Hope in fight against H7N9 bird flu deadly virus in China
A Hangzhou man who was close to death is on the mend and a four-year-old boy in Shanghai is recovering well from the H7N9 bird flu
Two H7N9 bird flu patients - a four-year-old boy in Shanghai and a 67-year-old man in Hangzhou - are recovering from the illness, bringing hope in the fight against the deadly new virus strain.
The wife and son of the Hangzhou patient, who was confirmed to be infected a week ago, saw him yesterday via a video telephone link at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University. The four-year-old boy in Shanghai has recovered with no sign of respiratory illness, said Wu Fan, director of the municipal Centre for Disease Control.
Now I am the happiest person in the world. Doctors said he is not completely out of danger yet, but he can smile and hear us. We all see the hope
The wife of the Hangzhou patient said: "I could not help but cry when I saw him via television. He was snatched from the jaws of death and I almost lost him. Now I am the happiest person in the world. Doctors said he is not completely out of danger yet, but he can smile and hear us. We all see the hope."
The man had been in an isolation ward for eight days and was once on the verge of respiratory failure. He developed a cough and fever on March 20, a few days after he bought two quail at a local wet market which also sold other poultry including doves and chickens.
Since Friday night, he has been able to urinate again, which his doctors said was a positive signal that his circulatory system was starting to work again.
Twelve doctors and 20 nurses had been busy taking care of him over the past week. His attending doctor, Li Lanjuan, one of the country's top infectious disease experts, told local media that the case could help offer clues to finding an effective therapy for H7N9 bird flu.