Biosecurity

Fourth wave of H7N9 avian influenza threatens livelihoods, public health

Raising the alarm for poultry-related livelihoods and public health, FAO warned countries today that a fourth wave of avian influenza H7N9 has already begun.

The novel A(H7N9) avian influenza virus originally emerged in humans in China in early 2013. Each winter since, southern China has witnessed an upsurge in human infections.

H7N9 spreads silently in poultry, since it causes little to no illness in birds. It can infect people through direct contact with infected birds or their secretions. Surveillance in China has shown that H7N9 has become well established in poultry populations in south-eastern parts of the country, and the virus can cause mild to severe disease in humans, and in some cases even death . According to official numbers released by Chinese authorities, H7N9 has caused mortality in roughly 40 percent of reported human infections. Out of the 678 human cases reported to date, 271 have died.