3-year-old boy confirmed having H7N9 bird flu

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3-year-old boy confirmed having H7N9 bird flu

By Cai Wenjun (Shanghai Daily) 10:38, November 06, 2013

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A 3-YEAR-OLD boy in south China’s Guangdong Province was yesterday confirmed to have H7N9 bird flu.

The boy, a Sichuan Province native living in a village in Dongguan City, tested positive for the virus at the Dongguan City Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

This followed routine monitoring of flu-like cases in Changping Hospital on Monday afternoon and was confirmed by the provincial CDC yesterday morning, Guangdong Province Health and Family Planning Commission said.

It is the third H7N9 case confirmed this autumn in China, following two infections in Zhejiang Province on October 15 and 23.

The boy is receiving treatment in isolation at the People’s Hospital of Dongguan City.

He is in a stable condition without fever, while other flu-like symptoms he has are not serious, said officials.

The seven people who have had close contact with him are under observation. Three have shown flu-like symptoms, but all seven tested negative for the H7N9 virus.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the National Health and Family Planning Commission announced that it is including H7N9 in its infectious disease reporting system.

This will enable better monitoring, prevention and control of this potentially fatal disease, the commission said.

As the live poultry industry — a source of transmission — is still widespread and winter and spring are peak seasons for respiratory infections, experts expect more cases.

China’s mainland had reported 134 H7N9 bird flu cases by the end of August, resulting in 45 fatalities.

（Editor：GaoYinan、Yao Chun）