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The National Health and Family Planning Commission, China notified WHO of a new laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus. This is the first new confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus since 20 July 2013.
The patient is a 51-year-old woman from Huizhou, Guangdong Province; she is currently in a critical condition.
To date, WHO has been informed of a total of 135 laboratory-confirmed human cases with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus including 44 deaths. Currently, four cases are hospitalised and 87 have been discharged. There is no evidence of sustained human to human transmission.
(Via Global Alert and Response - accessed 05/09/13)
Advice for Travellers
Avian influenza virus (H7N9) infection is unusual in humans but appears to cause severe illness in those infected. Preventive measures are the same as those for highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1).
Advice for Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare professionals should be on the alert for travellers returning from China with fever plus respiratory syptoms or any other severe illness or travellers who develop such illness within 7 days of return from China.
WHO is producing a weekly report on the number of reported confirmed human cases for influenza A(H7N9), giving the geographical location and cumulative number of cases reported per month.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) also publishes a daily Epidemiological Update on avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in China.
