A government agency in China said that it has recorded the first known human death from H5N6 otherwise known as the bird flu.

The Health and Family Planning Commission in Sichuan posted on their website reporting that a 49 year old man has made contact with sick and dead poultry before he also got sick. Meanwhile, those who were in close contact with the man with the virus subtype have not felt ill or showed symptoms of H5N6. The report from the health agency has also posted that low risk of spreading the virus was found in an initial analysis.

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The man, coming from the Nanbu County in Sichuan, died on Tuesday after suffering from severe pneumonia triggered by the avian flu virus according to the Sichuan Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission. A throat swab has also been conducted confirming the virus.

The International Society for Infectious Disease through its online media platform ProMED-mail said that this was the first recorded human case of the bird flu virus.

A six month trial was also started in Guangzhou to reduce the spread of H5N6. The campaign, which began this week, was launched to end the sale of live poultry in some districts of the city.

Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that a travel warning was issued to travelers coming from Sichuan, informing them to avoid close contact with living or dead poultry.

The report went on saying that the avian flu virus is a low pathogenic bird flu virus found in the US, Germany and Sweden. Meanwhile, East Asia has recorded several cases in which humans have been affected recently.

The new avian flu virus, H7N9, was first reported to have infected people in China in March 2013. The World Health Organization reported that from that time, there were already 115 people who have died and 367 cases were reported in China.

TagsH5N6, H7N9, Sichuan, Nanbu city, Guangzhou, Sichuan Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission