2016-02-17

Lead by Professor David Kelvin of the International Institute of Infection and Immunity and along with the Second Affiliated Hospital, researchers’ breakthrough finding on the possible human-to-human transmission of the H7N9 influenza virus was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Feburary 11th, 2016 titled “Probable Hospital Cluster of H7N9 Influenza Infection”.

SUMC’s International Institute of Infection and Immunity has been on the forefront of avian flu research. Since the outbreak of H7N9 in China in 2013, Dr. Kelvin and his team have been researching on the virus. They found that in an outbreak around the Lunar New Year in 2015, two pulmonary physicians may have been infected by the same patient. Genome sequencing suggested the isolates are closely related. Furthermore, the virus can still be detected in the patient’s sputum after 42 days, suggesting it has mutated and have possible human-to-human transmission ability. This finding warned healthcare workers on their infection-control practice inside the hospital and sounded the alarm bell for human-to-human transmission of the H7N9 influenza virus.

This publication in a top international journal shows that SUMC’s Institute of Infection and Immunity is amongst the highest level in their research on avian flu. It also shows that SUMC’s research on the H7N9 influenza virus is at the top level.