No evidence of human transmission of bird flu as China cases rise - CNN

China bird flu cases rise, still no evidence of human transmission

By Paul Armstrong, CNN

Updated 0216 GMT (1016 HKT) April 9, 2013

A janitor sprays disinfectant over empty chicken cages at a market in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Monday, April 29. Asian countries have stepped up vigilance against the spread of H7N9 bird flu after a case of the deadly strain showed up in Taiwan, the first outside mainland China.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – A janitor sprays disinfectant over empty chicken cages at a market in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Monday, April 29. Asian countries have stepped up vigilance against the spread of H7N9 bird flu after a case of the deadly strain showed up in Taiwan, the first outside mainland China.
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A New Taipei City Department of Environmental Protection truck sprays a virus disinfectant in a park on April 29.
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Bird flu scare spreads – A New Taipei City Department of Environmental Protection truck sprays a virus disinfectant in a park on April 29.
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Doctors hold a consultation on the treatment for a patient surnamed Luo, the province's first human case of H7N9 avian influenza, at the No. 2 Hospital in Longyan City, in southeast China's Fujian Province, on April 27. Luo, 65, a local resident, showed symptoms of repeated coughing, low fever and a tight chest on April 18. Luo tested positive for the H7N9 virus on Friday by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Thirty-seven people who have been in close contact with Luo have not shown any abnormal symptoms so far.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – Doctors hold a consultation on the treatment for a patient surnamed Luo, the province's first human case of H7N9 avian influenza, at the No. 2 Hospital in Longyan City, in southeast China's Fujian Province, on April 27. Luo, 65, a local resident, showed symptoms of repeated coughing, low fever and a tight chest on April 18. Luo tested positive for the H7N9 virus on Friday by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Thirty-seven people who have been in close contact with Luo have not shown any abnormal symptoms so far.
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A vendor stands by her chicken coop in Fuqing, southeast China's Fujian Province on April 26. At least 20 people have died from the virus which, while common in birds, hadn't been detected in humans before the first cases were reported in March.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – A vendor stands by her chicken coop in Fuqing, southeast China's Fujian Province on April 26. At least 20 people have died from the virus which, while common in birds, hadn't been detected in humans before the first cases were reported in March.
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A woman wearing a medical mask walks past vending machines that sell masks outside National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei on April 26. A 53-year-old Taiwanese businessman has contracted the H7N9 strain of bird flu while traveling in China, Taiwan's Health Department said on April 24. It's the first reported case outside of mainland China. The man was hospitalized after becoming ill three days after returning from Suzhou on April 9.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – A woman wearing a medical mask walks past vending machines that sell masks outside National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei on April 26. A 53-year-old Taiwanese businessman has contracted the H7N9 strain of bird flu while traveling in China, Taiwan's Health Department said on April 24. It's the first reported case outside of mainland China. The man was hospitalized after becoming ill three days after returning from Suzhou on April 9.
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Disease control workers examine a chicken in a poultry farm in Fuqing on April 26.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Disease control workers examine a chicken in a poultry farm in Fuqing on April 26.
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Three people wearing masks walk outside the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei on Thursday, April 25. China has reported 83 cases of H7N9 avian influenza.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Three people wearing masks walk outside the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei on Thursday, April 25. China has reported 83 cases of H7N9 avian influenza.
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An H7N9 bird flu patient walks in the corridor of a hospital after his recovery and approval for discharge in Bozhou, in central China's Anhui Province, on Friday, April 19.
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Bird flu scare spreads – An H7N9 bird flu patient walks in the corridor of a hospital after his recovery and approval for discharge in Bozhou, in central China's Anhui Province, on Friday, April 19.
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Chickens line the walls at a poultry farm on Thursday, April 18, in Yuncheng, China.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Chickens line the walls at a poultry farm on Thursday, April 18, in Yuncheng, China.
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A 7-year-old girl, who was the first confirmed bird flu case in Beijing, is discharged from Beijing Ditan Hospital on Wednesday, April 17.
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Bird flu scare spreads – A 7-year-old girl, who was the first confirmed bird flu case in Beijing, is discharged from Beijing Ditan Hospital on Wednesday, April 17.
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Health workers collect blood samples from chickens at a poultry farm in Taizhou, China, on April 17.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Health workers collect blood samples from chickens at a poultry farm in Taizhou, China, on April 17.
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Chickens roost at a poultry farm in Taizhou, China, on Wednesday, April 17.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Chickens roost at a poultry farm in Taizhou, China, on Wednesday, April 17.
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Pedestrians in Shanghai wear face masks to protect themselves from the H7N9 bird flu virus on Tuesday, April 16.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Pedestrians in Shanghai wear face masks to protect themselves from the H7N9 bird flu virus on Tuesday, April 16.
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A man throws ducklings into a stove at a duck farm in Zhangzhou in China's Fujian province on Sunday, April 14. The farm has had to kill more than 400,000 newborn ducks every week after the H7N9 bird flu affected the domestic poultry market.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – A man throws ducklings into a stove at a duck farm in Zhangzhou in China's Fujian province on Sunday, April 14. The farm has had to kill more than 400,000 newborn ducks every week after the H7N9 bird flu affected the domestic poultry market.
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A woman uses a lamp to illuminate a batch of eggs in the hatchery of a duck farm in Zhangzhou on April 14.
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Bird flu scare spreads – A woman uses a lamp to illuminate a batch of eggs in the hatchery of a duck farm in Zhangzhou on April 14.
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Cheng Jun, vice president of Beijing's Ditan hospital, shows a video of the first bird flu victim in intensive care during a press conference on Saturday, April 13.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Cheng Jun, vice president of Beijing's Ditan hospital, shows a video of the first bird flu victim in intensive care during a press conference on Saturday, April 13.
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Officials in Hong Kong test poultry at the border with mainland China on April 11 as authorities step up measures against the spread of the deadly H7N9 bird flu.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – Officials in Hong Kong test poultry at the border with mainland China on April 11 as authorities step up measures against the spread of the deadly H7N9 bird flu.
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Empty cages are seen at a closed bird market on April 10 in Shanghai.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Empty cages are seen at a closed bird market on April 10 in Shanghai.
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A technician conducts tests for the H7N9 bird flu virus at the Kunming Center for Disease Control on April 10 in Kunming, China.
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Bird flu scare spreads – A technician conducts tests for the H7N9 bird flu virus at the Kunming Center for Disease Control on April 10 in Kunming, China.
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Medical workers take part in a drill that simulates human infection of the H7N9 bird flu virus on April 9 in Hefei, China.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Medical workers take part in a drill that simulates human infection of the H7N9 bird flu virus on April 9 in Hefei, China.
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People wear masks to protect themselves from the H7N9 virus, or bird flu, while riding the underground in Shanghai on Tuesday, April 9.
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Bird flu scare spreads – People wear masks to protect themselves from the H7N9 virus, or bird flu, while riding the underground in Shanghai on Tuesday, April 9.
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Employees work on the production line of Shufeng Jiedu Capsule, an herbal medicine for treating avian influenza patients, at a workshop of Anhui Jiren Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd on Monday, April 8 in Bozhou, China.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – Employees work on the production line of Shufeng Jiedu Capsule, an herbal medicine for treating avian influenza patients, at a workshop of Anhui Jiren Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd on Monday, April 8 in Bozhou, China.
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A public park staff carries a cage to catch pigeons at a public area in People's Square, downtown Shanghai on Saturday, April 6. Shanghai municipal government has ordered workers to remove pigeons from public area to prevent the spread of H7N9 bird flu to humans, local media reported.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – A public park staff carries a cage to catch pigeons at a public area in People's Square, downtown Shanghai on Saturday, April 6. Shanghai municipal government has ordered workers to remove pigeons from public area to prevent the spread of H7N9 bird flu to humans, local media reported.
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A boy looks at pigeons at a public park in People's Square in Shanghaion on April 6. Health authorities in China said on Saturday that the country's 16 confirmed H7N9 bird flu cases were isolated and showed no sign that it is transmitted from human to human, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – A boy looks at pigeons at a public park in People's Square in Shanghaion on April 6. Health authorities in China said on Saturday that the country's 16 confirmed H7N9 bird flu cases were isolated and showed no sign that it is transmitted from human to human, Xinhua News Agency reported.
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A public park worker catches a dove in People's Square in downtown Shanghai on April 6.
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Bird flu scare spreads – A public park worker catches a dove in People's Square in downtown Shanghai on April 6.
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A public park worker places a dove in a cage in Shanghai on April 6.
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Bird flu scare spreads – A public park worker places a dove in a cage in Shanghai on April 6.
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A masked security guard stands outside Taipei Hoping Hospital on April 6, where new isolation units have been set up to treat potential new avian influenza cases.
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Bird flu scare spreads – A masked security guard stands outside Taipei Hoping Hospital on April 6, where new isolation units have been set up to treat potential new avian influenza cases.
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Taiwan's Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta checks the negative pressure system in a isolation room as he inspects preparations for the virus in Taipei City Hospital Heping Branch, on April 6.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – Taiwan's Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta checks the negative pressure system in a isolation room as he inspects preparations for the virus in Taipei City Hospital Heping Branch, on April 6.
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A woman wears a face mask inside a subway station in Shanghai, China, on Friday, April 5. The Chinese minister of agriculture said Thursday it had discovered the H7N9 virus in samples taken from pigeons at Huhai agricultural market, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – A woman wears a face mask inside a subway station in Shanghai, China, on Friday, April 5. The Chinese minister of agriculture said Thursday it had discovered the H7N9 virus in samples taken from pigeons at Huhai agricultural market, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
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Health workers gather dead chickens at the Huhai poultry wholesale market, where the H7N9 bird flu virus was detected in pigeon samples, in Shanghai on April 5.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Health workers gather dead chickens at the Huhai poultry wholesale market, where the H7N9 bird flu virus was detected in pigeon samples, in Shanghai on April 5.
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Cabin attendants are seen on a thermographic imaging device after their arrival from Shanghai at the quarantine station at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo on April 5.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Cabin attendants are seen on a thermographic imaging device after their arrival from Shanghai at the quarantine station at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo on April 5.
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Men wear face masks at a shopping mall in downtown Shanghai on April 5.
Photos: Photos: Bird flu scare spreads
Bird flu scare spreads – Men wear face masks at a shopping mall in downtown Shanghai on April 5.
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Chinese health workers collect bags of dead chickens at the Huhai wholesale market on April 5.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Chinese health workers collect bags of dead chickens at the Huhai wholesale market on April 5.
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A policeman goes after a chicken that broke loose as Chinese health workers started culling chickens at Huhai wholesale market on April 5.
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Bird flu scare spreads – A policeman goes after a chicken that broke loose as Chinese health workers started culling chickens at Huhai wholesale market on April 5.
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A woman cleans a birdcage at a store in Taipei, Taiwan, on Thursday, April 4.
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Bird flu scare spreads – A woman cleans a birdcage at a store in Taipei, Taiwan, on Thursday, April 4.
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Staff members from Taiwan's Center for Disease Control stand at the entrance of Sungshan Airport in Taipei.
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Bird flu scare spreads – Staff members from Taiwan's Center for Disease Control stand at the entrance of Sungshan Airport in Taipei.
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A passenger has her temperature checked by a CDC staff member at the entrance of Sungshan Airport in Taipei.
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Bird flu scare spreads – A passenger has her temperature checked by a CDC staff member at the entrance of Sungshan Airport in Taipei.
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Story highlights

  • Total number of infections has risen to 21, Xinhua reports
  • Six people have died so far, though virus yet to pass between humans
  • WHO: Source of the current outbreak remains unknown
  • China working on vaccine for H7N9 virus, health officials say
China announced another case of a rare strain of bird flu Monday, taking the total number of H7N9 infections to 21, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
The new case was confirmed in the country's eastern Anhui province, Xinhua said.
Six people have died so far, four in Shanghai and two in Zhejiang, in eastern China, Xinhua said.
Chinese authorities have killed more than 20,000 birds from a live-poultry trading zone in Shanghai in an effort to deal with the issue, while a number of other cities across the country have also announced trading suspensions.
READ: China closes poultry sale in third city
In a joint press conference with China's health ministry in Beijing early Monday, the WHO reiterated that the source of the current outbreak has yet to be pinpointed but that they have not seen any cases of the virus passing between humans.
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"The recent reports from China are the first cases of human infection with H7N9 viruses. Although we do not yet know the source of infection, at this time there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission," said the WHO's Michael O'Leary.
"We know at this point that, in the human cases we know, the disease is very serious and a large percentage of cases have died -- or a substantial percentage have died and others are critically ill.
"Some of the confirmed cases had contact with animals or with environments in which animals were located. The virus has been found in a pigeon in a market in Shanghai. These events gave possibility of animal-to-human transmission, for which investigations continue."
Authorities kill 20,000 birds as toll rises
Meanwhile, Chinese officials say they have started work on a vaccine for the H7N9 virus.
However, it may take up to eight months before the vaccine can be brought to market due to complications in the development and manufacturing process, said Liang Wannian, director of the H7N9 influenza prevention and control office under the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), according to Xinhua.
Liang said the decision to put the vaccine into production will depend on whether the virus can mutate to become human-to-human transmissible.
"We are taking a series of measures to prevent and control infections. Infection monitoring efforts are under way in over 500 hospitals and 400 labs nationwide. We have confidence in keeping the disease under control," he said.