China says human bird flu cases a mystery

BEIJING (AFX) - China has been unable to determine why most of its 11 human cases of bird flu have occurred in areas where no poultry outbreaks have been detected, a health ministry spokesman said. [my emphasis]

The health ministry this week announced China's 11th case, in the southeastern province of Fujian.

As in seven of the previous reported infections, the 26-year-old woman fell ill in an area where the agriculture ministry had not detected the deadly virus among poultry, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

In four of these cases the health ministry later found the patients had close contacts with sick birds, although the agricultural ministry could still not determine a bird flu outbreak.

Infected poultry and birds are believed to be main sources of infection among people worldwide, and health ministry spokesman Mao Qunan told reporters this was most likely the case in China as well.

But he said finding the exact source of infections was proving extremely difficult.