17 November 2010
A Hong Kong woman is hospitalized with pneumonia after contracting H5N1 avian influenza, possibly in China.
There was no indication of human-to-human transmission of the influenza and relatives of the 59-year-old woman are showing no symptoms. The Hong Kong government raised its flu response level to “serious”.
The woman visited China Oct. 23 to Nov. 1 with her husband and daughter, the Centre for Health Protection, said in a statement posted on the government website. She didn’t have contact with live poultry or farms while there, the agency said.
The woman returned to Hong Kong Nov. 1, showed flu symptoms one day later and entered hospital on Nov. 14 with persistent fever. She remains hospitalized in serious condition, according to the statement.
The woman visited Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou on her trip, the officials said. Her 60-year-old husband recovered from a runny nose and cough, the statement said.