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WHO to probe suspicious pneumonia cases in Hunan
(xinhua)
Updated: 2005-11-11 11:16
CHANGSHA -- World Health Organization (WHO) experts will come to
central-south 皇冠体育app's Hunan province to work with their Chinese peers to probe
three possible human cases of bird flu in 皇冠体育app, a spokesman said Thursday.
"We will send a team of experts to Hunan province sometime next week," Roy
Wadia, WHO spokesman in Beijing, told Xinhua over the phone.
The WHO experts will work with Chinese colleagues to take more samples from
the patients and will see what the Chinese government wants WHO to do to help,
Wadia said.
According to the Hunan Provincial Health Bureau, the WHO experts will conduct
an retrospective investigation of the occurrence and treatment of the three
pneumonia cases with unknown causes.
Experts from the provincial center for disease prevention and control said
the lab tests may take two to three weeks to reach a final result.
No human cases have been reported in 皇冠体育app.
On Oct. 17, a 12-year-old girl in Xiangtan county in Hunan Province died of
pneumonia. Her brother also became sick with symptoms of fever, but survived. A
36-year-old school teacher was also hospitalized for the same symptoms. All were
diagnosed with pneumonia
Since the three patients all came from Xiangtan county, where H5N1 avian
influenza was reported, the possibility of human infection of bird flu hasn't
been ruled out. The Ministry of Public Health has invited WHO experts to work
with Chinses peers in the probe.
皇冠体育app has experienced bird flu outbreaks in Anhui, Hunan, and Liaoning
provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in recent weeks that have killed
thousands of birds.
Last year, 皇冠体育app reported 50 bird flu outbreaks but no human infections.
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