Killer bird flu has mutated and may now spread around globe, scientists warn

Killer bird flu has mutated and may now spread around globe, scientists warn

A DEADLY breakout of bird flu that has already killed six people in China has mutated and could quickly spread around the world, scientists warned today.


Sat, April 6, 2013



It was thought that the H7N9 virus couldn't be passed between animal species and could only be contracted by exposure to infected poultry.

But health officials in Shanghai, who have studied its genetic sequence, believe it has now mutated into a different strain, is spreading much more easily between different animals and may have entered the wider food chain.

That means the virus is much more likely to be transported beyond China and could eventually mutate further into a form which can be passed directly between humans.

Airline stocks plunged around the world amid fears that the virus would wreak havoc on international travel, as the swine flu virus did when it sparked a human pandemic four years ago.



British Airways owner International Airlines Group fell 6% or 14.69p to 237.61p, Thomson owner TUI Travel plunged 14.12p or 5% to 299.08p, and easyJet shedding 6% or 68.75p to 1028.25p.

It came as authorities ordered the slaughter of all poultry at a Shanghai market where the virus was first detected.

Animal health officials in protective overalls and masks worked through the night at the market, taking notes as they stood over piles of poultry carcasses in plastic bags. The area was guarded by police and cordoned off with plastic tape.


The city of Shanghai also announced a suspension of the sale of live poultry starting Saturday, city spokesman Xu Wei said at a news conference.

David Hui, an infectious diseases expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said: "In the past usually you would see chickens dying before any infections occurred in humans, but this time we've seen that many species of poultry actually have no apparent problems, so that makes it difficult because you lose this natural warning sign."




He added that the disease, which initially appeared in pigeons - a popular meat in China - had now probably spread to other poultry in the human food chain.

Scientists are alarmed that H7N9 is mutating because it was proven last year that it takes just five genetic mutations for a potentially pandemic strain of bird flu - one that can be passed between humans - to evolve.

As well as the deaths, 16 people have been left seriously ill in China since the first cases were announced on Sunday, two of which only emerged today.







Guidelines issued Wednesday by the national health agency identify butchers, breeders and sellers of poultry, and those in the meat processing industry as at higher risk.

Some of the 16 confirmed cases fell ill several weeks ago but only now are being classified as having H7N9.

The official Xinhua News Agency said six cases have been confirmed in Shanghai, six in Jiangsu, three in Zhejiang and one in Anhui.







[link to www.express.co.uk]