The Ministry of Health said on Sunday that the cause of a
disease diagnosed as pneumonia in three people in a county that saw
an outbreak of avian influenza was uncertain. One of those
affected, a 12-year old girl, died three weeks ago.
"After conducting comprehensive analysis, experts said although
the three cases are diagnosed as pneumonia of unknown causes at
present, the possibility of human infection of the highly deadly
H5N1 strain of bird flu cannot be ruled out," a ministry
spokesperson said.
"We still need further tests in the laboratory to find the exact
causes," he said, adding that a Chinese Center for Disease Control
and Prevention lab is carrying out tests and that the ministry has
invited WHO experts to help ascertain the cause of the disease.
Twelve-year-old He Yin in Wantang Village, Shebu Township of
Xiangtan County, Hunan Province was hospitalized on the morning of
October 16 with "serious pneumonia" at the Xiangtan Maternal and
Childcare Hospital and transferred to Hunan Childrens' Hospital at
noon.
She died the next morning and tested negative both to the H5N1
bird flu and SARS viruses, according to the spokesperson.
Her nine-year-old brother was hospitalized on October 17 at the
Xiangtan Maternal and Childcare Hospital and on the evening of the
following day transferred to Hunan Childrens' Hospital to receive
treatment in isolation.
From October 22, his body temperature returned to normal, as did
the results of clinical examinations.
He was suspected of being positive to H5 bird flu in one test,
but negative in all other tests relating to the H5N1 strain. He
also tested negative to SARS.
A 36-year-old male teacher named Song was also admitted to
Xiangtan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital after being
diagnosed with pneumonia on October 24. After receiving
antibiotics, his body temperature returned to normal and his
condition stabilized and improved. He tested negative both to the
H5N1 virus and SARS.
According to the spokesperson, the ministry reported the cases
of the two children to the WHO on October 28, and reported in
detail on all three cases and prevention and control measures on
November 3.
Wantang saw one of four recent Chinese outbreaks of bird flu in
poultry, with the deaths of 545 chickens and ducks reported to the
World Organisation for Animal Health on October 25, along with the
culling of 2,487 and vaccination of 43,750 other birds.
(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2005)