Yikes - H7N9 flu
Another nasty one out there. From
NBC News:
H7N9 bird flu in likely China spread between people, researchers find
The first scientific analysis of probable human-to-human transmission of a deadly new strain of bird flu that emerged in China this year gives the strongest evidence yet that the H7N9 virus can pass between people, scientists said on Wednesday.
Research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) analyzing a family cluster of cases of H7N9 infection in eastern China found it was very likely the virus "transmitted directly from the index patient (a 60-year-old man) to his daughter."
Experts commenting on the research said while it did not necessarily mean H7N9 is any closer to becoming the next flu pandemic, "it does provide a timely reminder of the need to remain extremely vigilant."
We have had viral pandemics before and they wipe out a huge swath of the population. There will be another; we just do not know when. With the ubiquity of air travel, the virus can spread well before symptoms appear.
Posted by DaveH at August 6, 2013 8:43 PM