A resident of the south-western Chinese province of Guizhou died of avian flu on Sunday, China’s Health Ministry reported.
The man, aged 39, felt unwell on January 6 and was taken to hospital in the provincial town of Guiyang on January 19 after his health condition deteriorated. Despite intensive therapy, the man died.
The man’s death is the second case of lethal outcome from the H5N1 virus in China since late December. The bird flu virus was confirmed by laboratory tests.
Medics have examined 71 local residents who contacted with the bird flu victim but have not found any symptoms of the virus.
Although there have been no incidences of human-to-human infection, experts fear that the bird flu virus may mutate into a form that could be easily transmitted from person to person, causing a global pandemic.
A total of 331 people across the world have died of the H5N1 virus since it was detected by scientists in 2003.
