CHINA: World Health Organisation says no sign bird flu spreading between people, urges vigilance

Record ID: 836751

  • Title: CHINA: World Health Organisation says no sign bird flu spreading between people, urges vigilance
  • Date: 1st April 2013
  • Summary: PART OF SYMBOL OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION CHINA REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL O'LEARY SPEAKING JOURNALIST WRITING (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) CHINA REPRESENTATIVE, MICHAEL O'LEARY SAYING: "Again, there's been no human-to-human transmission that we're aware of, and over 80 close contacts have been tested so far and found to be negative. So at this point this is a good sign. But it of course requires careful follow up to see if there should be any possibility of human-to-human transmission." REPORTER SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) CHINA REPRESENTATIVE, MICHAEL O'LEARY SAYING: "No transparency issues that we feel have been evident. We know that the virus was confirmed in the laboratory as H7N9 on Friday and the report to WHO was on Sunday, so that's an appropriate timeframe. The patients were sick earlier but, as I say, there's quite a lengthy investigation that has to take place, especially since there was no connection between the patients, there was not, it didn't seem to be spreading to anyone else and so on. These were sick individuals and there are lots of people in that situation. So they were being investigated case by case, and many things had to be ruled out." REPORTERS STANDING UP AFTER BRIEFING NANJING, JIANGSU PROVINCE, CHINA (APRIL 1, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF NANJING NUMBER TWO HOSPITAL RED CROSS ON SIDE OF HOSPITAL FRONT OF HOSPITAL BUILDING CHARACTERS READING 'NANJING NUMBER TWO HOSPITAL' SIGN OF HOSPITAL PEOPLE WALKING IN THROUGH GATE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) NANJING RESIDENT, TANG YING, SAYING: "Hearing this news doesn't have much effect on me. I'm not worried. Although this thing has happened, I am confident that the Chinese government won't ignore it. Xi Jinping is now leader, and Xi Jinping said that the most important thing is people's livelihoods. The Chinese government will definitely handle it, there's nothing to worry about. In 2003, China managed to stop such a big thing as SARS, so I think there's nothing to worry about." POLICE CAR PARKED CHINESE CHARACTERS INDICATING 'ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT' POLICE CAR PARKED MAN WEARING FACE MASK (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) NANJING RESIDENT, YANG JIAN, SAYING: "I don't know why it took over 20 days to make this information public. Perhaps they thought they had the ability to resolve it, and after 20 days they found they couldn't control it and let the people know themselves, or something like that. There's no point in us guessing. If it was a scary situation with widespread human-to-human (infection) like in 2003, I don't personally feel that that kind of thing could happen." CARS DRIVING ON ROAD SIGN READING 'SECOND AFFILIATED HOSPITAL OF SOUTHEAST UNIVERSITY'
  • Embargoed: 16th April 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8PNC9TKXXZ5RKKY3Q4IIJ0F34
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  • Story Text: The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday (April 1) there was no sign of human-to-human transmission, after two people died in China from a strain of avian influenza that had never been passed to humans before.
    But in a media briefing in Beijing, the WHO's China representative Michael O'Leary said vigilance was still needed in case transmission between people did occur.
    "Again, there's been no human-to-human transmission that we're aware of, and over 80 close contacts have been tested so far and found to be negative. So at this point this is a good sign. But it of course requires careful follow up to see if there should be any possibility of human-to-human transmission," he said.
    Two men in Shanghai, aged 87 and 27, fell sick in late February. A woman in Anhui province also contracted the virus in early March and is in critical condition.
    China's National Health and Family Planning Commission confirmed on Sunday that the three cases were the H7N9 virus, which had not previously been known to infect humans.
    It is unclear how the three victims were infected.
    In 2003, China's cover up of the SARS virus shook public confidence in the health authorities and drew strong criticism over a lack of transparency.
    But O'Leary said this time around, the government had made a timely announcement.
    "No transparency issues that we feel have been evident. We know that the virus was confirmed in the laboratory as H7N9 on Friday and the report to WHO was on Sunday, so that's an appropriate timeframe. The patients were sick earlier but, as I say, there's quite a lengthy investigation that has to take place, especially since there was no connection between the patients, there was not, it didn't seem to be spreading to anyone else and so on. These were sick individuals and there are lots of people in that situation. So they were being investigated case by case, and many things had to be ruled out," he said.
    The one known surviving victim was being treated in a hospital in Nanjing, capital of Shanghai's neighbouring Jiangsu province.
    Outside the hospital, Nanjing resident Tang Ying said he had confidence that the country's new leadership would deal effectively with the disease.
    "Hearing this news doesn't have much effect on me. I'm not worried. Although this thing has happened, I am confident that the Chinese government won't ignore it. Xi Jinping is now leader, and Xi Jinping said that the most important thing is people's livelihoods. The Chinese government will definitely handle it, there's nothing to worry about. In 2003, China managed to stop such a big thing as SARS, so I think there's nothing to worry about," said Tang Ying.
    He was referring to the 2003 epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which emerged in China and killed about a tenth of the 8,000 people it infected worldwide.
    But some members of the public have expressed concerns that the incidents were made public only weeks after the deaths and said they hoped the government would be quick to report any new cases.
    "I don't know why it took over 20 days to make this information public. Perhaps they thought they had the ability to resolve it, and after 20 days they found they couldn't control it and let the people know themselves, or something like that. There's no point in us guessing. If it was a scary situation with widespread human-to-human (infection) like in 2003, I don't personally feel that that kind of thing could happen," said Yang Jian, wearing a face mask outside the hospital.
    There are no known vaccines against the H7N9 virus.
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