title: Probable longer incubation period for human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in Jiangsu Province, China, 2013.
abstract: Human infection with the emerging avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in China in 2013 has raised global concerns. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of 27 confirmed human influenza A(H7N9) cases in Jiangsu Province, to elaborate poultry-related exposures and to provide a more precise estimate of the incubation periods of the illness. The median incubation period was 6 days (range 2-10 days) in cases with single known exposure and was 7·5 days (range 6·5-12·5 days) in cases with exposures on multiple days, difference between the two groups was not significant (Z = -1·895, P = 0·058). The overall median incubation period for all patients was estimated to be 7·5 days (range 2-12·5 days). Our findings further highlight the necessity for public health authorities to extend the period of medical surveillance from 7 days to 10 days.
authors.affiliation: Tongling Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Tongling, Anhui,China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing,China.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Tongren Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Tongren, Guizhou,China.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing,China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing,China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing,China.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing,China.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Programme, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing,China.
authors.forename: G Q
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Programme, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing,China.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing,China.
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing,China.
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing,China.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing,China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D003710:Demography; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D064766:Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011200:Poultry; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015047:Zoonoses