On March 31, 2013, authorities in China announced that three people had been infected with a new flu virus: A(H7N9). Since then over 120 people have been confirmed with the disease, in several provinces in China, including the cities of Shanghai and Beijing. 
Around 20% of cases have died with the majority suffering from a severe respiratory illness similar to that caused by the A(H5N1) bird flu virus.

The virus is related to avian (bird) flu viruses. Very little is known about it at this stage – how people are infected, does it have the ability to spread from one person to another, whether the virus is present in bird or other animals, how widespread it may be, what the “pandemic risk” is. International SOS is monitoring the situation closely.

Find out more on the Pandemic Preparedness website.

Since April 2012, over 15 people have died from a previously unknown coronavirus. More than 20 people have been confirmed infected, with most suffering a very severe, pneumonia-like, chest infection. Most infections have originated from the Arabian Peninsula (Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia), and a case in February 2013 had traveled to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

With a death rate of over 50%, the international medical community is watching this situation very closely. Several instances of probable person-to-person transmission have occurred, including two cases in February 2013 in the United Kingdom, both of whom had close contact with a confirmed case (a relative). If this new coronavirus does have, or gains, the ability to spread easily from one person to another, it may cause a pandemic.

Find out more on our dedicated website.