China reports second 2009 bird-flu fatality (Roundup)

Jan 19, 2009, 11:00 GMT

Beijing - A 27-year-old woman died of avian flu in eastern China, becoming the second bird-flu fatality this month in the country, health officials said.

The victim lived in Jinan, the capital of the coastal province of Shandong, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

The woman became ill on January 5 and sought treatment at a hospital when her flu symptoms worsened. She died Saturday evening, China's Health Ministry said late Sunday.

Central government health officials confirmed that she was infected with H5N1, the strain of bird flu that can be deadly among humans. They did not say how she might have been infected.

A 19-year-old woman died of bird flu on January 5 in Beijing after slaughtering ducks.

Most people who have contracted bird flu have come in close contact with infected poultry.

China has had three human cases of bird-flu infections this year, including a 2-year-old girl in critical condition in the northern province of Shanxi.

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture said the country faces a 'grim situation' in preventing avian flu amid difficulties in preventing the disease on China's numerous small farms, the spike in poultry sales for the Chinese New Year and outbreaks in neighboring countries.

The UN's World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a statement released in Beijing that the consumption of poultry jumps during the celebration of the Chinese New Year, which begins January 26, and precautionary measures should be taken to prevent the spread of bird flu.

It said poultry should always be well cooked before eating and hands should be washed after contact with raw meat.

Before China reported its two deaths this year, the WHO had confirmed 248 human bird-flu fatalities from 394 infections in 15 Asian and African countries. China's recent deaths brought its bird-flu fatalities to 22 from 33 infections.

Experts fear that the virus could mutate into a form that could be easily passed from human to human, resulting in a worldwide pandemic.