H7N9 Bird Flu Cases Reaches 91 in China

The number of confirmed people infected with the latest H7N9 bird flu strain, which is slowly making its way to other regions from eastern China, reached 91  Friday evening, with 17 more people losing their lives. Four new cases of infection have been reported from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

"To me, the biggest question is the link between the virus in birds and how it gets to humans. This is not clear," Dr. Bai Chunxue, a prominent respiratory expert in Shanghai, was quoted as saying in Minimg Gazette.com.

Chunxue had treated one of the first cases of the virus, which was a family involving an 87-year-old man and his two sons. These patients had no contact with birds or poultry. The fact puzzled Chunxue as he wondered about the mystery behind this flu.

It comes as a real challenge for health officials in China and other scientists around the world to identify the source of the infection in order to take immediate measures to curb the spread of the disease. According to the scientists, the latest bird flu strain H7N9 does not transfer easily between humans, and among those who are infected, half of them did not have any contact with poultry.

"This is still an animal virus that occasionally infects humans," the Shanghai Daily quoted World Health Organization's China leader Michael O'Leary as saying.

Health officials in China who are struggling to find the source of the infection will require another seven months to come up with a vaccine. Experts fear that the virus, which is converting into a form that is easily transmissible between humans, may trigger a pandemic.

People in China are advised to maintain hygiene and avoid contact with sick or dead animals.