Hong Kong confirms its first human case of H7N9 bird flu

Hong Kong confirmed its first case of deadly H7N9 bird flu on Monday in a further sign that the virus is continuing to spread beyond mainland China's borders.

A 36-year-old Indonesian domestic helper with a history of contact with poultry and travel to Shenzhen in mainland China just north of Hong Kong has been confirmed infected by H7N9 and hospitalized in critical condition, Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man told reporters late Monday.

The case coincides with the 10th anniversary of the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, also known as SARS, which killed nearly 300 people in Hong Kong and had a significant impact on the city's travel and retail industry.

The patient was admitted to a hospital on Nov. 27 after developing a cough and shortness of breath. She was transferred to intensive care at the city's Queen Mary Hospital last Friday.

In all, 137 human cases of H7N9 have been reported in mainland China since February with 45 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Touching poultry has been the main way people contract the disease.

“Infected birds can shed a lot of flu virus, for example, in their droppings or their mucus," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website. "If someone touches an infected bird or an environment contaminated with virus and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth, they may be infected with bird flu virus.”

The CDC said the potential for the virus becoming a pandemic prompts the most concern.

“Influenza viruses constantly change and it’s possible that this virus could gain the ability to spread easily and sustainably among people, triggering a global outbreak of disease (pandemic),” the agency said.

In August, Chinese scientists reported the first likely case of direct person-to-person transmission of H7N9 but stressed that the virus, believed to jump from birds to people, was still not proficient at spreading between humans.

Taiwan reported its first case in April, in a 53-year-old man who had been working in eastern China. The man was eventually discharged but the case prompted the island's authorities to begin research into a vaccine they hope to roll out by late 2014.

Secretary Ko said Hong Kong had suspended the import of live poultry from Shenzhen and escalated the grade of its flu preparation plan to "serious," according to RTHK, a Hong Kong news channel.

People who had come into close contact with the patient recently have also been admitted to another hospital for isolation and testing.

Al Jazeera and wire services