A mild form of avian influenza called the H9N2 infection is reported in a nine month old baby in Hong Kong. Dr. Thomas Tsang, the Controller of the Center for Health Protection of the Department of Health has confirmed this. This is the first of its kind in the past three years in Hong Kong.
Tsang said that the baby had fever from March 4 and she was hospitalized on the 6th of March. Subsequently she recovered on March 9. Her family members did not show any sign or symptom of Avian influenza. The initial routine tests revealed that the baby is infected with H9N2 strain of the Avian influenza virus.Tsang added that the baby never left Hong Kong but once was taken to the market to buy live poultry. Currently the baby is in the hospital and blood tests have been performed on her family members. Hong Kong health authorities have informed the WHO officials of this case. Earlier two cases of human H9N2 infection and a single case of the same infection were reported in 1999 and 2003 respectively.
Source-Medindia
JYT
