Another death in China from H5N1 virus

Another Chinese man, 39, fell ill with the H5N1 avian flu on January 6 in Guiyang, Guizhou province. His is the second death from the flu in under a month. The Chinese health department said, "So far, 71 people who had close contact with the victim have not developed abnormal symptoms." This brings the number to die of the bird flu in China to 28.

The World Health Organization reported that it never saw a "sustained human-to-human spread" of the virus since it reemerged in 2003. The Telegraph said, "Chen, the Guangdong victim, had not had any direct contact with poultry either in the month before he was taken ill, nor had he left the bustling metropolis of Shenzhen where he lived."