China reports second bird flu death within one month

Published : Jan 23, 2012 - 14:08 Updated : Jan 23, 2012 - 14:08

China reported Monday the second bird flu-related death within one month, raising concerns that the highly contagious disease could be spreading in the southern part of the country.

   A 39-year-old man died on Sunday of the virulent H5N1 avian
influenza virus, the Health Department of the southwestern province
of Guizhou said in a statement.

   He had been suffering from a fever since Jan. 6 and had been
under intensive treatment in the Attached Hospital of Guiyang
Medical College in Guiyang, Guizhou.

   The Health Department said that 71 people had close contact
with the victim, but they have not developed abnormal symptoms.

   The death follows the recent case of a 39-year-old bus driver
in Shenzhen, a city in Guangdong Province near Hong Kong, who died
on Dec. 31 of the bird flu.

   Bird flu is usually passed from sick birds to humans and has
the potential to be fatal.

   Since 2003, bird flu has led to 28 deaths in China. (Yonhap News)