Tag Archives: flu

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

H7N9 update: Economic domino effect of poultry ban hits United States!

07 April 2013 (14:54 UTC-07 Tango)/26 Jumada l-Ula 1434/18 Farvardin 1391/27 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

“This is a liquidating market until we run into a crop problem.”-Rich Feltes, R.J. O’Brien & Associates

Already tens of thousands of poultry have been killed off in China, to prevent the spread of the new deadly virus. Poultry markets are being shut down.  Not only does this directly affect the economy of China, it’s affecting farmers in the United States.

Commodity prices, mainly for U.S. soybeans, are dropping, because China is a major market for those U.S. crops.  The reasoning goes that if there’s no chickens to cook, then people won’t need the soybean oil to cook them in.

Up ’till now most cooking oil prices have been going up because of increased demand, and in some areas reduced supply.  China is the number one importer of soybeans, making up about 60% of the world market, so imagine what happens to soybean prices if they greatly reduce their purchases! (good for retail consumers, bad for farmers)

 

International

H7N9 update: More cases in China! Beijing joins poultry ban! Millions being spent on prevention!

07 April 2013 (14:10 UTC-07 Tango)/26 Jumada l-Ula 1434/18 Farvardin 1391/27 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

“Of course I’m afraid. But I’m a professional and therefore I need to understand H7N9 more than others.”-Yu Chin-mei, nurse at Taipei City hospital

By Sunday afternoon, Shanghai time, the number of confirmed human cases rose to 21.  Six people have died since the end of March.  The latest three cases were confirmed less than 24 hours from Saturday.

The three new cases are men, ranging in age from 55 to 67.  One in Shanghai, two in Anhui Province.  At least one is known to work with poultry.  All started showing symptoms at the end of March.

In Shanghai at least 194 people are under medical observation.

Beijing has joined Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shanghai in banning live poultry markets.

Guangdong Province officials announced they will spend $4.7 million USD to prevent the spread of H7N9 in their province.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention distributed testing supplies to 409 sites across the country, in addition to hospitals and research agencies.

Across the water in Taiwan, the Taipei hospital’s Heping Branch has been designated an H7N9 center.  The same hospital was used during the 2003 SARS epidemic.

 

International

H7N9 update: Suspected cases in Taiwan! More cities ban poultry!

07 April 2013 (20:33 UTC-07 Tango 06 April 2013)/26 Jumada l-Ula 1434/18 Farvardin 1391/27 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

Nanjing joins Hangzhou and Shanghai in banning live poultry markets.

In Hong Kong, health officials say a seven years old girl brought in to hospital Friday afternoon, tested negative for H7N9.

In Taiwan, health officials have tested six people who returned from mainland China.  They say two tested positive for H1N1, two have bacterial infections and the tests for two others are still out.  Health officials added that 20 people arriving at the airport, from China, had fevers. But, because they had not been to the provinces reporting H7N9 they were allowed to go home.

Some Taiwanese hospitals will hold H7N9 drills next week.  Agriculture officials have increased inspections of livestock for signs the new virus.

International

H7N9 update: China approves anti-viral drug! Two more people infected! The sooner you’re diagnosed, the better your chances of recovery!

06 April 2013 (10:46 UTC-07 Tango)/25 Jumada l-Ula 1434/17 Farvardin 1391/26 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

Health officials in Shanghai say two more people are infected with H7N9.  So far 18 people infected in the past couple of weeks, six have died.

The two new cases are men, one aged 66 the other 74.  They began showing symptoms at the end of March and are now hospitalized with pneumonia.

There are also reports that people who get diagnosed soon enough will recover within 48 hours.

Chinese media sayting that even though the health warnings have been made, most people in Shanghai didn’t think anything of it until they saw the poultry culling: “Suddenly I discover that I’m living in an epidemic zone!”-Liu Leting

The Chinese Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of peramivir diluted in sodium chloride for use on people sick with the new bird flu.  They claim it shows signs of working in preliminary testing.

Influenza

H7N9 update: FAO says most farmers unaware of infected poultry! New cases in Quails!

06 April 2013 (00:26 UTC-07 Tango)/25 Jumada l-Ula 1434/17 Farvardin 1392/26 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization is warning that most farmers in Asia are not aware of the new H7N9 bird flu virus.

The FAO says word needs to get out to the farmers that H7N9 is not like H5N1, in that it has no “red flag” warning signs.

China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission is now saying the 16 human infections are isolated cases. So far there is no evidence the virus spread human to human.

Hangzhou city has joined Shanghai in shutting down live poultry trading.  Hangzhou is in Zhejiang Province, and one of the human cases there has been traced to infected quails bought in a market in Shangcheng District.

 

Business/Economics, International

H7N9 update: Possible case in Hong Kong! Chickens test positive in Shanghai!

05 April 2013 (16:57 UTC-07 Tango)/24 Jumada l-Ula 1434/16 Farvardin 1391/25 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

In Hong Kong, health officials at Queen Elizabeth Hospital reporting a seven years old girl being admitted with possible H7N9 symptoms.  She was in close contact with poultry when she traveled to Shanghai, hospital officials hope to have test results by tonight.

In Shanghai, health officials have been busy killing more than 20000 chickens at a poultry market.  At this points they say at least seven chickens have tested positive for H7N9.  Samples taken from two other markets are positive as well. Officials say the gene sequence matches samples taken from pigeons earlier in the week.

Shanghai has banned imports of live poultry.

 

International

H7N9 update: Japan scrambles to create new vaccine!

05 April 2013 (04:23 UTC-07 Tango)/24 Jumada l-Ula 1434/16 Farvardin 1391/25 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases is now focusing on making a vaccine to fight the new H7N9 flu.

A sixth person has been confirmed to die from H7N9.  And a teenager has died from unexplained pneumonia, but tests have failed to find H7N9 virus.

China will send the latest virus samples to Japan.  Japanese researchers will also investigate the defectiveness of anti-virals on the new strain.

 

International

H7N9 update: 6th person dies! And a new Unexplained pneumonia death!

05 April 2013 (01:55 UTC-07 Tango)/24 Jumada l-Ula 1434/16 Farvardin 1391/25 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

A Chinese farmer has died only one day after being brought to hospital.  He’s the sixth person in China to die since the end of March.

The farmer lived in Zhejiang Province, which borders Shanghai.  Four of the six deaths were in Shanghai.

A 14 year old tourist from Thailand also died, from unexplained pneumonia.  However, Chinese health officials say the H7N9 test was negative.  The teenager was part of a group of 119 tourists who arrived in Yunnan Province.

All provincial health officials have been ordered to investigate unexplained pneumonia cases, as it seems to be the only sign of H7N9 infection.

International

H7N9 update: Japan says this H7N9 is not your typical Bird Flu, demands new vaccine be created fast! Wear a mask! Poultry culling won’t work!

04 April 2013 (12:43 UTC-07 Tango)/23 Jumada l-Ula 1434/15 Farvardin 1391/24 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases has released a statement after their quick research on the new H7N9 virus.  It’s not your typical bird flu.

H7N9 infect cells inside your nose, throat and upper part of your respiratory tract. H7N9 can rapidly multiply in your nose.  Bird flus normally don’t infect/multiply until they hit your lungs.

The Japanese researchers say because of the gene sequence it means that this new ‘bird flu’ actually has a low probability of infecting birds (which implies that the poultry culling & poultry bans taking place now are useless).

They still don’t know how the new H7N9 causes deadly pneumonia.

Yesterday the UN World Health Organization said they were testing existing vaccines in hopes of finding one that would work.  The Japanese researchers say they are wasting time, because of the unique gene sequence, they insist efforts must be focuses on a new vaccine, as the U.S. CDC announced a couple of days ago.

 

Influenza

H7N9 update: China says it will spread! Now a Class 5 Disease, influenza Command Center established! Proof that it spreads human to human!

04 April 2013 (12:29 UTC-07 Tango)/23 Jumada l-Ula 1434/15 Farvardin 1392/24 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

Officials in China’s capital, Beijing, say the new H7N9 will spread, because China is an international crossroads for migratory birds.

The massive city of Shanghai has begun killing off poultry. This after pigeons tested positive for the new virus.

Also, Shanghai’s Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission reporting that one of the new human cases is a person who was in contact with another person who died from H7N9.  The new patient now quarantined.

Taiwan’s Department of Health has classified H7N9 as Category 5 Notifiable Infectious Disease.  Taiwan is the first country to do so.  This means if someone dies in Taiwan, of H7N9, they must be cremated, and this includes tourists from other countries.   The island nation is also the first country to establish a Central Epidemic Command Center for H7N9 influenza.