China's health ministry announced yesterday that a 19 year old soldier was hospitalised on May 14, five days after he began suffering from a cough and fever. He has been confirmed to be infected with H5N1. He is still being treated for the virus.
The health ministry did not reveal where or how the soldier came to be infected :
Test results obtained by local health authorities on May 18 found the soldier had the H5N1 bird flu strain, and that was confirmed May 23 in a test performed by national authorities, the ministry said.
"The State Council (China's Cabinet) and military leaders attach great importance to this," the ministry statement said.
It said people who had close contact with the soldier were under medical observation but showed no signs of disease. It said no civilians had contact with the soldier.
China has reported two other human cases of bird flu this year, including a 16-year-old boy who died in March.
China has suffered a total of 15 human deaths and dozens of cases in its vast poultry flocks. Millions of birds have been destroyed in order to contain outbreaks on farms.
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