Published Date: 2008-02-25 15:08:35
Subject: PRO/MBDS> Avian influenza, human - China: Guangdong
Archive Number: 20080225.0764
AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN - CHINA: GUANGDONG
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A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Mon 25 Feb 2008
Source: ChinaView, Xinhua News Agency report [edited]
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/25/content_7665754.htm>
Chinese woman dies of suspected bird flu
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A 44-year-old woman who was suspected of having bird flu died in a
hospital Monday [25 Feb 2008] in south China's Guangdong province,
the provincial health department confirmed.
The woman died at 9:25 a.m. in the Peng Pai memorial hospital in
Haifeng county, after all efforts by doctors proved futile, according
to the health department.
A migrant worker from Sichuan Province, she was found to have had
contact with poultry that had died of the illness. She had developed
symptoms of fever and a cough since [16 Feb 2008], the department said.
[The woman] was transferred to the said hospital last Friday [22 Feb
2008]. She was then diagnosed as pneumonia from unknown source of infection.
Her specimens tested positive for the bird flu virus strain H5N1, the
department said.
The local government undertook prevention and control measures once
the case was reported. Those who had close contact with [the woman]
were put under strict medical observation. So far, none have shown
signs of the disease.
[The woman's] death brought the number of confirmed human bird flu
cases in China to 30 since 2003. She is also the 20th to be killed by
the disease.
On [18 Feb 2008], the Ministry of Health confirmed that a 22-year-old
man in the central province of Hunan tested positive for H5N1. He
died on [16 Jan 2008] at 5 p.m.
On [20 Feb 2008], a 41-year-old man, who had tested positive for
H5N1, died in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
World Health Organization (WHO) statistics show as of [1 Feb 2008],
human bird flu infections had claimed 225 lives worldwide.
[Editor: Bi Mingxin]
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Communicated by:
ProMED-MBDS
<promed-mbds@promedmail.org>
[Although Guangdong province of China is not one of the members of
the MBDS region, it is located in the southern part of mainland
China, adjoining the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the west,
which is a member of the MBDS region. Thus, this report of a death
related to avian influenza will be of value to subscribers.
This 44-year-old woman from Guangdong province is the 3rd reported
death of avian influenza infection in China in 2008. The prior 2
deaths attributable to avian influenza infection were a 22-year-old
man from central Hunan Province who died on 24 Jan 2008 (see general
ProMED-mail posting Avian influenza, human (28): China (Hunan)
20080218.0656 available at <http://www.promedmail.org>) and a
41-year-old man from the southern region of Guangxi who died on 20
Feb 2008 (see prior PRO/MBDS posting Avian influenza, human - MBDS
Region (10): China (Guangxi) 20080221.0705 below). This newswire
states that the woman had had contact with H5N1-infected poultry
before the onset of the symptoms.
For a map of China with provinces, see
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/china_pol01.jpg>.
Guangdong province is located in the southern part of mainland China.
It adjoins Jiangxi and Hunan provinces to the north, Fujian Province
to the east, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the west, and to the
south across the Qiongzhou Strait is the island Province of Hainan. - Mod.YMA]