Quarantine ended for H7N9 patient in E China

A 51-year old female patient infected with the H7N9 bird flu has been transferred to a general ward as her viral nucleic acid tests came back negative, according to hospital authorities in East China's Zhejiang province.

The patient surnamed Jia has her pneumonia under control, although she still suffers from some basic symptoms, said Zhang Yuntao, deputy director of the intensive care unit at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University's School of Medicine, at a press briefing held on Thursday.

"This signals that if diagnosed at an early stage, the H7N9 bird flu can be cured," said Fang Qiang, director of the intensive care unit at the hospital.

The patient, confirmed as infected with the flu on Tuesday, was being kept in negative pressure quarantine in case of any cross-infection. She is the first H7N9-infected patient to be discharged from the quarantine area in Zhejiang province. Six cases were found in Zhejiang, and two have died.

Primary nucleic acid tests on H7N9 influenza are available at most hospitals in Zhejiang equipped with a fever clinic, and the tests can help find patients in the early stages, according to Fang. "If they receive timely treatment, the mortality rate will drop by a large margin," Fang said.

Special Report: H7N9 avian influenza