(RxWiki News) Could a new outbreak of bird flu be about to strike in China? More information is coming out about the illness.
Several new cases of the new avian influenza strain have been reported in China, bringing the total count to eleven infections and four deaths, reports the Associated Press (AP).
According to the Financial Times, the news has caused Vietnam to ban the imports of Chinese poultry and Hong Kong to beef up flu surveillance.
"Cover your mouth when coughing."
As previously reported by dailyRx News, the new strain, called H7N9, is different from the H5N1 strain that caused deaths in prior years. There is currently no vaccine for the H7N9 virus.
Scientists are still trying to understand how this new strain is spread, but the AP reports, “Guidelines issued Wednesday by the national health agency identify butchers, breeders and sellers of poultry, and those in the meat processing industry as at higher risk.”
According to the Financial Times, the infected patients include a poultry culler, a pork trader and a cook. There is so far no evidence that the virus is spread from human to human.
The first cases of the new strain of avian flu were reported on Sunday. There is still much to be learned about how the virus spreads and how it can be treated and contained.
