China is disclosing a steadily growing number of cases of H7N9 bird flu, including four more cases announced on Friday, reviving concerns among health experts that the disease may be spreading and could pose a further threat as the world’s largest annual human migration begins ahead of Chinese New Year.
Mainland China has confirmed 14 cases this week alone, including the four announced on Friday, and seven on Thursday.
Human cases of the H7N9 avian influenza virus began to emerge in late March near Shanghai, infecting 131 people, including 26 who died, by early May. The virus then seemed to fade away, as influenza viruses often do over the summer.
The virus then re-emerged much earlier in the season last October with a trickle of cases, and that trickle has now accelerated in January.
The increased tempo of cases comes just before people across China begin their traditional trips to family reunions for celebrations of the Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan. 31 this year. The official travel season in China began Thursday, with the government estimating that 3.62 billion trips would be taken in the next 40 days by road, train, airplane and other modes of transportation.
