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H7N9 illnesses, deaths persist in China

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WHO today reported five additional cases of human infection with influenza A(H7N9) virus in China, including two deaths, one of them a health care worker, bringing the number of cases reported since Monday to 28.

Since the outbreak began in March 2013, there have been 209 reported H7N9 cases and 55 related deaths, according to WHO.

One of the fatal cases was identified by the Shanghai Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission as a 31-year-old emergency room doctor at Pudong New Area People's Hospital in Shanghai who died of pneumonia and respiratory failure Saturday morning. The death has raised concerns about possible human-to-human transmission of H7N9, but so far there has been no evidence of that, according to WHO.

The other fatal case was identified by WHO as a 77-year-old man from Shanghai who had been exposed to poultry. He became ill Jan. 10 and died Jan. 18.

The other confirmed cases this week were all reported from Zhejiang province, including a 71-year-old man from Hangzhou City, a 63-year-old man from Jiaxing City and a 55-year-old man from Ningbo City. All of the patients had a history of exposure to poultry.