First H7N9 Bird Flu Case Reported in Beijing

A 7-year-old girl in Beijing has been confirmed with the latest H7N9 bird flu virus infection, say health officials. This proves that the virus has moved out of eastern China.

The new H7N9 virus has already killed 14 people in China. Six in Shanghai, four in Jiangsu, three in Zhejiang and one in Anhui province have fallen victim to this strain.

The Beijing Health Bureau states that the victim's parents deal in live poultry. The girl was admitted Thursday to a Beijing hospital with symptoms of fever, headache, cough and sore throat. Currently, the girl is in a stable condition.

After tests conducted by the disease control and prevention centers, it was confirmed that the girl was infected with the latest strain of bird flu H7N9.

According to the Bangkokpost, experts fear the prospect of such virus transforming into a form that is easily transmissible between humans and that it may trigger a potential pandemic.

But the World Health Organization that is closely monitoring China clearly stated that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.

Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), was quoted in CIDRAP stating, "The detection of H7N9 in Beijing, especially since it is far from the geographic center of the outbreak, is worrisome. It raises some very significant challenges to understanding what's going on with birds and poultry and controlling their movement."

China will require another seven months to come up with a vaccine to treat H7N9. Till then, China's government advises people to maintain personal hygiene and avoid direct contact with sick or dead animals.