I must correct this grossly misinformation, originated by Italian internal political arena (sic!). Five Star Movements (M5S), an anti-system, web-based ''company'' (the party's logo is owned by a publisher) was born few years ago, and became relevant to political fight in Italy even more recently, when it won important municipalities election (ie: Rome, Turin). Its base is multiform: people went from old parties disillusioned, or far-left or far-right fringes, as well as conspirationists, conservationists, greens, etc., left without a Paliament representatives as the conventional two-blocks system amalgamated in a amorphic mélange. The anti-vaxxes born many years ago (at least twenty, I suspect) when a far-right party (Northern League), in search to a foothold in the wealthiest regions of the country, started to include in its own manifesto some questionable issues, such as a ''flat-tax'' (the old-fashioned proportional taxation, not seen in the world since the end of the WWI), a self-defense policy for individuals (Ie: free- guns for all!), and anti-State and anti-system feeling (and the mandatory vaccinations against the most common old scourges). Some of the party's lead elements became true ''star'' in the system of regional or sub-regional local governments and eventually landed in the Parliament, where they have changed color but not mind until now, when they support current unelected cabinet. To add worse to this bleak picture, the nearly collapsed National Health System, failed under the pressure of massive financial and investment cuts by all recent cabinets (Mr Berlusconi, Mr Monti, Mr Letta & Mr Renzi, far-right to centre-left, all united against public universal access health system). So, the last to blame is the M5S (albeit not a great deal of party indeed, but notwithstanding not guilty for things committed by others). Please, not be fooled by wrong narrations.

The few reliable sources of raw data are: FAO Empres-i and HK CHP. FAO updates its H7N9 human cases list a couple of times in a month, whereas HK CHP, weekly. Updated FAO list (edited): https://1drv.ms/b/s!ALIyah1g_f4uvDA / Updated CHP list (edited): https://1drv.ms/b/s!ALIyah1g_f4uvCw - Both have similar entries except the CHP often has age / sex data included.

I think that at least some of the most stricken countries in the European Region - but also elsewhere with other clade 2.3.4.4 H5 strains involved ie S. Korea, Japan - recommendations are to keep close eye to people with professional or direct poultry exposure for a couple of weeks and for the most exposed an oseltamivir prophylaxis is offered. That said, some of the most recent reassortants (human/avian/swine etc.) in various parts of the boreal hemisphere showed an enhanced replicative properties in mammals (the recent H7N2 epizootic in cats in the NYC is a clear example of a virus undetected and underreported that made its way silently toward mammals without such the attention deserved to H5 or H7N9 in China; this H7N2 showed an efficient ability to infect many hundreds of cats (albeit for direct contact or droplets I can't say) and to pass to human without alarming or cause hype among media outlets. On the other hand I had never disillusioned me to think that when H5N1 is not killing somebody (and the news appears somewhere) it remains silent and quiet: these viruses are out there for decades in continous contact with hundreds million of people in the most populated area of the world, with their new lineages and reassortants (both low and highly pathogenic versions). Flu deserves better therapeuticals and vaccines, for that we are waiting for twenty years but nothing materialized from the huge amount of money spent in research (at the time of the panzootics) and in the WHO crying at the ghosts without doing almost nothing. Do you remember ebola or zika? These two remained quiet and well, then causing disasters. I would add only that all these pandemic threats that are appearing on media outlets are old stuff, good for the audience and the editors but useless if the goal is to be better prepared to a future unknown-H&N new pandemic strain.

#Avian #Influenza, #H7N9: Recent #Human cases confirmed in #China (#FAO Empres-i, Jan. 23 '17)
Title: Avian Influenza, H7N9: Recent Human cases confirmed in China. Subject : Avian Influenza, H7N9 subtype, list of the most recent human cases notified by China. Source : FAO Empres-i, full page: (LINK) Code : [       ] ___ Documento di Microsoft Offic...