Boy Dies From Bird Flu Virus In China

April 1, 2007

China - A 16-year-old boy has died from the bird flu virus in China. There have been a total of 15 human deaths attributed to the bird flu virus in the country.

Initial investigations failed to reveal that the Chinese teenager who died had had any "history of exposure to fowl that died because of illness", Xinhua reported.

Animal health experts have failed to find signs of the virus among birds in the area.

China has now reported a total of 24 human cases of H5N1, including 15 deaths, since 2003. It last reported a human death from bird flu in July last year, when the virus killed a farmer in the western region of Xinjiang.

The latest case brings total worldwide deaths from bird flu to 170, mostly in Vietnam and Indonesia, based on WHO figures. Experts fear it could mutate into a form that can easily pass from person to person, risking a pandemic that could kill millions.

There have been a total of 24 cases of human infections from the bird flu virus since 2003 in China.