After ten years of SARS outbreak, a new strain of Avian flu, H7N9, is being called "One of Most Lethal Influenza Viruses" by World Health Organization. It already infected a least 109 people, and 22 have died form the disease.
Quote:
The H7N9 strain of avian influenza spreads more easily from birds to humans than the previous H5N1 strain and is one of the "most lethal" flu viruses ever identified.
Keiji Fukuda, an influenza expert at the World Health Organization, said the H7N9 virus appears to move from birds to humans with less difficulty than the previous strain, although scientists are still perplexed at how exactly the disease is spreading.
WHO scientists are currently investigating and monitoring the H7N9 virus to establish whether it could spark a global pandemic, but say there is still no evidence to suggest it spreads from human to human.
However, experts are concerned about the disease's ability to jump to humans and how it can infect birds without causing noticeable symptoms, meaning it is difficult to monitor its spread.
At present, 108 people (now 109) have been infected and 22 have died from the disease. Most cases have been reported near Shanghai but the infection is spreading.(Across a strait of China, Taiwan just found out its first case.)
A case of H7N9 has now been confirmed in the Shandong province, which is over 500 miles north of Shanghai. One case has also been reported in Beijing, north of Shandong.
The virus has also been found south of Shanghai in the Zhejiang province.
Fukuda said the WHO is concerned there may be many more people who are infected with the disease but are currently experiencing only mild symptoms.
Have any of you guys experienced the terror during SARS outbreak?
I vividly remember, at that time, a hospital in Taiwan was fully shut down and quarantined.
People are hoarding and wearing N95 gauze masks everywhere. The whole society is inundated with fear.
Hopefully, this disease will be properly contained..... although I doesn't seem to be right know......
Contagion made me paranoid about touching anything in public, especially since it's not one of those stupid zombie movies but rather something more realistic.
Contagion made me paranoid about touching anything in public, especially since it's not one of those stupid zombie movies but rather something more realistic.
Contagion had two well-know epidemiologists who fought animal-human epidemiology as consultant, so the movie is seriously realistic.
I lived in Hong Kong during the SARS outbreak, and it was horrible. Everyone wore face masks and gloves, hand sanitizers were used very often, and everyone was scared to touch lift buttons, door handles etc. It was so ****ing scary
--- When was the first case of this reported? I hope it isn't spreading fast.
