Bird flu in china -bbc news

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3 April 2013 Last updated at 18:16 Share this page

• China: Four more infected with H7N9 bird flu
  
  H7N9 is a form of bird flu
  A further four cases of a bird flu virus not previously seen in humans have been reported by authorities in China.
  Three women aged 32, 45 and 48, and an 83-year-old man were diagnosed between 19 and 21 March and are critically ill.
  There have now been seven confirmed cases of the H7N9 virus, the World Health Organization said. Two people have died.
  But the WHO says there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
  However more than 160 people who have had contact with the individuals are being closely monitored.
  So far, none has developed symptoms.
  The latest cases were seen in the Jiangsu province while the earlier cases were in the Shanghai and Anhui provinces.
  Two contacts of one of the Shanghai cases who developed symptoms are being retrospectively investigated.
  One died and the other recovered, but as yet there has been no laboratory confirmation of whether they were infected with H7N9.
  Hygiene measures The Chinese government has increased disease surveillance, infection prevention and control and communication between human and animal health and industry sectors.
  Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
  

By identifying the source of infection measures can be taken to reduce human exposure”

End Quote Dr John McCauley MRC National Institute for Medical Research
It has advised the population to maintain good personal hygiene, including frequent hand-washing and avoiding direct contact with sick or dead animals.
The WHO is not recommending any travel or trade restrictions.
Dr John McCauley, Director of WHO Collaborating Centre on Influenza at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, said: "The virus belongs to the A(H7N9) sub-type, a sub-type that has not previously infected humans, and has emerged from the reservoir of avian influenza viruses.
"It is not known how the virus was transmitted.
"By identifying the source of infection, measures can be taken to reduce human exposure.
"The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating whether there has been any human-to-human transmission."
Tests suggest the virus could be treated with the anti-influenza drugs Tamiflu and Relenza.

[Sapphire]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

When I was in Hong Kong in January I found it quite disconcerting that a lot of the locals were wearing surgical masks, I asked one of the staff in our hotel about it and she explained that not only was it to protect them from possible infections it was also to stop them being passed on, and mostly it was for a common cold, how good is that when over here you can't get people to sneeze into a hanky, honestly this country has lost it completely.

[TUTTSI]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

Yes thats very true, but also the chinese have a habit of spitting in the street and there are thousands doing it at the same time, I will stay away from crowded places - a most disgusting dirty habit if ever I have seen.

One extremly good restaurant on the outside complex of the hotel where we stay has a Dim Sum restuarant all the chefs wear masks and that was a good feeling for me when I was there as it meant that they were not sneezing into food. But goodness knows if they wore gloves when preparing the food as through the glass you could only see their faces. It is certainly one of our desired restaurants to go back to PG in August as they make the most fantastic Dim Sum etc and it is advisable to book up ahead as they are always very busy.

[Ruby]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

To my understanding the population in China and Hong Kong is very dense, far more than in this country (except perhaps for those who live in London!). My husband also made comment how very clean Hong Kong was - albeit he was last there ten years ago and things may have changed. With the dense population people may have it drilled into them from a young age to be wary of contagious illnesses.

[Eloise01]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

The habit is also common in urban areas of Japan, and in Kathmandu in Nepal (in the latter case, I believe it is due to air pollution from densely packed roads in fact - although the greater danger to people is actually the driving in my experience!). More coherent explanation may be that all of these countries still experience, or have experienced in living memory, diseases which we consider to be "byegone" things. Plague, smallpox, cholera and typhus. If we believed there was a real risk of catching a transmittable disease that may kill us, rather than a bad dose of flu, we might also think about being more careful (even if face masks actually don't help! Which most of the time they don't!). I regularly travel to strange places, and I am careful of certain risks - and also innoculated against anything going including rabies! Despite cuts, doom and gloom (often justified!), with our comfortable UK lives and health care, we are actually still very priveleged - and our climate may be crap most of the time but it also protects us from the likelihood of certain types of disease becoming endemic. What I often find astonishing is the blase attitude of Brits abroad to their health. In the Caribbean last year I talked to dozens of people who were not taking anti-malarials although the island was malarial and the cost of the tablets (this wasn't a chloroquine resistant area) less than £2 per person for a full treatment. Nobody was taking any precautions against cholera, even though cholera was a huge and growing issue in the area. In India less than half of the tour group were taking anti-malarials. None of them (apart from me and my friend) were taking any precautions against cholera. Nobody else had up to date shots for even tetanus or Hep. Nobody had updated their polio vaccinations with any boosters. Same story in Nepal. Same story in Egypt. I am frankly bemused we don't have Brits returning from holiday carrying all sorts of disease, because the way so many of them act you would honestly think they are immune!

[Sapphire]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

What worries me more is the amount of people going abroad without travel insurance, ours has cost us £590 for a years cover, because with both have pre-existing illnesses, but even so its more than worth it rather than have the worry all the time of 'what if', and another thing is that people are going to Europe with just an E111 which yes entitles you to treatment but without the insurance to back it up you'll still struggle to get back home etc.

[Eloise01]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

What worries me more is the amount of people going abroad without travel insurance, ours has cost us £590 for a years cover, because with both have pre-existing illnesses, but even so its more than worth it rather than have the worry all the time of 'what if', and another thing is that people are going to Europe with just an E111 which yes entitles you to treatment but without the insurance to back it up you'll still struggle to get back home etc.

Yep - totally agree on that. They are probably the same people who don't have all the innoculations and pay no attention to basic precautions too!

Another one of mine - people who play with cats, dogs and other small furry animals! I love dogs, as you all know. Like hell do I go and play with an unknown dog abroad, especially one straying!!! Same with cats. I recall when I was living in West Africa (long story) for a few months I would watch British tourists in the local town / resort approaching the local dogs to pat them. Not one of those dogs was "domesticated" and rabies was common. You wouldn't have found an African near them for love not money!

[Ruby]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

Common sense goes a long way. However I find it a little amusing how the NHS wants us to have every vaccine/pill under the sun because of all the 'dangers' of going to far away places. I grew up in Southern Africa and never took anti malaria tablets unless I knew that the particular isolated area I was going to visit was prone to mosquitoes (places close to rivers/lakes) and only in the rainy season. I am (thankfully) healthy as an ox and have never had any of the 'foreign' illnesses. Real knowledge is power scaring people is not.

[Eloise01]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

To be fair - the NHS didn't recommend them at all until I explained where I was going and what I was doing there - at which point they produced needles like mad! In fact anti-malarials can only be taken short term - if you live in a place for more than three months, you can't take them. The problem with tourists is that they are fresh meat, tasty meat, attractive meat, and - usually - uncovered meat! I take them when advised, but I am the sort of person who scares bugs (and other things!) - my skin is acidic and therefore I never get bitten by anything (thank you great grandmother on the maternal side - dark, acidic, Italian skin and high cheekbones). My friend on the other hand, mosquitoes fly past other people to get at her. So when we were in India she had anti-malarials (we were definitely in malarial areas!), covered up everything, drenched herself with bug repellent every pre-dusk.... and got bitten by a rarer form of mosquito that is the one variety that comes out in the daytime! Ended up with a lovely disease called Chikungunya which is similar to malaria, but luckily not quite as dangerous. Not a peep anywhere about it, but the mosquito breeds in strange cycles, so some years on end, none, then suddenly a flare up. Guess which year we went?

Like you Ruby, I have never caught anything abroad. And intend to stay that way! But I do have insurance if I do!

[Turboman]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

Wow thats expensive!!

cf with my Barclays Additions Packaged account

What worries me more is the amount of people going abroad without travel insurance, ours has cost us £590 for a years cover, because with both have pre-existing illnesses, but even so its more than worth it rather than have the worry all the time of 'what if', and another thing is that people are going to Europe with just an E111 which yes entitles you to treatment but without the insurance to back it up you'll still struggle to get back home etc.

[Ruby]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

Just off to UAE in a couple of days and with kids in tow I have double and triple checked my insurance policy

Common sense ...

[Sapphire]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

Wow thats expensive!!

cf with my Barclays Additions Packaged account

To be quite honest Turbs those policies are ok if you have NO previous health problems, but if you have pre-existing illnesses as I know you have (we are friends after all and chat) then that policy is basically useless for you.

[TUTTSI]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

Turbs - Does your travel insurance cover your pre-existing illnesses - did you have to disclose them, have you checked?

Most travel policies want chapter and verse about your health issues and it is up to each individual to ensure that they cover your pre-existing illnesses.

With your Barclays additions packaged account it includes cover - which you pay a monthly premium - it is not free and it is built in to that particular account. But unless that have included all your illnesses will they cover that and what is the level of cover like?

I must see now if I can get cover for my cancer condition as the cancer has now shrunk - as at the moment they have excluded my condition and I was only covered for actual travel delays, baggage etc but nothing to do with health unless it was unrelated to my actual health issues and I will need medical cover for China.

Wow thats expensive!!

cf with my Barclays Additions Packaged account

[Sapphire]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

Tutts, as you know my hubby has multiple conditions and I've gone through breast cancer two years ago, we get our insurance through Age UK as were both over 55, the first year our premium was over £300, the second £590 odd, when I asked why it wasn't because of his illnesses it was because of mine, apparently with cancer the premium doesn't reduce until we reach the 5 years free limit.

Oh another thing that they said would make it cheaper is if we didn't have the worldwide which included America and the Caribbean, so its better to exclude those two areas, which we didn't.

[TUTTSI]

Re: Bird flu in china -bbc news

Thanks I will try them as i need it for China in August.

Tutts, as you know my hubby has multiple conditions and I've gone through breast cancer two years ago, we get our insurance through Age UK as were both over 55, the first year our premium was over £300, the second £590 odd, when I asked why it wasn't because of his illnesses it was because of mine, apparently with cancer the premium doesn't reduce until we reach the 5 years free limit.

Oh another thing that they said would make it cheaper is if we didn't have the worldwide which included America and the Caribbean, so its better to exclude those two areas, which we didn't.