Nineteen more H7N9 cases reported in China
Nineteen new H7N9 avian influenza cases have been reported in seven of China's provinces over the past 3 days, though basic epidemiologic details are known for only six of them, according to official reports, including health department notices translated and posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.
Nine of the cases are from Zhejiang province. Three of the case-patients are a 57-year-old man in Changshan County and two men, 49 and 76, from Jinhua. The illness in the older man was first reported in the Chinese media in late February; he has now died from his infection.
Six other H7N9 infections in Zhejiang province were noted in an update today from Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP), though no other details were available other than that the illness onsets for a batch of 19 cases, some previously known, occurred in the past 5 weeks.
Today's CHP report—based on information from mainland health authorities—also included six other H7N9 cases that hadn't been reported before, though no epidemiologic information was included. They included 3 cases from Jiangsu province, 2 cases from Hunan province, and 1 case from Guizhou province.
In separate reports, Guangdong province on Mar 7 reported 2 more H7N9 infections, Shandong province yesterday reported 1 illness, and Fujian province today reported 1 new case. The two patients from Guangdong province are a 62-year-old man from Foshan who is hospitalized in critical condition and a 57-year-old man from Jiangmen who has a history of lung cancer and is hospitalized in serious condition.
Meanwhile, Shandong officials said yesterday that the virus infected a 58-year-old man from Tai'an who is being treated for his illness. No details were available in the translated statement from Fujian province on the 1 new case, but it also mentions 3 deaths in previously reported H7N9 patients.
The 19 cases boost the global H7N9 total to 643 cases, according to a case list maintained by FluTrackers.
Mar 8 FluTrackers thread on 1 Zhejiang case
Mar 8 FluTrackers thread on 2 Zhejiang cases
Mar 9 CHP statement
Mar 7 FluTrackers thread on Guangdong cases
Mar 8 FluTrackers thread on Shandong case
Mar 9 FluTrackers thread on Fujian case
FluTrackers H7N9 case list
Egypt reports 5 H5N1 cases, 2 deaths
Two women from northern Egypt have died of H5N1 avian flu and three other people have contracted the disease, The Cairo Post reported yesterday, citing a health ministry statement.
The women are from Monufia and Sharqia governorates, both of which are in the Nile delta region. The story included no further details on the women. It also said that a 2-year-old from Cairo and two men in their 40s in the delta region have tested positive for the virus and are hospitalized.
A case list maintained by FluTrackers—which doesn't appear to include any of the five new cases—lists 82 H5N1 infections in Egypt this year, including 23 deaths.
Mar 8 Cairo Post story
FluTrackers H5N1 case list
Meta-analysis finds no harmful effect of flu vaccine during pregnancy
A 19-study meta-analysis on the effects of influenza vaccines on pregnant women found no elevated risk of adverse effects on pregnancy-related or birth outcomes.
Australian researchers examined 19 studies that included a total of 114,863 women and 384,239 unvaccinated controls. They found that fetal death for women in later pregnancy ranged from an odds ratio (OR) of 0.34 to 2.95, miscarriage at less than 24 weeks ranged from a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.45 to an OR of 1.23, and congenital malformations for women vaccinated during their first trimester ranged from an OR of 0.67 to 2.18.
None of these findings indicates an elevated risk, though the investigators add, "Statistical imprecision and clinical and methodological heterogeneity of the observational studies mean it is not possible to totally exclude adverse effects."
The authors say their review contains more recent studies than the most recent Cochrane review and is the most up-to-date systematic review published on fetal death and congenital malformations. They also write that theirs is the only systematic review that analyzes first-trimester immunization effects on congenital malformations.
Mar 8 Vaccine study