Chinese health officials today released the country's monthly infectious disease report, which lists 17 H7N9 cases and 7 deaths that occurred during March.
Six of the 17 cases and six deaths listed in China's National Health and Family Planning Commission update had not been previously reported, according to FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board. No demographic information about the new cases was provided.
Flu activity in the Northern Hemisphere remains high but has likely peaked, with several regions detecting increases in flu B, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in an Apr 4 update.
Flu levels in North America remain elevated because of H1N1 circulation, and Canada reported increasing proportions of flu B.
Cattle serve as a natural reservoir for influenza D, which causes mild upper respiratory disease and can be transmitted to other cattle through contact, according to a Mar 30 study in the Journal of Virology.
By most measures, the seasonal influenza epidemic in the United States waned further last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an update today, continuing a trend first apparent a week earlier.
Chinese officials have reported another human case of H7N9 avian flu, according to FluTrackers, an infectious disease message board.
The illness involves a 45-year-old man who is hospitalized in critical condition in Xuancheng, a city in east-central China's Anhui province, according to translated government information posted by FluTrackers. The patient had contact with live poultry, and his case was confirmed Mar 25, officials said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported that 9 more people have been sickened with Salmonella Virchow associated with recalled RAW Meal Organic Shake and Meal powders, bringing the outbreak total to 27 cases.
Flu levels in Europe and North America continued to rise, with high but stable activity noted in northern Asia and China, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a Mar 21 update.
The 2009 H1N1 virus is the predominant strain worldwide, though detections of influenza B have increased in Europe and northern Asia.
Of 29 recent H7N9 cases, 6 were part of 3 small clusters, but with no sign of sustained spread.
A MERS-CoV cluster in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, has grown by 2 cases, 1 of which was fatal, to 28 since Mar 3, the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) reported today. The agency also noted that a previously reported patient in Buraydah died from his infection.
