Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

(CIDRAP News) – Local emergency responses to H7N9 influenza outbreaks in China have all ended, a Chinese media report said today, as the World Health Organization (WHO) released an overview of what has been learned about the virus and the disease since it emerged 2 months ago.

(CIDRAP News) – Antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) are useful for treating H7N9 influenza infections, but there are worrisome signs that resistance can easily develop when patients take the drug, which can lead to a poor prognosis, researchers from China and Hong Kong reported today.

Chinese officials are wrapping up the bird sampling part of the investigation into the novel H7N9 avian flu virus, as international experts weigh the effect of live-bird market closures assess diagnostic tests, and explore candidate vaccine viruses.

(CIDRAP News) – The first study in animals to test-drive transmission of the new H7N9 virus found that it can spread by the airborne route in ferrets, but not very efficiently, an international team reported today in Science.

(CIDRAP News) – Test results on a cluster of Alabama patients hospitalized with similar respiratory symptoms indicated no unusual pathogens but instead a variety of common respiratory viruses and bacteria, state health officials announced today.

(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).

(CIDRAP News) – Science and preparedness discussions in the wake of China's H7N9 avian flu outbreak took the stage at two medical meetings today, with experts uneasy about how the virus has behaved so far and questioning its source and if the threat to humans can be contained.

May 21, 2013

(CIDRAP News) – China's H7N9 influenza outbreak was one of the high-profile disease topics in the opening address today for the annual World Health Assembly (WHA), as two global health groups issued new assessments of the risk to humans and the poultry trade.