The health department of southeast China's Fujian Province confirmed on Wednesday a human
case of bird flu in Jian'ou city.
The 44-year-old farmer surnamed Li developed symptoms of fever,
coughing, and expectoration on Feb. 18, according to local health
authorities. The patient is now receiving treatment at a local
hospital and is in severe condition.
Tests by the provincial disease control and prevention center
show that Li is infected with bird flu virus strain H5N1. The
Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention verified the test
result on Feb.27. It has been confirmed that she made contact with
dead fowls.
Local health authorities said they are carefully monitoring
those who have recently had close contact with the patient. So far,
no one else has showed symptoms of the disease.
Senior officials of the province held a special meeting to adopt
measures preventing an outbreak of the epidemic, said the official,
who declined to give his name.
Zhang Changpin, vice governor of the province, has ordered
compulsory inoculation on all fowls, and required local authorities
to set up inoculation files and issue certificates to inoculated
animals.
The health, stock-raising, and forestry authorities at all
levels are on high alert and closely monitoring the situation.
He also asked local workers to quarantine and check the animals
at every stage of processing, including when they leave the farms,
enter slaughterhouses, and are put in the market. Those who fail to
do so will be punished accordingly.
Li is the country's first human case of bird flu in about seven
weeks since China reported on Jan. 10 that a 37-year-old farmer in
east China's Anhui Province had contracted bird flu.
That patient has since recovered.
The virus is responsible for the deaths of 14 people in China
since 2003.
According to Fujian health authorities, China's Health Ministry
has conveyed all information about the case to WHO, as well as
health agencies in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and some other
countries.
(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2007)