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| Poultry trading slows in Huaibei, Anhui province, amid fears of the H7N9 strain of bird flu.( Wan Shanchao / for China Daily) |
Based on clinical experience and the patient's symptoms, "we will only ask people that have had contact with poultry, come from an infected area, or have had contact with patients or people who have recently exhibited suspected symptoms, to undergo the test," she said.
According to Shu, a number of routine flu prevention mechanisms were established in the wake of the SARS outbreak. The mechanisms comprise a complete set of testing equipment, methods and emergency plans.
To cope with a potential outbreak, "our hospital has also improved special training for medical staff in the prevention of bird flu and treatment", said Wang.
She advised people with serious flu-like symptoms to consult a doctor as soon as possible, because the first 24 hours after the onset of H7N9 are crucial for effective treatment.
'Sporadic virus'
Beijing resident Wang Shuqing, 58, was on a drip at the fever clinic of the hospital. His wife, Li Shuang, sat on a chair in the corridor, wearing a blue surgical mask and looking anxious.
"We all experienced SARS in 2003. We were frightened by the reports of the deaths from bird flu in some southern provinces, so to avoid cross-infection we treated him at home with antipyretics. However, almost a week has passed and still the medicine hasn't helped to reduce the fever," she said.
"It's my fault. I insisted on treating him at home after he developed the fever. If we had sent him to the hospital earlier, his fever wouldn't have developed into pneumonia. Now he has to suffer more pain. The doctors and nurses are working as normal and there's been no big increase in the number of patients at the fever clinic, as we expected. I think we really overacted this time," she added.
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