China's latest bird flu patient recovering
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-06-21 23:49
China's latest human case of bird flu in south China's Guangdong Province has
been showing signs of recovery,sources with the local health authorities said
Wednesday.
X-rays showed the shadow on the patient's lungs had diminished, but he was
still critically ill, said the Health Bureau of Shenzhen City.
The 31-year-old patient surnamed Jiang was confirmed by the Ministry of
Health to have contracted bird flu on June 15, bringing China's total human
infections to 19.
Jiang had been undergoing treatment for eight days in a local hospital, which
had the most advanced intensive care unit in the city, said the bureau.
Meanwhile, medical observation of 98 people who had close contact with him
had found no suspected symptoms, such as pneumonia or bird flu-like symptoms,
said a statement from the Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bird flu has killed 12 Chinese since last year. The disease has also infected
228 people and killed 130 worldwide, according to figures from the World Health
Organization (WHO).
Experts fear the H5N1 strain of the virus could mutate to become
transmissible among people, causing a global pandemic. To date, most human cases
had direct or indirect contact with infected birds.
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