WattAgNet: Malaysia has first case of H7N9 avian influenza

Release Date: 13-2-2014

Malaysia has experienced its first human case of H7N9 avian influenza, health officials announced on February 12. The patient has been identified as a 67-year-old woman, who had recently traveled to China.

The woman is believed to have contracted the H7N9 virus when she was part of a travel group visiting China's Guangdong province, an area that has seen multiple human cases of H7N9 avian influenza. She is presently being treated in the intensive care unit at a private hospital, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

Malaysia's health minister, Datuk Seri Dr. S. Subramaniam, said it was the first case of H7N9 in Malaysia, and health officials are taking steps to limit other people's contact with the patient.