hong Kong. Flu transmission in ferrets is a predictor of patterns in humans (Snip). The research will help health officials tailor their response to the H7N9 strain, which is known to have infected 131 people since March, mostly through contact with virus-laden poultry.

(Snip)

So far, there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission - a feature required for flu to spark a pandemic - the World Health Organisation said. "The emergence of the H7N9 influenza virus in humans in eastern China has raised concerns that a new influenza pandemic could occur," researcher Yuelong Shu and colleagues wrote. "Under appropriate conditions, human-to-human transmission of the H7N9 virus may be possible."

The scientists showed that healthy ferrets caught the virus and began shedding it within three days of being caged with infected ferrets. By the sixth day, they were sneezing, coughing and had runny noses.

Coughing ferrets

In a separate experiment, three ferrets were caged 10 centimetres away from infected ones to test whether they could become infected through the aerosols produced by the coughs and sneezes of diseased animals. One of the three ferrets became infected, demonstrating that transmission is possible via direct contact and exposure to aerosols, but "less efficiently", (Snip). Similar experiments with H7N9-infected pigs didn't result in transmissions onto ferrets and other pigs sharing the same space or air, according to the study.

(Snip)

Brain infection

The H7N9 virus can infect the upper and lower respiratory tracts, lymph nodes and potentially the brain, according to the researchers, who detected the viral RNA in the organs of infected ferrets. The animals also started shedding the virus before most clinical signs appeared, a trait that "has been observed previously for pandemic and seasonal influenza", they said.

"If this virus acquires the ability to efficiently transmit from human-to-human, extensive spread of this virus may be inevitable, as quarantine measures will lag behind its spread," the Chinese researchers said. Continued: http://www.theage.com.au/world...

(Note: I guess the Chinese government and the WHO can't say it's all about the chickens anymore. God knows they tried hard enough to convince us of it, even when the evidence clearly pointed to the fact that it wasn't true! JMO)

H7N9 Found To Be Airborne

Okieman — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:31:47 GMT

H7N9 bird flu found to spread through the air

Virus can also infect pigs, say HKU researchers, who warn officials to maintain tight scrutiny even though threat seems under control
Jeanette Wang
Friday, 24 May, 2013, 5:50am

The H7N9 bird flu virus can be transmitted not only through close contact but by airborne exposure, a team at the University of Hong Kong found after extensive laboratory experiments.

Though the virus appears to have been brought under control recently, the researchers urged the Hong Kong authorities to maintain strict surveillance, which should include not only poultry but humans and pigs.

"We also found that the virus can infect pigs, which was not previously known," said Dr Maria Zhu Huachen, a research assistant professor at HKU's School of Public Health.

(snip)

On a more positive note, it was found that the virus is relatively mild.

"Most of the fatal H7N9 cases had underlying medical conditions, so there are probably some other factors that contribute to this kind of fatality," Zhu said.

(snip)

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-...

Correct link:

Carol@SC — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:26:48 GMT

http://www.philly.com/philly/b...

Yes, it is Hong Kong

Carol@SC — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:23:10 GMT

The Hong Kong Center for Health Protection is monitoring the news and information on the coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases in Tunisia.

Modern farming goes hand in hand

UK - Bird — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:17:11 GMT

with modern, city living. People can't afford the time or the space to grow their own food. They pay a premium because they need the convenience. For more rural communities the meat would have to be heavily subsidised to encourage them not to keep their own chickens and ducks. It would be a logistical nightmare to set up and keep running. It also wouldn't deal with the die hard traditionalists who want to see how healthy the bird is before it's slaughtered and cooked.

Rabbits are ok

UK - Bird — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:43:17 GMT

but the meat is tougher than chicken and in smaller quantities. Rabbits take 4-6 months to mature about 4 times that of chicken. Selective breeding might plump up the rabbit and speed growth but would never be able to match the breeding rate of a chicken. Chickens can lay eggs almost continuously and is not needed to suckle or parent the young. And of course eggs can be eaten too. The humble chicken really is amazing.