The Ministry of Health on Thursday night confirmed another human
case of bird flu, the sixth to date.
The patient, surnamed Guo, is a 35-year-old peddler from
Suichuan County, Jiangxi Province, east China. The man, who fell
ill on December 4 with fever and pneumonia symptoms, is being
treated at a local hospital, the ministry said.
The China Disease Prevention and Control Center tested Guo's
blood and fluid samples and found he was infected with the H5N1
bird flu virus.
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has also confirmed a bird flu
outbreak in the village where Guo lives.
Local health authorities have taken measures to check the spread
of the virus and the people who had close contact with the patient
are under strict medical observation, with no abnormal clinical
symptoms found as yet.
The Ministry of Health has informed the World Health
Organization, and the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan authorities.
Earlier Thursday night, the MOA said a new bird flu case had
been confirmed in Guo's village following the death of 1,640 ducks
raised by a fellow villager.
The provincial veterinarian department suspected the H5N1 strain
of highly pathogenic bird flu as the cause of death, and a state
avian flu lab confirmed its suspicion on Thursday, the ministry
said.
Veterinarian authorities in Jiangxi culled 15,000 poultry within
three kilometers of the affected area as soon as the outbreak was
reported.
(Xinhua News Agency December 16, 2005)