A spokesman from China's Health Ministry reported Nov. 6 that three people in Xiangtan County in the Hunan Province suffered from pneumonia, including two previously reported cases. The health officials could not rule out that the people were infected with H5N1 bird flu, because they all butchered or ate (sick) chickens in an area where a bird flu outbreak occurred among the poultry.

In the first case, a middle school teacher named Song (male, Han Chinese, 36 year old) residing in the town of Yishuhe in Xiangtan County, where a bird flu outbreak occurred, felt sick after he got injured on the skin of his hands when butchering and cutting a chicken.

He was admitted on Oct 24 to a Xiangtan Municipal Chinese Medicine Hospital. Chest x-rays showed pneumonia in the left lung. On the same day, Song was transferred to Xiangtan City Central Hospital. His body temperature became normal and his condition was stabilized after antibiotic treatment. Lab results did not show any sign of H5N1 or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

In the second case, a school girl named He (12 year old, residing at Wangtan Village of Xiangtan County where the bird flu out-broke) became sick after she ate some smoked chicken meat from a dead chicken, according to an unsubstantiated news source.

Doctors suspected she acquired severe pneumonia and was rushed to Xiangtan Municipal Children and Women Hospital on Oct. 16. On the same day, she was transferred to Hunan Provincial Children's Hospital. Next day, she died of pneumonia in both lungs, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Samples collected from the patient tested negative for both H5N1 and (SARS).

In the third case, a nine year old boy named Hem (who was a brother of the girl in the second case) became sick after eating smoked chicken meat from a dead chicken.

He was taken to Xiangtan Municipal Children and Women Hospital on Oct 17. The next day, he was transferred to Hunan Provincial Children’s Hospital where he was quarantined and treated. On Oct 22, his body temperature was back to normal. Clinical symptoms and test results indicated he recovered from the disease. Test results showed he was negative for H5N1 and SARS, but tentatively positive for H5.

An official epidemiological report admitted that there was an outbreak of bird flu involved the village where the Hes reside in, and both children had contact with dead chickens. Some news media reported both ate sick chicken meat.

Considering the latest outbreak of H5N1 bird flu involved the Wangtan village, experts could not rule out that these patients were infected with H5N1 virus, even though they were diagnosed with pneumonia. Further lab tests are needed to determine the cause of the disease. The confirmatory tests are under way at China’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The China' Health Ministry dispatched a team of epidemiologists, clinicians and lab specialists to Hunan where a bird flu outbreak occurred last month to investigate and monitor the outbreak and help treat those who might have been infected. A total of 192 people contacted with the three patients and/or dead poultry at Wangtan village. No more cases of flu were diagnosed except one person who was diagnosed with acute bronchitis.

China's Health Ministry reported on Oct. 28 both He's cases to the World Health Organization (WHO). On Nov. 3, the Health Ministry informed the WHO of the details regarding three cases of pneumonia with causes unidentified including the He's cases. China is in the process of inviting the WHO experts to join the Chinese experts to investigate the causes of the disease.

Courtesy of WZWB.com.cn

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