On Monday, the China National Health Commission reported that a case of human avian influenza A (H5N6), commonly known as bird flu, had been confirmed in Beijing. The anonymous patient, profiled as a 59-year-old woman with a non-Beijing hukou, began showing symptoms of discomfort early on Aug 6 and was officially hospitalized on Aug 11, at which point it was confirmed that she was infected with the H5N6 virus. Shen reportedly contracted the flu after coming into contact with infected poultry outside of Beijing.

Since her admittance, the patient’s condition has remained precarious and she is reportedly in a critical state.

China’s last large-scale bird flu epidemic occurred in 2014

Avian influenza is highly pathogenic, meaning the risk of it causing disease is high, with mild to life-threatening consequences. Some weaker strains may only cause clinical inconveniences such as eye infections and flu-like symptoms, which often recede after an infection period of 7-10 days. However, more virulent strains may lead to multi-organ failure and potentially death.

The virus is rarely transmitted between humans and is largely contracted by individuals that work in close proximity with birds and poultry that are carrying the virus, both dead and alive.

Since 2014, Chinese health authorities have recorded 24 incidents of the avian influenza A (H5N6) strand present in humans. To reduce chances of infection, it is recommended that you minimize interactions with undomesticated birds and avoid areas with pervasive bird populations.

READ: Medical Insurance in Beijing: Why You Need It, and How to Get It

Images: stuff.co.nz, Financial Tribune

Cases of Mycoplasma pneumonia, commonly known as walking pneumonia, doubled among Beijing children last year, according to a news report by Lung Disease News.

This type of pneumonia is a mild lung infection caused by bacteria called Mycoplasma. Over 50 percent of the children admitted to hospital due to pneumonia tested positive for the bacteria, and it’s speculated that the number of cases will continue to increase in 2016 and beyond. Data was collected by investigators from the Capital Institute of Pediatrics here in Beijing and the findings published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology in February this year, in the hopes that the study might create awareness and help in slowing this epidemic down.

“Positive diagnoses for M. pneumoniae from May to December 2015 in children nearly doubled, from 30 to 57 percent, according to Hongmei Sun, M.D., who works as a pediatrician and director of the Department of Bacteriology at the Capital Institute,” the news report said.

Doctors, parents, and educators are warned to be on the lookout for this illness, as it spreads easily through crowded areas such as schools via contact with an infected person. The symptoms might include fever, fatigue, headaches, sore throats, loss of appetite, chest pain, and a bothersome and long-lasting cough (this is the most common). For children under five, fever might be absent but they can suffer from vomiting and diarrhea. The good news is that it can be treated with antibiotics and normal daily activities can resume.

The epidemic is the seventh of its kind in Beijing since the Institute began monitoring the pathogen in 1977.

Photo: nhs.uk