Hong Kong Records Second Bird Flu Death

Officials jittery and urge public to be vigilant

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Reuters

Health officials in protective suits transport sacks of poultry as part of preventive measures against the H7N9 bird flu at a poultry market in Zhuji, Zhejiang province January 6, 2014.

Hong Kong officials are reporting that a second patient has died after contracting the H7N9 bird flu virus, according to the South China Morning Post.

The 65-year-old male is believed to have been the third person in Hong Kong to contract the virus during the last month. Authorities reported that all of the patients were exposed to the disease in the neighboring city of Shenzhen in southern China.

“The public is reminded to remain vigilant in prevention of seasonal influenza, especially the elderly, children and those who suffer from long-term illness,” Dr. Leung Ting-hung, director of Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection, told the SCMP.

At least three people have died from bird flu this year, including an elderly woman from southern China’s Zhejiang province and a middle-aged male from Guangdong province.

Earlier this month, a Canadian who fell ill while traveling home from China has become the first North American to die of the H5N1 bird flu virus.

[SCMP]