China reports three new H7N9 cases

BEIJING - Three new cases of H7N9 avian influenza were confirmed in China on Thursday, according to local authorities.

A 60-year-old woman surnamed Wang and a 50-year-old woman surnamed Yu in East China's Zhejiang province tested positive for the new strain of bird flu virus on Thursday, according to the provincial health department.

Both are in critical condition and are being treated at The First Affiliated Hospital of College of Medicine, Zhejiang University in Hangzhou.

Meanwhile, a man surnamed Cui was confirmed to be infected with H7N9 bird flu in Central China's Henan province, the provincial health department said on Thursday.

Seven people who had close contact with the 56-year-old patient have been placed under medical observation, but have so far shown no abnormal symptoms.

The health department of East China's Jiangxi province reported the province's first suspected human case of H7N9 avian influenza on Thursday.

In line with established protocol, the provincial center of disease control and prevention has sent the patient's samples to the national lab to confirm the diagnosis.

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

Most of the cases were reported in East China's Shanghai Municipality and the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui.