世界卫生组织16日称，由8名禽流感专家组成的一国际小组，一周内将赴中国并协助进行H7N9禽流感病毒调查。
New York (CNS) -- An international team of flu experts will go to China within a week to help Chinese experts investigate the H7N9 virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
The new strain of avian influenza has killed 14 out of 71 people known to have been infected, but no human-to-human spread of the virus has been confirmed.
A team of eight experts, including four from the WHO, are going in response to a request from Chinese health authorities, a spokesperson for the WHO said.
The mission made up of American, European, Australian and Chinese experts is expected to carry out a week-long study.
"They will look at the situation on the ground and try to get more understanding of the behavior of the virus and what kind of investigations should be done," the spokesman added.
In a statement issued Monday, the WHO said that more than 1,000 close contacts of the people confirmed as having H7N9 were being closely monitored for symptoms. "So far, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission," it said.
The WHO has praised the response of Chinese authorities in stepping up disease surveillance and conducting tests of people who have had respiratory illnesses of unknown origin.
Another UN agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization, is also working with Beijing to investigate the source of the virus, including poultry markets.
Special report: H7N9 avian influenza
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