China reports two new H9N2 bird flu cases in Anhui and Beijing

The WHO reported two new human cases of avian influenza A(H9N2) in China during August 2026, involving a child in Anhui Province and a pediatric patient in Beijing, both linked to live poultry market exposure. The Anhui case, a boy under five, had symptom onset on 3 August and was hospitalized before discharge. The Beijing case began on 15 August and has recovered. No additional infections were found among close contacts in either instance. Since 2015, 179 H9N2 human cases have been reported in the Western Pacific Region, including two deaths, with 176 from China. The virus spreads among birds but can infect humans through direct contact, though person-to-person transmission remains limited.