China needs no mass H7N9 vaccination: HK expert

(ECNS) – It's not neccessary for China to promote the H7N9 flu vaccine on a large scale at this time, an expert at Hong Kong University said on Tuesday, according to Caixin.com.

Yuen Kwok-Yung, chief of the State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, made the statement at a press conference at Shenzhen Hospital affiliated with Hong Kong University.

So far, H7N9 is transmitted from a first-infected person to a second, but transmission from a second-infected person to a third one hasn't occurred yet, he said.

"Only when confirmed cases surge in a short period or when person-to-person transmission becomes worse should China promote the vaccine extensively across the country," Yuen added.

Vaccine strains for H7N9 avian flu were developed jointly by Zhejiang University and Hong Kong University last October.

As a member of the development team, Yuen said a H7N9 vaccine has been undergoing clinical trials, but its safety is not yet confirmed.

Meanwhile, confirmed H7N9 cases are on the rise - Guangdong province has reported 6 more cases over the last 10 days.

H7N9 cases mainly appear in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and over 80 percent of the infected are connected with live poultry markets, according to epidemiological data.

Zhong Nanshan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, has stated that the key to controlling H7N9 is in controlling poultry markets.

The Hong Kong government has been calling for the collective slaughtering of live poultry, but has met with objections from the public.