BEIJING — A 16-year-old boy has been infected with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, China’s Health Ministry said, the fourth reported case this month.
Authorities have warned that the risk of human infection could rise in the days leading up to the Chinese New Year.
The teenager fell ill in his hometown in Guizhou province in the country’s southwest on Jan. 8 and is in critical condition, the ministry said. It said the boy had been in contact with domestic poultry that had died from illness but didn’t elaborate. Those in close contact with the boy haven’t shown signs of infection, it said.
The announcement followed the death on Saturday of a woman living in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province. The ministry didn’t say how she contracted the virus. CONTINUE>>
