A patient infected with the H7N9 strain of avian flu was given a clean bill of health, and discharged from hospital in central China's Hunan Province after more than ten days, local authorities said Thursday.
The female patient, 46, had been admitted to hospital with symptoms including fever and a cough, when she tested positive for the virus on March 19, according to the People's Hospital of Hunan.
"We isolated her when her health deteriorated and she showed signs of respiratory failure and infectious shock," said Liang Hui, a spokesperson with the hospital.
H7N9 virus can directly damage lung tissue, making it hard for the patient to breathe. "After antiviral and antioxidant treatments, the patient's lung function recovered and she was able to leave hospital," said doctor Zhou Xu.
H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in China in March 2013. Infections most likely occur in winter and spring.
