One More Succumbs to Bird Flu in China

A man in southwest China who contracted the bird flu virus died on Sunday, the second human death in just under a month, state media reported.

The victim fell ill on January 6 and was subsequently admitted to hospital in Guiyang -- capital of Guizhou province -- where his condition rapidly deteriorated, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Avian Influenza / Bird Flu-Causes-Symptoms-Treatment- FAQs
Bird flu (avian influenza/avian flu) is a disease caused by an influenza virus (H5N1) that primarily affects birds but can infect humans also.

Tests confirmed he had contracted the H5N1 avian influenza virus, it added.

The Hong Kong Department of Health said in a statement Sunday it had been notified of the case by the mainland's health authorities, which said the 39-year-old patient had not had any obvious exposure to poultry.

He is the second man to die from bird flu in China in less than a month, after a bus driver in the southern province of Guangdong passed away from the disease on December 31.

Quiz on Flu
Influenza (or rather, the flu) is a cold weather infectious condition that affects the young and old alike. Though most reported cases are mild, the flu can sometimes cause severe and life-threatening complications in both children and adults, thanks to wrong medications and improper vaccinations. Learn more about the disease from our Flu Quiz and guard yourself and your family from a possible infection.

The H5N1 virus is fatal in humans in about 60 percent of cases.

However, it does not pass easily among humans, and the World Health Organization says it has never identified a "sustained human-to-human spread" of the virus since it re-emerged in 2003.

China Advises Calm After Death by Bird Flu
Southern China Health authorities are advising people to stay calm after a man who infected with bird flu virus died over the weekend, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

Source-AFP

Mutant Bird Flu Triggers Deep Concern in WHO
Concerns have been expressed by the World Health Organization (WHO) about research into whether the H5N1 flu virus could be made more transmissible