H7N9 more likely to transmit among humans than other bird flu

A China, World Health Organization (WHO) joint report said the H7N9 bird flu virus has a higher potential for human-to-human transmission than any other known bird flu virus. The report, compiled after the WHO's week-long field assessment of the influenza, was publicized by China's National Health and Family Planning Commission on Saturday. It said, the H7N9 virus, compared with other bird flu virus, has infected more in a shorter time, and some H7N9 virus have shown genetic alterations which means they have adapted to be more contagious than other avian influenza virus. Besides, the WHO offered the Chinese government several suggestions, including staying alert despite the virus' seasonal weakening during the summer, as the virus poses grave hazards and a lot of its basic information are still not known. The report admitted there are still uncertainties surrounding this fresh strain of virus, asserting that exposure to live poultry is a major risk factor. The WHO last month sent a joint mission of experts to China to survey areas affected by H7N9 in Shanghai and Beijing for a week-long assessment of the influenza. From Late March when the first H7N9 case was reported to May 13, the Chinese mainland had reported a total of 130 confirmed H7N9 cases. Thirty-five of these cases ended in death, and 57 patients have recovered and been discharged from the hospital, according to official statistics.