Beijing reports first case of H7N9 bird flu infection
Iran Press TV
Sat Apr 13, 2013 4:26PM GMT
Chinese health authorities say a case of infection with H7N9 strain of bird flu has been confirmed in Beijing - the first such instance in the Chinese capital.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the case was discovered following a test on Saturday.
Zhong Dongbo, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, said the patient - a seven-year-old girl - is being treated at the Beijing Ditan Hospital, and is currently in stable condition.
To date, the H7N9 avian influenza has claimed ten lives. A total of 44 people in China have been infected by the virus.
China officially confirmed the occurrence of human infection with the new bird flu virus late last month and a research project was formally launched on April 10 to develop a vaccine for the H7N9.
The project, jointly undertaken by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Health and Family Planning Commission, aims to produce a vaccine for the virus within the next seven months.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that there is no evidence that the H7N9 virus can spread among human beings.
The Geneva-based world body has also announced that it plans to send a team of international experts to China to investigate the new bird flu virus.
The H7N9 bird flu virus is distinct from the H5N1 virus. Since 2003, the H5N1 strain has caused more than 360 confirmed human deaths and tens of millions of birds have died from the infection.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
