China confirms 17th human bird flu case, says poultry market still stable
A new human case of the H7N9 strain of the avian influenza has been confirmed by the health authorities in the southern province of Jiangxi in China. The country now has a total of 17 confirmed human bird flu infections so far. Human infections of the H7N9 strain of bird flu killed two people in China’s Anhui province.
The latest to be infected is a 53-year-old man who is now being treated in a hospital in the provincial capital of Nanchang. He is still in a critical condition.
The last major bird flu outbreak in mainland China – from late 2013 to early 2014 – killed 36 people and led to more than US$6 billion in losses for the agricultural sector.
China has culled more than 170,000 birds in four provinces since October 2016 and closed some live poultry markets after people and birds were infected by strains of the avian flu.The government also said it has recently recorded ten cases of poultry being infected with the H5N6 strain this year compared with 11 last year.
China’s Ministry of Agriculture said the recent outbreaks of bird flu have been handled in a “timely and effective” manner without spreading and have not affected chicken products or prices. The ministry said the situation in the world’s second-largest poultry consumer was “stable”.
The comments come as South Korea and neighboring countries battle outbreaks of various strains of the highly virulent flu.
“Each case has been handled timely and effectively without spreading. Experts believe the poultry bird flu situation will generally be stable despite some individual cases in some places,” the statement said.
The ministry, together with local agriculture agencies, have monitored and investigated poultry markets and farms where infected people live, it said.
It has also searched for the source of the virus and conducted emergency handling for infected poultry, as well as urged farmers, butchers and traders to step up sterilization programs.
