Hong Kong reports human H7N9 bird flu case

(REUTERS)Thisyear'sfirstconfirmedcaseoftheH7N9avianinfluenzaviruswasreportedbyHongKong'sCentreforHealthProtectiononTuesday(Feb23).

Thepatient,a60-yearoldmanisnowinastablecondition,theHongKongcentresaid.ThepatientoriginallyfromSuzhouCity,eastChina'sJiangsuProvincearrivedinHongKongonFeb5.

ReportsstatethatonFeb8,themansufferedfrommultipleflurelatedsymptomsincludingafever,coughandshortnessofbreath.Hewenttoseveralhospitalsandwasdiagnosedwithpneumonia,butlatertestedpositivefortheavianinfluenzavirusbyHongKong'sPublicHealthLaboratoryServices.HewaslateradmittedtothePrincessMargaretHospitalforfurthertreatment.

OnTuesday,HongKonghealthauthoritiesreleasedreportsoftheprogresstheyhadmadeintotheinvestigationofthecase.Theman'swifewastestedandshowednosymptoms.However,theman'ssonshowedsymptomsofasorethroat,butlatertestednegativeforthevirus.

Currently,theHongKongHealthDepartmentismonitoringpeoplewhohavehadclosecontactwiththeinfectedpatient.