2 H7N9 patients discharged from hospitals

HANGZHOU/HEFEI - Two H7N9 avian influenza patients were discharged from hospitals in east China on Friday.

A 51-year-old woman surnamed Jia made a full recovery and was discharged from the First Affiliated Hospital of the College of Medicine, Zhejiang University at 11 am, according to a statement issued by the hospital.

On April 9, Jia's H7N9 infection status was confirmed and she was hospitalized with a fever and a recurring cough accompanied by blood.

She has been the first person in the province to recover from the new strain of bird flu.

In neighboring Anhui province, a 55-year-old man surnamed Li, one of the province's three confirmed H7N9 patients, had recovered and was released from a local hospital on Friday afternoon, according to the Anhui Provincial Health Bureau.

A native of Bozhou city, Li was hospitalized on April 1. He was transferred from the intensive care unit to a regular ward on April 17, as his condition had improved following treatment, the bureau said.

As of Friday afternoon, 91 H7N9 cases have been reported across China, including 17 cases that have ended in death.