H7N9 and H10N8 Flu Arising in Asia, H1N1 Again in U.S.

Abstract

Human cases of avian H7N9 influenza infections arose in China near the beginning of 2013, pretty much disappeared by that April, but came roaring back near the first of this year, according to Hualan Chen of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science in Harbin, China. In a related development, the first few human fatalities attributable to another avian flu strain, a version of H10N8, occurred late last year, according to Yuelong Shu from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Qi Jin from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, both in Beijing, and their collaborators. Meanwhile, in the United States, the H1N1 flu strain that became pandemic in 2009 is again predominant, and its impact is harshest among young adults, according to officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Ga., who in February provided an overview of the 2013–2014 U.S. flu season.