China's Ministry of Health on Monday confirmed a human case of
H5N1 bird flu in the central Hunan Province.
A 22-year-old man surnamed Li in Jianghua County, Yongzhou City,
suffered fever and headache on Jan. 16 and was hospitalized on Jan.
22. His symptoms worsened despite treatment.
Li died at 5 PM on Jan. 24 after all rescue measures failed.
His specimens tested positive for the bird flu virus strain
H5N1, said the country's Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report didn't identify how he might have contracted the
disease.
The virus is most commonly passed from sick poultry to humans
who have close contact with infected birds.
Statistics by the World Health Organization (WHO) show there
have been 18 human deaths from the H5N1 strain, and 28 confirmed
cases of infection in China since 2003.
By Feb. 1, of the total of cases of confirmed human bird flu
infections worldwide, 225 have been fatal.
The local government undertook prevention and control measures
once the case was reported. Those who had close contact with Li
were put under strict medical observation. So far, none have shown
signs of the disease, the ministry said. The case has been reported
to the WHO, authorities in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and some
foreign governments.
The latest confirmed case of human bird flu took place in the
worst snow-stricken province of Hunan, where prolonged low
temperatures, icy rain and heavy snow have caused blackouts and
traffic chaos.
On Feb. 15, the Ministry of Health said that no cases of
infectious epidemic or mass food poisoning were reported in China's
snow-stricken areas by Feb. 14, and that the death toll caused by
infectious diseases in the snow-stricken areas showed no
year-on-year increase in the past month.
(Xinhua News Agency February 19, 2008)