Health authorities in Hong Kong have quarantined 19 people who were thought to have come in contact with an 80-year-old man diagnosed with H7N9 earlier this week. This is the second case of the influenza A virus in the area. The man has subsequently stabilized – however, at least one person with whom he came in contact has symptoms of a “mild” respiratory infection. H7N9 emerged for the first time in humans earlier this year. Case numbers rose to 137 by the end of October, with 45 fatalities, and the newer cases are thought to result from the cooler temperatures.
(Image caption: “This negatively-stained transmission electron micrograph (TEM) captured some of the ultrastructural details exhibited by the new influenza A (H7N9) virus.” CDC/Cynthia S. Goldsmith and Thomas Rowe)
