Girl's H9N2 virus confirmed of avian origin in HK

Special report: Global fight against bird flu

Health workers pack dead chicken at a

wholesale poultry market in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

(HKSAR) of China, Dec. 10, 2008. More than 80,000 chickens are now being

slaughtered in Hong Kong on Wednesday after bird flu was found in a

poultry farm, the first outbreak on a farm here in nearly six

years.(Chinese media/Lui Siu Wai) Photo Gallery

HONG KONG, Jan. 7 (Chinese media) -- Gene sequencing results have

indicated the influenza-A (H9N2) virus found in a two-month-old girl in December

2008 was of avian origin, Hong Kong Center for Health Protection said on

Wednesday.

The center said that re-assortment with genes of

human influenza origin has not been found.

The virus is highly similar to the H9N2 virus

isolated from another case involving a nine-month-old girl in 2007, the center

said.

The virus found in the two-month-old girl was

sensitive to antiviral medicines Tamiflu and Amantadine.

The girl is being treated in Tuen Mun Hospital for

another disease. Her symptoms of H9N2 infection have subsided.

Samples taken from her on Jan. 2 tested negative for

H9N2. Her close contacts did not develop symptoms of H9N2 infection.