Chinese Soldier Dies of Bird Flu, WHO Says
June 5, 2007 by Flu Pandemic News
Filed under Flu Pandemic - Top News Stories
A 19-year-old Chinese soldier has died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the country’s 16th reported death from the virus, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
The man, stationed in the southern province of Fujian, died Sunday after being hospitalized May 14 with a fever and cough, said Joanna Brent, a spokeswoman for WHO’s Beijing office.
The Health Ministry, which gave the soldier’s surname as Cheng, informed WHO about the death on Sunday but did not give any details about his case, including how he contracted the disease or exactly where he was posted, Brent said.
“We’re always concerned about cases of bird flu,” she said.
The People’s Liberation Army has put all the man’s close contacts under observation, and “so far there are no clinical abnormalities. We understand it’s an individual case,” Brent said.
