Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said today that China has reported another H5N6 avian flu case, which involves a 49-year-old man from Guangdong province whose symptoms began on Dec 17, 2022, after contact with live poultry.
On Dec 21 the man was hospitalized, and he is now in serious condition. H5N6 infections are often severe or fatal. Since 2014, China has reported 83 H5N6 cases. The virus is known to circulate in poultry in some Asian countries, but so far only China and Laos have reported human cases.
Also, China reported two more H9N2 avian flu cases, according to the CHP's monthly avian flu report. The patients are a 6-year-old girl from Sichuan province who got sick on Oct 23, 2022, and a 9-month-old girl whose symptoms began on Nov 15, 2022. H9N2 is also known to circulate in poultry in a number of Asian countries, but most human cases have been reported in China. Illnesses are usually mild and affect children.
No human-to-human spread in Cambodia
In other avian flu developments, Cambodian officials said the daughter and father who were recently infected with H5N1 were both exposed to village poultry and that there is no sign of human-to-human transmission, according to the Associated Press.
The story said the father had few symptoms and has been released from the hospital after testing negative three times. His 11-year-old daughter had a severe infection and died from her illness.