# 2676
The WHO (World Health Organization) has a fresh update on the bird flu situation in China today. A hat tip to BirdFluGov on Twitter for the fast alert of this update.
Avian influenza – situation in China - update
19 January 2009 -- The Ministry of Health in China has reported 3 new cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
The first case is a 27 year old female from Jinan City, Shandong Province. She developed symptoms on 5 January, was hospitalized, and died on 17 January. The source of her infection is presently under investigation.
The second case is a 2 year old female from Luliang City, Shanxi Province. She developed symptoms on 7 January, was hospitalized, and is in a critical condition. The source of her infection is presently under investigation.
The third case is a 16 year old male from Huaihua City, Hunan Province. He developed symptoms on 8 January, was hospitalized on 16 January, and is in a critical condition. The case had exposure to sick and dead poultry.
All 3 cases were confirmed by the national laboratory. All contacts have been placed under medical observation and remain healthy to date.
Of the 34 cases confirmed to date in China, 22 have been fatal.
Not addressed in this update is the very recent report (Hat tip SophiaZoe - editor of A Pandemic Chronicle - on Twitter) via AP that informs us that the mother of the 2-year-old in critical condition apparently died very recently, with symptoms consistent with bird flu.
China reports 2nd bird flu death this year
By AUDRA ANG – 2 hours ago
BEIJING (AP) — A 16-year-old boy has been infected with the H5N1 virus, the Health Ministry said Monday, the fourth reported case this month. Bird flu has killed two people in China this year and authorities warn the risk of infection may go up during the Lunar New Year as families gather for traditional meals that often include poultry.
The teenager, a student surnamed Wu, fell ill in his hometown in Guizhou province in the country's southwest on Jan. 8 and was currently in critical condition, the ministry said on its Web site.
It said the boy had been in contact with domestic poultry that had died from illness but did not elaborate. Those in close contact with Wu have not shown signs of infection, the ministry said.
The announcement followed the death of a woman, whose surname was Zhang, living in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province. She died Saturday, the ministry said. The notice did not say how Zhang, 27, who fell sick on Jan. 5, contracted the virus.
Less than two weeks ago, a 19-year-old woman died from the H5N1 virus in a Beijing hospital after buying and cleaning ducks in a market in a neighboring province. It was the first death from bird flu since last February.
Also Monday, a 2-year-old girl was in critical condition in the northern province of Shanxi with bird flu. Ta Kung Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper backed by the mainland's communist authorities, reported that the girl's mother died recently of what doctors "highly suspected" was also bird flu. The paper did not give any other details, and Shanxi health officials refused to comment on the mother's death.
The girl tested positive for H5N1 after falling ill on Jan. 7, the Health Ministry said.
