#H7N9 Human Death In China

This is a very sad tale of one of the most recent patients diagnosed with H7N9 in China.  She was from Langford City, where she frequented the Anci District Maiwa market.  Poultry manure was later found positive for H7N9 there.

Her onset was July 10th.  The first time this patient was given antivirals, was on the admission to the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, on July 18th.  At that point, they went straight to the ECMO therapy (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). 

On July 23rd, the patient was in a coma, and deteriorating:

...bilateral miosis, light reflex retardation, lung breath sounds low, limb edema, decreased blood pressure, did not respond to the call...

Out of 53 specimen's of poultry at the market, 1 was positive....  So somehow this woman, got infected.  I still can not find a statement that she bought poultry.

On July 24th, it was reported that the virus has not mutated.  A prevention measure was called for, especially for poultry workers. 

National Health and Family Planning Commission in its official microblogging @ publish information on health China: Chinese Center for Disease Control Health Emergency Center Director Feng Zijian said that the current situation has not yet found H7N9 virus mutates, the new wholesale market should be taken off of live poultry market, limiting cross-regional flow of poultry and other measures.

Wei Planning Commission also micro-Bo, H7N9 spread in the population at present is not strong, but has a high mortality rate, the public to do scientific prevention, especially those engaged in poultry breeding, slaughtering, processing industry, sellers.

On August 11, we heard of another patient, a 51 year-old woman,  who was indeed a poultry slaughtering worker, infected with the virus in Huizhou City, Guangdong Province.  
He passed away a little over a month later.  Today.  

A man infected with H7N9 avian influenza died of multiple organ failure on Mon 12 Aug 2013, local authorities said. The 61 year old patient was transferred from the city of Langfan in north China's Hebei Province to Beijing Chaoyang Hospital for treatment on 18 Jul 2013. He tested positive for the H7N9 virus on 20 Jul 2013.

On July 23, it was reported that two neighboring Towns were canvased, with no specimen's found positive for H7N9:

Municipal Agricultural Bureau, responsible person, since April, the city monitoring Miyun, Pinggu, Yanqing and other 16 districts (counties) of the 1907 field (households) were detected in 30 595 samples, test results were negative.

　　Sampling animal covers chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, fowl and pigs several susceptible (ease of infected) animals; Sample collection includes species of farm, commodity market, breeding areas, backyard farmers, parks, fowl habitat, wholesale, wetlands, supermarkets, slaughterhouses, etc.Monitoring results show that found no H7N9 avian influenza infected animals.

Fortunately, no close contacts were infected, has was reported here:

Langfang City, Hebei Province, July 27 latest official informed that, Langfang people infected with H7N9 bird flu Zhang last three close contacts, as of the 27th, under medical observation expires, no abnormal symptoms, according to the provisions relieve medical observation.

As at 9:00 on July 27, Langfang No new discoveries of human infection with H7N9 avian influenza suspected and confirmed cases.

The World Health Organization report can be found here.  An excerpt on July 20th:

The patient is a 61 year-old woman from Langfang City in Hebei Province who became ill on 10 July 2013. She was admitted to a local hospital from 10-15 July and transferred to a hospital in Beijing on 18 July. She is in a critical condition. On 20 July 2013, Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed avian influenza A(H7N9) virus by nucleic acid detection.