A 6-year-old girl had been infected with [influenzavirus H5N1], but recovered, officials said Saturday, bringing to 17 the number of confirmed cases of the ailment that has killed four people. The child made a full recovery before the slaughter of the territory's 1.3 million chickens in an attempt to wipe out the ailment, the government said. It said a blood test had shown that the girl had been infected with [influenzavirus A H5N1] and had developed antibodies. Authorities suspect [all] the victims caught the disease by handling infected chickens or their waste. No human cases have been diagnosed since the chicken slaughter more than a week ago. On Friday, legislators approved a $97 million compensation package for the poultry industry, which has been devastated by the bird flu outbreak. Officials also said the 3-week-old ban on live chicken imports is likely to stretch through January.
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