Public advised against poultry slaughtering
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E-mail Xinhua, April 4, 2013
The National Health and Family Planning Commission has distributed detection reagent in the mainland's 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities to enhance monitoring of pneumonia of unknown factors.
The subtype of H7N9 virus has not been contracted to human beings before. It shows no signs of being highly contagious among humans, according to the clinical observation on the cases' close contacts.
However, as few cases of human infection of H7N9 have been found, relatively little research has been done on it. There are no vaccines against the H7N9 virus either at home or abroad.
"Usually a R&D phase of vaccines takes about six to eight months, and for newly found virus, it may take longer," Feng said, adding that national health authorities are currently conducting research on vaccines.
NATIONWIDE CONTROL
The national health commission also distributed prevention and control plans and technique directives to health institutions nationwide.
"Infection sources have not been clear so far, but based on past experience and recent epidemiological studies, the sources could be poultry or their secretion and excrement," according to the plan.
It says the spreading of the virus is through respiratory systems or by closely contact with poultry.
People at high risk are poultry raisers, sellers, butchers and meat processors, the plan says.
The national health commission asked various health institutions to report suspected and confirmed cases directly to the national commission within two hours, and any local epidemic situation should be reported on a daily basis.
The commission said in a circular that hospitals are prohibited to delay or refuse treatment of H7N9 contractors due to the patients' lack of money.
Authorities in Chinese regions have ordered health institutions to step up monitoring.
Zhejiang has initiated an emergency response for epidemics, and relevant departments have been asked to take precautionary action toward disease control.
Shanghai authorities has prohibited the sale of live poultry and wildfowl and enhanced monitoring of major poultry markets.
Beijing has ordered hospitals to include H7N9 bird flu testing in routine monitoring and to train hospital staff on how to treat pneumonia caused by unknown factors.
Health authorities in Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions have strengthened monitoring of suspected cases.
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