First H7N9 bird flu case confirmed in Fujian

FUZHOU - Health authorities in East China's Fujian province on Friday confirmed the province's first human case of H7N9 avian influenza.

A 65-year-old man surnamed Luo, a local resident from Gaopo township, Yongding County, Longyan City, showed symptoms of repeated coughing, low fever and a tight chest on April 18. He was admitted to the No. 2 Hospital in Longyan on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the provincial health department.

Luo tested positive for the H7N9 virus at 11 a.m. on Friday by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. An examination of the patient at a clinical laboratory in Fujian Province also confirmed Luo's infection with the H7N9 bird flu, the statement said.

Thirty-seven people who have been in close contact with Luo have not shown any abnormal symptoms so far.

Four new cases of H7N9 bird flu were reported on Thursday, two in Zhejiang Province, one in Henan Province and one in Jiangxi Province.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission said in its Wednesday update that the total number of H7N9 cases reported in the mainland stood at 108, including 23 cases that have ended in death.