China reports 2 more human H7N9 cases

Two elderly people were confirmed on Tuesday to have been infected with the H7N9 bird flu virus, according to Hunan and Guangdong provincial health authorities. A 73-year-old man surnamed Wen who lives in Longgang District of Shenzhen City in Guangdong is in a critical condition, said a Guangdong Provincial Health Department statement. After the Hong Kong Department of Health reported that a five-month-old Hong Kong girl developed symptoms after staying in Longgang, the Shenzhen health authority started an epidemiological survey. Those in cloe contact with the baby were currently under medical observation. The other new case involved a 75-year-old woman surnamed Cao, who was being treated in a hospital of Chenzhou City in Hunan Province. She is the province's 16th human case of H7N9 bird flu. Five patients have recovered, according to a Hunan Provincial Health Department statement. China has reported more than 120 human H7N9 cases this year, including at least 36 deaths.