Published Date: 2010-11-17 14:00:04
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza, human (58): China (Hong Kong)
Archive Number: 20101117.4166

AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN (58): CHINA (HONG KONG)
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Date: Wed 17 Nov 2010
Source: Bloomberg Business Week [edited]
<http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-17/hong-kong-woman-catches-bird-flu-possibly-in-china.html>


Hong Kong detected a case of H5N1 bird flu [avian A/(H5N1) influenza
virus infection] in a woman who may have caught the disease in
[mainland] China, Secretary for Food and Health, York Chow, told
reporters this evening [17 Nov 2010]. There was no indication of
human-to-human transmission of the influenza and relatives of the
59-year-old woman are showing no symptoms, Chow said. The Hong Kong
government raised its flu response level to "serious," Chow said.

The woman returned this month [November 2010] from a trip to
[mainland] China and her husband said she had visited a poultry market
and eaten chicken, said Thomas Tsang, controller of the Centre for
Health Protection, at a news conference. "I don't think we can say
with certainty whether it is an imported case or a local case," Chow
said. Health officials will conduct viral studies to see if they can
match the virus strain to samples found previously in northern or
southern China, Chow said.

The woman returned to Hong Kong on Mon 1 Nov 2010 and showed flu
symptoms one day later, Tsang said. She remains hospitalized in
serious condition with a lung infection and might be placed in
intensive care, he said. The woman had visited Shanghai, Nanjing, and
Hangzhou on her trip, the officials said.

A total of 6 people died in Hong Kong in a 1997 bird flu outbreak that
prompted health authorities to cull all the chickens and ducks in the
city.

[Byline: Marco Lui]

--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[This is the 2nd human case of avian A/(H5N1) influenza virus
infection to be recorded in China in 2010. Overall there have been 40
human cases and 26 fatalities in China since the A/(H5N1) virus, first
identified in Hong Kong in 1997, reappeared in 2003 (see the WHO
Cumulative Table at
<http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2010_10_18/en/index.html>.

The most recent avian A/(H5N1) influenza case occurred in Hubei
province in June 2010. The patient died, but there was no other human
case. Likewise in the current case in Hong Kong there appears to have
been no onward transmission of infection. Since this patient's
symptoms appeared one day after return from a prolonged visit to
mainland China it seems likely that infection was not contracted in
Hong Kong. The victim's contact with poultry in a market in China is
the likely source of her infection, rather consumption of contaminated
poultry meat.

A map of the provinces of China showing the location of the Hong Kong
SAR can be accessed at
<http://www.muztagh.com/map-of-china/>.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of China is available at
<http://healthmap.org/r/026P>. - Mod.CP]

See Also

Avian influenza, human (40): China (HU), fatal, WHO 20100608.1907
Avian influenza, human (39): China (HU), fatal 20100604.1854
2009
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Avian influenza, human (124): H9N2 China (HK) 20091224.4328
Avian influenza, human (115): H9, China (HK ex GD) 20091103.3802
........................................cp/mj/jw
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