A 31-year old woman in northeast China's Liaoning
Province was confirmed by the Ministry of Health yesterday to have
been infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
The woman, named Liu, is a farmer from Heishan
County and became ill on October 30 with fever and symptoms of
pneumonia. She recovered and was discharged from hospital on
November 29.
She was found to have had contact with sick birds
before she fell ill, and her local area has been confirmed as one
affected by bird flu.
The first time the Chinese Center for Disease
Prevention and Control tested her, the results were negative, but
on December 5 a second test was positive, according to a ministry
press release.
Local medical departments have put those who have
had close contact with her under medical observation, but nothing
unusual has so far been reported.
The ministry said it has made timely reports to the
WHO, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and some foreign nations.
It is China's fifth confirmed human case of bird
flu and Liaoning's first.
The quarantine in two areas affected by outbreaks
of bird flu amongst poultry in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, both in northwest China, was lifted
on Thursday after 21 days' isolation and monitoring, according to
local authorities.
(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2005)