CONCLUSION
Current epidemiological data suggest that an immediate human
nH7N9 pandemic is unlikely,
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although it is impossible to predict
whether nH7N9 will become endemic among poultry in China. The
world should be vigilant against nH7N9. Continued monitoring and
surveillance to obtain additional epidemiological data of nH7N9 is
important for the early detection of a potential human nH7N9 pan-demic. Seroprevalence studies may delineate the magnitude of asymp-tomatic or mild nH7N9 cases in the community.
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Unless long-term
measures are taken, such as the enhancement of live poultry market
hygiene and poultry farm biosecurity to eliminate the emergence,
spread and maintenance of reassortant avian influenza viruses and
the selection of mutants capable of human invasion, live poultry
markets and poultry farms may serve as incubators for the emergence
of highly lethal reassortant avian influenza viruses with pandemic
potential.