Bird Flu surfaces again in China

[SA Hunter]

time.com/4172385/h5n6-avian-flu-china-guangdong/

Six Cases of Bird Flu Reported in China, With One Fatality


The individuals fell ill after coming into contact with live poultry or visiting markets


Local officials in China have reported six new cases of H5N6 avian flu — commonly referred to as bird flu — in the country, though they say the virus is not currently transmittable through human-to-human contact.



Half of the six cases were reported in the southern province of Guangdong, where three individuals fell ill after coming into contact with live poultry or visiting markets where it was sold, reports the South China Morning Post. One of the individuals, a 26-year-old woman from Shenzhen, died from the virus on Dec. 30, four days after her symptoms first appeared.



The H5N6 strain of the virus, which attacks lung tissue, is likely deadlier than strains detected in the past, the Guangzhou Daily reported.



A public-health spokesperson in Guangdong advised the public to abstain from buying fresh poultry, though the Post reports that some wet markets in the province continue to sell it under the table.

[SA Hunter]

www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/01/06/hk-health-alert-after-china-bird-flu-death

A woman in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen has died after being infected with the highly contagious H5N6 bird flu virus, days after she was admitted to hospital, Hong Kong's Health Department says.

The 26-year-old woman's death last week comes ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday in early February when millions of Chinese travel to their home towns to celebrate with their families, with chicken a popular festive meal.

All border check points between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and the airport, had already introduced disease prevention measures with thermal imaging systems in place, a department spokesman said on Wednesday.

The department was also notified by the Guangdong health authority on Jan. 1 that a 40-year-old woman from Zhaoqing city in the same province was infected with H5N6 and was in a critical condition.

The government has not banned poultry imports from the mainland so far, according to a spokesman from the city's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

Hong Kong culled thousands of chickens and suspended imports of live poultry from mainland China in December 2014 after a H7 bird flu strain was discovered in live chickens.