China reports latest bird flu death
Key points
- A man in Shanghai died from bird flu on Monday, the latest person to die from the H7N9 strain of the virus first discovered in humans in March that has now killed at least 24 people.
- The 89-year-old died after 12 days of medical treatment, state news agency Xinhua said, citing Shanghai health authorities.
- Cases of the virus, confirmed in well over 100 people, have spread to several new provinces in recent days, including Fujian and Hunan.
- Last week a man in Taiwan became the first case of the flu outside mainland China.
A man in Shanghai died from bird flu on Monday, the latest person to die from the H7N9 strain of the virus first discovered in humans in March that has now killed at least 24 people.
The 89-year-old died after 12 days of medical treatment, state news agency Xinhua said, citing Shanghai health authorities.
Cases of the virus, confirmed in well over 100 people, have spread to several new provinces in recent days, including Fujian and Hunan.
Last week a man in Taiwan became the first case of the flu outside mainland China. He caught the flu while travelling in China.
The World Health Organization has called the virus "one of the most lethal", and said it is more easily transmitted than an earlier strain that has killed hundreds around the world since 2003.
Chinese scientists have confirmed that the bird flu strain has been transmitted to humans from chickens, but officials say there is as yet no evidence of human-to-human transmission of this virus.
(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Alison Williams)
###
Reuters
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Infections, HIV & STIs →
NewsVietnam reports first human bird flu case in a month
A 52-year-old Vietnamese man who ate chicken that had died of a disease has been infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus , the country's first human case in a month, a health official said on Monday. The man from the…
17 May 2005
NewsChina seeks to head off bird flu from N. Korea
China has tightened quarantine controls at its border with reclusive North Korea and barred the entry of poultry to prevent the spread of bird flu . North Korea said on Sunday it had culled hundreds of thousands of…
2 April 2005
NewsS. Africa reports 57 pct jump in deaths, AIDS blamed
South Africa reported a 57 percent jump in reported deaths between 1997 and 2002 on Friday, providing a startling - if indirect - picture of the rocketing toll of the country's AIDS epidemic Releasing figures from a…