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China confirms human cases of bird flu

BEIJING: China's Ministry of Health on Wednesday confirmed two human cases and one suspected case of H5N1bird flu.

The two confirmed cases involve a nine-year-old boy in Xiangtan County of Hunan Province, central China, and a 24-year-old woman farmer in Zongyang County of Anhui Province in the east.

The boy had fever and showed pneumonia-like symptoms on October 10. There was an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in his village. Lab tests showed the boy's H5 antibodies had risen by more than four times, which indicates that he was infected by the H5N1 bird flu virus.

Based on clinical and lab tests, experts from the Ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed the case. He was discharged from hospital on November 12 after recovery.

The woman farmer in Anhui developed the symptoms on November 1 and died of breathing problems on November 10. Chicken and ducks at her home died one to two weeks before she fell ill and she had contact with them, the Ministry said. The boy's 12-year-old sister, who had similar symptoms as her brother and died on October 17, was reported as a suspected human case according to WHO standards, it said.— Xinhua

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