2003, February 19

On February 19 two laboratories confirm an outbreak of influenza A in Hong Kong. A 9-year old boy who traveled to Fujian province in mainland China with his mother and two sisters became ill on February 9 and was hospitalized on February 12. The boy, his mother and one sister eventually recovered, however his father and one sister died. This outbreak of influenza A is caused by the same virus (H5N1) which was responsible for an influenza outbreak in 1997 in Hong Kong with 18 detected cases and 6 deaths. It seams that the current outbreak in Hong Kong is linked to the persisting presence of the H5N1 virus in mainland China.

Literature:

WHO - Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR)