What you should know about H7N9 virus

 

After A(H1N1), there’s another type of bird flu spreading and has already killed several citizens of China. What is A(H7N9) really? How do we know if we are already infected? How can we prevent from being infected by this virus? Is there already a treatment for this disease?

According to World Health Orgranization (WHO)… Influenza A H7 viruses are a group of influenza viruses that normally circulate among birds. The influenza A(H7N9) virus is one subgroup among the larger group of H7 viruses. Although some H7 viruses (H7N2, H7N3 and H7N7) have occasionally been found to infect humans, no human infections with H7N9 viruses have been reported until recent reports from China. Symptoms of A(H7N9) virus: Severe pneumonia fever cough shortness of breath How is A(H7N9) virus different from A(H1N1)? A(H7N9) and A(H5N1) are animal influenza viruses that may sometimes infect people as well A(H1N1) viruses can be divided into two: human and animal viruses How can a person be infected by A(H7N9)? Contact with animals or with an animal environment. Based on investigation, this virus has been found in a pigeon from a market in Shanghai. However, there are no confirmed reports yet as to how it really infects and spreads among people. How can I prevent from getting infected by A(H7N9) virus? Hand hygiene Respiratory hygiene Always cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing Perform proper hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions Is there already a treatment available for this disease? As of date, there are no vaccines available yet for this virus. A laboratory in China has conducted a test of anti-influenza drugs (neuraminidase inhibitors) but it hasn’t been tested yet on actual A(H7N9) infection.

More information about this can be found here.

Currently, several medical groups, headed by WHO, are investigating on this matter and hopefully, we can prevent this from becoming another pandemic threat.