News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – A 79-year-old woman from China's Jiangxi province has been hospitalized with H7N9 avian flu, moving the outbreak total to 131 cases, including 31 deaths.

Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP), which cites China's National Health and Family Planning Commission, said in a statement today that the woman is in stable condition and that none of her 11 close contacts has shown symptoms so far.

(CIDRAP News) – Health officials in China reported two new H7N9 infections, both from Fujian province, and four more deaths, boosting the outbreak's total to 130 cases, 31 of them (24%) fatal.

(CIDRAP News) – Although no new H7N9 influenza cases or deaths were announced in China today, a team that treated severely ill patients in Shanghai raised questions about the benefits of oseltamivir (Tamiflu), and health groups issued updates on preparedness steps.

(CIDRAP News) – China reported one more novel H7N9 flu infection today, in a 58-year-old man from Fujian province, as experts in Hong Kong and the mainland aired their latest thinking on the potential risks to people and poultry.

(CIDRAP News) – The reach and number of H7N9 infections in China continued to expand over the past 3 days, with Hunan province reporting its first case and four others reporting six more, lifting the outbreak's total to 126, according to the latest official and media reports.

(CIDRAP News) – Taking a cue from curious findings noted during the 2009 influenza pandemic, Canadian researchers are suggesting that past exposure to distantly related viruses may help explain why the age curve in H7N9 cases is so skewed to the older side.