Hong Kong reports its first case of H7N9 bird flu

Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Hong Kong has reported its first case of the new H7N9 strain of the bird flu virus, in a worker from Indonesia.

The worker, 36, recently traveled to Shenzen, China, and was in close contact with poultry. The patient had a history of buying chickens, slaughtering and eating them.

This is the first time a case has been reported outside mainland China. Of the more than 100 cases reported so far, all have been restricted to the mainland, and the Hong Kong case is a signal the virus may be spreading.

Dr. Ko Wing-man, Hong Kong's food and health secretary, said that the worker was in critical condition at Queen Mary Hospital. Four people she came in close contact with are also showing flu-like symptoms.

Hong Kong is now on public health alert and banned the import of live chickens from farms on the mainland.

Although the World Health Organization said Nov. 6 that there was "no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission," 139 human cases had been reported by that time, including 45 deaths, leading them to label H7N9 an "unusually dangerous virus."

[BBC]