24 April 2013 (00:18 UTC-07 Tango)/13 Jumada t-Tania 1434/04 Ordibehest 1391/15 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

Researchers with the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) released the results of their study of the new H7N9 ‘bird’ flu.

They tested 970 poultry from farms and markets.  Only 20 were positive, and those were from poultry markets.  None of the poultry from the farms, in Shanghai City and Anhui Province, were infected.  This suggests the birds got sick after being brought into contact with humans at the markets!

Three weeks ago Japanese warned that this ‘bird’ flu had mutated into a human flu, and that culling of poultry wouldn’t stop its spread.

The CAAS researchers basically confirmed what Japanese researchers discovered at the beginning of April, that the gene sequence is unique for a H7 flu.

They identified genes from several different viruses, but the HA and NA genes are not identifiable.

It’s interesting that two weeks ago health officials in Thailand and China stated that H7N9 is new to continental Asia, and that it came from the U.S.  A Chinese PLA Air Force officer accused the U.S. of biological warfare.