China investigates suspected bird flu case as Hong Kong goes on alert

Associated Press | June 14, 2006

China is investigating a suspected human bird flu case in the south of the country that has triggered alarm bells across the border in the regional economic hub of Hong Kong.

A 31-year-old man, identified only by his surname Jiang, was suspected to have contracted the deadly H5N1 virus in the boomtown of Shenzhen in Guangdong province and was in critical condition in hospital, Xinhua news agency said.

The truck driver, who developed a fever, back pains and a cough on June 3, was admitted to hospital on Friday. Preliminary tests carried out by local health officials showed he had H5N1, it said.

Jiang has since been transferred to another hospital in Shenzhen for "advanced treatment", Xinhua said, adding that provincial authorities had reported the case to the health ministry for verification.

A health ministry spokesman confirmed to AFP that tests were being carried out on the man. He said an official announcement on whether he had contracted bird flu would only be made after the tests were completed.

If confirmed, the man would become China's 19th reported human case of bird flu. Twelve of those cases have been fatal.

China has reported 35 cases of bird flu outbreaks among poultry since October last year, although many of the human cases have been in areas where no outbreaks have been officially recorded.

Xinhua reported that Jiang may have contracted the virus after his wife had bought a chicken from a wet market two weeks earlier and served it for dinner to him and four other family members.

The other relatives had not shown any signs of illness, the agency said, adding that they were under observation.

While the mainland carried out investigations, the Chinese autonomous territory of Hong Kong was preparing to slap an immediate ban on poultry imports from the mainland if the case was confirmed as H5N1.

"We are very concerned about this bird flu case in Shenzhen (as the patient) didn't make any contacts with poultry and birds," Hong Kong Health Secretary York Chow said.

"(This) makes us think there is a possibility that there might be poultry which might not have clear flu symptoms but can spread virus to humans. That's what we are most worried about."

Chow said the health department was sending a team of experts to Shenzhen Wednesday to gather more information and find out how the man had contracted the virus.

"Most importantly, we want to know whether he has come into contact with trucks and people coming in and out of Hong Kong," he said.

Authorities have stepped up inspections of chickens imported from the mainland and Chow said an immediate ban on imports from China would be imposed for three weeks if the man was confirmed to have the H5N1 virus.

The latest case threatened to be a repeat of events in March, when Hong Kong temporarily banned bird imports from Guangdong following the death there of a 32-year-old man from bird flu.

Hong Kong was the scene of the world's first reported major bird flu outbreak among humans in 1997, when six people died and more than two million poultry were culled.

But it has remained free of bird flu since early 2003 with stringent border control and a reduction in the number of poultry imports from China.

More than 120 people worldwide have died from bird flu since it re-emerged as a threat in 2003, with most of the victims in Asia.

Humans are believed to contract the virus mainly from direct contact with infected animals. Scientists fear a global pandemic if the virus mutates and becomes easily transmissible between humans.

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