April 19, 2006
China reports 17th human case of bird flu
A 21-year-old man in central China's Hubei Province has been infected with H5N1 bird flu and is now in critical condition, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday (Apr 18).
The case brings the total number of human cases of bird flu in China to 17, with 11 fatalities.
The man, surnamed Lai, is a migrant worker in Wuhan, capital city of Hubei. He displayed symptoms of fever and pneumonia two weeks ago and was hospitalised, said a report released by the ministry.
The patient has been confirmed to be infected with bird flu in accordance with the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese official standards, the ministry said.
People who have had close contact with Lai have been put under medical observation by local health authorities. No abnormal symptoms have been reported.
The ministry has reported the new case to the WHO.
