Multiple reassortant strains of novel, highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5) viruses in clade 2.3.4.4 have recently emerged and spread in Asia, Europe, and North America, giving rise to multiple subtypes (H5N2, H5N5, H5N6, and H5N8).1-3 We report on a 59-year-old man in Guangzhou, China, with influenza A(H5N6) infection and associated illness. He had a 30-year history of smoking and had stopped smoking in January 2014. He had undergone surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer, the last chemotherapy dose having been administered in April 2014. During the weeks before illness onset, he regularly purchased and handled live poultry in live poultry markets.

Fever and chills developed on December 3, 2014. In the next 3 days, his body temperature rose to 40°C, and the fever was not relieved by acetaminophen; vomiting, cough, and shortness of breath also developed. He was hospitalized on day 6 of his illness and began receiving antibiotic treatment