Seven more H7N9 bird flu cases reported in China
Chinese health authorities say the H7N9 strain of bird flu has spread to several provinces in the country as seven new cases of the infection have been discovered.
On Friday, medical personnel in the southeastern province of Fujian said a 65-year-old man was confirmed to have contracted the virus.
He showed symptoms of repeated coughing, low fever and a tight chest on April 18. He tested positive for the H7N9 virus following a diagnosis by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday morning.
On Thursday, the eastern province of Jiangxi confirmed its first human case of H7N9 avian influenza in a 69-year-old-man. Health authorities later confirmed the province's second H7N9 case in a 76-year-old woman. The elderly woman is in critical condition.
Also, three men, aged 36, 49 and 60, were reported to have caught H7N9 bird flu in Jiangsu province. Two of the men are in serious condition.
In neighboring Zhejiang province, a 38-year-old farmer was confirmed to have contracted the H7N9 bird flu virus. The man is in critical condition, and receiving medical treatment in hospital.
A visiting team from the World Health Organization (WHO), which wrapped up a week-long visit to China on April 24, said there had been no human-to-human transmission, but warned H7N9 was "one of the most lethal" influenza viruses seen so far.
More than 110 people in China have been infected by the H7N9 avian influenza, with 23 deaths. China officially confirmed the occurrence of human infection with the new bird flu virus on March 31.
The H7N9 bird flu virus is distinct from the H5N1 virus. Since 2003, the H5N1 strain has caused more than 360 confirmed human deaths and tens of millions of birds have died from the virus.