Chinese health officials Thursday reported a second death from bird flu, a 35-year-old female farmer in the eastern Anhui province.
The Ministry of health identified the victim only by her surname, Xu, and said she first fell ill Nov. 11 after having contact with dead poultry, China's state Xinhua news agency reported.
A 24-year-old female poultry worker in Anhui died from the virus Nov. 10, and a 9-year-old boy who fell ill with the virus last month in Hunan Province is still alive.
The World Health Organization confirmed the woman died from H5N1 avian influenza, said spokesman Dick Thompson.
"It was not unexpected," Thompson said. "There will be sporadic human cases as long as the virus is circulating in animals."
Meanwhile, Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. announced it would be the first company in Asia to begin human testing on an avian flu vaccine after it won fast-track state approval for the trials, the China Daily reported.
It could take at least a year before the vaccine finishes its two-phase clinical trials on 100 volunteers, the report said.
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