Human infection of bird flu reported in central China

BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Chinese media) -- A 21-year-old female farmer was confirmed

infected with bird flu in central China's Hunan Province, said the provincial

health bureau on Saturday.

The farmer, surnamed Shu, fell ill on Jan. 23 in Xupu County of the

province and was hospitalized at the county's People's Hospital on Jan. 26, said

a statement from the bureau.

Shu was transferred to a hospital in Changsha, capital of the province, on

Thursday. So far she has been in a stable condition and become better.

According to the test result on Friday from the Chinese Center for Disease

Control and Prevention, the farmer tested positive for the H5N1 strain of avian

influenza.

An investigation found that Shu had contact with fowls that died of disease

before becoming sick.

Hunan has launched an emergency response against the virus. Those who had

close contact with the patient are under medical observation, but none of them

has been found ill so far.

The Health Ministry said it had reported the case to the World Health

Organization (WHO) and informed the health authorities of China's Hong Kong and

Macao special administrative regions and relevant countries.

According to the health department of Hunan province, a patient from

Guizhou province was diagnosed to be infected with bird flu in Huaihua of Hunan

on January 19, who died a day later.

China reported five deaths from bird flu this year. The rest were a

19-year-old woman in Beijing on Jan. 5, a 27-year-old woman in Shandong on Jan.

17, a 31-year-old woman in Xinjiang on Jan. 23and an 18-year-old man in Guangxi

on Jan. 26.

According to statistics from WHO, China has reported an accumulated number

of bird flu cases of 38 since 2003, with 25 deaths. The year 2006 saw the peak

of bird flu reports by China, with 13 cases and 8 deaths.