A man has been hospitalized in southwestern China after contracting the H5N6 strain of avian flu, Chinese state news media reported on Thursday, a reminder that the world is full of flu viruses even during a coronavirus pandemic. Local officials had “activated an emergency response and sterilized the area,” the broadcaster said in a brief report in English. The report did not provide other details or say whether the man handled poultry as part of his job. The H5N6 virus is one of several potentially dangerous flu versions that scientists have reported finding over the years in poultry flocks or in captured or dead wild birds. It was first detected eight years ago in Laos, and later spread to China and other countries.

Source: International New York Times July 15, 2021 10:07 UTC