UN agency warns risk of bird flu crossing China's borders grows
UN agency warns that cases in Guangxi mean more vigilant efforts needed to stop spread
The proliferation of the H7N9 bird flu virus among poultry in live-bird markets in Guangxi has "significantly increased the risk" it will spread to neighbouring countries, a United Nations agency warned.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation yesterday urged countries sharing a border with China to review their emergency preparations and response plans to address a possible outbreak.
"The current situation in Guangxi will require a renewed vigilance to mitigate the effects of cross-border spread," it said.
Its warning came after the province reported two human cases of H7N9 on Tuesday, involving a five-year-old boy and his 41-year-old mother.
Guangxi, which shares a border with Vietnam, was where the Chinese authorities tracked movement of the H7N9 infection to live-bird markets between January 24 and 28. It was also where the first human casualty was reported. Neighbouring Yunnan shares borders with Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos.
China's national health commission said there was no proof that H7N9 was spreading sustainably from person to person, but it could not rule out the possibility of "limited" human-to-human infections.