Re: China - Human bird flu case reported in Shenzhen
Archive Number 20060613.1649
Published Date 13-JUN-2006
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza, human (83) - China (Guangdong)
AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN (83) - CHINA (GUANGDONG)
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Date: Tue 13 Jun 2006
From: Mary Marshall <tropical.forestry@btinternet.com>
Source: The Standard, 14 Jun 2006 [edited]
<http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=20757&sid=8395155&con_type=1>
A
31-year-old man is in a critical condition in a
Shenzhen hospital,
suspected of having contracted the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus. The case has
sparked concern the disease is getting closer to Hong Kong. [
Shenzhen is a
large and fast-growing city in southern Guangdong province,
just over the
border from the Special Administrative Region of which Hong Kong is a
part.
Shenzhen is approximately 22 miles from Hong Kong and 100 miles from
Guangzhou. - CopyEd.PG]
The SAR's Centre for Health Protection said Tuesday the victim, who lives
in Shenzhen, was taken
ill after visiting a wet market in the city where
live chickens were on sale. It is not known at this stage whether the
patient is a mainlander or a Hong Konger residing in Shenzhen.
Without specifying the date, the center said it was informed of the case by
both the Health Department of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of
Health. "The patient, who lives in Shenzhen,
developed fever and pneumonia
on 3 Jun 2006. He's now being treated in a Shenzhen hospital, and his
condition is critical," a CHP spokesman said.
If confirmed, the man would be the 19th human case of bird flu in the
mainland. The case has not been reported by China's media. More than 80
cases of the virus have been reported in China since February last year,
with 18 confirmed human cases, including 12 fatalities, since September 2005.
"Members of the public should be vigilant given the huge daily flow of
people between Guangdong and Hong Kong," the spokesman warned, adding that
health education for travelers will be stepped up at all immigration
control points through the distribution of leaflets and the display of
health messages.
Temperature screening of all inbound travelers remains in
place.
Meanwhile, the Centre for Food Safety of the Food and the Environmental
Hygiene Department will also step up inspections of chickens imported from
the mainland. "The CHP is maintaining close liaison with the mainland
authorities to obtain more information on the case."
A poultry seller in Shenzhen's Futian district said all wet markets in
Shenzhen had been renovated since April 2006 to improve the hygienic
environment and ventilation systems.
The H5N1 virus first surfaced in Hong Kong in 1997, killing 6 of 18 people
infected and prompting the culling of more than 2 million fowl. A mass cull
of chickens alleviated the problem locally, but the H5N1 virus continued to
circulate among birds in Asia, most recently among migratory species that
could carry the virus for long distances.
China's Ministry of Agriculture issued an emergency order Monday for local
governments to tighten controls over poultry to prevent bird flu
contamination from migratory flocks after
a new case was reported last
Wednesday in Hotan county, Xinjiang, which is on the flight path for
migratory birds between East Africa and West Asia.
In 2003, H5N1 re-emerged in humans, causing more than 120 deaths worldwide
-- with a mortality rate of more than 50 percent -- although there is no
convincing evidence yet of human-to-human transmission.
Scientists are worried that the virus could mutate into a strain that is
easily transmissible among humans, triggering a global pandemic.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has set up a collaborating center
in Guangzhou to strengthen disease surveillance and prevention.
Speaking at the opening ceremony Tuesday, Vice-Minister of Health, Huang
Jiefu, said the center represents "a milestone in China's contribution to
global public health."
"It reflects our country's commitment to playing a prominent role in this
regard, at an especially critical moment in public health history." he said.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[If confirmed, the man would be the 19th human case of bird flu in the
mainland. The case has not been reported by China's media. More than 80
cases of the virus have been reported in China since February last year,
with 18 confirmed human cases, including 12 fatalities, since September.
{According to the most recent table of the "Cumulative Number of Confirmed
Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1) Reported to WHO", dated 6 Jun 2006,
there have been 18 human cases of H5N1 avian influenza and 12 fatalities.
Ten of the cases and 7 of the deaths occurred in 2006 and the remaining 8
cases and 5 deaths in 2005.
<http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_06_06/en/index.html>.
- Mod.CP]
[see also:
Avian influenza, human, worldwide (54): China, India 20060427.1228
Avian influenza, human, worldwide (52): China, Egypt, background 20060422.1180
Avian influenza, human, worldwide (51): China, Egypt, Indonesia 20060421.1165]
..................................cp/pg/dk
