Hong Kong baby suspected to have mild bird flu
The Associated Press
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
HONG KONG: An infant in Hong Kong is suspected to have contracted a mild strain of bird flu, a health official said Tuesday.
The baby girl who is several months old was hospitalized in stable condition, said the health department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.
No other details were immediately available.
The case came weeks after three dead chickens tested positive for bird flu in Hong Kong, prompting the city to suspend poultry imports for 21 days and begin slaughtering 80,000 birds.
Hong Kong's biggest bird flu outbreak was in 1997, when the more virulent H5N1 strain jumped to humans and killed six people.
Bird flu has killed at least 247 people worldwide since 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
The Associated Press
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
HONG KONG: An infant in Hong Kong is suspected to have contracted a mild strain of bird flu, a health official said Tuesday.
The baby girl who is several months old was hospitalized in stable condition, said the health department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.
No other details were immediately available.
The case came weeks after three dead chickens tested positive for bird flu in Hong Kong, prompting the city to suspend poultry imports for 21 days and begin slaughtering 80,000 birds.
Hong Kong's biggest bird flu outbreak was in 1997, when the more virulent H5N1 strain jumped to humans and killed six people.
Bird flu has killed at least 247 people worldwide since 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
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