H7N9 carriers may have entered Beijing

People carrying the H7N9 bird flu virus may have entered Beijing in recent days from East China due to an increased flow of tourists, the Beijing News reported on Friday.

No patients with H7N9 have been reported in the capital but the possibility cannot be ruled out as many tourists are traveling, the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau said.

Rising spring temperatures can also lead to an increase in respiratory diseases, the bureau said.

It pointed out that migrant birds always head north from southern China from the end of March to early May, which adds to the risk of the bird flu virus spreading.

All medical organizations in Beijing have examined virus prevention and control devices and made contingency plans as of Thursday, the paper reported.

The bureau designated two hospitals — Beijing Ditan Hospital and Beijing Youan Hospital — as treatment centers for H7N9 bird flu, the report said.

Thirty-eight people, mostly from Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai, had been diagnosed with H7N9 bird flu as of Thursday afternoon, with 10 deaths reported.