November 16, 2005

 

Bird flu antibodies found in Chinese boy
 

 

Bird flu antibodies have been found in a nine-year-old Chinese boy who fell ill in a village that suffered an outbreak in poultry, a newspaper reported Wednesday, but it was not clear whether they were from the virulent H5N1 strain.

 

If the boy was confirmed to have the H5N1 strain, he would be the Chinese mainland's first known human case of the virus, which has killed at least 64 people in Asia since 2003.

 

The boy's 12-year-old sister died last month after suffering flu-like symptoms. Chinese authorities initially said both tested negative for bird flu, but later launched a new investigation with help from the World Health Organization, which has sent experts to the area.

 

"During the early stage, antibodies were not found, but now the boy is positive to antibody tests," Qi Xiaoqiu, director of the ministry of health's Department of Disease Control, was quoted as saying by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper.

 

"Judging from the antibody test results, we can't rule out that it is the first human bird flu case," the newspaper quoted Qi as saying during a conference in Beijing.

 

Qi said the Chinese government was waiting for the results of the joint investigation with the WHO before confirming it was H5N1.

 

There are dozens of strains of bird flu.

 

The boy and his sister were from Wangtan, a village in Hunan province, where a schoolteacher also fell ill after bird flu killed 545 chickens and ducks last month.

 

"The way and place the samples were collected may not have been appropriate, and the timing of sample collection may not have been appropriate," Qi said. "It was the first time the local laboratory conducted such tests, and their quality is limited."

 

The WHO team visited the boy's home and the hospital where the siblings were treated, the official Xinhua news agency said.

 

"At this point, there are strong indications that he may have H5N1," said Roy Wadia, a spokesman for WHO in Beijing. "But the investigation is still underway, and no conclusion has been reached."

 

China has reported 11 outbreaks of H5N1 among birds since Oct 19. Experts have warned that human cases would be inevitable if China is unable to stop future outbreaks.