China reports second H10N8 case

NANCHANG (Xinhua) - Health authorities in east China's Jiangxi Province on Saturday confirmed a second human case of H10N8, a new strain of bird flu known to affect humans.

The patient, a 55-year-old woman in Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi, is in a critical condition, the provincial health and family planning department said in a statement.

The woman, surnamed Zhang, developed symptoms of a sore throat, dizziness and loss of strength on Jan. 8 and was admitted to hospital on Jan. 15, it said.

She had been to an agricultural market, said the statement.

Those who had come into contact with her have not shown any abnormal symptoms.

Health experts called on the public to stay away from live poultry and maintain good hygiene.

On Dec. 17, local health authorities in Jiangxi confirmed that they had detected the H10N8 virus from a 73-year-old woman, who died of respiratory failure on Dec. 6. At the time, health professionals said H10N8 existed among birds, but human infection had never been reported before.

Many regions, including Zhejiang, Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Beijing, have reported dozens of cases of H7N9, another strain of bird flu.