BEIJING, February 4 (RIA Novosti) - A three-year-old
Chinese girl, diagnosed with the H5N1 strain of bird flu in
January, has become the youngest person in China to recover
from the disease, local media said on Wednesday.
The girl is believed to have contracted the disease after
coming into contact with sick poultry. Her mother died in early
January of severe pneumonia, which is one of the symptoms of
bird flu, but the deadly virus was not officially confirmed as
a cause of death.
Eight people have been officially diagnosed with avian
influenza in 2009 in China, five of them have died. Two others
are currently receiving treatment for the deadly virus.
Over 70% of all bird flu cases occur in China in winter
and spring. The virus, which was first detected in 2003, has
been officially confirmed in 404 people worldwide, 254 of whom
have died, according to WHO statistics.
Of the 38 cases confirmed to date in China, 25 have been
fatal, the World Health Organization has reported.
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