|
Hunan girl's death 'not linked to bird'
By Wang Zhenghua and Tao Li (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-28 05:41
Health authorities yesterday refused to link the death of a 12-year-old girl
who had flu-like symptoms with the bird-flu outbreak in Central China's Hunan
Province.
Initial tests turned out negative for the virus, but the result has to be
confirmed, some media reports said yesterday.
A health worker vaccinates a chicken in
Xiangtan, Central China's Hunan Province Thursday October 27, 2005.
[Xinhua] |
The report of the girl's death came the same day that three people on a
French island off Africa were being tested for suspected bird flu - the first
suspected human cases outside Asia.
A health official with Xiangtan County - the third place in China to report
an outbreak caused by the H5N1 strain in a week - said He Yin's death on October
17 could be a "coincidence."
The girl and her 9-year-old brother He Junyao, natives of Wantang Village,
fell ill after the family ate a chicken that died of an unspecified disease
earlier this month.
"The province sent experts to investigate," the official told China Daily.
"But the results of laboratory tests didn't show the girl died of bird-flu
infection."
Without disclosing what exactly caused the girl's death, the official - who
did not want to be identified - said his department dealt with the incident
"according to procedures" and the situation in the county is "well under
control."
No other person has been reported ill in the village.
Both the health and foreign ministries said yesterday that no human infection
has been reported in China so far.
|
