[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] A more deadly avian influenza (H5N1) than the novel coronavirus has been discovered not far from Hubei Province, China, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia).
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 2nd, China announced that H5N1 occurred at a farm in Shuangqing area of Xiaoyang City, Hunan Province, infecting and killing 4,500 out of 7,850 chickens on the farm. After confirming the H5N1 outbreak, local authorities culled 17,828 poultry in the area.
Chinese authorities stated that no human infection cases of H5N1 have been found yet. H5N1 is known to be more deadly than SARS or the novel coronavirus, with a fatality rate exceeding 50%, and it can be transmitted to humans through prolonged close contact with infected birds.
According to the WHO, from 2003 to 2019, a total of 861 human infection cases of H5N1 were reported worldwide, among which 455 people died.
It is particularly noteworthy that this H5N1 outbreak occurred while the Chinese government is focusing all efforts on epidemic prevention due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. If the infection and spread trend of H5N1 also emerges, the fear of virus spread within China is expected to intensify further.
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