A man has passed away in Shenzhen a week after being admitted to the hospital for bird flu. This is said to be the first bird flu fatality since 2010: more ›

Another animal has been diagnosed with another disease that could potentially infect humans. More than 4.4 million ducks have been found to be infected with a new virus named BYD Virus. It causes reduced mobility, a reduction in the number of eggs produced, a loss of appetite and in many cases, death. more ›

For the first time in seven years the H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected in Hong Kong. A 59-year old woman had begun to show flu symptoms after her family trip to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing. She was admitted to a hospital on the 14th of November having only returned to Hong Kong on the 1st. more ›

• 'Empire of the Sun' author J.G. Ballard dies [USA TODAY] "Writer J.G. Ballard, best known for the autobiographical novel Empire Of The Sun, which drew on his childhood detention in a Japanese prison camp in China, died Sunday, his agent said. He was 78."
• No-Drama Obama China Policy [JLM Pacific Epoch] There is no split in the Obama administration when it comes to China policy. Non-naïve, non-ideological, clear-eyed and serious engagement is where this relationship is headed. It looks like Obama will be coming to China after the APEC meetings in November. Look for the White House to use its star-power to reach out directly to the Chinese people.
• Porsche Introduces a Luxury Sedan to the Chinese Market [NY Times] "Company executives said that the car would start at $89,800 in the United States and more, sometimes much more, in countries with higher taxes. The turbo version with a V-8 engine will cost 2.5 million yuan, or $366,000, in China, which has stiff import taxes and heavy taxes on family vehicles with large engines."

Hong Kong is hinting that the Chinese mainland might be covering up a new outbreak of bird flu, after a number of dead fowl were found on Lantau Island. So far, 17 dead birds have washed up on Lantau's beaches in recent days, three of which had tested positive for the H5N1 virus. more ›

After a two year old girl in Shanxi and a 27 year old woman in Shandong province succumbed earlier to the H5N1 virus, a 16 year old boy in Hunan province has become the third fatality recorded within a month. Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu has called for health departments across the nation to pay "great attention" to the situation now that tens of millions of people are travelling home for the Chinese New Year. more ›

A 27-year-old woman in Shandong infected with bird flu has died, becoming the second death claimed by the virus this season. Yesterday, the Center for Disease Control and Protection confirmed that Ms. Zhang had contracted the H5N1 strain. Those who came in close contact with her have also been tested, the CDCP said, but have shown no symptoms of avian influenza. Now the tally of reported bird flu cases is up to three. How many does it take before it officially becomes an epidemic? Source: Xinhua (Chinese) more ›

A toddler in Shanxi province has been confirmed infected with bird flu. The two-year-old, originally from Hunan, was taken to the Shanxi Children's Hospital on Wednesday night and tested positive for the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. She is now in critical condition. This is the second case of bird flu this week, after a 19-year-old Beijing resident died after handling ducks at a local wet market. See our tips for preventing bird flu here. Source: Caijing (Chinese only) more ›

Last week a 19 year old girl in Beijing died of bird flu (avian flu) in China's first reported case in about a year. Beijing Notebook wrote a list of tips for preventing infection by bird flu based on a distribution list from a doctor of the German Embassy in Beijing. Go to www.Beijing.diplo.de for a Chinese translation. more ›

"A stuntman filming John Woo's new movie in Beijing was killed in a bizarre fire when a small boat rammed into the set of an ancient warship, state media said on Tuesday." more ›

We all know of the first bird flu death in Shanghai a week ago, in addition to the stepped-up efforts of the local government to prevent any kind of spread. Now, Jiao Yang, spokesperson for the Shanghai government just reassured us in this Xinhua report (in Chinese) that “new cases of infected human or bird are not detected yet in the city.” But he also pointed out it’s difficult to control and prevent the spread of the disease in Shanghai because of the dense population and high traffic in and out of the city. Therefore, the government has taken five measures to prevent and control the disease. They include: more ›

Since Shanghai's first human bird flu death was confirmed on Saturday, the city has "stepped up measures" to prevent the spread of the disease among people (which still hasn't been proven possible): more ›

Many news sources are reporting what could be the first bird flu death in Shanghai. Ms. Li, a 29-year-old migrant worker, "died of pneumonia of unknown causes." The news was first reported on state TV Thursday night. You can watch the report here. more ›

Photo of the JW Marriott in Shanghai. more ›

• Kim Jong Il visits Shanghai! Or maybe not.
• A 19.305-carat diamond is expected to fetch US$1.25 million at a Shanghai auction January 16, making all men in Shanghai look cheap.
• Katie bar the door! Ten million visitors headed to Shanghai for Spring Festival.

After yesterday's confident announcement on China's ability to contain bird flu, Shanghaiist winced as we thought we heard rumbling overhead, and then we went straight to various sources searching for news of more bird flu outbreaks. The last time China tempted the gods made an announcement like this in November, Shanghaiist seems to recall the beginning of a rash of new outbreaks throughout the country. Just a day after yesterday's big announcement, China has reported its first new outbreak of bird flu in two weeks in Suichuan county in Jiangxi province. Along with this outbreak comes news of China's sixth reported human case of bird flu. more ›

Big Bird! The Thanksgiving week has been, appropriately, quite busy in regards to China's ongoing bout against the deadly avian influenza virus. Even our precious hometown Shanghai is beginning to feel the pinch. more ›

It seems everyone, including UN health officials, are giving the Chinese government kudos in terms of embracing greater media transparency in avian flu reports. This new style of Chinese government was even lauded on US network news, where they noted that the Chinese, rather than trying to keep things hush-hush like with SARS, were now showing everything the government was doing with gusto, a reality TV show about the formerly corrupt and ineffective government that turned a corner and changed its ways. more ›

Shanghaiist is sick of bird flu. But we're dedicated to weeding out the most interesting and useful stories amid the media hysteria surrounding the whole issue. (And we also have to keep up with it for work ... but that doesn't negate our dedication to our readers.) In no particular order of importance, a quick run through of some of the information floating around this week. more ›

China has finally announced its long-awaited (and in Shanghaiist’s opinion very long overdue) first human case of bird flu. While the CNN story does not confirm the flu strain, the unlinkable subscription-only South China Morning Post (which has some of the best, most up-to-date information on bird flu) reports that the boy in Hunan province tested positive for the H5N1 strain. While the boy has successfully recovered after falling ill at the end of October from eating part of a chicken that had sickened and died, his 12-year old sister did not … though at the moment her death can only be presumed to be caused by bird flu. Three other suspected human H5N1 cases have not yet been confirmed. more ›

For most of you who read Shanghaiist, there is really no reason to worry about actually being in any situation where you are likely to catch bird flu from a sick bird of some type. You are lucky enough to be able to just follow some basic common sense guidelines: don't eat raw poultry products, wash your hands regularly and don't keep close company with bunches of birds. (Shanghaiist wishes such simple statements would suffice in panicked-client-demanded-reports on bird flu for our real job.) more ›

Shanghaiist's left shoulder is a little sore right now. Why? We got injected with a flu vaccine today. For free. And we didn't have to wait in line. (And no, we didn't get the shot from this guy.) We'd tell you where we went to get this shot, but we figure you don't feel like driving to Pennsylvania. more ›

Recently the bird flu has been all the rage, making appearances in such diverse locals as Vietnam, the Ukraine, and a quarantined parrot in England. And, of course, China; specifically Anhui (isn’t that kind of close to Shanghai?). People are scared, and the only known possible vaccine, Tammiflu, has become rarer than a virgin in a hair salon. What is one to do? more ›

China admitted earlier this week that the bird flu situation here is "grave," especially for the 2,600 dead birds found in Inner Mongolia. Now, quite suddenly it seems, Shanghai is starting to act like it is taking the threat seriously (and Shanghaiist is having SARS flashbacks, like when immediately after the government stopped lying to the people and Shanghai University gave all the foreign teachers a thermometer ... and vitamins). It was announced yesterday that all travelers arriving in Shanghai by air, land or sea will have the soles of their shoes sterilized. We couldn't find anywhere exactly how the shoes will be sterilized, or how they plan to pull this off -- that's a helluva lot of feet to clean. Luggage and packages will also be checked more thoroughly, sometimes by sniffing dogs with a nose for poultry. So, if you are in the habit of gnawing on those nastly looking vacuum-packed chicken legs they sell at all major transportation hubs in China, finish up and throw the bones out the window before crossing the border. more ›

Shanghaiist rarely hears about avian influenza -- the "bird flu" -- from anyone in China. It's always relatives and friends back in the United States worrying about something, whether it be unhygienic restaurants, bad healthcare, government spooks, or just crossing the street. And they always blow things out of proportion. Things are never as big and bad as the sensationalistic Western media would have us believe -- well, OK, once -- so when they keep bringing up this bird flu business, we just blow them off: "Oh, they're just trying to sell newspapers. And besides, the bird flu is down in southern China. We don't have anything to worry about in Shanghai." more ›