China confirmed on Friday that the father of a Chinese man who
died of bird flu has also been infected with the H5N1 virus that
causes the disease.
The 52-year-old man, surnamed Lu, was the father of the
24-year-old victim who died on Sunday, and a native of Nanjing,
capital of Jiangsu. He developed symptoms of fever and was
hospitalized for lower lobe pneumonia on Monday, according to the
Ministry of Health.
Respiratory tract sample examinations by the provincial and
national Disease Control and Prevention Center on Wednesday and
Thursday confirmed he was H5N1 positive. The term refers to the
virus's genetic make-up.
The Ministry of Health had also reported the case to the World
Health Organization, authorities in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan,
and some foreign governments.
The local government had taken prevention and control measures.
All the people who had close contact with Lu have been put under
strict medical observation. So far, they have shown no signs of the
disease.
Lu's son was said to have no contact with dead poultry and the
Jiangsu Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau had said earlier
this week no bird flu epidemic had been discovered in the
province.
China has reported 27 human cases of bird flu since 2003. Lu's
son was the 17th Chinese to die of the disease since 2003.
Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could
pass easily from person to person, sparking a global pandemic.
(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2007)