Monday, January 23, 2012

China reports second bird flu death this month

Sunday, January 22, 2012
The State Column (USA)

China reported its second bird flu death this month,following recent deaths from bird flu were reported in Vietnam and Cambodia.

China’s second death was a 39-year-old man from the Guizhou province, located in southwest China. The bird flu strain was observed to be highly pathogenic, but has not been identified as H5N1, yet.

The man was admitted into the hospital on January 6th, suffering a high fever. After receiving critical care, the patient died.

The man reported that he had no direct contact with poultry. However, during the infection, he had come into close contact with 71 people. So far none of these exposed people have displayed symptoms of bird flu.


Neighboring countries to China are currently reporting bird flu cases and deaths. Vietnam reported an 18-year-old man was diagnosed with bird flu and died. This death represented Vietnam’s first bird flu death in two years. In addition, the victim worked on a duck farm, where he likely contracted the virus.

In addition, Cambodia and Indonesia reported bird flu deaths this year.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been 343 reported human deaths from 582 confirmed bird flu cases worldwide since 2003. Of the 343 deaths, 27 of these deaths occurred in China and 60 of these death occurred in Vietnam.

This most recent bird flu death concerns Chinese officials because with increased travel due to people returning home for the Lunar New Year, more people will be riding crowded buses and trains. This could create a serious situation, spreading bird flu across the country.

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