Four new cases of H7N9 reported in north China
Two new cases of H7N9 infection have been reported in Henan province, local health authorities said on Sunday, taking the number of news case in northern China in recent days to four.
Two patients, a 45-year-old woman from Nanyang, and a 54-year-old man from Pingdingshan, were both critically ill in hospital, officials at the provincial health department said.
People who had close contact with the two patients have been observed and none had shown any symptoms, Xinhua reported.
On Saturday, authorities in Hebei province which surrounds Beijing, said a 69-year-old man from Dacheng county in Langfang had contracted the H7N9 virus.
Health officials said the man had been in contact with live poultry before he fell ill, and was being treated in hospital.
None of the people who had close contact with him had any symptoms, officials said.
The county health department ordered that his home be quarantined and local poultry markets inspected.
Tianjin reported on Friday that a woman, 58, was infected.
H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in China in March 2013.
Infections are most likely to occur during the winter and spring.
Disease control and prevention experts agree that the H7N9 virus is not transmitted from person to person.
