 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
China reports bird flu outbreak in Tibet, human death
Beijing (AFP) Feb 19, 2008 Chinese authorities on Tuesday reported a fresh bird flu outbreak among poultry in Tibet, a day after confirming a 22-year-old man in central China had died of the deadly virus. The agriculture ministry said 132 poultry had died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in a village outside the regional capital Lhasa and about 7,700 birds had been slaughtered to bring the outbreak under control. It was the second outbreak of bird flu in the Himalayan region this year. In January, about 1,000 birds died and 13,000 were slaughtered during an earlier outbreak in Gongga county, which lies about 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Lhasa. News of the latest outbreak, posted on the agriculture ministry's website, came shortly after Chinese authorities announced the country's 18th confirmed human bird flu fatality. The health ministry late Monday confirmed that a 22-year-old man from Hunan province had died from the H5N1 strain. The man, surnamed Li, developed a fever and headache on January 16 and was hospitalised on January 22. But his condition worsened and he died two days later, according to a statement posted on the health ministry's website. China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said he had tested positive for the H5N1 strain. The ministry did not say how he might have contracted the disease. The local government had put in place prevention and control measures and those who had close contact with Li were put under strict medical observation. So far, none had shown signs of the disease, the ministry said. With the latest fatality, at least 18 people have been confirmed to have died of bird flu in China. Ten other patients recovered. China's previous fatal case was a 24-year-old man in the eastern province of Jiangsu who died in December. H5N1 has killed more than 200 people and ravaged poultry flocks worldwide since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation. Scientists fear the virus will eventually mutate into a form that is much more easily transmissible between humans, triggering a global pandemic. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola
72 dead as cholera follows floods in Mozambique
Maputo (AFP) Feb 19, 2008At least 72 people have died of cholera and other intestinal diseases brought on by floods that have ravaged central Mozambique since the beginning of January, medical staff said Tuesday. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
