THE Center for Health Protection of Hong Kong confirmed yesterday that a girl had tested positive for influenza A/H3, a normal strain of seasonal flu, dispelling worries of a possible outbreak of deadly H5N1 avian influenza in the city.

The center's Controller, Dr Thomas Tsang, said the six-year-old girl was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital on March 2 after her three-year-old sister, who also suffered from flu-like symptoms, died on March 1.

A newspaper reported yesterday that the three-year-old girl's death was probably caused by the deadly H5N1 strain of virus, triggering worries of a human-to-human bird flu pandemic outbreak.

According to the Center for Health Protection, the younger girl came down with fever, cough, runny nose and vomiting on February 29.

She was taken to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment on March 1, but her condition deteriorated and she died that evening.

Dr Tsang said the girl's death was a rare occurrence and a post-mortem would be conducted.

The six-year-old girl in hospital came down with similar symptoms on February 26.

She was taken to Tuen Mun Hospital on Sunday and is now in a stable condition.

Test results showed the girl had not contracted avian flu.

Dr Tsang said the parents and a brother did not have any flu-like symptoms.

The girls had not traveled outside Hong Kong recently.

(Xinhua)