Bird Flu Cases Close Markets in China

Two major cities in china have locked down all poultry trade after several new human cases of the deadly H7N9 bird flu were diagnosed.

The health department in south China's Guandong Province recently reported two new human cases of the H7N9 avian influenza infection. A 79 year old man from Guangzhou, the province's capital city, is said to be critically ill after becoming infected with the H7N9 strain of bird flu earlier this week. A second victim, a four year old girl from the same city, is currently in stable condition and receiving treatment for the virus.

In light of these recently cases, Guangzhou officials have shut down all life poultry markets for two weeks, according to Chinese news reports.

The capital city of the Zhejiang province, Hangzhou, has also already ceased all live poultry trade in the city. The trade ban, which began on January 24, was a preemptive measure in preparation for the Chinese Lunar New Year, when crowds, cooking, and festivities in the street would encourage the largest likelihood of a bird flu outbreak.

According to Chinese officials, the Zhejiang and Guandong Provinces are two of the three regions most frequently infected with human cases of the H7N9 bird flu. The third region, the Anhui Province, reported one death from the virus on Monday, but has yet to enact any kind of ban on poultry trade.

According to the Health Ministry's Office of China, there have already been more than 120 human H7N9 cases reported in China this year.

The H7N9 strain of avian influenza has been a thorn in the East Asian continent's side for a long time. China and Vietnam in particular have been combating the virus both for the sake of public health and in the interest of preserving their large poultry markets, which is the source of livelihood for a significant percentage of citizens in both countries.

Spring festivities, such as the Lunar New Year Festival, have also caused trouble for both nations, where a heightened demand for poultry during celebrations has encouraged the smuggling of unregulated and untested live chickens.

Thankfully, none of these most recent cases of human infection were of the H10N8 strain, which saw its first recorded case of human infection earlier this month.