China has confirmed the first human cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus in 6 months, international public health officials have reported.
The two cases are a father and son in the Jiangsu province, according to the World Health Organization, citing the Chinese health ministry. One of the close contacts being observed by public health officials, the 52-year-old father became sick on Dec. 3, at which time he was admitted to the hospital. The Chinese national laboratory confirmed his infection as H5N1 in early December, WHO said.
His 24-year-old son died on Dec. 2, 2 weeks after developing symptoms. The national laboratory confirmed the son's infection as H5N1 on the day he died. Public health investigators have not traced any contact with birds by the two men, WHO said.
China has reported 27 human cases of H5N1—17 of which have been fatal—since its first reported case in 2003. Five cases, three of them fatal, have occurred this year, according to WHO.
In addition, WHO said, Indonesia has reported four cases of H5N1 since mid-October, all but one fatal. These cases included the following:
▸ A 5-year-old girl from Tangerang District, Banten Province, who died in the hospital on Oct. 22.
▸ A 3-year-old boy from Tangerang District who became sick on Oct. 14 but recovered.
▸ A 30-year-old woman from Tangerang District who died in the hospital on Nov. 3.
▸ A 31-year-old man from Bengkalis District, Riau Province, who died in the hospital on Nov. 6.
WHO said the three cases in Tangerang District occurred in neighborhoods or households that were close to dead poultry, whereas the final case involves an investigation into a swallow farm near the home of the patient who died.
Including the most recent cases, Indonesia's toll has been 113 human cases of H5N1, with 91 deaths. Of that number, 38 total cases (including 33 deaths) have occurred this year, WHO said.
In total, WHO said that 337 human cases of H5N1 have been reported since the first ones in 2003, 207 of which have been fatal. This year, 74 cases, 49 of them fatal, have been reported, according to WHO.