ProMed-mail reports the death of a 50-year-old man in Guangxi province due to strain H5N6 avian influenza. It is unknown whether the decedent had direct contact with live poultry prior to admission to hospital with severe pneumonia in mid-February. From 2014 to date, 30 cases of H5N6 avian influenza have been diagnosed in patients in China with seven fatalities.
Despite vaccination of chickens, H5N6 avian influenza is endemic in China and the infection represents a risk for workers in wet markets and their customers. The same can be said for the U.S. with the potential for emergence of avian influenza in the live bird trade.