Advertisement

Guiyang woman dies of bird flu in hospital

A 21-year-old woman died in a in Guiyang hospital of bird flu on Wednesday, state media said, a rare case in the country of a fatality from the H5N1 virus since a major outbreak a decade ago.

 

Reading Time:1 minute
Why you can trust SCMP
A vendor selects chickens for a customer at a poultry market in Shanghai. Photo: AP

A woman in southwestern China died of bird flu on Wednesday, state media said, a rare case in the country of a fatality from the H5N1 virus since a major outbreak a decade ago.

Advertisement

The 21-year-old patient from Guiyang passed away 13 days after showing symptoms, Xinhua news agency said, citing the health ministry.

Another city resident, a 31-year-old man who developed signs of the virus around the same time, was reported over the weekend to be in critical condition.

More than 365 people have died of bird flu globally since a 2003 outbreak, the World Health Organisation said in its latest report.

It noted that China has seen one fatal case per year since 2010, down from a total of 25 from 2003 to 2009.

Advertisement

The H5N1 virus typically spreads from birds to humans through direct contact, but experts fear it could mutate into a form transmissible between humans.

loading
Advertisement