China confirms another human bird flu case, second case in three days

The Ministry of Agriculture says the recent outbreak of the virus have been handled in a "timely and effective" manner.

China confirms second human bird flu infection; stops poultry sales
A health officer put culled poultry in a plastic bag at a wholesale market, as trade in live poultry suspended after a spot check at a local street market revealed the presence of H7N9 bird flu virus Reuters

China health authorities confirmed a new case of a man being infected by the H7N9 strain of avian influenza, state news agency Xinhua said late on Saturday.

According to Xinhua, a 53-year-old man is being treated in hospital in the southern China province of Jiangxi provincial and is in a critical condition.

Till date, China has reported a total of 17 bird flu infected people and at least two of them have died. Since October, China has culled more than 170,000 birds in four provinces and has closed some live poultry markets after people and birds were infected by strains of the avian flu.

China suffered the last major bird flu outbreak from late 2013 to early 2014 that had killed 36 people and led to more than US$6 billion in losses for the agricultural sector. Earlier this month, Shanghai, the largest city of China with more than 24 million residents, has also already reported one human case of H7N9 infection.

The virus was first reported in humans in Hong Kong in 1997. Reports say six people had died and subsequent outbreaks have killed hundreds more worldwide.

China's Ministry of Agriculture said on Friday that the recent outbreak of the virus have been handled in a "timely and effective" manner. It did not spread and have not affected chicken products or prices.

The farmers have also increased cleaning regimes, animal detention techniques, and built roofs to cover hen pens, among other steps, to prevent the disease.

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